Spatial Differences in Zooplankton Community Structure between Two Fluvial Lakes in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River: Effects of Land Use Patterns and Physicochemical Factors

Abstract

The zooplankton community composition in shallow lakes is influenced by numerous factors, such as environmental factors and the land use patterns around the lake. To investigate the interaction between the spatial differences in the zooplankton community structure, aquatic parameters, and land use patterns in the Lake Chen Yao complex (Lake Chen Yao and Lake Feng Sha), we assessed them in four seasons from October 2020 to August 2021. The results showed that the zooplankton density and biomass of Lake Chen Yao were higher than the latter. The results of Pearson correlation and RDA analysis revealed that electrical conductivity (EC), Chlorophyll a (Chl.a), dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH were the main environmental factors affecting the zooplankton community structure in the two lakes. The nutrient content of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were significantly higher in Lake Chen Yao, and there was a considerable relationship with the distribution of land use patterns around the two lakes. The land use patterns were the main reason for the difference in water quality and thus the spatial variation in the characteristics of the zooplankton communities in the two lakes.