Crustacean zooplankton communities in shallow coastal ephemeral pools (Nigue, 39°S, Araucania region, Chile)

Abstract

Abstract The crustacean zooplankton in Chilean coastal lagoons has been poorly studied, and the scarce studies available would indicate the presence of low numbers of species, variable according to the degree of oligotrophy. The aim of the present study was to give a first characterization of crustacean zooplankton communities in a small, shallow coastal lake using Null models, specifically aimed at determining species co-occurrence and niche overlap. The results revealed that species associations are random, which picture originates from the fact that the same species occur many times, while analysis of niche sharing or overlap revealed that there is niche segregation resulting in the absence of competition between species. These results would be similar to earlier observations for mountain lakes and lagoons in northern Patagonia in both Argentina and Chile, and partially similar to the situation in Andean shallow wetlands in northern Chile. More detailed studies will be necessary to fully understand the local population dynamics and overall community dynamics.