AgriScience Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Agroecology
Origin and Development of Zooplankton and Macrozoobenthos Communities in the Primary Succession of a Temporarily Anthropogenically Regulated Artificial Lake
Abstract
Pencho Ivanov
The objective of this research is to observe the emergence and development of zooplankton and macrozoobenthos communities in an artificial water body under anthropogenically controlled hydrological conditions. The study of colonization and community formation in temporary water bodies provides insights into the factors and processes influencing the establishment of animal communities. These investigations are particularly relevant in the context of climate change, which significantly increases the number of desiccating water bodies that undergo recolonization upon each refilling event.
This research specifically focuses on the emergence and development of zooplankton and macrozoobenthos communities. The study site is Lake Ariana, located in central Sofia, Bulgaria. Zooplankton and macrozoobenthos samples were taxonomically identified and statistically analyzed. The absence of predatory pressure and stable environmental conditions, maintained by the lake’s flow-through nature, facilitate the emergence and development of a viable zooplankton community. This community serves as a primary factor in ecosystem functioning. The macrozoobenthos fails to establish a stable community and is predominantly represented by Chironomidae. Varying conditions during lake filling events suggest different structures of the zooplankton community.
