Spatial distribution of cladoceran assemblages in surface sediments of shallow lakes in Yunnan.

• Published in: Ying yong sheng tai xue bao Vol. 29; no. 9; p. 3111
• Main Authors: Zhu, Qing Sheng, Kong, Ling Yang, Chen, Li, Wang, Xiao, Wang, Jiao Yuan, Kang, Wen Gang, Li, Rui, Liang, Hong, Chen, Guang Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.09.2018
• Subjects: Animals; China; Cladocera - classification; Cladocera - growth & development; Ecosystem; Geologic Sediments; Lakes; Plankton; China; altitude; shallow lake; cladocera; nutrient level; regional heterogeneity
• ISSN: 1001-9332
• DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201809.032

Shallow lakes, sensitive to environmental changes due to low environmental carrying capacity, generally experience decreases in ecosystem function and even regime shifts after over-exploitation. Surface sediments of 18 shallow lakes in Yunnan were collected and analyzed to identify the spatial pattern and the influencing factors of cladoceran communities. The results showed that there was significant heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of cladocera in those lakes. For example, the cladoceran community was generally dominated by benthic taxa in alpine lakes, while there was a clear replacement of benthic cladocerans by planktonic ones with increasing nutrient levels across lakes from Southeast Yunnan. Altitude and total phosphorus were the main driving factors, which independently explained 22.0% and 7.7% of the change in cladocera communities, respectively. The altitude gradient and related changes in climate and catchment features were the main factors in structuring cladocerans for shallow lakes of Yu