ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Quantitative Assessment of Epiphytic
and Benthic Meioinvertebrate Fauna in Various
Types of Standing Water
Teresa Nesteruk
More details
Hide details
Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Zoology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities,
B. Prusa 12, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
Submission date: 2015-09-09
Final revision date: 2016-03-30
Acceptance date: 2016-04-02
Publication date: 2016-07-22
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2016;25(4):1661-1668
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The density and dominance of benthic and epiphytic fauna of selected meioinvertebrate groups were
studied in various types of standing water in eastern Poland: two lakes (mesotrophic and polytrophic)
and two small water bodies (an oligotrophic pond and a peat-hag). The plants from which the fauna were
collected included: Ceratophyllum demersum L., Elodea canadensis Michx., Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
L., Myriophyllum spicatum L., Nuphar lutea (L.) Sibth. (i) Sm., Potamogeton natans L., and Stratiotes
aloides L. In the taken material, the density and dominance structure of benthic and epiphytic fauna
of the taxa Turbellaria, Gastrotricha, Rotifera, and Nematoda were estimated. Total density of the studied
phyla in bottom sediments and on elodeids fluctuated from 1315.0 to 3156.0 103 indiv. m-2, and from 2078.0
to 3954.0 103 indiv. m-2, respectively. Mean density of meioinvertebrates per 100 g dry weight of plants in
the studied waterbodies amounted to from 125.8 to 289.0 103 indiv. 100 g-1 d.w.
The density of meioinvertebrate fauna of elodeids was higher than in bottom sediments in all studied
reservoirs and the differences were statistically significant.
Epiphytic meioinvertebrate fauna in Lake Bikcze of high trophic level shows low similarity to the
mesotrophic one, and to the oligotrophic pond, but shows high similarity to the peat-hag. The development
of the meioinvertebrate community on elodeids is mainly affected by the trophic status of the reservoir and
not by the character of vegetation.