Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS37 Zooplankton

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 10:30:00 AM

Location: Aztec

Keckeis, S, , University of Vienna, Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Limnology, Vienna, Austria, a8502903

Hein, T, , University of Vienna, Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Limnology, Vienna, Austria, Thomas.Hein@univie.ac.at

Heiler, G, , University of Vienna, Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Limnology, Vienna, Austria,

Riedler, P, , University of Vienna, Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Hydrobotany, Vienna, Austria, pati@pflaphy.pph.univie.ac.at

Schiemer, F, , University of Vienna, Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Limnology, Vienna, Austria, Friedrich.Schiemer@univie.ac.at

PLANKTONIC CILIATES IN A HIGHLY FLUCTUATING ENVIRONMENT OF A FLOODPLAIN SYSTEM (DANUBE RIVER, AUSTRIA)

In dynamic floodplains phyto- and metazooplankton show different diversity and biomass patterns in dependence on the hydrological situation. Protists face disturbances, like washing out effects, quite successfully due to a fast recolonization capacity and to short generation times. Within the river-floodplain system of the Danube downstream of Vienna a highly dynamic floodplain (water age 1-30 days) and as reference an isolated backwater (water age higher than 200 days) were studied in 1997. Plankton (algae, bacteria, HNFs, ciliates and metazooplankton) was sampled biweekly. Ciliate community structure and functional role, in terms of biomass, were analysed with regard to hydrological conditions. Ciliates reached highest diversity at intermediate retention times. The community was dominated by oligotrich forms. Within the succession of plankton community structure the functional role of ciliates is supposed to shift from top predators during low retention times (low water age) to prey organisms at high retention times (high water age), being a link between higher trophic levels and microbial loop.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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