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Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities
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Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 11562

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Natalia Kuczyńska-Kippen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Protection, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Interests: aquatic sciences; zooplankton ecology; biodiversity & conservation; ecology and evolution; predator–prey interactions; water quality assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Maria Špoljar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: freshwater ecology; zooplankon and microfaunal ecology; food web interactions; water quality; restoration and conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plankton diversity is one of the key ecological parameters in the assessment of the quality of freshwater and marine ecosystems. The diversity of both plankton components, as well as phyto- and zooplankton, reflect the existing conditions but also affect the processes of the whole aquatic ecosystem. Biodiversity can be typically assessed in terms of taxonomic diversity but numerous research data show that functional diversity, that refers to various functional traits in the plankton community, is often a more sensitive predictor of ecosystem functioning.

Various types of plankton assemblage have an impact on ecosystem functioning, particularly on productivity and ecosystem stability. The application of plankton diversity and functionality can be used for the assessment of water quality, climate change-induced alterations, the evaluation of organic contamination or the impact of human-originated transformations in the catchment area, as well as food web interactions and its importance in the natural and experimental environment. It can also be applied in ecological modelling, and in the evaluation and monitoring of restored ecosystems.

The diversity of plankton structural and functional assemblage arises from the heterogeneity of habitats and water bodies. Plankton is a pioneer as well as permanent element of oceans, lakes, rivers, or ponds. Thus, it presents a wide variety of responses to environmental factors, stressors, and counterpartners.

Prof. Dr. Natalia Kuczyńska-Kippen
Prof. Dr. Maria Špoljar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic diversity
  • ponds, lakes, reservoirs
  • rivers, streams
  • human transformation
  • invasive species
  • abiotic parameters vs. biocoenoses
  • food web interactions
  • environmental assessment
  • experimental assessments
  • bioindicators
  • restoration

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3575 KiB  
Article
How Daphnia magna Defends Itself against Predators: Mechanisms and Adaptations in a Freshwater Microcosm
by Goran Kovačević, Petra Tramontana Ljubičić, Daniela Petrinec, Damir Sirovina, Maja Novosel and Davor Želježić
Water 2024, 16(3), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030398 - 25 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2338
Abstract
The freshwater water flea (Daphnia magna Straus, 1820) is prey for numerous predators. Yet it possesses a wide range of strategies to defend itself against predation. The aim of this work is to investigate the defensive mechanisms employed by D. magna to [...] Read more.
The freshwater water flea (Daphnia magna Straus, 1820) is prey for numerous predators. Yet it possesses a wide range of strategies to defend itself against predation. The aim of this work is to investigate the defensive mechanisms employed by D. magna to reduce predation by the coelenterate Hydra viridissima, and two planarians, Polycelis felina and Dugesia gonocephala. To do this, we used a freshwater microcosm. An additional aim is to investigate interactions with the presence of the isolated endosymbiotic algae from green hydra, thus combining and observing the interaction of the zooplankton and microalgal component. Each experiment included five replicates (13.5 °C, 25 °C), in crystallizing glass containers (60 mL volume, 60 mm diameter, 35 mm height), including satiated (fed with larvae of Artemia salina) and starved predators, respectively (one or five individuals of a particular predator species in one microcosm). As the isolated microalgae are unique, we tracked the following three mechanisms of Daphnia defense for the first time including precisely this microalgal component: (i) grouping (visual magnification), i.e., two or more Daphnia holding together; (ii) the phenomenon of overproduction, i.e., any number of Daphnia in one container above the 10 initially added individuals; and (iii) accelerated movement (“bullet movement”), i.e., high-speed movements in particular microcosms. The results provide new information for a better understanding of the interspecific relationships in systems that include both zooplankton and microalgal components. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities)
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14 pages, 2269 KiB  
Article
Formation of Microalgal Hunting Nets in Freshwater Microcosm Food Web: Microscopic Evidence
by Goran Kovačević, Daniela Petrinec, Petra Tramontana Ljubičić, Siegfried Reipert, Damir Sirovina, Maria Špoljar, Petra Peharec Štefanić and Davor Želježić
Water 2023, 15(19), 3448; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193448 - 30 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1259
Abstract
The microcosm is a laboratory method frequently used in ecological studies related to population and food web interactions and environmental dynamics. It simultaneously brings into interaction different species in the same controlled laboratory experimental area and provides an opportunity for modeling and reconstruction [...] Read more.
The microcosm is a laboratory method frequently used in ecological studies related to population and food web interactions and environmental dynamics. It simultaneously brings into interaction different species in the same controlled laboratory experimental area and provides an opportunity for modeling and reconstruction of relationships in the natural biocenoses and ecosystems. We applied that approach to determine and improve our understanding of predator–prey interactions in different freshwater environments. The inhabitants of the microcosms were isolated endosymbiotic microalga Desmodesmus subspicatus (Chlorophyceae) (Chodat) Hegewald et Schmidt (CZ), green hydras, freshwater turbellarians, and large water fleas. Experiments were performed in five replicates, at 25 °C and 13.5 °C, with fed and hungry predators, respectively. Herein, we proposed a mechanism for microalgal hunting net formation in the freshwater microcosm. Ultrastructural visualization of the endosymbiotic microalgae revealed rod-like structures on the cell wall surface, structures that could possibly fit together and interconnect, suggesting the possibility of microalgal hunting net formation. Interspecific cooperation between isolated microalgae and turbellarians resulted in stronger hunting net formation in preying upon water fleas. This study contributes to the diversity of species interactions and shows the producers as a top link, as opposed to what is generally considered as a basic link in the food web, and presents the microalgae as triggers of the dynamics in the freshwater microcosm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities)
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23 pages, 5020 KiB  
Article
Interpreting Seasonal Patterns and Long-Term Changes of Zooplankton in a Deep Subalpine Lake Using Stable Isotope Analysis
by Rossana Caroni, Roberta Piscia, Gary Free and Marina Manca
Water 2023, 15(17), 3143; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173143 - 2 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the patterns and mechanisms driving seasonal and interannual variations of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the zooplankton crustacean community of Lake Maggiore (Italy), during the period 2009–2020. Different zooplankton taxa and groups showed different [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the patterns and mechanisms driving seasonal and interannual variations of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the zooplankton crustacean community of Lake Maggiore (Italy), during the period 2009–2020. Different zooplankton taxa and groups showed different ranges of δ13C signatures, giving an insight into food sources and niche partition. In particular, cyclopoids had a restricted range with more negative δ13C‰ values and an increase in δ13C fractionation with the establishment of water thermal vertical stratification, highlighting the importance of vertical distribution as a key factor for taxa coexistence in a vertically heterogenous environment. The δ13C values of the zooplankton community and of Daphnia were positively related to water temperature (R2 = 0.58 p < 0.0001 and R2 = 0.68 p < 0.0001, respectively), and the δ13C Daphnia signature was positively related to chlorophyll a (R2 = 0.32, p < 0.0001). Decomposition of the time-series data for zooplankton carbon and nitrogen signatures and environmental parameters identified increasing trends in water temperature, chlorophyll a and water conductivity and a decrease in nitrate that matched changes in carbon isotopic signature trends in some zooplankton taxa (Bosmina, Daphnia and Diaptomids). Overall, the observed patterns in zooplankton isotopic signatures were interpreted as integrations of the effects of climate warming in Lake Maggiore, affecting both the availability of food sources and environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities)
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Review

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15 pages, 2760 KiB  
Review
Widespread Geographical Disparities in Phytoplankton Ecology Research in the Face of Climate Change: A Review
by Rael Adhiambo, Paul Kojo Mensah and Emmanuel Acheampong
Water 2023, 15(24), 4288; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15244288 - 15 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2064
Abstract
Climate change is a global threat that is better understood through global research spanning many regions, countries, and life-supporting ecosystems. This review focused on the bibliometric analysis of the distribution of a global research compendium on phytoplankton, an aquatic community that accounts for [...] Read more.
Climate change is a global threat that is better understood through global research spanning many regions, countries, and life-supporting ecosystems. This review focused on the bibliometric analysis of the distribution of a global research compendium on phytoplankton, an aquatic community that accounts for half of the carbon fixation in the global carbon cycle. A total of 716 primary research papers published in the immediate past decade (2012–2022) were reviewed. The articles were sampled from Web of Science and described field and laboratory experiments quantifying the impact of global climate change on phytoplankton from different climate zones (tropical, subtropical, temperate, subpolar, and polar) and ecosystems (freshwater, brackish, and marine). Analyses of these studies suggest that the bulk of the global research effort (80%) focused on high-latitude areas, and only a few (17%) were carried out in the tropics, largely led by four countries (Australia, Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia), while Africa’s contribution was minuscule (<1%). In terms of ecosystems, the majority (76%) of the research was in marine waters, irrespective of the climate zone. Analyses of these studies also highlighted widespread disparities in phytoplankton research in tropical aquatic ecosystems, particularly in Africa. Strategic investment in terms of targeted funding, institutional networks, and partnerships between the global north and global south are necessary to increase phytoplankton research across different ecosystems in the tropics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities)
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16 pages, 1408 KiB  
Review
Trait-Based Research on Rotifera: The Holy Grail or Just Messy?
by Ulrike Obertegger and Robert Lee Wallace
Water 2023, 15(8), 1459; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081459 - 8 Apr 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2778
Abstract
In recent years, trait-based research on plankton has gained interest because of its potential to uncover general roles in ecology. While trait categories for phytoplankton and crustaceans have been posited, rotifer trait assessment has lagged behind. Here, we reviewed the literature to assess [...] Read more.
In recent years, trait-based research on plankton has gained interest because of its potential to uncover general roles in ecology. While trait categories for phytoplankton and crustaceans have been posited, rotifer trait assessment has lagged behind. Here, we reviewed the literature to assess traits key to their life histories and provided a data matrix for the 138 valid genera of phylum Rotifera. We considered seven traits: habitat type, trophi type, presence of lorica and foot, predation defense attributes, corona type, and feeding traits. While most traits were morphological attributes and supposedly easy to assess, we were faced with several challenges regarding trait assignment. Feeding traits were especially difficult to assess for many genera because relevant information was missing. Our assembled trait matrix provides a foundation that will initiate additional research on rotifer functional diversity, diminish the misclassification of rotifer genera into trait categories, and facilitate studies across trophic levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Functionality of Plankton Communities)
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