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Comparative study of periphytic ciliate communities and succession on natural and artificial substrata in two shallow lakes (Eastern Poland)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

T. Mieczan*
Affiliation:
Department of Hydrobiology and Ichthyobiology, University of Agriculture, Dobrzańskiego 37, Lublin 20-262, Poland.
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Abstract

The colonization and succession of periphytic ciliate communities on the natural (Phragmites australis and Typha Iatifolia) and artificial (glass slides) substrata were studied in 2 shallow lakes (Polesie Lubelskie, Eastern Poland). Sampling was done on a monthly basis from April to November 2003-2004. During each sampling occasion 6 periphton samples were collected from each type of substrata at 3 sites: the land/water contact zone, among emergent macrophytes, and at the emergent macrophytes/open water border. Irrespective of the type of substrate and trophic state, species number and densities of periphytic ciliates reached the highest value in the land/water contact zone and decreased in the direction of the area of emergent macrophytes/open water zone. In land/water contact zone, the biggest factors limiting the ciliate communities were temperature, conductivity, concentrations of total organic carbon and nutrient (Ptot and N-NH4). In turn, in the other 2 zones, the influence of chlorophyll a concentration increased.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Université Paul Sabatier, 2007

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