Variability in the zooplankton assemblages in relation to environmental variables in the tidal creeks of Sundarbans estuarine system, India

• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19136-8
• Publication Date: 2022-02-14T13:39:23Z
• Authors: Sanghamitra Basu; Pranab Gogoi; Subarna Bhattacha...; Lohith Kumar K.; Sanjoy Kumar Das; Basanta Kumar Das
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; Salinity; Abundance (ecology); Oceanography; 01 natural sciences; Acartia tonsa; Turbidity; Agricultural and Biological Sciences; Sociology; Importance and Conservation of Freshwater Biodiversity; Ecology; Life Sciences; Geology; Euryhaline; Length-Weight Relationships of Fish Species; FOS: Sociology; Physical Sciences; Seasons; Habitat Fragmentation; Environmental Monitoring; Diversity index; Population; India; Crustacean; Canonical correspondence analysis; Aquatic Science; Zooplankton; Copepoda; Acartia; Animals; Environmental Chemistry; 14. Life underwater; Biology; Nature and Landscape Conservation; Demography; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; Estuary; Water; FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences; 15. Life on land; Copepod; Fishery; 13. Climate action; FOS: Biological sciences; Phytoplankton; Environmental Science; Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms; Biogeography and Conservation of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes; Species richness

Abstract The present study illustrates a holistic account of zooplankton community dynamics in relation to physico − chemical variables in the tidal creeks of Indian Sundarbans estuarine system. Out of 11 water parameters, seven parameters (Temp., salinity, DO, turbidity, PO4 − P, NO3 − N and NO2 − N) differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) among seasons. A total of 63 zooplankton taxa were recorded with the predominance of Copepoda, varying in ranges from 59.55 to 73.13% of the total zooplankton population. PERMANOVA design depicted the significant variations of zooplankton population both spatially (F = 2.313; p = 0.001) and temporally (F = 6.107; p = 0.001). Out of 41 species of Copepoda recorded, 14 species (Paracalanous parvus, Parvocalanous dubia, Bestiolina similis, Acrocalanous gibber, A. gracilis, Acartia erythraea, A. spinicauda, Pseudodiaptomus serricaudatus, P. annandalei, P. aurivilli, Oithona brevicornis, O. similis, Longipedia weberi and Microsetella norvegica) indicated as ‘characterizing species’ in the creek environment, and highlighted the euryhaline nature as well as broad range of thermal tolerance of these species. β – diversity index (Index of Multivariate dispersion) reflected higher values (β = >1) in the creeks (S4, S2 and S6), those are experienced with high anthropogenic pressure. On the whole, the calculated mean value of α − diversity (dʹ=4.07; H'=2.31) indicated ‘good’ zooplankton diversity. Water parameters viz., Temp., salinity, DO, turbidity, PO4 − P and NO3 − N were found to have influence on the distribution, abundance and diversity of zooplankton in the creeks. More specifically, the linear model (DistLM) exhibited two variables viz., temperature and salinity were the primary controlling factors in shaping the zooplankton community compositions in the creek environment.