Ostracods in a heterogeneous spring fen: what drives the spatial and seasonal variation at fine scale
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| Citation | |
| Description | Western Carpathian (Central Europe) spring fens are unique and pristine biotopes, hosting high diversity of various groups of organisms, including many ostracod species. This study is focused on small scale, which have been almost unexplored in this type of environment. A total of 108 samples were taken from 4 mesohabitats in a heterogeneous calcareous spring fen during three occasions (spring, summer and autumn). The studied site hosts eleven ostracod species, differing in their strength of association with spring environment and most of them showing strongly patchy distributions. Water depth/temperature and amount of dissolved organic carbon were identified as the most significant environmental variables, but these variables only partly accounted for the patchy distribution of ostracods, leaving quite a large part of the variability unexplained. The recorded seasonal changes in ostracod distribution were relatively small, except for an exceptionally wide distribution of the crenobiont species Cypria reptans over the site in autumn. Since springs have been considered a relatively stable environment, greater influence of biotic interactions on the ostracod assemblages can be expected in this habitat and the patchiness in ostracod distribution might be therefore connected with interspecies competition or predation by macroinvertebrate predators. |
| Related projects: |