Habitat preferences of aquatic Oligochaeta in a small highland stream (Czech Republic)
| Title in English | Habitat preferences of aquatic Oligochaeta in a small lowland stream (Czech Republic) |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2003 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | 9th International symposium on aquatic Oligochaeta. Programme & Abstracts |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | aquatic Oligochaeta; habitat preference; multivariate analysis |
| Description | Research was carried out to reveal the influence of stream hydrology and physico-chemical variables on the structure of the aquatic oligochaete assemblage. Quantitative samples were collected from the small lowland river Rokytná (the Thaya River basin) in the southern part of the Czech Republic. The oligochaete biomass (total wet weights of individuals per 1 m2) in selected habitats was compared by Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test, but no significant (p < 0.05) differences were found. Habitat preferences of oligochaete species were evaluated by Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CANOCO). BOD and NH4+ ion concentration were the most important variables explaining the distribution of oligochaetes along the first axis. Current velocity (at 60% of the depth) and water temperature were the most important variables along the second axis. Further significant variables (according to Monte Carlo permutation test) were the concentration of NO3- ions, conductivity, bottom velocity, and the concentration of PO43-. The amount of organic matter (BOD) and concentrations of important ions fluctuated mainly in course of time and thus represented the temporal pattern; current velocity explained the spatial pattern of oligochaete distribution. |
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