Assessing the Zooplankton Metacommunity (Branchiopoda and Copepoda) from Mediterranean Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes

Autor: Juan Diego Gilbert, Francisco J. Márquez, Francisco Guerrero
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Diversity, Vol 15, Iss 3, p 362 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1424-2818
DOI: 10.3390/d15030362
Popis: Mediterranean wetlands are suitable ecosystems for studying metacommunity theory, since they are isolated ecosystems within a land matrix with well-established limits, often with watersheds destined for agricultural uses. The zooplankton community of wetlands in agricultural landscapes is the result of processes that operate in a different multiscale context. We selected 24 ponds in Alto Guadalquivir region (SE Spain) with different local environmental variables (biological, limnological and land uses). The zooplankton community of the wetlands under study consists of a total of 60 species: 38 branchiopods and 22 copepods. This community (total, branchiopods and copepods) was analysed through two different and complementary metacommunity approaches. The pattern approach determines the species distribution along environmental gradients, and the mechanistic approach considers the involved processes, such as environmental control and dispersal limitation. The results indicated a nested metacommunity, in which five limnological variables, three land uses and six spatial variables are the main drivers that explain zooplankton distribution in these wetlands. In conclusion, species sorting and dispersal processes play a role in the structuring of the zooplankton metacommunity. This conclusion has implications for the development of adequate management policies on Mediterranean wetland protection and diversity conservation in agricultural contexts.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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