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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 1820

Yusuf S. Kizito and Arnold Nauwerck; Temporal and vertical distribution of planktonic rotifers in a meromictic crater lake, Lake Nyahirya (Western Uganda). Hydrobiologia 313/314:303-312, 1995

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Quantitative zooplankton sampling was carried out biweekly during 16 months in Lake Nyahirya, a Western Uganda crater lake. Six out of 24 rotifers species recorded from the lake were quantitatively important (Horaella brehmi, Brachionus angularis, B. caudatus, Keratella tropica, Filinia longiseta and F. opoliensis, and three others were common (Brachionus falcatus, Asplanchna sieboldi and Conochiloides natans). Rotifer peaks were correlated with rainly periods and relatively clear water, which coincide with the European spring and autumn. All species were able to deal with hypoxic conditions. A clear niche separation can be observed between different genera and between species of the same genus. The population dynamics of the rotifers seem to be ruled by repeated irregular environmental fluctuations. Rainfall appears to be a primary steering factor.