Habitats Selection of Zooplankton between Pelagic and Littoral Zone in Shallow Reservoirs in Summer

The Abundance of zooplankton was studied in the pelagic and the littoral zone in four shallow reservoirs along with the Nakdong river basin of S. Korea. In the pelagic zone, there was a higher zooplankton density (477.5±312.4 ind. L -1 ) than in the littoral zone during our study period (t=2.337, p⁄0.05). Overall, Rotifers were the most abundant group in the studied reservoirs. However, there are no significant correlations between the pelagic and the littoral zone in physical and chemical parameters. In the pelagic and the littoral zone, zooplankton density usually increased with increasing density of aquatic plants in the littoral zone. However, this study showed different trends. Although macrophyte abundance was higher in the littoral zone than in the pelagic zone, zooplankton abundance was higher in pelagic zone. Moreover, when macrophytes (Trapa japonica and Spirodela plyrhiza) covered the complete water surface of the reservoir, zooplankton abundance was higher. It appears that comparisons between the pelagic and the littoral zone give important cues on the selection of habitats by zooplankton. It is assumed that a higher density of aquatic plants does not always imply a higher density of zooplankton in the littoral zone. Furthermore, when the water surface was covered with aquatic plants, the zooplankton communities showed the highest density in the pelagic zone. These results imply that habitat selection of the zooplankton community (Rotifers) is influenced by aquatic plant density with an associated decrease in predation pressure during summer.