Additive partitioning of the diversity of the dormant zooplankton communities in intermittent ponds along a forest–grassland transition

• Published in: Hydrobiologia Vol. 847; no. 5; pp. 1327 - 1342
• Main Authors: Freiry, Raquel Fontoura, Weber, Vinícius, Bonecker, Claudia Costa, Lansac-Tôha, Fábio Amodêo, Pires, Mateus Marques, Stenert, Cristina, Maltchik, Leonardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-03-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Additives; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cores; Dormancy; Ecology; Ecosystems; Forests; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Grasslands; Heterogeneity; Incubation period; Life Sciences; Ponds; Primary Research Paper; Resting stages; Sediment; Sediment samplers; Sediment samples; Vegetation type; Zoology; Zooplankton; Biomes; Resting stages; Richness; Spatial scale; Microcrustaceans; Wetlands
• DOI: 10.1007/s10750-020-04187-0
• EISSN: 1573-5117
• ISSN: 0018-8158

We assessed the diversity of zooplanktonic resting stages through different spatial scales in intermittent ponds along a forest–grassland transition in southern Brazil. We tested how the diversity (richness) of resting stages varied through the following spatial scales: cores (
α
), among sediment cores within a pond (
β
1
), among ponds (
β
2
), and between biomes (
β
3
). We also assessed the diversity for the subsets of ponds within each biome. Sediment samples from 12 ponds were hydrated in the laboratory, and hatchlings were collected after 30-day incubation experiments. The estimated richness of the components
β
2
and
β
3
was higher than expected and they had the greatest contributions to total richness (47% and 24%, respectively). Within each biome, component
β
2
accounted for the greatest fraction of the total diversity, although their relative contributions changed between biomes (forest: 66%; grassland: 58%). The higher contribution of the among-pond spatial scale (
β
2
) can be accounted to the environmental heterogeneity among sites. The higher contribution of the broadest spatial scales to the total diversity in the forest rather than the grassland biome suggests that vegetation type influences the spatial patterns of diversity of the zooplankton.