Effects of Water Stratification and Mixing on Plankton Community Structure in a Floating Solar Power Plant

Abstract

Plankton community structure play pivotal roles in aquatic ecosystems, influencing their structure, function and services. However, little is known about the effects of water stratification and mixing on the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. The influence of water stratification and mixing on plankton community structure was studied in the Floating Da Mi Solar Power Plant was done between March 2020 and September 2022, encompassing both dry and rainy seasons. Data from 4 sites were used as a representative example for the study area to conduct a qualitative study. To implement this assessment, the analyses were based on MRC methods and classifications, these improved by the scientific group. The results showed that 86 species of phytoplankton and 23 species of zooplankton were found in the study area. The density of phytoplankton at each site ranged from 279 to 32,282 individuals/sample, while the density of zooplankton at each site fluctuated from 5 to 33 individuals/sample. The calculated values for the diversity index (H’) of phytoplankton and zooplankton fluctuated from medium to quite high levels from 1.55 to 3.69; 1.562.95 respectively. The results also showed that several environmental variables, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a were correlated with species richness, density and diversity index of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The obtained results will be useful for the monitoring of changes of aquatic ecosystem at the study area, in particular the sensitivity of aquatic flora and fauna to changes in environmental variables.