Historical Zooplankton Composition Indicates Eutrophication Stages in a Neotropical Aquatic System: The Case of Lake Amatitlán, Central America

Sarahi Jaime,Victor H Delgado-Blas,Elena M Reyes-Solares,Eduardo Suárez-Morales,Martha A Gutiérrez-Aguirre,Julio R Juárez-Pernillo,Adrián Cervantes-Martínez

doi:10.3390/d13090432

Sarahi Jaime, Victor H Delgado-Blas + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d13090432

Copy DOI

Abstract

This paper presents a study of freshwater zooplankton biodiversity, deemed as a reliable indicator of water quality. The Guatemalan Lake Amatitlán, currently used as a water source, has shown signs of progressive eutrophication, with perceptible variations of the local zooplankton diversity. Biotic and abiotic parameters were determined at four sites of Lake Amatitlán (Este Centro, Oeste Centro, Bahía Playa de Oro, and Michatoya) in 2016 and 2017. The local composition, the species richness and abundance of zooplankton, and the system environmental parameters were analyzed during both years surveyed. Biological data suggesting eutrophication of this tropical system were obtained, including a high rotifer abundance (11 species: the rotifers Brachionushavanaensis (109 ind L−1) and Keratellaamericana (304 ind L−1) were the most abundant species in this lake). The presumably endemic diaptomid copepod species, Mastigodiaptomusamatitlanensis, was absent in our samples, but we report the unprecedented occurrence of two Asian cyclopoid copepods (i.e., Thermocyclopscrassus and Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides) for Lake Amatitlán and Guatemala. The presence of larger zooplankters like adults and immature copepods (i.e., Arctodiaptomusdorsalis) and cladocerans (Ceriodaphnia sp.) at site “Este Centro” indicates a relatively healthy zooplankton community and represents a focal point for managing the conservation of this lake.

Highlights

The knowledge of zooplankton in the Neotropical region is growing with fragmented studies
We provide the first record of two cyclopoid exotic species (Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides and Thermocyclops crassus) for Lake Amatitlán and Guatemala
The endemic calanoid copepod, Mastigodiaptomus amatitlanensis, was absent in our current survey and the record of Arctodiaptomus dorsalis in Lake Amatitlán was confirmed here

Summary

Introduction

The knowledge of zooplankton in the Neotropical region is growing with fragmented studies. The zooplankton community and abundance are closely linked to the trophic state of the water system; for this reason, its diversity has been deemed as an indicator of water quality [4]. Some actions have been proposed to address this problem, either from the governmental level (i.e., Autoridad para el Manejo Sustentable de la cuenca del lago Amatitlán, AMSA 1996) or from descriptive studies of the lake involving the lake zooplankton biodiversity, like those by Basterrechea-Díaz (1997) [7] and Brandorff (2012) [11]; studies related with tropical epicontinental waterbodies have been more focused on environmental factors rather than biological community attributes or general limnology [12,13]; the zooplankton biodiversity in Guatemala remains largely unknown [14], with only a few studies in Guatemalan lakes [15,16]. Most studies in Lake Amatitlán and Guatemala are more focused on current data instead of historical analysis

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion