Zooplankton community structure in relation to environmental factors and ecological assessment of water quality in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River

Abstract

To study the relationship between zooplankton community structure and environmental factors and water quality in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River, investigations were carried out in June, August, and October 2011. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and saprobic indices were used to process and analyze the data. Seasonal variability was identified as a significant source of variation, which explains the fluctuation in zooplankton density. In autumn, the dry season, water residence time increased and zooplankton biomass and abundance accumulated in the slow flowing waters. Zooplankton abundance increased when food conditions improved. Therefore, the total zooplankton abundance in autumn is much higher than that in spring and summer. According to the saprobic indices, all the sample sites had mesosaprobic water and water quality was worse in autumn. CCA revealed that temperature accounted for most of the spatial variation in the zooplankton community. Moreover, pH, dissolved oxygen saturation, and turbidity were important factors affecting zooplankton community distribution.