Dimas-Flores, N. (2005). Dinámica y estructura del zooplancton de dos lagos de alta montaña, México. [Dynamics and structure of zooplankton in two high mountain lakes, Mexico.]. Tesis de Maestría, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F., Mexico. 66 pp. [In Spanish].

500129

Dimas-Flores, N.

2005

66 pp. [In Spanish]

Publication

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14330/TES01000602082

Available for editors  

Despite the great interest generated by high mountain lakes in the tropical region, information on the structure and dynamics of zooplankton is still scarce and fragmented. Therefore, the general objective of this study was to characterize the structure and dynamics of zooplankton populations in two Mexican high mountain lakes: "La Luna" and "El Sol" (19°06’ N, 99°45’ W, at 4,200 masl), located in the crater of the Nevado de Toluca volcano. A total of 35 zooplankton taxa (27 in each lake), 2 copepods, 4 cladocerans and 29 rotifers were recognized. The species richness recorded is the highest recognized in high mountain lakes. Aspelta psitta, Hexarthra bulgarica, Cephalodella delicata and Alonella pulchella are new records for Mexico. Important differences were observed between the two study lakes. La Luna was characterized by presenting high abundance and frequency of taxa with littoral habits (e.g., Bdelloidea, Lepadella acuminata, and Lecane lunaris), possibly due to its smaller size, while in El Sol the pelagic organisms predominated (e.g., Leptodiaptomus cuauhtemoci, Polyarthra. dolichoptera, Daphnia ambigua). La Luna presented a lower density (111-1,449 ind. m3 ) and biomass (0.003-1.2 mg m3 ) annually than El Sol (28-1,305,611 ind. m 3 and 0.001-307 mg m3 ), respectively. The zooplankton in La Luna showed a greater distribution in the vertical profile, with a tendency to present higher percentages on the bottom. In contrast, in El Sol the organisms were preferably located towards the bottom. Diversity and evenness were higher in La Luna than in El Sol. Bdelloidea in La Luna and D. ambigua in El Sol dominated during the warm rainy season. During the cold season, no species were observed to dominate in La Luna, while P. dolichoptera did in El Sol. The differences between the zooplankton assemblages of both lakes may be a function of the quantity and quality of the available food, as well as environmental variables that were significantly different, such as a lower pH in La Luna. The results obtained show the differences in the composition and structure of the zooplankton assemblages between the lakes studied compared to temperate high mountain lakes.

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