Effects of habitat quality on ciliated protozoa communities in sewage treatment plants

Abstract

Abstract Ciliated protozoa communities and physico‐chemical variables were measured in an activated‐sludge sewage‐treatment plant in order to know the influence of the environmental conditions on the ciliate populations during biological treatment. Data of biological and not biological variables were submitted to stepwise multiple regression analysis, revealing which environmental variables are important for the development of each ciliate species and for the whole ciliate population.