Zooplankton crustaceans of ephemeral waterbodies on the territory of various natural zones in Saratov oblast

Abstract

The zooplankton of ephemeral waterbodies of Saratov oblast is represented by 68 species of crustaceans: 9 fairy shrimps, 25 cladocerans, 10 calanoids, and 24 cyclopoids. Regional and local patterns of high species diversity in the zooplankton of ephemeral waterbodies are discussed. The specificity of crustacean species composition in ephemeral waterbodies of intrazonal forest-steppe landscapes of the valley river basin of the Don River and of the steppes and desert steppes of Zavolzhye is shown. The number of crustacean species in the zooplankton increases from the northwest to southeast in all ephemeral waterbodies of forest-steppe (33 species), steppe (39), and desert steppe (52) zones. The impact of irrigation systems on the formation of zooplankton species composition in ephemeral waterbodies was established.