COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF PLANKTONIC COPEPODA IN A SHALLOW, MACROPHYTIC LAKE, LAKE BIANDANTANG

Community structure of copepods, including species composition, population dyamics and standing crops, was studied in a shallow, macrophytic lake, Lake Biandantang (Hubei, China). During one year study, 14 species (9 Cyclopoida and 5 Calanoida) were found. In terms of annual average density, the dominant Cyclopoida were Mesocyclops nortius, Cyclops vincinus vincinus and Thermocyclops Thermocyclops brevifurcatus, and meanwhile Neodiaptomus yantsekiangensis and Sinocalanus dorrii dominated the Calanoida.A comparison of species composition of Copepoda in five macrophytic lakes along the Chanajiang River shows that the species number of Copepoda is not proportional to the surface area of the lake, which is not Coincident with Didson’s conclusion on the positive relationship of lake surface area yis-a-vis cladocera species number in European.and North American Lakes. It was also found that although there were as many as 35 species of planktonic Copepda in these lakes, the dominants were quite similarly limited to a few genus or a few species, while the most other species only appeared incidentally.