Effect of Environmental Factors on Communities of Bottom Fauna in Littoral Zones of Ten Lakes in the Wel River Catchment

摘要

The results of a study of littoral macroinvertebrate communities of lakes in the Wei River catchment (central Poland) are presented. Semi-quantitative sampling was performed in April and October 2009. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to demonstrate relationships between macroinvertebrate assemblages and environmental variables. There were significant relationships between transparency (Secchi depth), P-PO_4 concentration, lake area, and taxa occurrence, which explained 22%, 19%, and 14% of the observed variability, respectively. The lakes were grouped according to littoral fauna communities in a pattern similar to that noted with regard to physicochemical variables and other communities inhabiting the lakes.