Phytoplankton species composition in seven fishponds with a grass carp polyculture (2018-2019)

Abstract

The present article is an attempt to analyze the seasonal changes in the structure and the biomass of phytoplankton in fish ponds with a polyculture with two-year-old grass carp as a mean of biological control of unwanted aquatic vegetation. During a two-year study (2018 2019), 259 planktonic algae were identified with considerably higher number of species during the first year (216) in comparison with the second year (150), when the grass carp stocking densities were twice less. This decrease in the biodiversity was accompanied by a significant change in the dominant structure: in 2018, the most intense blooms were caused by potentially toxic cyanoprokaryotes Dolichospermum planctonicum (Brunnthaler) Wacklin, L. Hoffmann & Komarek and D. spiroides Klebhan) Wacklin, L. Hoffmann & Komarek L. Hoffmann & K. Sivonen, while in 2019 the most abundant species were from Pyrrhophyta (Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans), Euglenophyta {Euglena gracilis G.A. Klebs) and Ochrophyta, Raphidophyceae {Gonyostomum cf. ovatum Fott and Gonyostomum depressum (Lauterbom) Lemmermann).

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