The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China

Species co-occurrence is closely linked to complex environmental changes and biological interactions in ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, highly sensitive to environmental change, and rich in biodiversity. Clarifying the mechanisms of co-occurre...

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Main Authors: Yuxin Shi, Yue Liang, Yutao Wang, Peng Xu, Chunlin Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Diversity
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/382
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author Yuxin Shi
Yue Liang
Yutao Wang
Peng Xu
Chunlin Li
author_facet Yuxin Shi
Yue Liang
Yutao Wang
Peng Xu
Chunlin Li
author_sort Yuxin Shi
collection DOAJ
description Species co-occurrence is closely linked to complex environmental changes and biological interactions in ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, highly sensitive to environmental change, and rich in biodiversity. Clarifying the mechanisms of co-occurrence of zooplankton and phytoplankton, which are the basis of freshwater ecosystems, can provide important insights into ecosystem stability. We employed the Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities (HMSC) within Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) to fit the abundance data of zooplankton and phytoplankton dominant species sampled in April (spring) and July (summer) 2023 in Shengjin Lake to understand their co-occurrence pattern in typical Yangtze-connected lakes. Due to biotic interactions, rotifers primarily exhibit a positive co-occurrence pattern with one diatom and one cyanobacterium, while copepods mainly show a negative co-occurrence pattern with one diatom and one cyanobacterium. Only one rotifer and one chlorophyta mainly display a positive co-occurrence pattern, mainly driven by shared environmental preferences in that they are more likely to co-occur in areas with lower transparency, lower total phosphorus (TP) levels, and relatively higher pH levels. These findings show that the co-occurrence mechanisms of zooplankton and phytoplankton differ under the influence of biotic interactions and environmental factors, neither of which can be overlooked. These findings may provide important implications for the management of zooplankton and phytoplankton, the fundamental components of wetland ecosystems.
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spelling doaj-art-cd7b975eeb58434fa3d243371544cb412025-08-20T03:27:14ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-05-0117638210.3390/d17060382The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in ChinaYuxin Shi0Yue Liang1Yutao Wang2Peng Xu3Chunlin Li4School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaAnhui Provincial Forestry Survey and Planning Institute, Hefei 230001, ChinaSchool of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaSpecies co-occurrence is closely linked to complex environmental changes and biological interactions in ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, highly sensitive to environmental change, and rich in biodiversity. Clarifying the mechanisms of co-occurrence of zooplankton and phytoplankton, which are the basis of freshwater ecosystems, can provide important insights into ecosystem stability. We employed the Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities (HMSC) within Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) to fit the abundance data of zooplankton and phytoplankton dominant species sampled in April (spring) and July (summer) 2023 in Shengjin Lake to understand their co-occurrence pattern in typical Yangtze-connected lakes. Due to biotic interactions, rotifers primarily exhibit a positive co-occurrence pattern with one diatom and one cyanobacterium, while copepods mainly show a negative co-occurrence pattern with one diatom and one cyanobacterium. Only one rotifer and one chlorophyta mainly display a positive co-occurrence pattern, mainly driven by shared environmental preferences in that they are more likely to co-occur in areas with lower transparency, lower total phosphorus (TP) levels, and relatively higher pH levels. These findings show that the co-occurrence mechanisms of zooplankton and phytoplankton differ under the influence of biotic interactions and environmental factors, neither of which can be overlooked. These findings may provide important implications for the management of zooplankton and phytoplankton, the fundamental components of wetland ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/382planktonspecies co-occurrencebiotic interactionsenvironmental factorsYangtze-connected lake
spellingShingle Yuxin Shi
Yue Liang
Yutao Wang
Peng Xu
Chunlin Li
The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
Diversity
plankton
species co-occurrence
biotic interactions
environmental factors
Yangtze-connected lake
title The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
title_full The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
title_fullStr The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
title_full_unstemmed The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
title_short The Co-Occurrence of Zooplankton and Phytoplankton in Shengjin Lake, a Typical Yangtze-Connected Lake in China
title_sort co occurrence of zooplankton and phytoplankton in shengjin lake a typical yangtze connected lake in china
topic plankton
species co-occurrence
biotic interactions
environmental factors
Yangtze-connected lake
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/382
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