Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Corresponding author: Dmitriy Gavrilko (dima_gavrilko@mail.ru)
Academic editor: Sameer Padhye
Received: 26 Nov 2023 | Accepted: 27 Jan 2024 | Published: 13 Feb 2024
© 2024 Dmitriy Gavrilko, Vyacheslav Zhikharev, Tatyana Zolotareva, Ivan Kudrin, Basil Yakimov, Aleksandra Erlashova
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Gavrilko D, Zhikharev V, Zolotareva T, Kudrin I, Yakimov B, Erlashova A (2024) Biodiversity of zooplankton (Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda) in the tributaries of Cheboksary Reservoir (Middle Volga, Russia). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e116330. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e116330
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Freshwater zooplankton is an important component of the ecological communities of inland water bodies. It acts as an important part of the food web and participates in the self-purification processes of aquatic ecosystems. To study the abundance and distribution of species, a sampling event dataset was compiled and then published through GBIF. The aim of the work was to describe the current zooplankton fauna (Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda) and its abundance, based on a recently published dataset. The research was conducted from 2015 to 2022. Zooplankton samples were collected by vertical towing a plankton net (70 μm mesh) from the bottom to the water surface or by filtering through a net, the water being collected with a measuring bucket. The samples were concentrated to 100 ml and fixed with a final concentration of 4% formalin solution. For each sampling event, the coordinates of the location, number of individuals and date were recorded.
The dataset contains information on 259 taxа, including 257 species and subspecies of zooplankton from 36 families found in the tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir. The families Chydoridae (35 species), Brachionidae (31) and Cyclopidae (27) were the most species-rich. Four invasive species were found: Kellicottia bostoniensis (Rousselet, 1908), Acanthocyclops americanus (Marsh, 1893), Ilyocryptus spinifer Herrick, 1882 and Thermocyclops taihokuensis Harada, 1931.
species richness, occurrence, abundance, centre of European Russia
Freshwater zooplankton is an important component of ecological communities of inland water bodies. It includes invertebrates from different systematic groups, the main ones being rotifers, cladocerans and copepods. Acting as an important part of the food web, zooplankton participates in the self-purification processes of aquatic ecosystems and is a food base for fish and other invertebrates (
Rivers are the most widespread type of water body in the world. They have rich faunistic diversity and their estuaries act as refuges for zooplankton (
In recent decades, the increasing anthropogenic impact on aquatic ecosystems has resulted in accelerated pollution, eutrophication and, as a consequence, changes in the biodiversity of aquatic communities (
A large number of works have been devoted to the study of zooplankton in the Middle Volga Basin. However, there are very few collections with records of species abundance (
The aim of this paper was to describe the current zooplankton fauna and abundance of the tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir, based on a recently published dataset (
Biodiversity of Zooplankton (Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda) in the Tributaries of Cheboksary Reservoir (Middle Volga, Russia)
Dmitriy Gavrilko, Vyacheslav Zhikharev, Tatyana Zolotareva, Ivan Kudrin, Basil Yakimov, Aleksandra Erlashova
The studies were conducted in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and the Republic of Mari El). Hydrobiological data were obtained and published between 2015 and 2022 from 14 rivers: Vetluga, Sura, Kerzhenets, Sundovik, Kudma, Vezloma, Oka, Linda, Pyra, Trestyanka, Chernaya (Zavolzhye), Zhuzhla, Chernaya (Pravoberezhye) and Uzola (Fig.
The presented dataset on the taxonomic composition and abundance of zooplankton in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir is based on the original materials (samples) of the authors. The species list includes native species and naturalised species, including invasive species. The dataset represents mainly native species (98.4%), with invasive species accounting for no more than 1.6%. Studies were carried out in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir (Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Republic of Mari El, European Russia). Hydrobiological data were obtained and published from 2015 to 2022 from 14 rivers: Vetluga, Sura, Kerzhenets, Sundovik, Kudma, Vezloma, Oka, Linda, Pyra, Trestyanka, Chernaya (Zavolzhye), Zhuzhla, Chernaya (Pravoberezhye) and Uzola.
The identification of the species composition of zooplankton was performed in 2015–2022. When specifying the taxonomic affiliation of zooplankton, we used proper manuals and guides (
All samples were identified by the researchers working at the Lobachevsky State University of Nizhnii Novgorod and stored in the scientific collection of the university. The reliability of the taxonomic definitions was confirmed by taxonomists of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences (
Zooplankton samples were collected by vertical towing a plankton net (70 μm mesh) from the bottom to the water surface or by filtering through a net, the water being collected with a measuring bucket. The samples were concentrated to 100 ml and fixed to a final concentration of 4% formalin solution (
The Cheboksary Reservoir is the fifth in the cascade of Volga reservoirs and is located in the central part of the East European Plain. This territory is part of the temperate continental climate. There are great seasonal differences in the duration of the daylight hours and the sun's height above the horizon in the temperate zone. There is a rapid decrease of solar radiation to the north in winter. Maximum daily sums of solar radiation are observed during May–July at the highest altitudes of the sun and maximum day length. In average annual output, the inflow of total solar radiation in this climate is almost 2 times less than in tropical climates. Cloudiness reduces the inflow of total solar radiation by an average of 40 percent. Radiation balance is the main factor in heating and cooling the air. It also regulates moisture evaporation from the surface. The annual course of turbulent heat transfer is characterised by a summer maximum that increases with increasing dryness. In winter, the turbulent heat flux is directed from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface, but its absolute values are smaller than in summer. Annual precipitation on the plain territory in this climate varies from 300 to 800 mm (
The Cheboksary Reservoir is 341 km long, with an average depth of 4.7 m and a maximum depth of 21 m. It has the highest flow capacity and water exchange coefficient not only amongst the reservoirs of the Middle Volga, but also of the entire Volga cascade.
From Gorodets to the mouth of the Oka River, the Reservoir is located on the Balakhna Plain and has relatively symmetrical banks. Below the mouth of the Oka River, the right bank is high and steep (up to 100 m high) and the left bank is low. The largest tributary of the Reservoir is the Oka River (
Hydrological characteristics of tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir (
Rivers |
River length, km |
Basin area, km2 |
Depth, m |
Lower reach, m3/sec |
Flow velocity, m/sec |
Uzola |
147 |
1,920 |
0.1–0.4 |
NA |
0.2–1.0 |
Chernaya (Zavolzhye) |
12 |
49 |
0.1–1.0 |
0.3 |
NA |
Trestyanka |
17 |
73 |
0.1–0.5 |
NA |
NA |
Zhuzhla |
18 |
78 |
0.1–1.0 |
NA |
NA |
Pyra |
36 |
155 |
0.1–0.4 |
NA |
NA |
Chernaya (Pravoberezhye) |
19 |
61 |
0.6–1.0 |
0.27 |
0.1–0.2 |
Linda |
122 |
1,630 |
0.1–0.5 |
NA |
NA |
Vezloma |
52 |
408 |
0.2–3.0 |
NA |
NA |
Oka |
1,500 |
245,000 |
1.3–15.0 |
1,258 |
0.2–0.4 |
Kudma |
144 |
3,220 |
0.4–1.2 |
5.75 |
0.1–1.2 |
Sundovik |
97 |
1,120 |
0.1–4.0 |
NA |
0.1–0.9 |
Kerzhenets |
290 |
6,140 |
0.5–8.0 |
19.6 |
0.1–0.8 |
Sura |
841 |
67,500 |
0.5–12.0 |
260 |
0.1–0.5 |
Vetluga |
889 |
39,400 |
1.5–3.0 |
255 |
0.3–0.6 |
The dataset provides information on 259 taxа, including 257 species and subspecies of zooplankton, as well as two genera Bythotrephes Leydig, 1860 and Notommata Ehrenberg, 1830 (rotifers – 143, cladocerans – 80, copepods – 34) from 36 families found in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir (Table
Species richness by family of zooplankton in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir.
Family | Number of Species | Family | Number of Species |
Rotifera (total – 143) | Cladocera (total – 80) | ||
Asplanchnidae | 5 | Bosminidae | 7 |
Brachionidae | 31 | Cercopagidae (genera Bythotrephes) | NA |
Collothecidae | 1 | Chydoridae | 35 |
Lepadellidae | 8 | Daphniidae | 19 |
Conochilidae | 3 | Eurycercidae | 2 |
Dicranophoridae | 1 | Ilyocryptidae | 5 |
Euchlanidae | 11 | Leptodoridae | 1 |
Filinidae | 2 | Macrotricidae | 2 |
Flosculariidae | 2 | Moinidae | 2 |
Gastropodidae | 4 | Ophryoxidae | 1 |
Hexarthridae | 2 | Polyphemidae | 1 |
Lecanidae | 16 | Sididae | 5 |
Mytilinidae | 5 | ||
Notommatidae | 12 | Copepoda (total – 34) | |
Philodinidae | 2 | Cyclopidae | 27 |
Proalidae | 2 | Diaptomidae | 3 |
Scaridiidae | 1 | Temoridae | 4 |
Synchaetidae | 14 | ||
Testudinellidae | 6 | ||
Trichocercidae | 12 | ||
Trichotriidae | 3 | ||
Order Bdelloidea | NA |
Most rotifers of the order Bdelloidea could not be identified as species in the fixed material, so they were recorded as order Bdelloidea.
To compare our data with the species richness of zooplankton from the basins of other Volga reservoirs: small rivers of the Upper Volga basin – 157 species (
Findings of alien zooplankton species are of great importance for studying the processes of dispersal of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems. We found four alien species in the samples: two transcontinental invaders, Kellicottia bostoniensis (Rousselet, 1908) and Acanthocyclops americanus (Marsh, 1893) and two tropical invaders, Ilyocryptus spinifer Herrick, 1882 and Thermocyclops taihokuensis Harada, 1931. The rotifer K. bostoniensis and the copepoda A. americanus had the highest occurrence frequency. The cladocera I. spinifer, originally found in Europe in the Vetluga River (
The presented dataset contains information on the occurrence of zooplankton species from 2015 to 2022.
The dataset provides information on 259 taxа, including 257 species and subspecies of zooplankton, as well as two genera Bythotrephes Leydig, 1860 and Notommata Ehrenberg, 1830 (rotifers – 143, cladocerans – 80, copepods – 34) from 36 families found in tributaries of the Cheboksary Reservoir and documented simultaneously with the coordinates. The families Chydoridae (35 species), Brachionidae (31) and Cyclopidae (27) were the largest in terms of species richness. The dataset has 6710 records.
In the dataset, each observation includes basic information: location (latitude and longitude), observation date, observer name and identifier. The coordinates were recorded in situ using a Garmin eTrex 32x (Garmin Ltd., USA).
Column label | Column description |
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eventID (Event core, Occurrence extension) | An identifier for the set of information associated with an event (something that occurs at a place and time). |
parentEventID (Event core) | An identifier for the broader that groups this and potentially others. |
waterBody (Event core) | The name of the water body in which the location occurs. |
habitat (Event core) | A category or description of the habitat in which the event occurred. |
decimalLatitude (Event core) | The geographic latitude of location in decimal degrees. |
decimalLongitude (Event core) | The geographic longitude of location in decimal degrees. |
geodeticDatum (Event core) | The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS), upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based. |
continent (Event core) | The name of the continent in which the location occurs. |
country (Event core) | The name of the country in which the location occurs. |
countryCode (Event core) | The standard code for the country in which the Location occurs. |
stateProvince (Event core) | The name of the next smaller administrative region than country (state, province, canton, department, region etc.) in which the location occurs. |
samplingProtocol (Event core) | The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during an event. |
year (Event core) | The integer year in which the Event occurred. |
month (Event core) | The ordinal month in which the Event occurred. |
day (Event core) | The integer day of the month on which the Event occurred. |
sampleSizeValue (Event core) | A numeric value for a measurement of the size (time duration, length, area or volume) of a sample in a sampling Event. |
sampleSizeUnit (Event core) | The unit of measurement of the size (time duration, length, area or volume) of a sample in a sampling Event. |
samplingEffort (Event core) | The amount of effort expended during a Event. |
eventDate (Event core) | The date when material from the trap was collected or the range of dates during which the trap collected material |
coordinateUncertaintyInMetres (Event core) | The horizontal distance (in metres) from the given decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the terms. |
occurrenceID (Occurrence extension) | An identifier for the Occurrence (as opposed to a particular digital record of the occurrence). |
scientificName (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name including the genus name and the lowest level of taxonomic rank with the authority. |
kingdom (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name of the kingdom in which the taxon is classified. |
phylum (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name of the phylum or division in which the taxon is classified. |
class (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name of the class in which the taxon is classified. |
order (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name of the order in which the taxon is classified. |
family (Occurrence extension) | The full scientific name of the family in which the taxon is classified. |
individualCount (Occurrence extension) | The number of individuals present at the time of the Occurrence. |
basisOfRecord (Occurrence extension) | The specific nature of the data record. |
organismQuantity (Occurrence extension) | A number or enumeration value for the quantity of Organisms. |
organismQuantityType (Occurrence extension) | The type of quantification system used for the quantity of organisms. |
recordedBy (Occurrence extension) | A person, group or organisation responsible for recording the original Occurrence. |
identifiedBy (Occurrence extension) | A list of names of people, who assigned the Taxon to the subject. |
taxonRank (Occurrence extension) | The taxonomic rank of the most specific name in the scientificName. |
establishmentMeans (Occurrence extension) | Statement about whether a Organism has been introduced to a given place and time through the direct or indirect activity of modern humans. |
Conceptualisation, D.E.G.; methodology, D.E.G.; software, B.N.Y. and A.S.E.; investigation, D.E.G., V.S.Z., T.V.Z. and I.A.K.; resources, B.N.Y. and A.S.E.; data curation, B.N.Y. and A.S.E.; writing—original draft preparation, D.E.G. and V.S.Z.; writing—review and editing, B.N.Y.; visualisation, V.S.Z.; supervision, D.E.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.