Responses of Zooplankton Community Pattern to Environmental Factors along the Salinity Gradient in a Seagoing River in Tianjin, China

As the primary consumers in aquatic organisms, zooplankton play an important role ecosystems. It is valuable for management and researchers to have insight into responses of community patterns environmental factors. In this study, RDA variation partitioning analysis were adopted determine factors affecting abundance biomass, as well relative importance different The findings reveal that TN (total nitrogen), WD (water depth), pH, SAL (salinity) all abiotic shaping pattern study area. affected protozoa by influencing Stentor amethystinus, while effects on copepods may been mainly induced Calanus sinicus Paracyclopina nana. By inhibiting amethystinus Vorticella lutea, pH significantly protozoa. addition, Rotifera through Brachionus calyciflorus, sinicus, Ectocyclops phaleratus. Importantly, fundamental alternations trends biomass along salinity gradient found when was approximately 4–5. combining these results with phytoplankton previous studies, it can be concluded influence river ecosystem rather than phytoplankton.