Distribution and diversity of rotifers (Rotifera) in some freshwater bodies in Kaunas

Abstract

Rotifers (Rotifera) are freshwater microscopic multicellular organisms, abundant in various water bodies. Rotifers are an important part of the freshwater zooplankton; they can be used as indicators of water quality. Due to their fast and easy growth, they are perfect model organisms in various researches. There are around 1350 rotifer species in Europe, 300 of them are found in Lithuania. During this study, distribution and diversity of rotifers were investigated in three different water bodies of Kaunas, with respect to water chemical composition, seasonality and microfauna. Epiphytic and planktonic rotifers were collected, with total number of 694 specimens. Collected samples revealed 13 species of rotifers, which belong to 17 genera and 9 families: Asplanchidae, Bdelloidea, Branchionidae, Collochetidae, Dicranophiae, Lecanidae, Lepadellidae, Synchaetidae and Trichocertidae. The largest diversity (11 genera) of rotifers has been observed in standing water pond (Kaunas Botanical garden). Philodina sp. rotifers (Bdelloidea) were the most common genus in ponds and Neris river. Stagnant water and temperature of the water were the main factors that determined the variety of rotifers.