Evaluation of zooplankton groups in experimental ponds with the use of different organic substrates

Abstract

Aiming to determine the influence of organic fertilizer on zooplankton organism community twenty 1,000 liter ponds were used distributed in four treatments with poultry, cattle, rabbit or pig manure with five replicates in a complete randomized design. Planktons were collected every three days whose physical and chemical parameters were monitored and qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Poultry manure showed to be the best fertilizer followed by pig, cattle, and rabbit fertilizer respectively for plankton density in which Brachionus sp, Keratella sp, Vorticella sp and Copepoda's nauplius predominated. Therefore cattle and rabbit manure led to lower species diversity. The results led to the conclusion that the manure used exerted a greater influence on zooplankton structure and biomass and that poultry and pig manure provided the greatest organism densities.