Evaluation of a new technique for characterising resting stage zooplankton assemblages in riverine slackwater habitats and floodplain wetlands

Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre

MDFRC item.

We evaluated a new technique to characterise resting stage zooplankton assemblages in both riverine slackwater habitats and floodplain wetlands, using coconut fibre mats (CFMs). Results obtained using the CFMs were compared with those obtained using the conventional sediment coring technique, over three different mat-setting durations. Presently, there is a paucity of suitable sampling techniques available for characterising resting stage zooplankton assemblages, particularly for assessing resting stage production and/or use in intervention experiments. Results from this study indicate that, for slackwaters and wetlands, the structure and composition of resting stage communities obtained using mats did not differ from that obtained using the sediment coring technique, irrespective of the mat-setting duration. This suggests that the CFM technique can be used as an effective surrogate for the sediment coring technique to characterise resting stage assemblages in slackwaters and floodplain wetlands. In addition, the CFM technique offers the capacity to measure resting stage production over a known time period, and can be used in intervention experiments. Hence, the mats should prove to be useful in a number of settings, ranging from investigative research to management applications.