Vertical microzonation of psammon rotifers [Rotifera] in the psammolittoral habitat of an eutrophic lake

Hydroarenal is a layer of submerged sands along the edge of a lake. Organisms living in interstitial spaces of this zone create a community called hydropsammon. Microzonation and seasonal dynamics of hydropsammon rotifers were studied in psammolittoral of deep, eutrophic Lake Mikołajskie (North-eastern Poland) in 2005. An aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that the top 0.5 cm of bottom sands (=epihydroarenal) plays a role of a transitory microzone between adjacent water layer and a deeper 1.5 cm layer of sands (=endohydroarenal). Sampling cores were taken at a station 1.5 m from water’s edge once or twice a month since April till October 2005. Three samples were taken: 5-cm thick water layer (AWL – adjacent water layer), 0.5-cm thick layer of water and sand from the transitory level (EPIH – epihydropsammon) and 2-cm thick slice of sand (ENDOH – endohydropsammon). From 94 species found in the lake 15% were restricted to AWL, 20% to endohydropsammon and only 5% to epihydropsammon. From 57 species found in epihydroarenal 52 (91%) were common with neighboring microlayers, i.e. AWL and endohydroarenal. The highest rotifer densities were noted in the endohydroarenal zone if expressed in area units. However, the rotifer densities in epipsammon if expressed in the same volume of occupied environment were ca 40 times higher than in adjacent water and about twice of those noted in endohydroarenal. This may suggest that epihydroarenal plays a role of both a transitory zone and a refugium for animals from adjacent water layer. Reasons for this phenomenon are still not clear