Does invasion of Vallisneria spiralis L. promote appearance of rare and new rotifer (Rotifera) species in littoral of the lakes heated by power station (Konin lakes, W. Poland)?

Large-scale human-caused ecosystem disturbances may create new habitats. A good example may be long-lasting disturbances in five lakes (area from 148 to 379 ha, max. depth from 3 to 38 m) integrated into the cooling system of the power plants near Konin (52[degrees]17.8'-52[degrees]23.3N, 18[degrees]14.4'-18[degrees]20.7'E, West Poland). In the middle of the 1990s Vallisneria spiralis began to colonize littoral zone of three of lakes and in 2002 it appeared also in fourth one. This species formed dense patches and almost completely displaced other submerged macrophytes. An aim of the study was to test a hypothesis that the appearance of rare and new for Polish fauna rotifer species might be a result of changes in littoral habitats of these lakes particularly caused by the invasion by Vallisneria spiralis. Studies were carried out in the years 2004-2006 on 3-6 littoral stations in each lake. Five-liter samples of water with macrophytes were collected from a center of macrophyte beds. Plankton (free-swimming) and epiphytic (connected with macrophyte surface) samples were elaborated separately. As many as 167 monogonont species were recorded during the three-years. studies. From among them 6 species were new in Polish fauna. These were: Asplanchnopus hyalinus Harring, Beauchampia crucigera (Dutrochet). Lecane inopinata Harring & Myers, Lecane shieli Segers et Sanoamuang, Lecane undulata Hauer and Lepadella apsida Harring. The species are eurythermic or warm-stenothermic. Species new to the rotifer fauna of Poland were not numerous as they usually constituted less than 2% of the total density of rotifers. Thus, although the hypothesis that rare and new for Polish fauna rotifer species may appear in the littoral habitats of the heated Konin lakes was confirmed, it was also clear that the colonization of the habitats by rotifer invaders did not lead to their domination in the rotifer communities.