EFFECT OF PLANTING LOTUSES ON THE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF PLANKTONIC EUKARYOTES IN A SHALLOW POND OF A SUBTROPICAL URBAN PARK IN CHINA.

Although the planktonic eukaryotic community (PEC) is an important component of freshwater ecosystems and plays an important ecological role, the impact of artificial water ecological modification on PEC has not been fully evaluated. To analyze the impact of lotus planting on the structure of PEC in urban park ponds, in this study, we analyzed the differences in PECs in different regions (artificial fountain region, potted lotus region, and direct lotus planting region) of an urban pond in subtropical China before and after lotus planting in the short term (~10 d) and for more than a month. Our results indicated that more than a month after planting lotuses, there were evident differences in the compositions of PECs in the three regions. Although there was no significant difference in operational taxonomic unit number and Chao1 indices before and after planting lotuses, planting lotuses significantly increased the Shannon index of the PECs. Moreover, different planting modes of lotuses can alter the structure of PECs after more than a month of growth, and planting lotuses can continuously strengthen the interconnection of various organisms in the PECs. These results expand our understanding of the impacts of artificial ecological modifications on the structure of PECs in urban ponds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]