Relación espacial y temporal del zooplancton con la vegetación acuática en un humedal herbáceo (península de Paria, Venezuela)

La vegetacion acuatica brinda refugio, fuentes alimentarias y sitios de reproduccion a la comunidad zooplanctonica. Se estudio el zooplancton asociado a un humedal herbaceo de la peninsula de Paria, estado Sucre, en dos periodos lluviosos alternados con un episodio de quema. Un analisis de datos evaluo las relaciones espaciales y temporales del zooplancton con diferentes asociaciones de plantas emergentes ( Brachiaria mutica , Sesbania exasperata , Typha dominguensis y Cyperus articulatus ) y ecotonos. Siete especies zooplanctonicas son estadisticamente importantes: Lecane quadridentata , Testudinella sp., Platyas quadricornis , Moina minuta , Mesocyclops meridianus , Microcyclops anceps y Prionodiaptomus colombiensis . Existen relaciones directas de copepodos carnivoros entre si y con ciertos cladoceros, e inversas con rotiferos. Los rizopodos se relacionaron entre si y con la vegetacion, coexistiendo por desplazamiento de nichos dada la com- plejidad vegetal. Los cladoceros interactuaron negativamente con rizopodos y rotiferos, salvo M. minuta y Testudinella sp., Arcella discoides resulto favorecida en T. dominguensis durante la epoca favorable, competidores y depredadores escasearon en esa zona de vegetacion. Los ecotonos son ambientes disimiles a las zonas de vegetacion que convergen en ellos y no son zonas transicionales. La quema no afecto a la estructura zooplanctonica de la zona de C. articulatus . Temporal and spatial relationship of zooplankton with aquatic vegetation in herbaceous wetland (Paria peninsula, Venezuela). Abstrac t. Aquatic vegetation provides shelter, food and breeding sites for the zooplankton community. We studied the zooplankton associated with an herbaceous wetland from Peninsula of Paria, Sucre State, in two rainy periods separated by an episode of fire. The Data Analysis evaluated the spatial and temporal relationships of zooplankton with several associations of emerging plants (Brachiaria mutica, Sesbania exasperata, Typha dominguensis and Cyperus articulatus), and ecotones. Seven zooplankton species show statistically significant relations: Lecane quadridentata, Testudinella sp., Platyas quadricornis, Moina minuta, Mesocyclops meridianus, Microcyclops anceps and Prionodiaptomus colombiensis. There are direct relationships among the carnivorous copepods, and between them and certain cladocerans, and inverse with rotifers. Rhizopods were related to each other and with the vegetation, and apparently coexist because niche segregation due to plant complexity. Cladocerans interact negatively with rhizopods and rotifers, except M. minuta and Testudinella sp. Arcella discoides was favored by T. dominguensis during the good season, in a vegetation area where competitors and predators were scarce. Ecotones are environments different to the vegetation zones converging on them, and are not transition zone. The burning did not affect the structure of zooplankton in the area of C. articulatus