LI Y L, LI Y F, LI L X, et al. Characteristics of zooplankton community structure and its relationship with environmental factors in autumn in Qinhe River Basin， Jincheng Region [J]. Journal of Henan Polytechnic University (Natural Science) , 2025, 44(4): 151-159.

doi: 10.16186/j.cnki.1673-9787.2023050028

Received: 2023/05/16

Revised: 2023/08/22

Published: 2025/06/19

Characteristics of zooplankton community structure and its relationship with environmental factors in autumn in Qinhe River Basin， Jincheng Region

Li Yanli1, Li Yanfen2, Li Linxia1, Gao Mengdie1, Wang Mingshi1

1.School of Resources and Environment， Henan Polytechnic University， Jiaozuo  454000， Henan， China；2.School of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering， Jiaozuo University， Jiaozuo  454000， Henan， China

Abstract: Objectives To clarify the spatial distribution patterns of zooplankton and their key driving factors， Methods a comprehensive survey was conducted at 61 sampling sites along the Qinhe and Danhe rivers in Jincheng City， Shanxi Province， during October-November 2020， with simultaneous analysis of zooplankton communities and environmental parameters. Results A total of 37 zooplankton species belong to 4 phylum were identified in this study， with Rotifera and Protozoa being the most species-rich groups， accounting for 48.6% and 32.4% of the total species richness， respectively. There are two dominant species in the main stream of Qinhe River and its tributary Danhe River， namely Arcella vulgaris and Difflugia globulosa. There are three species with differential advantages， namely Difflugia pyriformis （Qinhe mainstream）， Cyclops strennus （Danhe tributary）， and Nauplius larvae （Danhe tributary）. In the Jincheng section of the Qinhe River， zooplankton density ranged from 0.4 to 16 ind./L （predominantly Protozoa）， while biomass varied between 0.01 and 164.02 μg/L （with Copepoda being the major contributor）. The density of zooplankton in Jincheng region of the Qin River ranged from 0.4 to 16 ind./L， with the highest density of Protozoa ， while the biomass of zooplankton ranged from 0.01 to 164.02 μg/L， with Copepoda being the major contributor. The density and biomass of zooplankton atthose sites in the middle-lower reaches of the Dan River were significantly highest. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index （H'） of zooplankton in the Jincheng section of the Qinhe River ranged from 0.28 to 2.94， with the mean value 1.28. Water quality of most sites in the Qin River and upper-middle reaches of the Dan River were classified into α-medium pollution level. The dominant species were Arcella vulgaris and Difflugia globulosa at those sites. Water quality of the sites in the middle-lower reaches of the Dan River were classified into β-medium pollution level， with Cyclops strennus and Nauplius larvae serving as the dominant indicator species. The CCA （canonical correspondence analysis） showed that the main factors affected the zooplankton in the Qin River in Jincheng region were chloride， total nitrogen，nitrate and water temperature. Difflugia globulosa， Arcella vulgaris and Difflugia pyriformis these dominant protozoan species were mainly affected by nitrate， ammonia and chemical oxygen demand， while Cyclops strennus and Nauplius were significantly positive correlated with chloride and sulfate. To mitigate and reverse the ongoing degradation of the Qinhe River’s Jincheng section， it is necessary to reduce the discharge of wastewater from nitrogenous fertilizer， mining， chemical material manufacture， and increase forest and grass land in the riparian areas. Conclusions The findings provide critical references for water quality assessment， and sustainable utilization and conservation of water resources in the Qinhe River Basin of Jincheng City. 

Key words: zooplankton; dominant species; environmental parameters; canonical correspondence analysis