Status of the zooplankton ecology in freshwater ecosystems from Argentina

Abstract

In this contribution, we reviewed ecological studies on zooplankton that were carried out in freshwater systems of Argentina. The diversity of landscapes of the country hosts a great variety of freshwater systems, from large rivers to shallow and deep lakes. We divided Argentina into five different regions: 1- shallow lakes and streams and rivers of the pampas, 2- potamoplankton of great rivers and shallow lakes of the northeast, 3- west and northwest lakes, 4- Patagonian Plateau lakes, and 5- Deep glacial lakes of the Patagonian Andes. Our review showed that there are contributions of almost all modern aspects of zooplankton ecology: herbivory, predation, nutrient recycling, trophic cascade, ecological stoichiometry. Researchers were also able to identify the most important factors, and different threats affecting ecological processes related to zooplankton in each region. However, these aspects are not evenly developed in all regions, as the region of West and northwest lakes has been less studied as almost all topics of zooplankton ecology need to be widened. Finally, we identified five topics that deserve further research including applied aspects like the effect of land use, climate change, exotic species introduction, connectivity and restoration practices.