Biogeography of the freshwater zooplanktonic communities of Spain
Miracle, M.R. (1982). Biogeography of the freshwater zooplanktonic communities of Spain. J. Biogeogr. 9(6): 455-467
In: Journal of Biogeography. Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford. ISSN 0305-0270; e-ISSN 1365-2699, more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Zooplankton
Freshwater environments
Geography > Biogeography
Habitat
Spain [Marine Regions]
Fresh water |
| Abstract |
Recent surveys of Spanish freshwater zooplankton have shown that it has a clear Mediterranean character; furthermore the fauna of diaptomids (Crustacea: Copepoda) constitutes a differentiated Western Mediterranean region. The Iberian peninsula, lying outside the main area of glaciation and delimited by mountains and seas, accounts for a fragmentation and differentiation of populations, acting as a rather isolated dead end in the dispersion of the species to the South and West. A good example is the differentiation of species and subspecies of several genera of diaptomids, such as Hemidiaptomus, Diaptomus and Mixodiaptomus. A synthesis of 350 zooplanktonic communities is given, distinguishing three main types of freshwaters by their age and biota: (1) Steppic lagoons rich in ancient species, showing a West Europe-Asian distribution; (2) high mountain lakes with Western Mediterranean or Lusitanian species and typical boreo- Alpine species restricted to the Pyrenees; (3) reservoirs which have facilitated the expansion of species mainly from the South, but also from the North and have permitted the entrance of species not previously found in Spain. |
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