title: Zooplankton community in the Upper Parnaíba River (Northeastern, Brazil).
abstract: The objective of the present work is to evaluate the seasonal patterns of species richness and abundance of the zooplankton community in a semi-arid river, Northeastern of Brazil. Zooplankton samples were taken in four hydrological periods along the Upper Parnaíba River: April (low), August (dry), November (rising) 2013 and January (flood) 2014. The zooplankton community consisted of 125 species; the testate amoebae was the most species-rich (56 species) and the most abundant group (71.5%) of total zooplankton abundance. Season-specific differences were highly significant. The overall zooplankton richness and abundance was significantly higher during the low (71 species) and flood (878.47 ind.m-3) period, respectively. The hydrological regime was important in structuring the zooplankton community, emphasising the importance of the Parnaíba River and its seasonal variation for biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian semi-arid region.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM, Avenida Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: P H S
authors.initials: PHS
authors.lastname: Picapedra
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Pesquisas em Recursos Pesqueiros e Limnologia, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná - UNIOESTE, Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000, Toledo, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM, Avenida Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil.|Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia Ictiologia e Aquicultura, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM, Avenida Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Lansac-Tôha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D055868:Floods; D062070:Hydrology; D011156:Population Density; D045483:Rivers; D012621:Seasons; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000502:physiology*