Dynamics of zooplankton in a tropical estuary (Cochin back water), with a review on the plankton fauna of the environment

Abstract

Although the extent of the influence of the widely fluctuating environmental factors on the abundance of specific zooplankton groups in Cochin Backwater has been reported by several authors, a compendious picture of the dynamics of zooplankter in this tropical estuarine area is wanting. The environmental factors fluctuate in accordance with the monsoon cycle which makes the year divisible into distinct periods. The amplitude of seasonal and die1 changes in the physico-chemical features, especially salinity, is extremely impressive and these produce highly unstable conditions in the estuary which induce variations in the nature and heterogeneity of different zooplankton taxa. The phytoplankton production does not seem to have a definite seasonal rhythm, but the reported values of primary production establishes it as a highly productive ecosystem.