M. Vranovsky, IMPACT OF THE GABCIKOVO HYDROPOWER PLANT-OPERATION ON PLANKTONIC COPEPODS ASSEMBLAGES IN THE RIVER DANUBE AND ITS FLOODPLAIN DOWNSTREAM OF BRATISLAVA, Hydrobiologia, 347, 1997, pp. 41-49
The structure of planktonic copepod assemblages in a by-passed Danube
section, and in the adjacent floodplain water bodies, has changed sinc
e the Gabcikovo hydropower plant was put into operation. The greatest
change occurred in a former side arm (upstream of the village of Dobro
host'), which dried out. Changes were observed in the parapotamon-type
side arms situated between river km 1840 and 1820, fed artificially w
ith water from the head-race canal. The abundance of euplanktonic cope
pod species decreased, while that of tychoplanktonic species increased
. Summer zooplankton biomass decreased. Definitive, but less extreme,
changes occurred in the copepod assemblage in the open-water areas of
the former main channel of the Danube, and in the plesiopotamon-type s
ide arms in the affected river section. These results suggest that the
water supply provided to the by-passed floodplain is unable to mainta
in the previous habitat diversity, nor its planktonic assemblages spec
ies diversity.