Preliminary investigation of the basic structure of microfauna and mesofauna associations of floating plant roots

Abstract

The author makes a preliminary approach to the structure, trophic meaning, and "standing crop" measurement, of meso and microfauna from the roots, of four floating plants (Salvinia, Pistia, Azolla, Eichhornia) which in the middle Parana, River build up enormous uni- or plurispecific floating blankets, a characteristic habitat called "the Pleuston". The employed methodology and its limitations are detailed. Presence, relative abundance, mean number and range, are recorded for 80 systematic categories. The existence of a hierarchical ordination between the different groups are shown.