Zooplankton assemblages from the Uruguayan coastal and estuarine ecosystems (OBIS South America, BRAZIL)

The database considered comprised information from seven sites representing three different types of environment: coastal Río de la Plata (Punta Brava and Playa del Buceo in Montevideo, and Bahía Maldonado in Maldonado), coastal plain estuary (Arroyo Solís Grande), and coastal lagoons (José Ignacio, Garzón and Rocha lagoons).

The taxonomic richness of the zooplankton was analyzed in relation to salinity ranges and explored the association between the abundance of most representative groups in the holoplankton (Acartia tonsa) and the meroplankton (Amphibalanus improvisus nauplii) with temperature and salinity. Taxonomic richness was low, amounting to 38 taxa for all sites considered and evidenced the typical features of estuarine zooplankton assemblages, i.e. strong dominance by one or few taxa present in high densities.