Zooplankton: The Significant Ecosystem Service Provider in Aquatic Environment

Abstract

The ecosystem services provided by freshwater zooplankton community (viz., rotifera, cladocera, copepoda and ostracoda) are very much significant and valuable. By feeding on phytoplankton or other members of zooplankton species, they act as primary consumers or secondary consumers, and hence playing a vital role in maintaining the biological configuration of the food web and overall balance of the aquatic ecosystem. Besides, the zooplankton play a central role in trophic cascade mechanisms; therefore, the eutrophic lakes of the world can be successfully restored by the so-called biomanipulation phenomena. Even in the diet of fish larvae, some highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are provided by some zooplankters for their successful development; therefore, they act as a backbone for the successful aquaculture industry. An important role played by these valuable assets is to monitor the changes in the aquatic ecosystems due to climate change and various anthropogenic influences, like eutrophication, heavy metal load, changes in physicochemical parameters, etc. and that too in their early stages. Therefore the remedial steps can be trailed at very early stages to counteract the effects of these changes. Since the overall population dynamics of the zooplankton community is prone to disturbance induced by climate change, which is quite perturbing situation that the overall structure and function of the aquatic ecosystem may not get spoiled.