Desert springs are critical for wildlife and human subsistence, but poorly studied. The springs in the northern Chihuahuan Desert region of Mexico are no exception. While groundwater overexploitation and other anthropogenic activities have endangered these waters, little is known about their water quality or biodiversity. We monitored five springs on a monthly basis for one year, and two others sporadically, to determine their physicochemical characteristics and to study rotifer community composition as an assessment of biodiversity. Seasonal variation in temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity was observed in the five springs. DO was occasionally below the criterion for aquatic life (<4mg/L) in some springs. Ca2+ (468-775.2 mg/L) was the dominant ion in all springs except Ojo de Santa María where Na+ (180-290 mg/L) dominated. Of 57 rotifer species identified, Lepadella patella (Müller, 1786), Lepadella triptera (Ehrenberg, 1830), and Philodina megalotrocha, Ehrenberg, 1832 were present in most springs. The rotifer community exhibited nestedness among the sites (supported by four null modes, p<0.05) and was correlated with fall season, DO, and nitrate concentration. This work provides information that will aid in management practices and provide important baseline data on water quality and regional diversity of a major component of the zooplankton.

中文翻译：

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北墨西哥吉娃娃沙漠泉湖沼学特征及轮虫群落组成

沙漠泉水对野生动物和人类生存至关重要，但研究甚少。墨西哥奇瓦瓦沙漠北部地区的泉水也不例外。虽然地下水过度开发和其他人为活动已经危及这些水域，但对其水质或生物多样性知之甚少。我们在一年内每月监测五个泉水，偶尔监测另外两个泉水，以确定它们的物理化学特征，并研究轮虫群落组成以评估生物多样性。在五个泉水中观察到温度、溶解氧 (DO) 和电导率的季节性变化。一些泉水的溶解氧偶尔低于水生生物的标准（<4mg/L）。Ca2+ (468-775.2 mg/L) 是除 Ojo de Santa María 以外所有泉水的主要离子，其中 Na+ (180-290 mg/L) 占主导地位。在已鉴定的 57 种轮虫中，大多数泉水中存在 Lepadella patella (Müller, 1786)、Lepadella triptera (Ehrenberg, 1830) 和 Philodina megalotrocha, Ehrenberg, 1832。轮虫群落在站点之间表现出嵌套性（由四种无效模式支持，p<0.05）并且与秋季、溶解氧和硝酸盐浓度相关。这项工作提供的信息将有助于管理实践，并提供有关浮游动物主要成分的水质和区域多样性的重要基线数据。和硝酸盐浓度。这项工作提供的信息将有助于管理实践，并提供有关浮游动物主要成分的水质和区域多样性的重要基线数据。和硝酸盐浓度。这项工作提供的信息将有助于管理实践，并提供有关浮游动物主要成分的水质和区域多样性的重要基线数据。