The factors that influence plankton distribution in lakes are currently widely debated. The primary objective of this study was to determine a combination of factors that influence the three-dimensional distribution patterns of both rotifer and crustacean communities in a pelagic ecosystem. We compared the abiotic (temperature, oxygen and nutrients) and biotic (phytoplankton) factors that affect the horizontal and vertical distribution of zooplankton in different habitat conditions in Lake Wigry. The results of our study indicate that the vertical gradient in a water profile is much more important for microcrustaceans than horizontal changes in environmental conditions, whereas Rotifera showed a strong spatial autocorrelation when connected with differences in trophic status. Generally, large zooplankton prefer cold, darker waters of the metalimnion-hypolimnion, while smaller zooplankton prefer the warm epilimnion. This niche segregation in water profiles promotes a large diversity of pelagic zooplankton. The vertical distribution of dominant Daphnia cucullata was strongly related to the phytoplankton distribution. Moreover, we found that the large-bodied Daphnia cucullata prefers the lower water layers, despite the presence of less optimal food resources, while smaller individuals clearly prefer the warm surface water with high quality resources.

中文翻译：

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空间中的一个地方 - 影响中营养湖中浮游动物（轮虫、甲壳类）群落的水平与垂直因素

影响湖泊浮游生物分布的因素目前存在广泛争议。本研究的主要目的是确定影响远洋生态系统中轮虫和甲壳类群落三维分布模式的因素组合。我们比较了影响 Wigry 湖不同栖息地条件下浮游动物水平和垂直分布的非生物（温度、氧气和营养物质）和生物（浮游植物）因素。我们的研究结果表明，与环境条件的水平变化相比，水剖面的垂直梯度对于微甲壳类动物更为重要，而轮虫在与营养状态差异相关时表现出强烈的空间自相关。一般来说，大型浮游动物喜欢寒冷，metalimnion-hypolimnion 的较暗水域，而较小的浮游动物更喜欢温暖的epilimnion。水剖面中的这种生态位隔离促进了远洋浮游动物的大量多样性。优势水蚤的垂直分布与浮游植物分布密切相关。此外，我们发现体型较大的 Daphnia cucullata 更喜欢较低的水层，尽管存在较少的最佳食物资源，而较小的个体显然更喜欢具有高质量资源的温暖地表水。