Long-Term Changes in Planktonic Ciliate Beta Diversity Under Contrasting Hydrological Regulation in A River-Floodplain System.

Long-term beta diversity of planktonic ciliates is higher in impacted floodplain systems, with 14-year data showing greater compositional turnover and ecological uniqueness.

• Why it matters: Understanding how hydrological regulation affects biodiversity is crucial for effective conservation, especially as protected areas may not maintain ecological integrity without natural flow regimes.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed 14 years of planktonic ciliate data from a dam-impacted and a protected floodplain system, focusing on richness, abundance, community composition, and diversity metrics like TBI, LCBD, and SCBD.
• The result: Findings reveal that impacted systems exhibit greater temporal beta diversity and local uniqueness, driven mainly by dominant taxa and abiotic factors, highlighting the importance of natural hydrological processes for biodiversity conservation.