Global climate change is intensifying extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves, posing serious threats to lake ecosystems. The Huayanghe Lakes experienced a catastrophic flood in 2020 and a prolonged heatwave in 2022, providing an opportunity to compare zooplankton responses to contrasting extreme climate events. Based on summer water quality and zooplankton data collected from the Huayanghe Lakes during 2020–2023, this study used 2021 and 2023 as reference years to examine the summer zooplankton community state during the post-event period following extreme climate events. In 2020, 43 species belonging to 14 families and 25 genera were recorded, dominated by rotifers such as Polyarthra euryptera and Trichocerca spp., with a mean density of 239.26 ind./L. In contrast, 34 species from 12 families and 21 genera were identified in 2022, with dominant taxa including Diurella rousseoeti, Trichocerca cylindrica and Thermocyclops hyalinus, resulting in a lower mean density of 149.17 ind./L. Zooplankton density and species richness were higher during flood conditions but declined under prolonged heatwave conditions. Mantel correlation analysis identified water transparency as the primary environmental factor shaping zooplankton communities. Overall, zooplankton responded more strongly to flooding than to sustained heatwaves, indicating that different extreme climate events amplify the regulatory roles of distinct environmental drivers.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.