Ecological Factors Influencing Zoobenthic Community of Poyang Lake: Bed Stability and Eutrophication

The health of aquatic ecosystem in Poyang Lake, which is in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, has gradually deteriorated due to the influence of human activities, such as industry, shipping, and water conservancy construction. Poyang Lake has suffered from water flow reduction and eutrophication, and the species diversity of organisms has significant decreased. Several investigations of the macrozoobenthic, one of the important indicator species for the assessment of aquatic ecosystem health, have been conducted from 1990 to 2020. This paper analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and ecological niches of zoobenthos in Poyang Lake using data from literature and field sampling. Results show that the seasonal variation of zoobenthos is related to its life cycle, and the main environmental factors affecting the spatial distribution of zoobenthos include bed stability and eutrophication level. In addition, the average water surface area, bed stability, and eutrophication level influence the annual variation of benthic community.