https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2026.2276
Diversity and habitat associations of copepods in temporary tropical waters of Thailand
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Published: 28 July 2026
Temporary aquatic habitats are widespread in tropical regions and represent important reservoirs of freshwater biodiversity, yet their copepod fauna remains insufficiently documented. This study examines the diversity, community composition, and habitat associations of copepods across major types of temporary aquatic habitats in Thailand, including rice fields, ponds, canals, peat swamps, and swamps. Copepods were sampled from multiple sites representing each habitat type, and community patterns were analysed in relation to habitat characteristics and environmental variables. Assemblages comprised 29 calanoid, 35 cyclopoid, and 11 harpacticoid copepods, with distinct differences in species composition among habitat types. Several species exhibited strong habitat specificity, occurring exclusively in particular habitats. Peat swamps and temporary swamps supported the highest numbers of habitat-restricted species, particularly benthic and periphytic taxa, whereas rice fields and temporary ponds were dominated by calanoid species associated with open-water conditions and recurrent disturbance. Despite these differences, overall community composition showed high similarity across environmental gradients, indicating that many species function as ecological generalists with broad environmental tolerances. Rainfall had a modest influence on copepod distribution, with species richness tending to be higher under moderate precipitation. These results highlight the importance of habitat heterogeneity in shaping copepod communities and underscore the need to conserve diverse temporary aquatic habitats to maintain regional copepod diversity in tropical landscapes.
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CRediT authorship contribution
Thanida Saetang, investigation, methodology, writing—original draft, writing—review & editing. Supiyanit Maiphae, conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, project administration, funding acquisition, writing—original draft, writing—review & editing.
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The data are not publicly available but are available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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