Response of aquatic invertebrate communities to different management strategies in central European fishponds

Fishponds are essential ecosystems, inhabited by many different groups of biota and having commercial and non-commercial functions. Therefore, managing fishponds can be a crucial parameter affecting all biota inhabiting a given fishpond, and macrozoobenthos and zooplankton can be the most affected communities. Thus, this study investigates the effect of traditional management with high fish density and cereal co-feeding (business as usual management, BAU) and adjusted fishpond management (NP (natural production) and NPF (natural production with supplementary feeding)) on macrozoobenthos, zooplankton, and phytoplankton dynamics. This study was carried out in four fishponds for three seasons. Our results showed that seasonal community development was affected by management type, where BAU management had different community patterns compared to NP and NPF management. In contrast, taxa richness of all communities was comparable among the management. BAU management favored smaller zooplankton species compared to the adjusted NP and NPF. Notably, macrozoobenthos and phytoplankton also showed significant differences between NP and NPF management. To sum up, fishpond management is an essential driver for macrozoobenthos and zooplankton communities in fishponds.