Abstract
Our study indicates the zooplankton abundance with characteristics of water column and the vertical distribution in Lake Jinyang, South Korea. Seasonal changes of zooplankton community are determined by environmental parameters like water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids and chlorophyll a. In lake Jinyang, this study showed that the zooplankton abundance in transition zone(St.1, St.2) was higher density than in lacustrine zone(St.3). Rotifers were dominant zooplankton and among them, Polyarthra spp., Keratella spp. and Nauplli(Copepoda) were common. But Cladoceran showed the low density. During survey period, zooplankton abundance with vertical distribution in surface layer(epilimnion) was higher than in bottom layer(hypolimninon). Zooplankton densities in Surface and middle layer showed positive relationship with water temperature and the densities in bottom layer(hypolimnion) showed positive relationship with chlorophyll a. Our assumption in spite of the short term study are supported by the facts that increase of temperature driven by climate change more maintains the thermocline duration by the summer temperature stratification. Thus the results suggest that the climate changes are an important source of changing zooplankton community feeding phytoplankton. So the zooplankton should be monitoring by the ecological management of Lake Jinyang to cope with climate changes like flood plain or drought.