EFFECTS OF COPPER SULPHATE ON ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES IN PONDS SUBMITTED TO AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION

The effects of copper sulphate (CuSO4) on zooplankton communities were investigated. Eight farm ponds at El Ejido, Almeria (South East of Spain) were sampled during an intensive and comparative monitoring study carried out between July 2008 and May 2009. This area, one of the most agriculturally intensive in the World, raises a great deal of controversy due to the impact of this type of management on natural wetlands and their associated biota. Copper sulphate is widely used in the area as an algaecide to clarify irrigation water, despite the majority of the water is extracted from the underground. According to the indications of the 8 estate owners, four of the sampled ponds were treated with CuSO4 at different concentrations, whereas the other four remained untreated. Microinvertebrate species richness and limnological parameters were measured in all ponds. Results confirm the negative effect of the algaecide over the microinvertebrate community.