Keywords
Shannon
Simpson
Zooplankton diversity
How to Cite
Abstract
A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study with a comparative component was conducted through sampling at 6 stations (6 sites per station) of coastal marine zooplankton in Bahía Limón, Colón, Panama, to determine its diversity at 36 points. A 1-meter conical net with a 300-micron mesh was used for 5 minutes at each sampling site. The samples were preserved in 4% formalin and analyzed in the laboratory, revealing 9 phyla, 15 classes, 20 orders, 29 families, and 30 species, with the phylum Arthropoda being the most relevant (accounting for over 70% of the collected organisms). The data did not follow a parametric distribution, so the Kruskal-Wallis test was applied, showing no significant differences in the mean values of the sampled stations, indicating a homogeneous composition. The Shannon diversity index analysis registered values ranging from medium to high (2.454–2.994). The Simpson and Pielou indices provided high values for all stations (>0.9). A t-Student test using the Shannon index classifies that station 4 differs in community structure compared to stations 1, 2, and 6. The same Simpson test did not show significant differences.
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