Zooplankton Diversity within Samarra Reservoir, Iraq: A Comprehensive Survey

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This research offers a comprehensive overview of the diversity, abundance, richness and spatiotemporal variations of zooplankton in the Samarra Reservoir water. • The results showed that rotifers were the most dominant zooplankton group in the Samarra Reservoir water. • Cladocerans were low in abundance, but several taxa (e.g., Alona, Bosmina, Chydorus, Diaphanosoma, and Moina) showed a high degree of consistency in all sites. • Zooplankton diversity indices and total densities showed that spatial and temporal variations can also serve as biological indicators of climate change. • The study revealed that the species composition of zooplankton in Samarra Reservoir has remained unchanged for a long time compared with previous studies. • Samarra Reservoir is rich in zooplankton variety, diversity, and homogenized species.

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