International Journal of Salt Lake Research 8: 267–285, 1999.

© 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Biological and ecological features of inland saline

waters in North Hebei, China

ZHAO WEN1 and HE ZHI-HUI2

1 Fisheries College, Ocean University of Qingdao, Qingdao, Shandong Province,
China 266003
2 Dalian Fisheries College, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China 116023

Abstract. During May and June 1991, the biological and ecological features of sixteen aquatic
localities in Zhanjiakou region, Hebei, northern China, were investigated. Their salinity ranged
from 0.98 to 175.2 g L−1 . Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were depauperate. 116 samples
were collected. 91 species (or genera) of phytoplankton and 94 species of zooplankton were
recorded. In most of the saline lakes, Cl− and Na+ were dominant, and alkalinity and pH
values were higher. For phytoplankton, major species were Chroococcus minutus, Oscilla-
toria tenuis [blue-green algae]; Chlamydomonas spp., Chlorococcus spp., Chlorella vulgaris,
Crucigenia quadrata, Dunaliella salina, Kirchneriella contorta, Oocystis lacustris, Scene-
desmus acuminatus [green algae]; and Cyclotella meneghiniana, Navicula spp., Nitzschia
spp. [diatoms]. Other phytoplankton taxa present included: Cryptomonas erosa, Chroomonas
acuta, Chromulina pascheri, Euglena viridis. For zooplankton, major species included: Vorti-
cella campanula, Epistylis breviramosa, Euplotes terricola [protozoa]; Brachionus plicatilis,
Hexarthra fennica, Keratella quadrata, Notholca acuminata quadrata [Rotifera]; Daphnia
magna, D.longispina [‘Cladocera’]; Artemia spp. [Anostraca]; Arctodiaptomus rectispinosus
and Cyclops vicinus [Copepoda]. The species composition, distribution, salinity tolerance of
planktonic forms in inland saline waters are discussed and their relationship with certain
environmental factors.

Key words: biological resources, diversity index, environmental factors, inland saline waters,
species composition

Introduction

More than half of the total lake area of China comprises inland saline
waters (salinity > 0.5 g L−1 ). Most lakes lie in north-western China, viz.
Xizang (Tibet), Xinjiang, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia. There are also some
inland saline waters in other provinces or regions, e.g. in Shanxi, Jilin,
and Hebei. Moreover, coastal salt pans or lagoons are widespead in east-
ern China. Most previous studies of Chinese saline lakes have focussed
upon physical and chemical features, with limited attention to biological
features. The biological resources of inland saline water have not been
studied systematically. Information on the plankton fauna, however, has
268

been given by He et al. (1981, 1989, 1993, 1994), Ma (1995), Jiang et

al. (1983), Ren et al. (1996), Shen (1983), Wang (1977), Williams (1991),
Zhao and He (1993, 1995), Zhao (1991, 1992) and Zhao et al. (1993,
1996).

Description of sites studied

The Zhangjiakou region lies in northern Hebei Province, China, which bor-
ders Inner Mongolia. All water-bodies investigated occur in the north of the
region where the climate is arid. There are generally high winds and little rain.
Rain falls mainly between July and September. Average annual precipitation
is only 400 mm, but annual evaporation > 2,000 mm. Annual mean air tem-
perature is 2.6 ◦ C, ranging from –15.6 ◦ C in January (minimum –34.8 ◦ C) to
18.3 ◦ C in July (maximum 35.1 ◦ C). Most water-bodies gradually increase
in salinity, and water depth is often shallow. Annual differences in salinity
are frequent, with some freshwater-bodies gradually becoming alkaline and
saline, and with smaller areas year by year sometimes drying. Representative
lakes in the region were investigated to determine the nature of the biological
resources and their availability for fisheries. The paper reports mainly on the
results of plankton studies.

Material and methods

The investigations were carried out during May and June 1991. 116 plankton
samples were collected, including 58 quantitative samples. Generally, only
surface water samples could be obtained because the water-bodies were shal-
low. Chemical determinations followed routine methods (He et al., 1989), and
included measurements of pH, HCO− 2− − 2− 2+
3 , CO3 , Cl , SO4 , Ca , Mg
2+
ions;
+ +
concentrations of K + Na were estimated from ionic balances. Salinity
(g L−1 ) was taken as the total concentration of the eight major ions. Water
types were classified according to Hammer (1986).
Samples of plankton were obtained at the same sites as chemical samples.
Phytoplankton was studied after sedimentation and preservation in Lugol’s
solution. The macrozooplankton were obtained from filtered water using
a standard bolting silk plankton net (64 µm mesh size), and preserved
in 4% formaldehyde. The microzooplankton (e.g. Protozoa and Rotifera)
were obtained from phytoplankton samples after further concentration. The
biomass (mg L−1 ) of phytoplankton and zooplankton was calculated volu-
metrically. Diversity index (H) was calculated according to Lloyd et al.
(1968). Statistical analyses were according to Du (1985).
Table 1. Major hydrochemical features of inland waters in the Zhanjiakou region

Lakes∗ Samples Area Depth Major ions (mg L−1 ) Salinity Alkalinity Hardness pH K + + Na+ Water type
(km2 ) (m) Cl− SO2−
4 CO2−
3 HCO−
3 Ca2+ Mg2+ K+ + Na+ (g L−1 ) (mmol L−1 ) (mmol L−1 ) Ca2+ + Mg2+

Baisha (1) 2 0.65 0.80 133.0 174.4 35.1 343.4 20.26 31.85 22.60 0.98 6.80 1.81 9.0 2.91 NaCO3 Cl
Shuiquan (2) 2 4.50 1.00 325.3 96.95 115.4 728.6 17.02 67.74 520.2 1.87 15.4 28.1 9.1 3.37 NaCO3 Cl
Huanggai (3) 4 3.80 1.64 514.1 159.7 54.9 613.6 22.70 103.4 461.8 1.93 11.9 4.83 8.6 2.08 NaClCO3
Erquanjing I (4) 1 0.02 0.20 576.0 291.9 163.2 247.6 19.18 80.26 558.2 1.94 9.50 3.78 8.5 3.21 NaClCO3
Danmu (5) 2 0.53 0.80 1194 204.8 47.84 456.3 11.41 26.64 1018 2.96 9.07 1.38 8.3 16.0 NaClCO3
Gonghui (6) 2 0.53 1.00 982.8 494.5 140.8 668.2 20.04 202.6 828.0 3.34 15.6 8.83 8.9 2.04 NaMgClCO3
Zhangfei (7) 6 1.48 1066 295.2 124.8 1027 11.31 129.5 1058 3.71 21.0 5.90 8.6 4.10 NaClCO3
Xiaohongshi (8) 4 0.70 0.90 2385 98.84 294.1 1101 7.33 137.0 1968 6.00 27.9 5.83 8.8 7.35 NaClCO3
Duikou (9) 6 2.02 2.35 3476 727.6 380.0 604.6 9.20 324.1 2431 8.00 22.6 13.6 9.4 4.00 NaClCO3
Erquanjing II (10) 2 0.02 0.20 3331 743.5 422.2 826.8 7.08 203.8 2760 8.30 27.6 8.55 9.3 7.02 NaClCO3
Kulun (11) 15 5.34 0.72 3314 381.7 982.0 2036 3.09 76.62 3705 10.5 66.1 3.20 9.6 25.0 NaClCO3
Shitou (12) 2 0.08 0.10 20141 5264 991.0 969.0 7.08 345.2 10652 43.8 48.9 14.4 9.6 24.3 NaClSO4
Wubaiqing (13) 4 1.67 0.20 26027 4798 359.5 835.4 61.33 2257 14435 49.8 25.7 94.4 8.8 3.56 NaMgClSO4
Jiuliangcheng (14) 2 0.10 46362 5517 88.65 344.9 462.8 2949 26811 82.5 8.61 132.8 8.6 4.39 NaMgClSO4
Xiaoyan (15) 2 0.10 83751 10910 0.00 794.5 334.5 5388 49289 150.5 13.0 229.9 7.8 4.66 NaMgClSO4
Erquanjing III (16) 2 83940 27329 363.1 1659 69.28 7310 54544 175.2 39.3 302.3 8.3 3.92 NaMgClSO4

∗ Index number in parentheses.

269
270

Results

Major chemical features

Data on chemical composition are presented in Table 1. Salinity ranged from

0.98 to 175.2 g L−1 . Eleven of the sixteen lakes fell into Williams’ (1991)
definition of “saline lakes”, i.e. >3 g L−1 total salts. Water type changed
as salinity increased. Thus, low salinity Lake Baisha and Lake Shuiquan
belonged to the carbonate-chloride subtype; 9 lakes of moderate salinity fell
into the chloride-carbonate subtype; 5 hypersaline lakes (>40 g L−1 ) were
in the chloride-sulphate subtype. The dominant cation was sodium, with
magnesium generally sub-dominant, e.g. in Lake Gonghui and 4 lakes of
salinity > 50 g L−1 . The sequence of cation dominance was Na+ + K+
> Mg2+ > Ca2+ . Among anions, the order of dominance was HCO− 3 +
CO3 > Cl > SO4 in low saline waters (sites 1, 2, 3 and 7); and Cl−
2− − 2−

> HCO− 2− 2−
3 + CO3 > SO4 in moderately saline waters (sites 4, 5, 6, 8,
−
9, 10 and 11); and Cl− > SO2− 2−
4 > HCO3 + CO3 in 5 hypersaline lakes.
Chloride was the dominant anion with increasing salinity, but carbonates
were dominant or sub-dominant in low and moderately saline localities, and
sulphate was sub-dominant in hypersaline lakes. Field pH values ranged
from 7.8 to 9.6 with most localities having a pH of about 9.0. Alkalinity
ranged from 6.8 to 66.1 mmol L−1 , and was higher than values in waters
suitable for fisheries (1–3 mmol L−1 ). Water hardness varied from 1.81 to
302.3 mmol L−1 and increased with salinity. Statistical analysis showed
strong positive correlations between increasing salinity and alkalinity, total
hardness, Cl− , SO2− 4 , Na
+
+ K+ and Mg2+ (r16 = 0.925 – 0.996, p <
0.001).

Phytoplankton

The species composition and distribution of phytoplankton are listed in

Table 2. Ninety-one species (genera) of planktonic algae were recorded: 34
species of Chlorophyta, 22 species of Bacillariophyta, 20 species of Cyan-
ophyta, 8 species of Euglenophyta, 3 species of Pyrrophyta, 2 species of
Cryptophyta, 1 species of Chrysophyta, and 1 species of Xanthophyta.
According to their frequency of occurrence, as well as the relative abund-
ance (biomass and density), major phytoplankton species were Chroococ-
cus minutus, Oscillatoria tenuis [blue-green algae]; Chlamydomonas spp.,
Chlorococcum spp., Chlorella vulgaris, Crucigenia quadrata, Dunaliella
salina, Kirchneriella contorta, Oocystis lacustis, Scenedesmus acuminatus
[green algae]; Cyclotella meneghiniana, Navicula spp., Nitzschia spp. [dia-
 271
Table 2. Species composition and distribution of phytoplankton in localities
sampled

Taxon Locality

Cyanophyta
Anabaena spp. 9
A. oscillarioides Bory 11
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs 12, 15
Chroococcus minor (Kutz) Nag. 2
C. minutus (kutz) Nag. 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Chroococcopsis gigantea Geitl. 13
Coelosphaerium sp. 2
Dactylococcopsis rhaphidioides Hansg. 1, 8
Gomphosphaeria sp. 2, 9, 13
Lyngbya birgei 11
Merismopedia glauca (Ehr.) Nag. 8, 9
Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz. 4, 8
Nodularia spumigena Mert. 12, 15, 16
Oscillatoria tenuis Ag. 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
O. agardhii Gom. 11
O. formosa Bory. 6
Phormidium tenuis (Menegh.) Gom. 12, 13, 15
Rivularia sp. 1
Raphidiopsis sp. 12
Spirulina major Kutz. 10, 11, 13

Cryptophyta
Cryptomonas erosa Ehr. 2, 3, 4, 6,7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Chroomonas acuta Uterm. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13

Pyrrophyta
Ceratium hirundinella (Mull.) Schr. 4, 6, 9, 10
Glenodinium gymnodinium (Ehr.) Stein. 6, 9, 13
Peridinium umbonatum Stein. 2, 3, 6

Chrysophyta
Chromulina pascheri Haf. 4, 8, 9, 10

Bacillariophyta
Amphora ovalis Kutz. 2, 6, 14
Amphiprora sp. 9
272
Table 2. Continued

Taxon Locality

Attheya zachariasi Brun. 14

Asterionella gracillima (Hant.) Heiberg 14
Cocconeis placentula (Ehr.) Hust. 1, 7
Chaeotoceros muelleri Lemmermann 12
Cyclotella meneghiniana Kutz. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16
Cymbella pusilla Grum. 2, 3, 6, 13, 15
Cymatopleura solea Schmidt 7
Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngby.) 2, 3, 6
Fragilaria sp. 2, 7
Gomphonema olivacown (Lyngby.) Kutz. 1, 7
Gyrosigma acuminatum (Kutz.) Rabenh. 3, 6, 13
Navicula spp. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 11
N. cryptocepha Kutz. 6
N. cincta (Ehr.) Kutz. 12, 14, 15
N. halophila (Grum.) Cl. 13
Nitzschia spp. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13
Pinnularia sp 2
Rhoicosphenia curvata (Kutz.) Grum. 6
Rhopalodia gibba Mull. 14
Surirella ovata Kutz. 2, 3

Euglenophyta
Astasia sp. 8
Euglena viridis Ehr. 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13
E. oxyuris Schmar 2, 6
Lepocinclis ovum (Ehr.) Lemm. 2, 7, 8, 11
Phacus acuminatus Stok. 2
P. orbicularis Hubn. 2
Trachelomonas obloga Lemm. 2, 8, 9, 11, 13
T. volvocina Ehr. 2

Chlorophyta
Ankistrodesmus acicularis (A.Br.) Korsch. 2, 3, 4, 9
A. convolutus Cord. 8
Chlamydomonas spp. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14
Chlorococcum spp. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14
Chlorella vulgaris Beij. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Crucigenia quadrata Morr. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8,10, 13, 14
 273

Table 2. Continued

Taxon Locality

C. tetrapedia (Kirch.) W. et G.S. West 2, 4, 6

Cosmarium spp. 7, 9, 10, 13
Coelastrum sp. 2, 9
Cylindrocapsa geminella Wolle 2, 8
Cladophora fracta (Dunal.) Kutz. 8
Dimorphococcus sp. 2
Dunaliella salina (Dunal.) Teod. 6, 8, 10, 12,13, 14, 15, 16
Dictyosphaerium pulchellum Wood 3, 8, 10, 11
Eudorima sp. 3
Kirchneriella lunaris (Kirch.) Moeb. 2
K. contorta (Schm.) Bohl. 1, 3, 4,7, 8, 12
Mesotanium endlicherianum Nag. 7
Oocystis lacustis Chod. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13
Oedogonium intermedium Wittr. 6
Padorina sp. 3
Pediastrum integrum Nag. 2, 4
P. duplex Mey. 8
P. biradiatum Mey. 13
Planktosphaeria gelotinosa G.M. Smith 13
Schroederia nitzschioides (West) Korsch. 5
Scenedesmus quadricauda Turp.) Breb. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
S. bijugatus (Turp.) Lag. 2
S. acuminatus (Lag.) Chod. 2, 3, 4, 13, 14
Spirogyra sp. 1
Stigeolonium tenue (Ag.) Kutz. 10
Staurastrum gracile Ralfs 3, 7
Tetraspora lacstris Lemm. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
Westella botryoides (W. West) Wild. 2

Xanthophyta
Tribonema sp. 2
274

toms]. Other important taxa were Cryptomonas erosa, Chroomonas acuta,

Chromulina pascheri and Euglena viridis.
Thirty-six species of algae were recorded in hypersaline waters
(> 40 g L−1 ); in addition to those listed above, they included Aphanizomenon
flos-aquae, Nodularia spumigena, Phormidium tenuis, Spirulina major,
Glenodinium gymnodinis, Amphora ovalis and Gyrosigma acuminatum.
Species numbers, biomass, density and dominant species are listed in
Table 4. As the table indicates, the numbers of species (or genera) tended to
decrease with increasing salinity. Biomass ranged from 0.46 to 20.17 mg L−1 ,
density from 0.33 × 106 to 4.60 × 108 cell L−1 . Dunaliella salina, Navicula
halophila, Chroococcus minutus, Nodularia spumigena were dominant, espe-
cially D. salina.

Zooplankton

Zooplankton species composition and distribution are given in Table 3.

Ninety-four species were recorded, represented by 41 species of Protozoa, 31
species of Rotifera, 2 species of Anostraca, 12 species of cladoceran, and 8
species of Copepoda. According to the frequency of occurrence, biomass and
density, the major species were: Vorticella campanula, Epistylis breviramosa,
Euplotes terricola [Protozoa]; Brachionus plicatilis, Keratella quadrata,
Hexarthra fennica, Notholca acuminata quadrata [Rotifera]; Artemia sp.
[Anostraca]; Daphnia magna, D. longispina [cladocera]; Arctodiaptomus
rectispinosus and Cyclops vicinus. [Copepoda]. Twenty-eight species were
recorded in hypersaline waters; apart from those mentioned above, they
included Amoeba (floating-type), Allogromia fluviatilis, Askenasia volvox,
Litonotus obtusus, Cyclidium spp., Strombilidium viride, Brachionus angu-
laris, B. urceus, Keratella cochlearis, Colurella adriatica and Apocyclops
royi.
The numbers of species and the biomass, density and dominant species
of zooplankton are recorded in Table 4. The numbers of species ranged from
1 to 24, and tended to decrease with increasing salinity, though not obvi-
ously. Biomass ranged from 0.50 to 20.5 mg L−1 ; and total density from 88
to 133,736 ind. L−1 . Total biomass and density were not obviously corre-
lated with salinity, but the total biomass and density of Protozoa showed a
significant correlation (P < 0.001) with salinity.

Plankton diversity

Figure 1 indicates the relationship between total species numbers and salinity.
The total numbers of species has a significant negative correlation with salin-
ity (r16 = –0.6786, P < 0.001). Figure 2 indicates the relationship between
 275
Table 3. Species composition and distribution of zooplankton at sampled localities

Taxon Locality

Protozoa
Amoeba sp. (floating type) 12, 14
Arcella arenaria Greef 6, 9
A. conica (Plagfair) Defangre 1
Difflugia bacillariarum Perty 11
D. acuminata Ehrenberg 9
Allogromia fluviatilis 12
Askenasia faurei Kahl 3, 10
A. volvox Clap. & L. 6, 13
Litonotus obtusus Maupas 6, 8, 13, 14
L. fasciola Ehrenberg 1
Chilodonella cucullulus (P.E. Muller) 12
Tokophrya cyclopum (Clap. & L.) 8
Paramecium caudatum Ehrenberg 9, 10
Cyclidium muscicola Kahl 15
C. citrullus Cohn 3, 13, 15
C. oblongum Kahl 15
Intrastylum invaginatum (Stokes) 8
Vorticella campanula (Ehrenberg) 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
V. cyclopicola (Stiller) 3, 4
V. kahli (Stiller) 1
V. microstoma Ehrenberg 6, 13
Zoothamnium arbuscula Ehrenberg 1, 5
Rhabdostyla pyriformis Perty 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11
R. conipes Kahl 7
Epistylis breviramosa Stiller 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
E. humilis Kellicott 8
E. daphniae Faure-Fremiet 1, 8, 9
E. plicatilis Ehrenberg 1
Epistylis lacustris Imhoff 8
Opercularia sp. 9, 10, 11
Trichodina sp. 1
Cothurinia annulata Stokes 13
C. oblonga Kahl 9
Halteria grandinella Muller 13
Strombilidium viride Stein 14
S. velox Faure-Fr. 9, 10
Tintinnopsis conus Chiang 11
276
Table 3. Continued

Taxon Locality

T. sinensis Nie 9
T. wangi Nie 6, 9
Tintinnopsis sp. 6, 9, 10
Euplotes terricola Penard 2, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15

Rotifera
Philodina erythrophthalma Ehrenberg 2, 9
Asplanchna girodi de Guerme 3
Brachionus plicatilis Muller 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16
B. angularis Gosse 6, 9, 12
B. calyciflorus Pallas 1
B. urceus Linnaeus 5, 9, 13
B. capsuliflorus (Pallas) 1, 12
B. variabilis Hemoel 8, 11
B. budapestiensis Daday 8
Keratella quadrata Muller 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15
K. valga Ehrenberg 1, 3
K. cochlearis Gosse 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14
Trichotria tetractis Ehrenberg 2, 8
Colurella adriatica Ehrenberg 13, 14
C. uncinata Muller 1
Trichcerca bicristata Gosse 1
Polyarthra trigla Ehrenberg 3, 7, 9
Ascomorpha ecaudis Perty 6
Pompholys complanata Hermann 11
P. sulcata Hudson 1, 6
Pompholys sp. 7
Hexarthra mira Hudson 7
H. fennica Levander 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13
Conochilus unicornis Rous 3
Notholca acuminata quadrata 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13,15
N. acuminata limnetica 6
Cyrtonia tuba Ehrenberg 1
Lecane nodosa Hauer 8
L. luna Muller 1, 9
Diurella collaris (Rousselet) 14
D. bidens Lucks 1, 6, 11
 277
Table 3. Continued

Taxon Locality

Anostraca
Artemia sp. 12, 14, 15
Branchinecta orientalis Sars 4, 5

‘Cladocera’
Diaphanosoma mongolianum Ueno 3
Daphnia magna Straus 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10
D. longispina Muller 3, 7, 9, 11
Simocephalus vetulus (Muller) 8
Ceriodaphnia reticulata (Jurine) 11
C. laticaudata (P.E. Muller)(dormancy egg) 12, 15
Moina brachiata (Jurine) 1
Bosmina longirostris (O.F. Muller) 1
Alona guttata Sars 1
Chydorus sphaericus (Muller) 1, 8
Macrothrix laticornis (Jurine) 6

Copepoda
Arctodiaptomus wierzejskii (Richard) 6
A. salinus Daday 6
A. rectispinosus Kikuchi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Limnoithona sinensis (Burckharda) 3
Eucyclops serrulatus (Fisher) 1, 8
Cyclops vicinus Uijanin 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Apocyclops royi (Lindberg) 13
Microcyclops longiramus Shen & Sung 6
Nauplius 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Copepodid 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

diversity (as an index) and salinity. It shows that the diversity index tends to
decline as salinity increases (r15 = 0.5666, P < 0.05).

Benthic macroinvertebrates

Twelve taxa of benthic macroinvertebrates were recorded. They were rep-

resented by Hydryphantes sp. [Coleoptera] (localities 4, 11); Eucypris sp.
and Ilyocypris sp. [Ostracoda] (localities 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16);
 278
Table 4. Species numbers, biomass, density and dominant species of plankton for inland saline lakes in Zhanjiakou Region

Lakes∗ Phytoplankton Zooplankton

Spp. Biomass Density Dominant species Spp. Biomass Density Dominant species
number (mg L−1 ) (108 cells L−1 ) number (mg L−1 ) (Ind.L−1 )

Baisha (1) 12 0.46 1.08 C. acuta; Chlamydomonas sp. 24 5.19 1169 B. plicatilis; A. rectispinosus
Shuiquan (2) 40 17.70 40.89 Navicula sp.; Scenedesmus sp. 15 0.91 331 Cyclops vicinus; K. quadrata
Huanggai (3) 22 4.31 3.33 Navicula sp.; Cyclotella sp. 20 3.87 2208 K. quadrata; A. rectispinosus
Erquanjing I (4) 18 5 A. rectispinosus; D. magna
Danmu (5) 8 20.17 19.77 Tetraspora sp.; Crucigenia sp. 9 5.98 146 A. rectispinosus; B. orientalis
Gonghui (6) 24 0.45 0.33 N. cryptocepha; Glenodinium sp. 22 6.11 3091 A. rectispinosus; K. valga
Zhangfei (7) 21 0.67 0.85 C. acuta; Navicula sp.; O. tenuis 13 11.20 2330 D. magna; P. sp.; A. rectispinosus
Xiaohongshi (8) 23 1.74 11.25 K. contorta; C. acuta 27 9.42 3747 Epistylis sp.; A. rectispinosus
Duikou (9) 19 3.52 8.02 C. vulgaris; Chlorococcum sp. 24 4.56 4655 E. breviramosa; N. acuminata
Erquanjing II (10) 15 4.78 5.06 Chlamydomonas sp.; C. Erosa 15 14.34 8786 B. plicatilis; A. rectispinosus
Kulun (11) 21 4.43 7.26 C. acuta; Euglena viridis 14 20.50 5489 B.plicatilis; A. rectispinosus
Shitou (12) 13 6.75 3.46 D.salina; Chlamydomonas sp. 11 7.17 2030 C. cucullulus; Artemia sp.
Wubaiqing (13) 26 2.83 3.16 C. minutus; Chlamydomonas sp. 17 12.29 7893 B. plicatilis; H. fennica
Jiuliancheng (14) 11 10.50 5.48 D. salina; N. cincta 7 3.11 46032 Euplotes sp.; Strombilidium sp., Artemia sp.
Xiaoyan (15) 8 9.69 4.84 D. salina; N. spumigena 9 7.43 133736 Cyclidium sp.; Euplotes sp.; A. royi
Erquanjing III (16) 4 14.12 46.83 D. salina 1 0.50 88 B. plicatilis

∗ Index number in parentheses.

 279

Figure 1. The relationship between species number of plankton and salinity.

Figure 2. The relationship between diversity index of plankton and salinity.

280

Eoleptestheria sp. [Conchostraca] (locality 4), Gammarus sp. [Amphipoda]

(localities 1, 6, 11); Radix sp. and Sphaerium sp. [Mollusca] (localities
3); Limnodrilus sp. [Oligochaeta] (locality 3); Sigara substriata [Hemi-
ptera] (localities 1, 4, 5, 11); Ischnura asiatica [Odonata] (locality 4), and
chiroonomids [Diptera] (locality 3); and Nematoda (localities 2, 3, 10, 12,
13).

Fish

At present, there are fish in 9 lakes of salinity < 8 g L−1 . They origin-
ate mainly from the river and artificial stocking. The only fish of nat-
ural distribution are crucian carp (Carassius auratus), loach (Misgurnus
anguillicaudatus), and Nemachilus dalacius. Introduced fish include carp
(Cyprinus carpio), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), silver carp (Hypo-
phthalmichthys molitrix), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) and mullet
(Mugil so-iuy). No fish were recorded in waters of high salinity. Note
that Lake Kulun, a larger water-body, had abundant crucian carp in the
1950s, but these had disappeared following a fall in water-level because
of increased aridity and enhanced evaporative concentration over the past
twenty years. Thus, salinity, alkalinity, pH and Cl− were, respectively,
4.61 g L−1 , 31.87 mmol L−1 , 9.42 and 1,185 mg L−1 , in October 1977; in
August 1983, these values were 4.81, 35.27, 9.40 and 1,201; in September
1983, 5.60, 36.80, 9.20 and 1,695; in September 1985, 6.13, 46.39, 10.5
and 2,056; in June 1991 they were, 10.5, 66.1, 9.60 and 3,314, respec-
tively. Clearly, water quality is deteriorating yearly and unable to support
fish.

Discussion

The saline lakes investigated are small in both area and volume, particu-
larly the hypersaline lakes, thus facilitating our investigation. Moreover, they
cover a range of salinity as determined by different water input-outputs and
evaporation.
The major ion chemistry requires little comment. Like most other north-
western Chinese saline lakes (Williams, 1991; Ren et al., 1996; Yu and
Tang, 1981), apart from low salinity or some moderately saline lakes, the
pattern of major ionic dominance was almost always Na+ + K+ > Mg2+
−
> Ca2+ and Cl− > SO2− 2− +
4 > HCO3 + CO3 , with Na and Cl always the
−

dominant cation and anion. Mg was the sub-dominant cation, SO2−

2+
4 was
the sub-dominant anion, HCO− 3 was sub-dominant anion at low salinity or
 281

in some exceptional saline waters. Amongst the 91 species of phytoplank-

tonic algae recorded, Dunaliella salina, Oscillatoria tenuis, Chaeotoceros
muelleri, Spirulina major, and some others were typical brackish or halobiont
species; most other algae were salt-tolerant freshwater species, euryhaline
species or halophile species with a broad adaptation to salinity. These results
accord with those of other regions (Jakher et al., 1990; Colburn, 1988; Fott,
1971; Geddes et al., 1981; He et al., 1981, 1989, 1993, 1994; Zhao,1992;
Zhao et al., 1993; Servant-Vildary and Roux, 1990; Ehrlich and Dor, 1985;
Ren et al., 1996; Ma, 1995; Hammer, 1983, 1986; Wood and Talling, 1988).
Blue-green algae, green algae and diatoms are common in inland saline
waters, especially blue-green algae, many thriving at higher alkalinity and
pH, with some able to grow at 300 g L−1 salinity (Ehrlich and Dor, 1985;
Zhao, 1992). Some algae, e.g. Dunaliella, Navicula and Nitzschia, were
the most important or dominant algae in hypersaline waters. Hammer et al.
(1983) reported 91 genera and 212 species of algae from 41 Canadian saline
lakes where salinity ranged from 3.2 to 428.0 g L−1 ; of these, 13 species of
algae occur in lakes of salinity more than 50.0 g L−1 ; Zhao (1992) reported
100 genera and 132 species algae in 28 northern Chinese inland saline waters
where salinity ranged from 0.57 to 214.0 g L−1 , 55 species occurring at
salinity > 50.0 g L−1 ; Ma (1995) reported 23 algal species in some northern
Chinese salt pans and lakes where salinity ranged from 61.0 to 320.0 g L−1 .
Finally, Ren et al. (1996) reported 92 species (or genera) of algae occurring
in 23 north-western Chinese inland saline lakes where salinity ranged from
12.4 to 394.5 g L−1 . In the present paper, 17 species were recorded at a
salinity > 50.0 g L−1 . So far as species number, biomass and density are
concerned, there was no obvious correlation with alkalinity and pH. However,
in lakes of alkalinity > 30 mmol L−1 , pH > 9.4, and ionic coefficiency (K+
+ Na+ : Ca2+ + Mg2+ ) > 12, the phytoplankton had many species of blue-
greens and a few of diatoms. Of the 94 species in the zooplankton recorded,
Brachionus plicatilis, B. angularis, B. urceus, B. capsuliflorus, Hexarthra
fennica, Colurella adriatica, Notholca acuminata quadrata, Keratella quad-
rata, K. cochlearis, Artemia sp., Arctodiaptomus rectispinosus, A. salinus,
Limnoithoma sinensis, Apocyclops royi, and Alona guttata can be regarded
as halobiont species according to Williams (1983), Beadle (1981), Zhao
(1991), Zhao and He (1993), Zhao et al. (1996), He et al. (1989), Ren et al.
(1996), Hammer (1986), Alonso (1991), Goulden (1968) and Gong (1983).
With regard to the protozoans, information on them in inland saline waters
worldwide is sparse (Hammer, 1986; Stephens, 1990; Shen, 1983; Zhao and
He, 1995). Even so, our previous work (Zhao and He, 1995) and present
work show that protozoans, especially the ciliates, play an important role in
inland saline waters, with the density and biomass of ciliates usually higher
282

in hypersaline waters where they may dominate particular communities in

some localities. Nevertheless, as noted by Shen et al. (1983), Wang (1977)
and Zhao and He (1995), most protozoan species in inland saline waters
are of freshwater derivation, indicating that protozoa have a high salinity
tolerance.
Many species in the zooplankton were new records for the Zhangjiakou
Region, reflecting the paucity of previous studies, e.g. Allogromia fluvi-
atilis, Brachionus viriabilis, Pompholyx sp., Diaphanosoma monolianum,
Branchinecta orientalis, Moina brachiata. On the other hand, the major com-
position of the zooplankton was similar to salt lakes elsewhere (Beadle, 1981;
He et al., 1989), with at least the ciliates, Arctodiaptomus rectispinosus and
A.salinus, widespread in the northern hemisphere (Zhao et al., 1996). Other
zooplankton were freshwater salt-tolerant species or halophilic species of
generally wide distribution in fresh waters. This may represent an universal
preservation of their marine origins.
The high and often variable salinity of salt lakes is reflected in decreased
biodiversity; the higher the salinity, the fewer the species of plankton, with
both the diversity index and total species number declining. Certainly, our
own results confirm this. High alkalinities also depress diversity and species
number. Thus, Beadle (1981), in a study of some African salt lakes, found
fewer zooplankton species in higher alkalinity lakes than in lower alkalinity
ones. Since high alkalinity lakes have a high pH and a low salinity, and
low alkalinity lakes have a low pH and a high salinity, alkalinity is corre-
lated with pH. Williams et al. (1990), in a study of the macroinvertebrate
fauna of 79 Australian salt lakes, suggested that although salinity per se
is relatively unimportant in determining what species occurs in a particu-
lar lake, species richness and composition nevertheless strongly correlate
with salinity over the total range of salinity. This relationship, however,
become insignificant over intermediate range of salinity. Other authors (e.g.
Colburn, 1978; Hammer et al., 1990; Wood and Talling, 1988; He et al.,
1989; Zhao, 1991) have also noted this. The implication is that factors other
than salinity may determine the distribution of aquatic organisms in salt
lakes. Lei et al. (1985), in a laboratory study, confirmed that alkalinity and
pH act interdependently and negatively on fish. At the same alkalinity, the
higher a pH, the stronger the negative effect on fish. In the present paper,
most of the water-bodies investigated had high alkalinity and pH, espe-
cially Lake Kulun. Here, Brachionus plicatilis, A. rectispinosus, D. magna
and D. longispina were dominant species. The benthic macroinvertebrate
and fish fauna was depressed largely by a combination of high salinity,
alkalinity and pH. Again, this suggests that salinity itself is not the only
important factor determining species composition of the plankton. Ionic com-
 283

position, alkalinity, pH, ionic coefficient and some biological factors are also
influential.

Acknowledgements

Many colleagues assisted in the collection and analysis of water samples. We

are especially grateful to X.W. Yan, Y. Wang, L. Zh. Zhang, and M. Liu for
samples from several saline lakes. We are also very grateful for a grant by the
National Natural Science Funds of Academia Sinica.

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