Temporal Distribution, Structure, Level, and Trophic Function of Plankton Communities in the Whiteleg Shimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) Ponds in Sukabumi, Indonesia

Plankton is a microorganism that functions as an ecological indicator in cultivation ponds. Changes in plankton communities affect the stability of aquatic ecosystems. Stable aquatic ecosystems are indicated by the temporal distribution and structure of plankton communities. Plankton communities in Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) cultivation ecosystems have important roles in the availability of natural food and water quality indicators. The role of plankton in L. vannamei pond ecosystems is important to carry out because since it is related to the level and trophic function. This study aimeds to find out the temporal distribution, structure, level, and trophic function of plankton communities in L. vannamei ponds. Samples were collected in intensive cultivation ponds in Sukabumi, West Java, and analyzed using the p < /ins>Principal cComponent aAnalysis (PCA) method to find out the temporal distribution, structure, and trophic function of plankton communities, as well as the index of preponderance method to detectfind out the trophic level of the ecosystem. The results of the study revealedfound that the temporal distribution of plankton has a significant correlation with biological index, such as the level of diversity (1.48 – 1.81), uniformity (0.59 – 0.71), and dominance (0.28 – 0.29). Trophic Level (TL) score for aquatic ecosystems obtained 3 categories: (i) TL herbivore was 2.00- 2.23; (ii) TL omnivore that tends to herbivore was 3.02- 3.58; and (iii) TL omnivore that tends to carnivore was 4.11- 4.74. The abundance of certain planktons, such as Chlorella sp., Oscillatoria sp., Amphidinuium sp., and Anabaena sp., has a significant correlation with the trophic level of L.vannamei pond ecosystems. Plankton communities show strong trophical function in L.vannamei cultivation