Rainfall-Driven Changes in Multiple Environmental Factors Shape the Distribution Disparities of Plankton Communities in a Chinese Subtropical Plateau Erhai Lake

The results indicated that the average value of TN, TP, Chla, pH, and Conductivity in the rainy season was significantly higher than that in the dry season, respectively. TN, TP, and Chla had significant differences in three water areas during the rainy season. In addition, the distribution of Microcystis, Cladocera and copepods density, and copepods biomass had substantial differences in three places during the rainy season. However, only the distribution of Cladocera biomass had significant differences in the three water areas during the dry season. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the distribution of plankton (Cyanophyta, Cryptophyta, Cladocera) was significantly correlated with TN, SD, DO, pH, and Chla during the rainy and significantly correlated with TN, Cond, DO, Chla and SD during the dry season. In the early eutrophication of Lake Erhai, determining the spatial distribution of water quality parameters, plankton density and biomass in the rainy and dry season was also important. It can provide a piece of essential information for effective management in the Lake Erhai watershed.