Journal Article
Shaping taxonomic and functional diversity in tropical lakes: out-lake factors set the stage across waterscapes
Rayanne Barros Setubal; Otávio Sena; Camila Rodrigues Cabral; Regina Lúcia Guimarães Nobre; Letícia Barbosa Quesado; Reinaldo Luiz Bozelli; Rafael Dettogni Guariento; Luciana Silva Carneiro; Adriano Caliman
Environmental Science and Pollution Research · Vol. 33, Issue 10 · pp. 4049-4067 · 2026
Abstract
The biodiversity of lake ecosystems is partly shaped by a variety of local environmental factors that collectively form the lake’s waterscape. These factors range from in-lake variables, such as the structure of habitats and aquatic communities, and the physical and chemical conditions of the water, to variables related to lake geomorphology, lake compartments and history (e.g., lake morphometry, habitat identity, and origin), as well as out-lake landscape-scale factors, such as catchment and land use properties and climate. Here, we investigated the interplay of multiple in-lake and out-lake environmental factors on the functional and taxonomic diversity of zooplankton across 98 tropical lakes spanning an area of approximately 36,000 km 2 . Through a regression tree and random forest analysis, we verified the importance of several factors on the taxonomic and functional diversity of zooplankton. Lake perimeter-to-lake volume ratio, together with variables related to land use in the surrounding areas and in the catchment, were decisive for interactively determining the taxonomic and functional diversity of the zooplankton community. The high connectivity and susceptibility of the environments to external input together with high precipitation, and consequently greater input of allochthonous material into the lakes, negatively impacted zooplankton diversity. We observed that biodiversity responses to multiple in-lake and out-lake factors can be complex. Functional diversity measures were effective in detecting the effects of ultimate factors that operate at larger scales, especially out-lake factors. Taxonomic diversity measures were relevant in detecting the interactive effects of both out-lake and in-lake factors. Our findings highlight the critical role of both in-lake and out-lake factors in shaping zooplankton diversity, emphasizing the need for comprehensive management strategies that consider the multifaceted interactions encompassing the waterscape of lake ecosystems and their surrounding catchments.