Abstract: Shibalianwei is a super large constructed wetland located in the estuary of River Nanfei and Lake Chaohu. To clarify the characteristics of zooplankton communities and the relationship between zooplankton and water environmental factors, water samples were collected from 72 sites of Shibalianwei wetland from June to July 2018. A total of 114 zooplankton species were identified, including 36 species of Protozoa (32%), 46 species of Rotifera (40%), 19 species of Cladocera (17%), and 13 species of Copepoda (11%). The abundance of zooplankton in Shibalianwei wetland was mainly contributed by Protozoa and Rotifer, with the highest contribution of Protozoa. The results of Shannon diversity index showed that the Shibalianwei presented an overall trend of α-medium pollution type and a few river sites reached β-medium pollution. Results of canonical correspondence analysis showed that  total nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, and soluble reactive phosphorus were the primary environmental factors affecting zooplanktoncommunity structure. Our results provide a reference for the construction and ecological protection of the Shibalianwei wetland as well as essential data for its function of reducing pollution load of Lake Chaohu.

Key words: Shibalianwei wetland, constructed wetland, zooplankton, water quality assessment, Lake Chaohu.