Evaluation of quantitative sampling methods in pleuston: An example from ostracod communities

We address two methodological questions related to sampling pleuston in floodplain lakes, using ostracod as model group: (1) we test the homogeneity of ostracod communities by comparing samples from the edge and from the centre of the floating Eichhornia crassipes patches, (2) we test if there is a clear difference between two methods of sampling. According to the ecological attributes evaluated, there was no significant difference between edge and centre of the patches, while both sampling methods were equally efficient to represent the ostracod communities.