Microphytobenthos in the Hypersaline Water Bodies, the Case of Bay Sivash (Crimea): Is Salinity the Main Determinant of Species Composition?
Journal: Water
Year: 2021

In hypersaline water bodies, the microphytobenthos plays a very important ecosystem role and demonstrates variability along with a salinity change. Due to anthropogenic activity, the sharp salinity increase in Bay Sivash occurred after 2014. To assess the changes in the microalgae community during the bay ecosystem transformation, the study was conducted four times in 2018 and 2019. At every sampling period, the samples were taken in a salinity gradient (from 7 to 10 sites). A total of 40 specie