LONG-TERM CHANGES OF COPEPODA (CRUSTACEA) ABUNDANCE AND BIOMASS IN THE DANUBE AND ODESA REGIONS OF THE BLACK SEA AS INDICATOR OF WATER QUALITY
Year: 2021

Copepoda are the most important zooplanktonic group constituting the primary food for fish larvae and some fishes. Copepoda have the longest life cycles among the Black Sea mesozooplankton, so their biomass and percentage of total zooplankton biomass is greatly reduced by eutrophication. The percentage of Copepoda from the total biomass of zooplankton is a reliable indicator of the ecological status of the water bodies. For the Black Sea marine waters the indicator of “good” ecological status (G