SPATIO-TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF MESOZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY ALONG ROMANIAN SHELF DURING 2013-2016

摘要

Mesozooplankton plays an important role in the marine ecosystem, as a link between primary producers and higher trophic levels. During 2013-2016, a number of 237 samples collected from the Romanian Black Sea area were analysed, the number of collected samples showing variations between 57 samples in 2013, 79 samples in 2014, 42 in 2015, and 59 samples in 2016. The mesozooplanktonic fauna was represented by 25 Taxa belonging mainly to Copepoda (eight species), followed by Cladocera (eight species), meroplankton (five species) and other groups (three species), all representing the fodder zooplankton. Non-fodder zooplankton was represented by Noctiluca scintillans, the only quantitative evaluated species. In the analysed period, fodder zooplankton in the Romanian Black Sea coast presented fluctuations, from the main groups, meroplankton reaching high values of density and biomass, being followed by Copepoda and Cladocera. Regarding the nonfodder zooplankton, Noctiluca scintillans varied, reaching the minimum value of density in 2013, the highest value in 2015 and presenting a decrease in 2016. Distribution of mesozooplankton is strongly influenced by environmental variables (temperature and salinity), which control the structure of the zooplankton community composition.