DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF THE
MACROZOOPLANKTON COMUNITY IN THE BLACK SEA IN 2021
George Emanuel Harcotă[1],[2]
Elena BIȘINICU1,
Cristina TABARCEA1, Aurelia Țoțoiu1, Adrian fILIMON1, Valeria aBAZA1, Laura
bOICENCO1, Florin
tIMOFTE1
Abstract.
This paper focuses on the dynamics of four
jellyfish species, Aurelia aurita, Beroe
ovata, Mnemiopsis leidyi and Pleurobrachia pileus, from the Black Sea. The
samples were taken in time of two expeditions in 2021 (May-June and August-September).
Aurelia aurita species was dominant in terms of biomass due to its large size,
The density of the species Pleurobrachia pileus recorded high values, in the
north, but also between the isobaths of 40-80 m. The density of the species Mnemiopsis
leidyi was higher in the southern and central area of the Romanian Black Sea.
Because jellyfish feed on zooplankton organisms, the eggs and larvae of
commercially important fish, high densities of jellyfish can produce direct
decreases in the trophic chain by reducing the biomass of zooplankton, and fish
eggs and larvae.
Keywords: Macrozooplankton, Romanian Black Sea, ctenophores, biomass,
distribution.
DOI https://doi.org/10.56082/annalsarscibio.2022.2.53
