Early Summer Zooplankton in the Sea of Azov during the Period of Its Salinization

Abstract

Data on the taxonomic composition of zooplankton in the Sea of Azov and Taganrog Bay are presented for the period of 2005–2015. The main plankton communities have been identified and the changes in the taxonomic diversity of plankton animals and their community structure caused by sea salinization have been analyzed. The salinization of the sea observed these years affected the early summer zooplankton, and the species composition of its communities is shown to become much poorer; their taxonomic diversity decreased 1.4–1.5 times. The increase in salinity caused the replacement of freshwater and brackish water species by the euryhaline copepod Acartia tonsa that spread all over the sea.