Alien species of amphipods (Amphipoda, Gammaridea) in the bottom communities of the Kuybyshev and Saratov reservoirs: Features of distribution and life cycle strategies

Abstract

Analysis of the composition and distribution of alien species of amphipods and quantitative evaluation of macrozoobenthos communities based on the results of studies of 2009–2012 in the Saratov and Kuybyshev reservoirs is given. It is shown that amphopods Pontogammarus robustoides (Sars, 1894) and Dikerogammarus haemobaphes have the highest invasiveness in comparison with other species in the reservoirs as well as in its tributaries. The features of the life cycle of common amphipod species that contribute to their distribution in the reservoirs of the Middle and Lower Volga are revealed.