Published 6 issues per year
ISSN Print: 0018-8166
ISSN Online: 1943-5991
Indexed in
On the Stability of Trophic Structure of the Black Sea Benthic Fauna
ABSTRACT
The results of studies on the Black Sea benthic fauna showed that its trophic structure is relatively stable. In the northwestern part of the sea, which is exposed to strong anthropogenic impact, organisms feeding on seston are the dominant trophic community. During the period of studies (1977−1985), changes in the trophic structure of the zoobenthos in the Dniester-Danube interfluve were local and temporary. In the Dnieper-Dniester interfluve, however, the trophic zone of detritus-consuming organisms became reduced and then disappeared, whereas the zone of seston-consuming animals expanded considerably. The dynamics of trophic structure proved to depend on the resistance of benthic species to adverse environmental effects, which is determined by the strategy of species survival, especially the reproductive strategy.