Bentic Communities of the Klaipėda Port Aquatory

Abstract

Benthic communities play a major role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. First, they serve as a fish food base, on the quality and productivity of which fish stock depends. Second, benthic filtration determines the process and intensity of biological purification, as well as the participation of benthos in the processes of degradation and accumulation of organic matter. In the Klaipėda Port aquatory, 25 benthic and nektobenthic species were identified, and psamopelophilic and pelophilic groups of hydrobiocenoses were distinguished. Marine and brackish water hydrobiont species prevailed in the Klaipėda Strait and the sea area of Klaipėda Port. It should be observed that high degradation of zoocenoses was determined in the aquatory of the eastern strait coastline and particularly in the aquatories of the winter harbour and oil coasts. No nektobenthic organisms were found there and only one or two pollution-resistant oligochaete species represented the bottom fauna, whereas productivity of zoocenoses ...