The Zooplankton of the Danube-Black Sea Canal in the First two Decades of the Ecosystem Existence

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports the invasive subspecies Podonevadne trigona ovum (Zernov, 1901), as dominant in the Danube-Black Sea Canal. In the first two years of the existence of the anthropogenic ecosystem (1985-1986) the zooplankton summarizes only 72 species. Over two decades it recorded the presence of 127 species. As a result of nutrient accumulation, in 2005, the zooplankton abundance has significantly increased, reaching 330 ind L-1, followed by an evident growth of biomass (2285 μg wet weight L-1). In 2005, the productivity registered 731.8 μg wet weight L-1/24h.