Zooplankton of macrophyte thickets of different types in kultuk zone of the Volga River Delta in the spring-summer period

Abstract

The peculiarities of the zooplankton communities of plant associations of kultuk zone of the Volga River Delta are described for the spring-summer period. In mixed thickets and in the thickets of true aquatic plants, zooplankton is characterized by high biomass and abundance, and in the thickets of submerged plants, by low values. The factors influencing the formation of zooplankton community include, but not limited to, migration and feeding of juvenile fish, plant population density, water temperature, and rate of organic matter destruction. Shifting of the leading role of each factor during the spring-summer period is discussed.

Keywords

• plankton
• plant associations
• juvenile fish