Influence of eutrophication on seasonal variations of zooplankton biomass in shallow coastal lagoons of the Southern Baltic

Abstract

Seasonal zooplankton dynamics in two coastal lagoons differing in degree of their eutrophication are compared. The two water bodies show no clear difference with respect to calanoid copepods. Rotifers in the more eutrophic lagoon show a pronounced peak of abundance in early summer, not observed in the less eutrophic lagoon. It is concluded that grazing of bacteriodetritivorous rotifer species is an important regulator of primary production.