The Status of Plankton Algocenosis in the North-East Part of the Black Sea (2011–2020)

O. N. Yasakova

Southern Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

e-mail: yasak71@mail.ru

Abstract

The paper presents the research results of taxonomic composition and quantitative development of phytoplankton in the Abkhazian sector of the Black Sea in spring-and-autumn periods 2011–2020. Water was sampled onboard the R/V Deneb of SSC RAS on several horizons in the upper layer of the sea, up to 50 m. One hundred and nine (109) species of phytoplankton of 10 classes were found, among them 18 potentially toxic and harmful and 2 new for the eastern coast of the Black Sea species of planktonic algae. The average values of abundance and biomass in the water area were 40.26 thousand cells/L (from 8.8 thousand cells/L in autumn to 90 thousand cells/L in spring) and 74 mg/m3 (from 64 mg/m3 in autumn to 78 mg/m3 in summer). The highest values (79 thousand cells/L and 113 mg/m3) were observed on the sea surface (0–2 m), which was 1.5–18 times higher than on other studied horizons (10–50 m). The maximum abundance of plankton cells (476 thousand cells/L) was observed in the upper sea horizon in May 2013. This was associated with intense development of primnesian algae (Emiliania huxleyi), which formed 95 % of the total abundance and 53 % of the biomass during that period. The basis of the phytoplankton abundance and biomass generally was formed by diatomic (30 % and 31 %, respectively) and dinophytic algae (30 % and 60 %, respectively). In spring and autumn, the role of cryptophytic algae increased (up to 20 % of the total abundance).

Keywords

phytoplankton, taxonomic composition, abundance, biomass, Abkhazian sector, Black Sea.

Acknowledgments

The paper is prepared under SSC RAS state assignment no. 122011900153-9. The author is most grateful to S. V. Berdnikov, Director of SSC RAS, and G. G. Matishov, Scientific Supervisor of SSC RAS, for organization of work, and to R/V Deneb crew and scientific group of SSC RAS for assistance with hydrobiological sampling in the studied water area.

For citation

Yasakova, O.N., 2022. The Status of Plankton Algocenosis in the North-East Part of the Black Sea (2011–2020). Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (1), pp. 82–103. doi:10.22449/2413-5577-2022-1-82-103

DOI

10.22449/2413-5577-2022-1-82-103

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