The Zooplankton communities of the Varvara water reservoir

Abstract

Zooplankton communities play a massive role in biological processes both in salt and fresh water. The majority of zooplankton species belong to primary or secondary consumers, which underscores their importance as primary components of various food chains. On one hand, they are prolific consumers of producer organisms (bacteria, algae, etc.) and, on the other hand, they are a food base for many other groups of zooplankton, including larvae of commercially important fish at early stages of development after switching to exogenous feeding. It is also worth noting that most zooplankton research is performed either on unicellular organisms — mainly ciliates — or on multicellular rotifers or crustaceans. However, it is very clear that a more comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative changes in seasonal successions in plankton communities of freshwater bodies requires complex research into all key animal groups of zooplankton, such as freeliving ciliates and other multicellular organisms (Rotatoria, Cladocera, Copepoda).