Mesozooplankton Communities in Deep-Water Areas of the Black Sea: Are Their Composition and Biomass Regulated by the Ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865

• Published in: Biology bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 165 - 176
• Main Authors: Anninsky, B. E., Finenko, G. A., Datsyk, N. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Ecology; Life Sciences; Mnemiopsis leidyi; Zoology; Zooplankton; food requirements; copepods; food spectrum; Black Sea; daily ration
• ISSN: 1062-3590; 1608-3059
• DOI: 10.1134/S106235902360397X

The abundance, biomass, distribution, and feeding patterns of the ctenophore
Mnemiopsis leidyi
A. Agassiz 1865 were studied in the deep-water Black Sea in October 2019. The biomass of the ctenophore in the open sea areas was 100–200 g m
–2
, and the abundance was 16–38 ind. m
–2
. With the dominance of large individuals (≥30 mm) in the population, the activity of their reproduction remained extremely low. The specific daily ration varied from ~4 to 13% of body carbon in adults and juveniles, respectively, and exceeded the minimum food requirements of the ctenophore. The daily consumption of three species of copepods (
Acartia
spp.,
Calanus euxinus
, and
Oithona davisae
) by
M. leidyi
reached 4.5–11% of their biomass, while that of appendicularians
Oikopleura
(
Vexillaria) dioica
was <1.6%. The predatory pressure of
M. leidyi
on the entire prey zooplankton attained 2–4% of the biomass of organisms per day.