Structural and functional characteristics of the biota of the White Sea rock pools

We are studying different characteristics of brackish and freshwater rock pools of the White sea such as pH, salinity, dynamics of temperature and some other physical and chemical parameters. But the main aim of the work is structural characteristics of planktonic and benthic communities and functioning patterns of ecosystems.
The first study of zooplankton communities of freshwater rock polls of Keret archipelago was held on 1990. Then in 1992 benthic communities were added and in 1993 we selected 24 pools on 5 islands for complex long term monitoring. In 2004 we expanded the range of research, and included brackish polls. Now we have detailed species list of zooplankton and benthic forms. We studied seasonal and interannual dynamics of main environmental parameters and abundance of mass forms. We worked with algologists, microbiologists, geologists. We collected the material in more than 100 different rock polls on many islands of Kandalaksha Bay. We used some of rock pools for experiments with the pollution and autopurification. Now we try to connect with our colleagues to study some genetic aspects of mass forms such as Euritemora species and some species of Harpacticoida.

Team:

Stogov I.A. PhD, sen.lecturer
Movchan E.A. sen.lecturer
Polyakova N.V.
Starkov A.I.