Ecosystem Transformation (), 110-124

Spatio-temporal changes in the macrophytobenthos of the western coast of Sevastopol

Mironova N.V. , Pankeeva T.V.

Based on long-term research (1964, 2009, and 2020), three phytocenoses are recognized in the coastal waters off the western coast of Sevastopol, showing significant changes in their composition and structure. The study has recorded significant shifts in the quantitative indicators of dominant macrophyte species and their spatial distribution, likely driven by the combined effects of natural processes and intense human activity along the coast. It is shown that over a period of more than 50 years, algal species adapted to high-nutrient, eutrophic conditions emerged within what had previously been more diverse phytocenoses. In the Ericaria crinita + Gongolaria barbata phytocenosis, recorded at a depth of 0.5(1)–5 m, an increase in its biomass (1.3–2.9 times) was recorded, mainly due to the appearance of associated and epiphytic algal species, while the proportion of dominant macrophytes significantly decreased (from 91–100 to 36–95%), and the contribution of epiphytes increased (from 0–7 to 4–17% of the total macrophyte biomass). The (Gongolaria barbata) – Phyllophora crispa phytocenosis, recorded at a depth of 5–10(15) m, experienced a significant decline in quantitative indicators. The proportion of the dominant species in the first tier decreased slightly from 54–88% to 21–80%, while that in the second tier increased slightly (5–43% and 1–54%, respectively), while the contribution of epiphytes increased (from 1–6% to 7–15% of the total macrophyte biomass). The Phyllophora crispa phytocenosis, first described in 2020 at a depth of 10–15 m, was dominated by its edifier (82–90% of the total macrophyte biomass).

N. V. Mironova
A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences
pr. Nakhimova 2, Sevastol, 299011 Russia

dr.nataliya.mironova@yandex.ru

T. V. Pankeeva
A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences
pr. Nakhimova 2, Sevastol, 299011 Russia

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