Impact of the Invasive Species Cercopagis pengoi (Ostroumov, 1891) on the Structural and Functional Organization of Zooplankton in the Vistula Lagoon of the Baltic Sea

Abstract

The article presents the results of long-term monitoring studies on the abundance dynamics of invasive species Cercopagis pengoi (Ostroumov, 1891) in the Vistula (Kaliningradskii) Lagoon of the Baltic Sea and its impact on the structural and functional organization of zooplankton community. The data on the effect of the invader on the zooplankton taxonomic structure and productivity are presented. It was discovered that, in the long run, the general complexity of the plankton community increased, while the impact of C. pengoi on zooplankton as assessed by the Impact Index decreased. At the same time, the abundance and production of the dominant species of Rotifera, Cladocera, and Copepoda decreased. For prognostic purposes, the equation was applied to correlate the predation pressure of C. pengoi on the zooplankton community with the average abundance of this invader.