Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Mesozooplankton are highly responsive to environmental changes, making their population dynamics and species composition important indicators of large-scale oceanic conditions. This study investigates the mesozooplankton composition, emphasizing biomass values across all three marine reporting units...

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Main Authors: Elena Bisinicu, Luminita Lazar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Oceans
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/5/4/53
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author Elena Bisinicu
Luminita Lazar
author_facet Elena Bisinicu
Luminita Lazar
author_sort Elena Bisinicu
collection DOAJ
description Mesozooplankton are highly responsive to environmental changes, making their population dynamics and species composition important indicators of large-scale oceanic conditions. This study investigates the mesozooplankton composition, emphasizing biomass values across all three marine reporting units in the Romanian Black Sea from 2013 to 2020, covering 45 stations that represent transitional, coastal, and marine waters during the warm season. It also examines environmental parameters, such as temperature, salinity, and nutrient levels associated with eutrophication, that impact the mesozooplankton, as well as the environmental status of the pelagic habitat in this region, influenced by various hydrological and anthropogenic factors. Statistical analyses, including multivariate methods, were employed to investigate correlations between mesozooplankton biomass and environmental parameters, facilitating ecological assessments in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptors 1 (Biodiversity) and 5 (Eutrophication) using indicators such as Mesozooplankton bBiomass, Copepoda Biomass, and <i>Noctiluca scintillans</i> iomass. The results indicated that Mesozooplankton and Copepoda Biomass did not reach good ecological status (GES). However, the <i>Noctiluca scintillans</i> Biomass indicator demonstrated that all marine reporting units achieved GES during the warm seasons. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of pelagic habitats and highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring to inform policy and conservation efforts.
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spelling doaj-art-7457a26aad604d4ba5ab54e8565152c22025-08-20T02:01:11ZengMDPI AGOceans2673-19242024-12-015492395010.3390/oceans5040053Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework DirectiveElena Bisinicu0Luminita Lazar1Ecology and Marine Biology Department, National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa”, 300 Mamaia Blvd., 900581 Constanta, RomaniaChemical Oceanography and Marine Pollution Department, National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa”, 300 Mamaia Blvd., 900581 Constanta, RomaniaMesozooplankton are highly responsive to environmental changes, making their population dynamics and species composition important indicators of large-scale oceanic conditions. This study investigates the mesozooplankton composition, emphasizing biomass values across all three marine reporting units in the Romanian Black Sea from 2013 to 2020, covering 45 stations that represent transitional, coastal, and marine waters during the warm season. It also examines environmental parameters, such as temperature, salinity, and nutrient levels associated with eutrophication, that impact the mesozooplankton, as well as the environmental status of the pelagic habitat in this region, influenced by various hydrological and anthropogenic factors. Statistical analyses, including multivariate methods, were employed to investigate correlations between mesozooplankton biomass and environmental parameters, facilitating ecological assessments in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptors 1 (Biodiversity) and 5 (Eutrophication) using indicators such as Mesozooplankton bBiomass, Copepoda Biomass, and <i>Noctiluca scintillans</i> iomass. The results indicated that Mesozooplankton and Copepoda Biomass did not reach good ecological status (GES). However, the <i>Noctiluca scintillans</i> Biomass indicator demonstrated that all marine reporting units achieved GES during the warm seasons. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of pelagic habitats and highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring to inform policy and conservation efforts.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/5/4/53dynamicsbiomasspelagic habitatgood environmental statuspolicy
spellingShingle Elena Bisinicu
Luminita Lazar
Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Oceans
dynamics
biomass
pelagic habitat
good environmental status
policy
title Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
title_full Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
title_fullStr Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
title_short Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
title_sort exploring mesozooplankton insights by assessing the ecological status of black sea waters under the marine strategy framework directive
topic dynamics
biomass
pelagic habitat
good environmental status
policy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/5/4/53
work_keys_str_mv AT elenabisinicu exploringmesozooplanktoninsightsbyassessingtheecologicalstatusofblackseawatersunderthemarinestrategyframeworkdirective
AT luminitalazar exploringmesozooplanktoninsightsbyassessingtheecologicalstatusofblackseawatersunderthemarinestrategyframeworkdirective