Zooplankton of the Baikal-Lena Basin Small Lakes and Rivers Coastal Zone

Zooplankton in the coastal zone of 11 small lakes and two small rivers has been investigated. The water bodies relate to the Lake Baikal basin and locate within the boundaries of the specially protected nature territory – Ivanovo-Arakhley nature landscape reserve (Chita Rayon, Zabaikal Kray). The material was collected and processed according to the standard hydro/biological methods. Qualitative composition of hydrocoles included 92 taxones of the rank lower than genus from 8 orders, 27 families, and 53 genera. As for diversity, Rotifera dominated (54 %), the second in rating was Cladocera (30 %), and the share of Copepoda was 16 %. In the species composition in terms of ecological/geographical characteristics cosmopolites (46 %), eurybiontes (41 %) and species with combined type of movement (46 %) dominated, while in terms of the feeding mode vertikators and filtrators (61 %) dominated. Zooplankton of small lakes and rivers possesses high species-specificity. The Chekanovsky-Serensen species similarity index varied from 0 to 0.57. Total values of the invertebrates abundance and biomass in the lakes varied from 36.71 thousand pcs/m3 and 0.11 g/m3 (Lake Karas) to 43814.4 thousand pcs/m3 and 41.88 g/m3 (Lake Bolshoye Guzhirnoye). Rotifera and Copepoda prevailed in plankton. In the Shirokaya and Osinovka rivers quantitative indices corresponded to 6.36–6.42 thousand pcs/m3 and 0.03-0.06 g/m3, respectively. River communities were comprised mostly Crustacea. Qualitative heterogeneity and considerable variation of the zooplankton quantitative characteristics in the considered water bodies were caused by a set of natural/geographic conditions and the anthropogenic factors’ impact.