The Effect of Zooplankton on Microalgae Blooming and Water Eutrophication

Data of field experiments conducted in a eutrophic water body were used to assess the effect of zooplankton on microalgae blooming. The experiment was based on the use of mesocosms to isolate the components of zooplankton and ichthyofauna ecosystems. The population Daphnia longispina is shown to reduce the population of cyanobacteria Anabaenaflos-aquae by a factor of 350 as compared with the water body, thus allowing the phase of highly-transparent water to extend to the mid-summer. D. Longispina can reduce the population of Microcystis aeruginosa, which is associated with the second period of the transparent-water phase. The filtration activity of zooplankton is shown to be able to recover the quality of eutrophic water bodies.