Introduction to the Black Sea Ecology Item Type Book/Monograph/Conference Proceedings Authors Zaitsev, Yuvenaly Publisher Smil Edition and Publishing Agency ltd Download date 23/09/2021 11:08:56 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/12945 Yuvenaiy ZAITSEV шшшшшшишшвивявшиншшшаттшшшштшшщ an INIRO DUCTION TO THE BLACK SEA ECOLOGY Production and publication of this book was supported by the UNDF-GEF Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Project (BSERP) Istanbul, TURKEY an INTRO Yuvenaly ZAITSEV TO THE BLACK SEA ECOLOGY Smil Editing and Publishing Agency ltd Odessa 2008 УДК 504.42(262.5) 3177 ББК 26.221.8 (922.8) Yuvenaly Zaitsev. An Introduction to the Black Sea Ecology. Odessa: Smil Edition and Publishing Agency ltd. 2008. — 228 p. Translation from Russian by M. Gelmboldt. ISBN 978-966-8127-83-0 The Black Sea is an inland sea surrounded by land except for the narrow Strait of Bosporus connecting it to the Mediterranean. The huge catchment area of the Black Sea receives annually about 400 ктУ of fresh water from large European and Asian rivers (e.g. Danube, Dnieper, Yeshil Irmak). This, combined with the shallowness of Bosporus makes the Black Sea to a considerable degree a stagnant marine water body wherein the dissolved oxygen disappears at a depth of about 200 m while hydrogen sulphide is present at all greater depths. Since the 1970s, the Black Sea has been seriously damaged as a result of pollution and other man-made factors and was studied by dif­ ferent specialists. There are, of course, many excellent works dealing with individual aspects of the Black Sea biology and ecology. This book is not an imitation or supplement to these works, still as it seems to be necessary, I have tried to present an overall view of these aspects. Based on published and unpublished data, the information about habitat and biological diversity in the sea is systematized. Relations of species, populations and communities with their marine environment are illustrated by numerous examples. Special attention is drawn to the aquat­ ic birds, which are among the less investigated elements of marine ecosystem. Consequences of diverse human activities in the sea and in the drainage basin to marine ecosystem are analysed and possible ways of protection are discussed. The text is illustrated by colour pictures and photographs. Besides tables and figures, there is a list of References, Glossary of special terms and a Chronological list of major events and contributions to the Black Sea ecology. The book is intended for ecologists, biologists and other specialists who are interested in marine ecology as well as for students and young naturalists. 1502010400 ББК 26.221.8 (922.8) 2008 УДК 504.42(262.5) ALL RIGHT RESERVED An Introduction to the Black Sea Ecology by Yuvenaly Zaitsev United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) UNDP-GEF Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Project (BSERP) Copyright © UNDP-GEF Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Project Project Implementation Unit Dolmabahce Sarayi, II. Hareket Kosku 80680 Besiktas, Istanbul - TURKEY Tel: 90.212.310 29 23 (direct), 90.212.310 29 27 Fax: 90.212.310 29 34 Web: www.bserp.org © Text Yu. Zaitsev ISBN 978-966-8127-83-0 © Design A. Karpushkin AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BLACK SEA ECOLOGY Yuvenaly Zaitsev CONTENTS Foreword 9 Acknowledgements 11 BLACK SEA AS A HABITAT 1. Black Sea as a Habitat 15 1.1. Among other seas 15 1.2. Geological background of the modern Black Sea ecology 16 1.3. Dependence on the land 19 1.4. Morphometry of the Black Sea and its coasts 20 1.5. Water and bottom 26 1.5.1. The water column 26 1.5.2. Black Sea bottom 34 1.5.3.Contour (marginal) biotopes of the sea 35 1.5.3.1. The Neuston layer (Neustal) 35 1.5.3.2. Other contour biotopes of the sea 40 Questions from Chapter Ifor training in Black Sea Ecology 45 INHABITANTS OF THE BLACK SEA 2. Inhabitants of the Black Sea 47 2.1. Living forms of aquatic organisms 50 2.1.1. What is the origin of the Black Sea inhabitants? 54 2.1.2. Typical representatives of the Black Sea plants and animals 55 Questions from Chapter 2 for training in the Black Sea ecology 77 ECOLOGY OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 3. Ecology of aquatic organisms 79 3.1. Soft bottom as a habitat 79 3.2. Hard bottom as a habitat 82 5 3.3. Ecology of individuals (autoecology) 84 3.3.1. Relationships of aquatic organisms with their nonliving environment (abiotic environmental factors) 85 3.3.2. Relationships of aquatic organisms and their living environment (biotic environmental factors) 87 Questions from chapter 3for training in Black Sea ecology 95 ECOLOGY OF POPULATIONS AMD COMMUNITIES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 4. Ecology of populations and communities of aquatic organisms 97 4.1. Ecology of the Black Sea population of mackerel 98 4.2. Ecology of the Black Sea population of stripped mullet 101 4.3. Ecology of the Black Sea population of red alga Phyllophora and its bio- coenosis 105 4.4. Ecology of the Black Sea population of brown alga Cystoseira and its bio- coenosis 107 4.5. Ecology of other bottom biocoenoses of the Black Sea 109 4.6. Birds in the Black Sea ecology 112 Questions from chapter 4 for training in Black Sea ecology 120 ECOLOGICAL PREREQUISITES FOR FISHERIES AND PROTECTION OF MARINE ORGANISMS 5. Ecological prerequisites for fisheries and protection of marine organisms 121 Questions from chapter 5 for training in Black Sea ecology 129 HUMAN IMPACT ON THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSTEM Human impact on the Black Sea ecosystems 131 6.1. Anthropogenic eutrophication 132 6.1.1. Increasing in phytoplankton number and biomass 133 6.1.2. Degradation of bottom algal communities 134 6.1.3. Oxygen deficiency in near-bottom water layers 135 6.1.4. Decline in biological diversity 136 6.2. Microbial pollution 138 6.3. Chemical pollution 140 6.4. Radioactive pollution 143 6 6.5. Pollution by synthetic polymers (plastics) 144 6.6. Noise and light pollution 147 6.7. Biological pollution 148 6.8. Unmanaged fisheries 155 6.9. Negative ecological consequences of mass tourism and recreation 157 Questions from chapter 6 for training in Black Sea ecology 159 POSSIBILITIES AND WAYS OF REHABILITATION OF THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSEM 7. Possibilities and ways of rehabilitation of the Black Sea ecosystem 161 Questions from chapter 7 for training in Black Sea ecology 165 HOW TO ASSESS AN ECOLOGICAL STATE OF A MARINE COASTAL ZONE BY ASSESSIBLE MEANS? 8. How to assess an ecological state of a marine coastal zone by accessible means? .. 167 8.1. Choice of site for regular observations (monitoring) 169 8.2. Determination of hydrometeorological conditions 169 8.3. Observations of flora and fauna of sandy beaches 171 8.4. Observations of flora and fauna of rocky shores 175 8.5. Observations in the water column and on its surface 180 8.6. Other observations related to ecological monitoring of the coastal zone .... 182 Questions from chapter 7 for training in Black Sea ecology 184 Afterword 185 Glossary of special terms 187 List of scientific and English names of organisms 195 List of figures 203 References 205 ANNEX 217 Some major events and contributions to the Black Sea ecology 217 About the author 227 Foreword It is hardly an overstatement that today ecology is the most popular of all natural sciences among the general public. It comes as no surprise because this area of knowledge deals with the interactions between the living creatures (man included) and the natural environment, their dependence on nature, their influence on nature and the consequences of such influence. Although the term «ecology» was first proposed almost one and a half cen­ turies ago (it has been first proposed by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866 in his "Generelle Morphologie der Organismen"), ecology as a science still continues to develop and improve as the subject of its study has not stilled. The relationship between living cretures and their habitat, humans and their natural environment continue to develop and become increasingly complicated. Its consequences become more significant for plants, animals and humans. At the beginning of the XXth century, the prominent Ukrainian scientist V.I. Vernadsky warned that a time would come when the man's influence on the environment, by its force and consequences, will be commensurable with geological factors. The discussion about whether ecology is one of the biological sciences, as it was considered initially, or not still goes on. Some authors consider ecology as a part of biology, others are of the opinion that it is the interdisciplinary field of knowledge wherein the important and deciding role is taken by biology, but no less important are also physics, chemistry, geography, geology and other sci­ ences, whose objects of study make the basis for the varied complex of process­ es and phenomena that shape this or that state of the environment. Therefore, when speaking about the ecology of aquatic organisms and their communities, the term «hydroecology» (Romanenko, 2001), which is by its content wider than the term «hydrobiology», recently started being applied more and more frequent. It is not surprising that today ecology is being taught at schools and univer­ sities not only to biologists, but also to physicists and chemists, geographers and geologists, historians and lawyers, physicians and literati. Solid knowledge on ecology is required not only to broaden a specialist's range of interests, though it is also important, but also because many ecological problems cannot be resolved without the participation of specialists in different areas of fundamen­ tal and applied science.