Dynamics of spp. Biomass and Environmental Variability: A Case Study in the Neva Estuary (The Easternmost Baltic Sea).

Predicting which non-indigenous species (NISs) will establish persistent invasive populations and cause significant ecosystem changes remains an important environmental challenge. We analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of the entire zoobenthos and the biomass of spp., one of the most successful invaders in the Baltic Sea, in the Neva estuary in 2014-2023.

Anthropogenic carbon as a basal resource in the benthic food webs in the Neva Estuary (Baltic Sea).

Organic pollution is a serious environmental problem for the coastal zones of seas. The study tested the hypothesis that allochthonous organic carbon derived from St. Petersburg wastewaters is a significant basal resource of carbon for the benthic food webs.

A relative contribution of carbon from green tide algae Cladophora glomerata and Ulva intestinalis in the coastal food webs in the Neva Estuary (Baltic Sea).

We analyzed stable isotope composition of carbon and nitrogen of suspended organic matter (seston) and tissues of macroalgae, macroinvertebrates and fish from the coastal area of the highly eutrophic Neva Estuary to test a hypothesis that organic carbon of macroalgae Cladophora glomerata and Ulva intestinalis produced during green tides may be among primary sources supporting coastal food webs. The Stable Isotope Bayesian mixing model (SIAR) showed that consumers poorly use organic carbon produced by macroalgae. According to the results of SIAR modeling, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish mostly rely on pelagic derived carbon as a basal resource for their production.