DOI

In recent decades, economic activity has sharply increased in the Pechora Sea, one of the most hydrologically unique areas of the Barents Sea. Hence, the information about the current state of its ecosystems is quite important for assessing their possible changes in the future. The aim of the present study was to analyze the distribution of macrobenthos and assess its ecological quality in the southeastern part of the Pechora Sea at the beginning of the 21st century (based on data collected in 2012-2013). The results showed that since 1920s there have been no serious changes in the macrobenthos in the studied area. The weak shifts detected in the benthic fauna were either within the natural range of fluctuations in population of common species, or may be associated with differences in the methodological approaches of different researches. Heterogeneity in the macrobenthos distribution, the most significant abiotic factors identified in relation to it, quantitative indicators of biota, and species dominating in communities were similar to those revealed in previous studies. As of 2013, the characteristics of benthic communities in the southeastern part of the Pechora Sea, including their ecological quality, allow us to refer them as undisturbed biosystems.
Язык оригиналаанглийский
Номер статьи106151
Число страниц14
ЖурналMarine Environmental Research
Том191
DOI
СостояниеОпубликовано - 1 окт 2023

ID: 106763065