Sylaieva A. Zoobenthos of the water bodies, subjected to the influence of thermal and nuclear power plants

The thesis is devoted to research of zoobenthos in techno-ecosystems of Ukrainian NPP and TPS. The zoobenthos abundance and richness in water bodies subjected to the influence of these plants are largely dependent on construction of a water body, an operating mode and a duration of power station exploitation. It was found that the taxonomic composition of zoobenthos in studied water bodies is very significant (156 species of invertebrates and 61 taxa of supraspecific level were observed). The greatest quantitative indices of zoobenthos are typical for average values of the investigated range of abiotic factors (temperature, depth). Maximum abundance and biomass were recorded at about 25°C. The presence of mollusca Dreissena genus (D. polymorpha, D. bugensis) is a biotic factor that determines the quantitative increase in zoobenthos. Nine specific communities were identified within zoobenthos of studied water bodies. These communities differed by originality of their taxonomic composition, were divided into three groups according to the abundance indices and nature of dominating. The time changes in zoobenthos are totally depended on man-made factors - changes in the design of the reservoir, mode of operation, the introduction of additional capacity, as well as the consequences of biological invasions. Zoobenthos plays a significant role in the functioning of all the techno-ecosystems and natural purification processes of man-made water bodies, primarily due to filtration and destructive activity of the dominant species of molluscs, in particular Zebra mussel. The evaluation examined of environment quality for studied water bodies was fulfilled on the base of zoobenthos structural parameters.