Babko R. Communities of free-living ciliated protozoa (Сhromista, Сiliophora) of continental waters

The thesis is devoted to studying the ecology of free-living ciliated protozoa (Chromista, Ciliophora) and the structural organization of their communities in the conditions of the continental freshwater bodies of Ukraine. The concept of a biotopic paradox is proposed, according to which the protozoa do not depend on the system of spatial coordinates of a biotope, but instead, specific coenotic associations are formed in the physical space of biotopes in accordance with the scalar fields of physical and chemical factors. Two the most integrated structurally and acting on different biochemical platforms coenotic associations, - aerobic and anaerobic communities - have been identified. The changes in the population structure of free-living ciliated protozoa in hydroecosystems with different trophic levels were analyzed.