Distribution and Biomass of the Cladocera in the Western Basin of the Anzali Lagoon (Abkenar)

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

The biomass of Cladocera (Crustacea, Arthropods) and their distribution pattern in the western part of Anzali Lagoon were investigated during a one year study program in 1994. From each of the allocated sampling sites, 5 subsamples were collected using a plankton net with the mesh sizes of 30, 50 and 100 ,um. The samples were placed in 5 ml chambers and examined with an invert microscope. The biomass of Cladocera started proliferating during the early spring to peak in July and to decrease again from late July. Cladocera diminished drastically during the autumn; in winter nearly no Cladocera were observed. The dry weight of Cladocera ranged from 0.001 - 0.866 ppm......