PDFDOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/vzoo-2017-0048
The role of harpacticoid copepods in total abundance, biomass and species diversity of meiobenthos on rocky substrates is described. The fauna of harpacticoid copepods consists of 19 species in algal beds, 23 species in mussel beds and 24 species in mixed aggregation of molluscs and macrophytes. In the macrophyte aggregation, the maximal abundance was registered in Cladophora vagabunda — 88 750 ind. x m-2, while minimal was on Laurensia paniculata — 8250 ind. x m-2. According to the frequency of occurrence, the habitat preferred by copepods was Ceramium elegans, but according to their percentage in total meiobenthos among macrophytes it was Ulva intestinalis, 56.6 %. The percentage of copepods in the pure mussel beds was higher comparing to mixed aggregation of molluscs and macrophytes.