The Role of Consumers in Food Web Dynamics and Functioning of Aquatic Ecosystems
The review of the role of consumers in forming of the structure and functioning of water ecosystems is presented. The inﬂ uence of ﬁshes and other vertebrate predators on the structure and productivity of zooplankton and zoobenthos communities, the inﬂuence of planktonic and benthic animals on phytoplankton and epiphyte communities, and the role of consumers in microbial community has been considered. Modern achievements in application of the method of biomanipulation by food webs to prevent eutrophication have been discussed. It is shown that press of consumers can considerably affected biodiversity, structure, dynamics and productivity of organisms of lower trophic levels, and also productivity and matter cycle in the ecosystem as a whole. The method of biomanipulation could be recommended for the practice as relatively inexpensive method to improve water quality.