Possibility For Implementation
POSSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION
OF MORPHO-FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY OF SEAWEEDS
IN THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES OF THE BS-SAP
G.G. Minicheva
Odessa Branch Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, National
Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
The Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea (BS-SAP) signed October 31, 1996 has become an important document for concerning the efforts of six Black Sea countries of one of the largest marine basins in Europe. Success in solving this not too simple issue is made up of cooperation in political, economic, social and scientific fields of all Black Sea countries. One of the conditions for successful partnership in the scientific fields is the rapid transfer and dissemination of novel progressive methods of Black Sea ecological processes and resources in all participating countries.
The Odessa Branch of the Institute of Biology of Southern Seas of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which within the framework of BS-SAP is a national center for issues on conservation of biodiversity, has been carrying out in the past 20 years, and actively developing a new field of morpho-functional ecology of aquatic vegetation (Minicheva, 1998 a). The use of system methodology and new parameters, based on the active surface of algal macrophytes allowed to receive results which today can be used as a methodical instrument for solving practical issues in most of BS-SAP activities.
Conservation of Biological Diversity
Practical activities on conservation of Black Sea biodiversity can be effective, if based on fundamental, qualitative laws governing the formation and changes of species composition of communities in relation to intensity of influence of anthropogenic factors. This problem has been solved for communities of benthic macrophytes using an original approach when species diversity of communities is represented by numerical series with rising ecological stability. Species with low coefficients of the given parameter are arranged at the beginning of the series. These are large vulnerable forms of
hydrobionts for which a prolonged life cycle and slow growth are characteristic. At the end of this series are small quick-growing and productive species with a high life potential. During eutrophication of the aquatic ecosystem, the rate of metabolic processes increases. The biological structure begins to change. Species arranged at the beginning of the series of ecological stability disappear, and are replaced by species at the end of the series. That is why in conditions of heavy eutrophication, a sharp decrease in biodiversity occurs. Only small short-cycle, easily adapted, ubiquitous species survive and remain. This mechanism allows to explain the reasons why in the past decades the species diversity has been reduced, and the size structure of biological communities of animals and plants living on the Ukrainian Black Sea shelf has changed.
The qualitative laws received for multicellular macrophytes describing this mechanism allowed us to create a model for calculating expected changes in species composition of macroalgae under the influence of eutrophication. A series of prognosis calculations has been received for different parts of the Black Sea which show how biodiversity of benthic macrophytes may change in case of eu- or deeutrophication of the ecosystem. There is tendency in the past 6-7 years for a lowering in the level of the production process in the Danube-Dnepr coastal zone which calls for predicting and restoring in the future (if the tendency continues) populations of the brown perennial Cystoseira algae in this area. It has disappeared since the beginning of the 1980s as a result of eutrophication. The model illustrates how to calculate the potentially possible species which may become squeezed out during different levels of eutrophication.
The method of the qualitative prognosis of biodiversity of aquatic macrophytes is characterized as 75% of the level of correspondence of the prognosis calculations with empirical data. The program may be applied for IBM. It is absolutely universal and can be used for solving issues of conservation and restoration of biodiversity in all of the Black Sea coastal zone and adjacent water bodies.
Living resources
The morpho-functional approach proposed explains the changes in stock and area of distribution of species of Black Sea resources. The low coefficient of specific surface of the Phyllophora red algae (approximately 10 m2·kg-1) due to characteristic morphological structure is the reason for the significant reduction recently in intensity of eutrophication, and in range of distribution on the northwestern Black Sea shelf. In present day conditions competitive species inhabiting the Ukrainian shelf should have a specific surface not less than 15-20 m2·kg-1.
On the basis of the series of morpho-functional activity of macrophytes a method has been elaborated on determining species which may become perspective for mariculture or for commercial purposes, when changes occur in the ecosystem decreasing the trophic level. This will lead to better planning of biotechnological research taking into consideration the ecological conditions in the ecosystem.
Control of Land Based Sources of Pollution
One of the most widespread methods of biological control of marine pollution of the coastal zone has been for many years the method of species indicators. The morpho-functional approach allows turning to a principally new qualitative expert evaluation which is based on parameters of the active surface of aquatic vegetation. The area of the photosynthesizing surface developed per unit of substrate is an integral biological parameter which reflects the water quality according to amount of dissolved organic matter. The tropho-saprobiotic classification of water quality allows conducting express-expertise of the ecological state according to the morphological pattern of vegetation (Minicheva, 1998 b). Besides the precise qualitative criteria which have been used, another advantage of the method is its universality in assessment of diverse floristic Black Sea and adjacent areas.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
ICZM issues include problems of water quality management in recreational and technical-economic zones. The possibility of using the morpho-functional approach for predicting the formation of floristic structures and production parameters of vegetative fouling on artificial substrates has led to elaboration of algorithms for engineering management of primary production processes in the coastal zone in relation to the trophic level of the ecosystem.
Qualitative relations have been received between the morpho-functional structure of plant fouling and type of substrate in the water layer. By employing these data the engineering-technical parameters for hydrotechnical constructions may be calculated so that their use will not cause environmental damage to coastal ecosystems. A scheme has been worked out and proposed which includes five main stages. It makes it possible to regulate the production process in local zones of coastal ecosystems on the basis of controlled macrophyte fouling on artificial substrates (Minicheva, 1998 c).
The above-mentioned morpho-functional approach is not exhaustive.
The sharing of experience and use of parameters of aquatic vegetation surface in monitoring, expertise, prognosis and management in all six Black Sea countries may promote more successful and integrated decisions of the BS-SAP issues on rehabilitation and protection of the Black Sea ecosystem.
References
1. Minicheva G.G. The foundation of morphofunctional forming of the marine phytobenthos. Thesis for a doctor’s degree by 03.00.18 – hydrobiology Sevastopol, 1998 a. – 32 p.
2. Minicheva G.G. Using surface parameters of the benthic algae for express-diagnostics of the tropho-saprobiotic conditions of the coastal ecosystem // Algologia, 1998 b. – V.8, №4. – P. 412-427.
3. Minicheva G.G. Problems of evaluation and management of the autotrophic process in coastal zones of eutrophic ecosystems // Doklady NAN Ukrainy. – 1998 c. - №12. – P. 178-183.
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