The state of zooplankton in the cooler reservoir of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and in the upper part of the Kiev Reservoir

The results of studies on the zooplankton in the cooler reservoir of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant following the 1986 disaster are presented. The study region also included the waterbodies and watercourses situated within the 30-km-wide right-of-way zone. Species composition, vertical and horizontal distribution, abundance, and biomass have been studied. A total of 101 species of invertebrates were found: 43 species of rotifers, 42 cladocerans, and 16 copepods. Among all the species found, almost 90% of the total zooplankton abundance and biomass were composed of indicator species: representatives of g. Brachionus, Asplanchna priodonta, Synchaeta spp., Euchlanis dilatata, Chydorus sphaericus, Bosmina longirostris, and Acanthocyclops americanus. The veligers of zebra mussel were found in the plankton of the investigated water-bodies. In the Kiev Reservoir, their abundance during the summer period may be high: >1 million spec./m3).