LAUSR

Over the past thirty years human activity has become increasingly uncontrolled. As a result, the whole water ecosystem is transforming. Unlike natural water bodies, artificial water bodies are characterized by higher rates of eutrophication. The current paper defines the chorological structure and biomass of zooplankton communities in the reservoirs of the Chelyabinsk region. It reveals the influence of the ecological continuum on the formation of the chorological structure of zooplankton in artificial reservoirs. The given research shows that the total biomass of the representatives of the studied groups of zooplankton in eutrophic reservoirs is two times less than in mesotrophic. These are the signs that indicate biocenoses degradation. An increasing anthropogenic load has changed the chorological structure of zooplankton communities in water bodies. The obtained results show that the proportion of Cladocera in mesotrophic reservoirs is higher than in eutrophic. The Rotifera group is more common in eutrophic reservoirs than in mesotrophic ones. Copepods are common to all water bodies. Six taxons out of the predominant are registered as belonging to the dominant complex (D. cucullata, D. pulex, D. longispinae, Eudiaptomus graciloides, Thermocyclops oithonoides, Cyclops vicinus). D. cucullata is the only that is registered as a part of the dominant complex in the vast majority of study periods and spreads as a dominant in five reservoirs.