THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF MARINE ECOSYSTEM IN ARGENTINE ISLANDS WATERS

The long-term environmental monitoring has been provided the insight into the integral structure of marine ecosystem in a poorly investigated coastal area of Argentine Island Archipelago The structure and functioning of the local biota has a specific response of environmentally different involved elements to a series of limiting factors. Mass phyto- and zoobenthos and macro plankton species accumulate toxic heavy metals. The pollution inhibits normal reproduction of Antarctic krill, the population recruitment of which is now owing to krill aggregations brought from other areas by sea currents. Krill recruitment rate and the local abundance maximums are the determining food factors for natural consumers of the krill.