Editing Sea of Azov (section)

===Plankton and benthos===
[[File:Green algae.jpg|thumb|[[Green algae]] (and other plankton species) are mostly responsible for the colour of the Sea of Azov waters.]]
Because of the shallow waters, the development of aquatic life in the Sea of Azov is more characteristic of a lagoon, and the plankton patterns are rather similar in the open sea and near the shores. Despite its shallowness, the water has low transparency, so bottom plants are poorly developed and most algae are of planktonic type. The sea is characterised by high concentrations of organic matter and long blooming periods. Another specific feature of the sea is the variable salinity – low in the large bays and higher in the open sea, especially near the Kerch Strait. Therefore, the plankton species are distributed inhomogeneously in the Sea of Azov. Although many additional species are brought in from the saltier Black Sea, most of them cannot adjust to the variable salinity of the Sea of Azov, except for the [[euryhaline]] species.<ref name=k77>Kostianoy, p. 77</ref> About 600 species of planktonic algae are known in the Sea of Azov.<ref name=k76>Kostianoy, p. 76</ref> The number of species is dominated by [[diatom]]s and [[green algae]]; [[Cyanobacteria|blue-green algae]] and pyrophites are significant, and [[euglena]] and [[yellow-green algae]] form only 5% of the species. Green algae are mostly responsible for the colour of the sea in the satellite images (see photos above).<ref name=k77/>

Regarding [[zooplankton]], the fresh waters of the Tanganrog Bay are inhabited by [[cladocera]], [[copepod]]a and [[rotifer]]s, such as ''[[Brachionus plicatilis]]'', ''Keratella curdata'' and ''Asplanchna''. Western part of the sea, which is more saline, hosts three forms of ''[[Acartia clausi]]'', as well as ''Centropages ponticus'', [[meroplankton]] and larvae of [[gastropoda]], [[bivalvia]] and [[polychaete]].<ref name=k78>Kostianoy, p. 78</ref>

[[Benthos]] species reside mostly at the sea bottom and include worms, [[crustacean]]s, bottom [[protist]]s, [[coelenterata]], and [[Mollusca|mollusks]]. Mollusks account for 60–98% of the invertebrate biomass at the Sea of Azov bottom.<ref name=k78/>

[[File:Sturgeon.jpg|thumb|[[Sturgeon]]s are among the major and most valuable commercial fish species of the Sea of Azov.<ref name=k76/>]]