Local species diversity may be determined by processes operating locally, such as disturbance, predation and competition, or by regional processes, such as environmental structuring or history. Classical theory focusing on competition predicts that the species combining to form communities will be less similar to each other than they would be if they were assembled at random from a regional species pool. Theory focusing on environmental structuring predicts that species will be more similar to each other than expected by chance. A randomisation test that determines the extent to which local species lists represent random selections from a regional list, based on the average relatedness between species, was applied to data held in the MacroBen database. Little or no evidence was found for species lists of whole faunas at any scale being random subsets of species lists at larger scales. Species tend to be more closely related to each other than would be expected if they were assembled at random. Thus marine soft-sediment macrofauna are not locally assembled at random from regional species pools and it is likely that regional processes determine the assembly of communities. Focusing on the most abundant class within the macrofauna, a different pattern emerges, in that there is a much stronger tendency for local polychaete composition to be a random subset from regional pools at all scales. Thus it is not possible to determine whether local polychaete diversity is independent of both local and regional processes, or determined by a combination of both acting antagonistically.

We describe an integrated database on European macrobenthic fauna, developed within the framework of the European Network of Excellence MarBEF, and the data and data integration exercise that provided its content. A total of 44 datasets including 465 354 distribution records from soft-bottom macrobenthic species were uploaded into the relational MacroBen database, corresponding to 22 897 sampled stations from all European seas, and 7203 valid taxa. All taxonomic names were linked to the European Register of Marine Species, which was used as the taxonomic reference to standardise spelling and harmonise synonymy. An interface was created, allowing the user to explore, subselect, export and analyse the data by calculating different indices. Although the sampling techniques and intended use of the datasets varied tremendously, the integrated database proved to be robust, and an important tool for studying and understanding large-scale long-term distributions and abundances of marine benthic life. Crucial in the process was the willingness and the positive data-sharing attitude of the different data contributors. Development of a data policy that is highly aware of sensitivities and ownership issues of data providers was essential in the creation of this goodwill.

Th e paper describes the structure of macrozoobenthos inhabiting Kuwait's waters (northwestern Arabian Gulf). Material for the study was collected from 17 stations in December 2004. A total of 270 species of macrozoobenthos and representatives of higher taxonomic groups belonging to 10 phyla were recorded and identifi ed. Species diversity was highest in polychaetes, gastropods, bivalved molluscs and crustaceans (83, 51, 52 and 38 species, respectively). Quantitative estimates of macrozoobenthos was studied in this geographic region for the fi rst time. In the depth of 2-20 m the abundance of macrozoobenthos averaged 795 ind./m 2 . Polychaetes, gastropods and crustaceans prevailed in the sublittoral zone. In assessing species diversity the ecological indices of Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Pielou and Margaleff were used. Th e obtained results point out that in Kuwait's waters the diversity of macrozoobenthos is relatively high while the level of dominance is low. It was also found that in Kuwait Bay macrozoobenthos is less diverse than in other locations of the region.

Macroecology provides a novel conceptual framework for analysis of the distribution and abundance of organisms at very large scales. Its rapid development in recent years has been driven primarily by studies of terrestrial taxa; the vast potential of marine systems to contribute to the macroecological research effort remains largely untapped. International collaborative efforts such as MarBEF have provided fresh impetus to the collation of regional databases of species occurrences, such as the newly available MacroBen database of the European soft sediment benthic fauna. Here, we provide a first macroecological summary of this unique database. We show that in common with almost all previously analysed assemblages, the frequency distribution of regional site occupancies across species in the MacroBen database is strongly right-skewed. More unusually, this right skew remains under logarithmic transformation. There is little evidence for any major differences between higher taxa in this frequency distribution (based on the 8 animal classes for which we have sufficient data). Indeed, considerable variation in occupancy persisted across the taxonomic hierarchy, such that most variation occurred between species within genera. There was a weak positive relationship between local population density and regional occupancy across species, but this abundance-occupancy relationship varied considerably between higher taxa and between geographical areas. Our results highlight the potential of databases such as MacroBen to consolidate macroecological generalities and to test emerging theory.

The Zernov's Phyllophora Field (ZPF) is a water area in the northwestern Black Sea (NWBS) that occupied about 11 000 km 2 in the early 20 th century. Since 2008, a water area of 4025 km 2 has been given the status of a botanical sanctuary of national importance «Zernov's Phyllophora Field». The goal of the present study is to assess the species richness and quantitative development of macrozoobenthos of the ZPF and their long-term variations under the current conditions of de-eutrophication of the Black Sea basin. The work is based on the material of 43 benthos stations performed in 2010-2013 within an area of 8400 km 2 in the ZPF. In 2010-2013, a total of 162 macrozoobenthos species were identified: Polychaeta (49 species), Mollusca (39), Crustacea (43), Ascidiacea (6); the other taxa comprised 25 species. The current level of species richness of macrozoobenthos is the highest for the entire historical period of the ZPF studies. The mean abundance and wet biomass of macrozoobenthos were estimated at 2417 ± 175 individuals/m² and 283 ± 32 g/m² (without mantle cavity fluid of bivalves). Values for Polychaeta amounted to 1017 individuals/m² and 6 g/m², Mollusca -887 individuals/m² and 256 g/m², Crustacea -165 individuals/m² and 1.3 g/m², Ascidiacea -42 individuals/m² and 17 g/m². The biomass of the dominant species, the filter-feeders Mytilus galloprovincialis, reaches 73% of the total macrozoobrnthos biomass. Our research of the long-term alterations in benthic macrofauna covers the period 1957 to 2013, including the pre-crisis time of the Black Sea ecosystem (1957)(1958)(1959)(1960), its crises of the second half of the 20 th century (1979, 1984, 1991) and the modern (post-crisis) stage (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013). Based on the maps of biomass spatial distribution for all periods mentioned above, the mean values and the total stocks of macrozoobenthos within the area 8400 km 2 of the ZPF were evaluated. The long-term changes of the macrozoobenthos biomass were analysed in relation to the main factors adversely affected the bottom biocoenoses in NWBS -i.e. anthropogenic eutrophication, oxygen depletion and near-bottom hypoxia in summer, as well as the secondary siltation of the seabed due to intensive near-bottom trawling. The most critical period for the ZPF ecosystem state occurred in the late 1970s, when the mean biomass and the total stock of macrozoobenthos decreased by 7 times in comparison with the pre-crisis period. The data collected in the first decades of the 21 st century indicate the actual recovery of the mean macrozoobenthos biomass and of its total stock in the ZPF area to the level of 1957-1960, which is related to the improving of the general ecological situation in the region.Ключевые слова: Phyllophora, биомасса, запасы макрозообентоса, макрофауна бентоса, многолетняя динамика, морская особо охраняемая природная территория, численность Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2018. 3(4): 32-43