BIODIVERSITY AS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE

The diversity of hydrobiont communities is considered as an index of t heir structural complexity. Correlations are established between the d egree of anthropogenic pressure and diversity, as well as between the diversity and biomass indices. A correlation is also shown between var iable dynamics of the community biomass and its diversity: the structu re of anthropogen-modified communities is simplified, the index of div ersity decreases, and the biomass variability increases.