Chemical composition, respiration and feeding rates of the new alien ctenophore, Beroe ovata, in the Black Sea

Maximum daily rations of the ctenophore Beroe ovata Brugiere and predatory impacts on the Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz population were estimated via d igestion time, prey biomass and predator and prey density in Sevastopol Bay and adjacent water regions. Digestion times ranged from 0.5 to 5.2 h and d epended on the prey/predator weight ratio. Overall, the mean daily ration w as 45% of B. ovata wet weight. Preliminary conclusions are given on the B. ovata population as an effective control of the M. leidyi population and on the dynamics and structure of the planktonic community as a whole.