The investigation of seasonal dynamics of microzooplankton specific grazing rate was carried out in the near-shore sea off the southern Crimea (Black Sea) during 2006~2007 and 2010. It is shown that microzooplankton grazing depended on the abundance and quality of prey. The favorite prey items were diatoms Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros spp. When microzooplankton grazed less than 80% of the primary production, the peaks of phytoplankton biomass were recorded in this study. The average

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... al removal of primary production by microzooplankton was estimated as weighty as 65%. Such estimated values indicate the key role of the microzooplankton in exporting matter and energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels.