Planctonic ciliates (Ciliophora) of shallow zone from the Kama reservoirs cascade

This article presents data on the composition, species diversity and abundance of free-living ciliates from the Kama-river reservoirs and the Kama branch of Kuybyshev reservoir. The character of the changes in the ciliates plankton community of open littoral along the long axis of the Kama cascade is analysed. The tendency of increase in integrated parameters of species diversity as well as undulating change of abundance and biomass of ciliate plankton community down along the Kama reservoirs cascade are demonstrated.