1. Introduction
This paper reports on a study of the pelagic zone
of Lake Baikal with particular reference to copepods.
On a broader limnological base, the cycling of matter
and energy in lacustrine basins was studied within
the scope of the International Biological Programme
using Lake Baikal as an example.
The biological component of this cycle—the
‘minor cycle’—includes the autochthonous production
of organic matter by photosynthesis and its
transformation through heterotrophic food chains to
usable bioproduction.
While the biota of Lake Baikal is diverse and the
lake itself has a wide range of biotopes, the biocenosis
of the open water is relatively simple, comprising
only a few species and trophic groups living in a
comparatively homogeneous environment which Ž
represents the greater part of the lake . The pelagic .
zone plays the main role in the biotic cycle by
determining nature and extent of the primary production
and thus largely the whole character of the lake.
The basis of the final production is generated in the