| Summary: | Global warming is increasing the frequency and severity of the marine heat waves, which poses a serious threat to the marine ecosystem. This study analyzes seasonal and interannual dynamics in the abundance and structure of the mesozooplankton community in Sevastopol Bay based on bi-monthly routine observations over 2003–2014. The focus is on the impact of the summer 2010 marine heat wave (MHW2010) on crustaceans belonging to different ecological groups. As a response to the MHW2010, three warm-water species (<i>O. davisae, A. tonsa</i> and <i>P. avirostris</i>) exhibiting the maximum seasonal density in latter summer showed a sharp increase in the annual abundance and their share in the mesozooplankton community. The increase in the annual abundance in 2010 of the eurythermal species <i>P. parvus</i> and <i>P. polyphemoides</i> exhibiting seasonal peaks in spring and autumn is not related to the MHW2010 but can be explained by a rise of temperature in the first part of the year. <i>O. davisae</i> and <i>A. tonsa</i> showed the most pronounced response among the species to the MHW2010, confirming that non-native species exhibited great flexibility as an adaptive response to environmental changes, especially in the case of climate warming. Among crustaceans observed in this study, <i>O. davisae</i> can be considered as an indicator of the environmental conditions associated with the warming of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean basin as a whole.
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