Macrozoobenthos as an indicator of the ecological state of mountain watercourses

Structural characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in mountain watercourses of different sizes have been studied in the Upper Ob basin. It has been found that species richness, diversity of zoobenthos, and most biotic indices in the background areas increase in the series from the smallest watercourses to large rivers. On the contrary, the values of the above parameters in areas polluted with mercury has proved to decrease, thereby indicating a significant transformation of the benthic communities. Approaches are proposed to select reference indices for assessing the ecological state of watercourses in the basin with regard to the size of the river, the structure of benthic communities, and variability of biotic indices along the background cross sections.     

Influence of Ambient pH on Freshwater Invertebrates under Experimental Conditions

In experimental mesocosms differing in water pH, the communities of macroinvertebrates demonstrated marked differences in their species composition and the quantitative ratios between the main groups of members (oligochaetes, chironomids, mollusks, etc.). The highest species diversity was recorded at pH 4.09–8.65. It proved to decrease at pH below 4 and above 9. In experiments on determining tolerance to water pH, seven groups of invertebrates differing in their adaptive potential were distinguished among 40 species found en masse in the freshwater zoobenthos and zooperiphyton of the Upper Volga basin.     

乌江梯级电站开发对大型底栖无脊椎动物群落结构和多样性的影响

为了解乌江贵州段的底栖动物资源现状以及梯级电站开发对底栖动物群落结构和多样性的影响，对18个断面的底栖动物进行了调查。底栖动物多样性通过Shannon Wiener多样性指数进行计算。结果显示：自然河段中，底栖动物物种丰富，以节肢动物占优势，物种丰富度和密度均以思南断面最高，生物多样性则以沿河二桥断面最高；群落类型复杂，环节动物 软体动物 节肢动物为优势群落，软体动物为群落中的优势类群。梯级水库的修建使底质环境差异变小，底栖动物物种丰度、密度和生物多样性降低，群落类型趋于简单，优势类群表现不明显，并且水库建成的年代越久,底栖动物的丰度、密度就越低,群落的组成类群就越少，物种组成以寡毛类和摇蚊类为主。研究表明,梯级电站的修建对底栖动物的物种组成、密度分布、多样性、群落类型等都造成了负面影响。〖     

Condition of the Soil Fauna near the Epicenter of an Underground Nuclear Explosion in the Northern Urals

Radioactive contamination affects soil organisms and causes profound structural rearrangements in soil zoocenoses, which are manifested in the decreased species diversity of invertebrate communities and low relative abundance of large soil invertebrates. However, these communities gradually recover their initial structure. The soil biota near the epicenter of an underground nuclear explosion performed 30 years ago in Perm oblast has been studied to reveal specific structural features of the soil macro- and microfauna. Its structural diversity is considered with regard to such components as species (taxonomic) composition, the structure of dominance, and the ratio of ecological and trophic groups.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 3, 2005, pp. 171–179.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kolesnikova, Taskaeva, Krivolutskii, Taskaev.     

滇池福保湾底栖硅藻的时空分布

为了揭示入湖河流的污染负荷对滇池福保湾沿岸带底栖硅藻群落的影响，在不同季节采集研究了该湖湾6个样点的底栖硅藻样品，分析其群落结构的物种组成、细胞密度和多样性指数等。研究发现：东部沿岸区在调查期间的大多数月份是极小曲壳藻（Achnanthes minutissima）占绝对或主要优势，其相对丰富度最高可达79.5%；在1~7月份，西部沿岸区的优势种类主要是异极藻属（Gomphonema〖WTBZ〗 spp.），污染最为严重的河口区是耐污性的具柄双眉藻〖WTBX〗（Amphora pediculus）和两栖菱形藻（Nitzschia amphibia）占优势，而在调查的中后期，极小曲壳藻逐渐发展为这两区的优势种类。同时发现底栖硅藻密度随着与河口间距离的增加而逐渐升高。以上结果表明入湖河流的污染负荷对受纳湖湾底栖硅藻的密度和时空变化有较大影响。     

Role of hydrological factors in species diversity of algal communities: A case study of the Komarovka River, Primorye, Russia

Studies on the Komarovka River, flowing in the zone of mixed conifer-broadleaf forests in the southwestern Sikhote-Alin Mountains (Primorye, Russia), have shown that the formation of river flow and multispecific phytobenthos communities takes place mainly within 60–70 km² of its catchment area. The summer-autumn runoff rate and taxonomic composition of algae in this river segment are closely correlated with the catchment area. The relative water content of the river decreases downstream because of decrease in the number of tributaries, while changes in the taxonomic diversity of algae depend on river flow velocity and water temperature.     

丹江口水源区水生态功能一二级分区研究

水生态功能分区是实现流域水环境"分区、分级、分类、分期"管理的基础。以高程、干燥度及年均径流深为一级分区指标,土地利用、土壤类型、坡度、人均GDP为二级分区指标,将丹江口水源区分为6个一级水生态功能区和19个二级水生态功能区。比较不同分区的水生境状况及底栖动物种群结构特征,发现一级分区间的水生境状况与底栖动物种群结构均存在差异,二级分区之间虽然有部分生境指标较为接近,但底栖动物种群结构差异明显,证明了分区方案的科学性和合理性,为水源区的生态系统保护和水资源管理提供了依据。     

The ecosystem of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk under conditions of heavy anthropogenic pollution

Ecosystem structure and functioning have been studied in the polluted water area of the Novorossiysk port. It has been shown that communities of phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, and zoobenthos are inhibited because of chronic exposure to anthropogenic stress. The food web is disturbed, and microheterotrophs (bacteria and protists) are the main functional component of the ecosystem. Water eutrophication and sulfide pollution of bottom sediments are the main factors responsible for ecosystem degradation in the port of Novorossiysk.     

金沙江干流浮游植物群落结构特征及其时空变化

为研究金沙江干流浮游植物群落结构及其时空分布特征,于2017～2018年春秋两季对干流14个断面进行调查分析。调查结果显示:金沙江干流水域共分布浮游植物8门100种(含变种),主要由硅藻(56%)、蓝藻(22%)、绿藻(11%)组成,浮游植物密度变化范围为0.019 3×10~6～0.341 0×10~6cells/L,浮游植物生物量变化范围为0.016～0.434 mg/L,各江段存在显著性差异。Shannon多样性指数变化范围1.168～2.519,Pielou均匀度指数变化范围为0.559～0.876,Margalef指数变化范围为1.573～3.36,各江段多样性指数变化各异,金沙江干流水环境综合评价为中污染状态。等级聚类和排序结果表明,2017、2018年的春秋两季样本点群落均分为3组。上中下游在不同季节、年份里表现出不同程度的相似性,由于不同断面的环境差异造成了浮游植物群落的时空差异。时间上,金沙江干流浮游植物群落结构上每个季节演替明显,既有延续也有交替;空间上,采样点从上游至下游浮游植物群落越均匀旺盛,具有较明显的空间趋异性,聚类和排序较好的揭示了金沙江干流各江段浮游植物分布组成、种类数量和生境的相似性。     

Composition, structure, and formation factors of bottom invertebrate communities in lakes of the southern Ob-Irtysh interfluve

The composition and structure of bottom invertebrate communities have been studied in 37 lakes of the southern Ob-Irtysh interfluve in 2008–2011. The aquatic fauna of these communities includes 146 species of eight classes. The influence of the main abiotic ecological factors (hydrophysical and hydro-chemical parameters of water, bottom substrate type) on the composition and fauna of bottom communities have been estimated. It is shown that hydrochemical factors determining the total salt content of the water, substrate type, and water transparency have the strongest effect on the level of bottom invertebrate community development.     

New data on the population structure of small mammals in the Denezhkin Kamen’ Nature Reserve

For the first time, continuous studies on the population structure of rodents and insectivores in three altitudinal belts on the eastern macroslope of the Northern Urals have been performed over several years in the Denezhkin Kamen’ Nature Reserve. The results show the mountain tundra communities are depleted, the small mammal populations of zonal habitats are similar to each other, and river valleys and sparse forests of the subalpine belt play a leading role in supporting the maximum species diversity of small mammals.     

Abundance and community structure of bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) hibernating in artificial caves of Samarskaya Luka

The structure of hibernating bat communities has been studied in eight artificial caves of Samarskaya Luka differing in size and layout. Three types of the relative abundance distribution (RAD) of species in these communities have been revealed. Conditions for hibernation are most favorable in large caves with a stable microclimate, where the abundance of bats is high, the Shannon index has the peak values, and variation in the index of species evenness is the lowest. In such caves, RAD fits the broken-stick and log-series models. Variation in diversity indices reaches the highest level in shallow adits with a changeable microclimate, where RAD fits the geometric series model. The abundance, diversity, and structure of communities depend mainly on cave size and the presence of absence of drafts and, to a lesser extent, on ambient temperature, availability of microshelters, and the type of landscape surrounding the cave. Anthropogenic factors have a weak effect only on the abundance of individual species (M. nattereri, M. daubentonii, M. dasycneme, and E. nilssonii) but not on the overall diversity of bat communities.     

Influence of global change on phytoplankton and nutrient cycling in the Elbe River

The effects of changing climatic and socioeconomic conditions on the water quality of the Elbe River were investigated using the deterministic model QSim. Since the impact of global change on river water quality marks the endpoint of various processes in the catchment and in the atmosphere, this study was performed within a network of interacting models that determined input parameters for water quality simulations. The development of phytoplankton and nutrient concentrations under conditions of global change was modeled along a 700 km stretch of the river. The simulations revealed a strong, scale-dependent effect of climate change on phytoplankton biomass, leading to a longitudinal shift of the dominating processes (primary productivity vs. respiration) along the river continuum. Under reduced flow, combined with increasing temperature and global radiation, phytoplankton biomass increased and phytoplankton maxima shifted in upstream direction, followed by higher system respiration rates in the adjacent downstream sections. In contrast, higher flow shifted the phytoplankton maximum toward the downstream sections. Even a drastic reduction of phosphorus inputs from anthropogenic sources had only limited influence on algal biomass, due to the ability of algal cells to store phosphorus. A strong reduction in P-inputs especially in the headwaters would be necessary to counterbalance the possible climate-induced effects on algal biomass.     

Effect of ecotopic factors and nature resource use on the diversity of forest communities in northern Kostroma oblast

The results of studies on southern taiga forests in northern Kostroma oblast are presented. They include the typing of old-growth forests, their phytocenotic and ecological characterization, and assessment of their structural and species diversity, successional status, and degree of anthropogenic disturbance. Geomorphological features of the study area and parameters of soils under plant communities of different forest type groups are described. On the basis of generalization of available data, conclusions were drawn concerning specific features of the structure and species diversity of forest communities in different ecotopes and at different stages of succession.     

Abundance and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in lakes exposed to Chernobyl-derived ionising radiation

Littoral (lake shore) macroinvertebrate communities were studied in eight natural lakes affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident. The lakes spanned a range in ¹³⁷Cs contamination from 100 to 15500 kBq m⁻² and estimated external dose rates ranged from 0.13 to 30.7 μGy h⁻¹. General linear models were used to assess whether abundance of individuals, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance and Shannon-Wiener diversity varied across the lakes. Step-wise multiple regressions were used to relate variation in total abundance, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, taxon richness within major groups of macroinvertebrates and abundance of the more common individual taxa to the measured environmental characteristics (conductivity, pH, total hardness and phosphate; lake area, lake maximum depth and total external dose) of the lakes. No evidence was found in this study that the ecological status of lake communities has been influenced by radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl accident. Indeed, the most contaminated lake, Glubokoye, contained the highest richness of aquatic invertebrates. Taxon richness in the eight study lakes varied from 22 (Svyatskoe #7) to 42 (Glubokoye) which spans a range typical for uncontaminated lakes in the region. Since ⁹⁰Sr is readily-absorbed by Mollusca, estimated dose rates to this group exceeded those for other invertebrate groups in two lakes (Perstok and Glubokoye). However this study found no association between mollusc diversity or abundance of individual snail species and variation between lakes in the external radiation dose. Indeed Glubokoye, the lake most contaminated by ⁹⁰Sr, had the highest richness of freshwater snails per sample (an average of 8.9 taxa per sample).     

雅鲁藏布江谢通门江段着生生物和底栖动物资源初步研究

分别于2008年10月、12月和2009年3月、8月对西藏雅鲁藏布江谢通门江段的着生生物和底栖动物进行了调查。本次调查共检出着生生物12门104属，底栖动物3门26属。着生生物的密度和生物量以春季最高，分别为1 478 501.6 ind./cm2和45 912.8×10-4 mg/cm2，夏季最低，分别为1 037.1 ind./cm2和457×10-4 mg/cm2；而底栖动物的密度以秋季最高，为7 706.2 ind./m2，但生物量却以春季最高，为128 g/m2。着生生物和底栖动物的Margalef丰富度指数（D），Shannon Wiener多样性指数（H’）和Pielou均匀性指数（J）均以夏季最高。其中，着生生物以硅藻最多，其优势属为等片藻和桥弯藻；底栖动物以摇蚊幼虫最多。研究表明，雅鲁藏布江谢通门江段着生生物和底栖动物的种类数和现存量呈现明显的季节差异，这可能主要与水位等环境因子有关     

Phylogenetic diversity scaling in small mammal communities: The example of Nizhny Novgorod region of the Volga Basin

Traditional approaches to structural analysis of biotic communities, based on the data on species abundances, do not take into account phylogenetic relationships between these species. We propose a new approach to studying the scaling (scale dependence) of phylogenetic diversity by means of multifractal analysis in which the moments of phylogenetic diversity are used. The results of applying this approach to small mammal communities of Nizhny Novgorod region of the Volga Basin has shown that phylogenetic diversity scaling complies with the power law, which is indicative of the self-similarity of these communities. The multifractal spectra of phylogenetic diversity scaling markedly differ from the spectra of species diversity scaling, providing evidence that the proposed approach can provide novel information on the structure of biotic communities.     

Latitudinal pattern in species diversity and its response to global warming in permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains, China

Permafrost wetlands are one of the most sensitive plant communities in response to global warming. Global warming could induce natural plant communities to shift into cooler climate zones, or extirpate. To understand how plant communities in permafrost wetlands are affected by global warming, we examined the patterns of plant species diversity in the 24 permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains along a latitudinal gradient. This gradient was characterized by a northward decline in mean annual temperature (Δ = 3.5°C) and mean annual precipitation (Δ = 38.7 mm). Our results indicated that latitudinal patterns in species diversity existed in the permafrost wetlands. The numbers of family, genus and species, the Gleason index and Shannon-Wiener index for shrubs decreased linearly with decreasing latitude, but increased for herbaceous plants. The latitudinal patterns in species diversity had influenced strongly by temperature. Simple linear regression yielded about 2 decreases in shrub number and 9 increases in herbaceous species number with an increase of mean annual temperature by 1°C, with 0.33 decreases in shrub diversity and 0.29 increases in herbaceous species diversity. If temperature warms 3.7°C by 2100, herbaceous plants might increase in the permafrost wetlands, with species number increasing 48% or 6 times and species diversity increasing 40% or 2 times; and some shrub species might decrease and even disappear in part of the areas with lower latitude, with species number decreasing 50–100% and species diversity decreasing 69–100%. The permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains might continue degenerating and shift northward with global warming over the next century.     

南京方山生态公园不同人工植被土壤动物群落结构时空变化

2009年3月~2010年4月采用干漏斗法和手捡法对南京方山生态公园针阔混交林、茶园、农田等3种典型人工植被生境的土壤动物群落结构及其季节变化进行初步调查。共采得土壤动物样本3 164个，27个类群隶属于5门12纲23目。结果表明：近孔寡毛目（Plesiopora）、弹尾纲（Collembola）和蜱螨目（Acarina）为常年优势类群；双翅目（Diptera）、同翅目（Homoptera）、膜翅目（Hymenoptera）、等足目（Isopoda）、后孔寡毛目（Opisthopora）和鞘翅目（Coleoptera）则为常年常见类群。土壤动物群落类群数和个体数量的季节消长规律分别是夏季>冬季>秋季>春季和夏季>秋季>冬季>春季。不同植被生境的土壤动物个体数量总数依次为茶园>混交林>农田；不同季节、不同人工植被类型以及不同季节和不同人工植被类型之间土壤动物群落的组成具有较大变化，不同类群之间个体数量差异显著。多样性分析表明，土壤动物类群多样性和均匀性指数在夏季时最高；茶园和混交林多样性指数和丰富度指数均高于农田。不同植被类型土壤动物垂直分布特征均表现为具有明显的表聚性，土壤动物的类群垂直分布差异明显，类群数随土层向下逐步减少     

基于层次分析法的城市河流生态修复评估

城市的发展改变了许多河流的自然水文环境，并导致河流生态系统中水质、物理生境和生物完整性下降。评估受损河流水体修复的效果，需要结合物理、化学的参数，以及对生物结构、多样性和过程的影响。构建了包含河流水力、水质、水生生物、河岸带及物理结构5个方面15个指标的城市河流生态修复评估指标体系，运用群组决策的层次分析法(AHP)，确定了各指标的权重，重要性排序前5位依次为：水质污染指数、鱼类IBI、水源补给量、藻类多样性、透明度。并以我国南方城市岐江河整治修复状况为例进行综合评价，结果表明,河流生态系统修复评估结果为可以接受，体现了河流整治工程使河流水质、生态的状况有所改善，但河流生态系统恢复需要较长的周期，修复初期生态系统仍处于受损状态。〖