Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2025 number 3

In recent decades, an information boom has arisen around the concept of “biodiversity” in the “whirlpool” of environmental aspects and problems. A negative consequence of its wide popularity has been the vagueness of the semantic content and the shapelessness of the construction of the beloved concept. This has complicated the mutual understanding of specialists in scientific and everyday ecology. Clarifications of the definition of the concept of “biodiversity” and the scope of its use, structuring and connection of its object of interest with evolutionary theory are urgently needed. For this purpose, an ordered system of four structural categories of biodiversity is proposed, embodying the evolutionary potential of the population-species, biocenotic, biogeocenotic and biosphere levels of life organization. The categories of biodiversity are designated by symbols: alpha, beta, gamma, sigma biodiversity. Their emergence and long-term existence are due not only to the complex configuration of ranges that arose due to the capabilities of the biota, but, to a greater extent, to the structural features of the abiotic matrix of the external environment. First of all, modern runoff-water-collecting continental-oceanic and relict basins that have lost their former connection with the World Ocean are important. Such megahabitats, clearly delimited from each other by orographic, hydrological, climatic barriers, contribute to isolation and provide biota with the opportunity to freely choose a set of environmental conditions. However, not all biological species can use them, but only those with a suitable set of preadaptations, capable of getting along with each other and stereotypically reproducing a standard set of biota over a long period of time. Attention is focused on biogeocenoses and their catenary compositions - grandbiomes, confined to heliozones of latitudinal extension and their derivatives - climatic, soil, landscape zones. Biogeocenoses and grandbiomes, as elements of gamma-biodiversity, unlike the previous categories, have the ability to involve in their contact not only living but also inert matter, guaranteeing the transformation of an uncomfortable weathering crust into a comfortable living environment, regulated by the biota at its own discretion. Each evolutionarily subsequent category of biodiversity did not destroy or suppress the previous ones, but mutually incorporated them into its structure. Such a construction resembles a series of nesting dolls, which multiplies the stability of the biodiversity system and its potential, guaranteeing a long-term prolongation of life in time and ubiquity in space of the earth’s surface.

The specifics of Norilsk industrial district (NID) soils are abnormally high natural concentrations of heavy metals (HM), in particular Ni and Cu. In such conditions, the additional intake of pollutants into soils with high acidity reduces the stability of soil microflora, and increases the risks of vegetation death. In previous decades, the negative impact of dust and aerosol emissions from industrial enterprises of the NID containing SO2, Ni and Cu on the state of soils and the accumulation of HM in vegetation was revealed. The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of soils and vegetation within the impact zones of enterprises of the NID of various types and to identify the degree of their influence. Using the example of three environmental transects, the impact of prolonged aerosol dust and single contact chemical pollution, as well as mechanical transformation in the construction area of industrial facilities, is estimated. The effect of dust and aerosol pollution was recorded on all transects, two of which showed the highest values of the degree of anthropogenic transformation of vegetation (0.5-1). The most negative impact is observed in areas where contact chemical contamination is superimposed on dust and aerosol pollution. The factor of contact chemical impact, in addition to changing the substantial composition and properties, leads to a change in soil profiles. The factor of mechanical transformation has a noticeable effect on both the composition of phytocenoses and the soil profile. At the same time, the content of HM in this transect does not exceed the values corresponding to the geochemical background. The restoration of vegetation and soils in such areas begins immediately after the ending of mechanical action.

The possibility and prospects of using spiders (Arachnida: Aranei) as a bioindicator of the degree of anthropogenic impact in the Norilsk industrial region was investigated. Soil-dwelling spiders were collected using pitfall traps at the sites of three transects: Kayerkan, Norilsk and Talnakh, located in the vicinity of the city of Norilsk at different distances from large industrial facilities. A total of 119 spider species were found. The richest in species were the sites of the Norilsk transect, where 71 species were collected. A significant Spearman rank correlation between the distance from the industrial facility and the diversity parameters of taxocenes was noted mainly for the sites of the Kayerkan transect in 2022 and 2023. The direction of this transect largely corresponded to the prevailing wind direction in the Norilsk region. The taxonomic diversity of spiders on this transect is also the lowest. The total number of species, diversity indices, as well as the number of species and individuals of Linyphiidae spiders and the ratio between the number of Linyphiidae and wolf spiders (Lycosidae) individuals were positively correlated with the distance from the plant. In 2023, only the last parameter significantly depended on the distance. For the Norilsk transect, the correlation of the dynamic density of spiders with the distance from the plant was statistically significant only in 2022. Ordination by the method of non-metric multidimensional scaling for the sites of the three studied transects in different years showed that the differentiation of the sites, firstly, corresponded well to the habitat differences of the study sites on all transects; secondly, the study sites were better differentiated before the onset of phenological summer and the associated increase in temperatures and the complete formation of different vegetation layers. It has been established that soil-dwelling spiders can be used as indicators of negative impact, while it is extremely important to conduct research in similar habitat conditions, minimizing their differences as much as possible. When analyzing, it is imperative to take into account the features of seasonal dynamics and the impact of interannual fluctuations in climatic factors.

The study addresses species diversity of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and zoobenthos in twenty-eight Arctic lakes located in the Taimyr Peninsula within a radius of about 100 km from the city of Norilsk. The aim was to compare biodiversity between four zones defined based on a lake distance from Nornickel facilities: the zones of intense, moderate, and low impact (ZII, ZMI, and ZLI, respectively), and the reference zone (RZ). Beta diversity analysis based on the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index did not reveal any significant differences between lakes in ZII and the other zones. Planktonic and benthic community structures alter substantially only in six lakes located in close proximity to the industrial area. In other lakes, the changes are less pronounced and their community compositions are likely determined by natural factors rather than the level of anthropogenic impact. Significant differences between zones were revealed for the average number of species and Shannon index: both indicators were significantly higher for zooplankton in lakes of RZ and ZLI compared to ZII and ZMI and for zoobenthos in lakes of ZMI compared to ZII lakes. Significant differences in biomass were observed only for phytoplankton: in ZII, it was higher than in ZMI. Therefore, the number of species, Shannon index, and biomass should be considered in addition to changes in species composition when determining the extent of industrial impact on planktonic and benthic communities. Alterations of plankton and benthos community structures noted here are similar to those observed under eutrophication of a water body.

Quantitative studies and observations of seabirds and mammals were carried out in the NSR section (Dudinka-Murmansk). The entire route was divided into three segments - the Yenisei River and the Yenisei Bay, the Kara Sea and the Barents Sea. 34 species of birds belonging to 5 orders and 5 species of marine mammals were noted. The density of seabird distribution in summer on the NSR transects was highest in the mouth of the Yenisei, the Yenisei Bay (9.96), and the Barents Sea (8.02). In the autumn period, it was much higher in the Kara Sea (43.5) than in the Barents Sea (13.3) and in the mouth of the Yenisei and the Yenisei Bay (6.28 ind./10 km). The vessel attracted such species of gulls as Kittiwake, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and Herring Gull, which followed on it up to 1000 km. The main distance is the response of Ringed Seal to the movements of the vessel is 100-300 m. It is recommended to avoid passing vehicles in places where seals congregate than 500 meters. Monitoring of seabirds and mammals should be carried out in the form of periodic (seasonal) estimates of animal abundance.

The article presents the results of the study of soil properties and composition, as well as species diversity of plant coenoses in areas located at different distances from the enterprises of the Kola Metallurgical Company (KMC) in the Monchegorsk city and Nickel municipal settlement. The impacted areas were found to have maximal concentrations of Ni, Cu, Co. The ratios of soil mobile Cu and Ni to Ca and Mg in the organogenic topsoil horizons indicated their phytotoxicity. The plants in such areas showed morphological signs of acidic damage, their species diversity being minimal. High soil content of Ni, Cu, Co, Cr was suggested to be resultant not only from the technogenic contamination, but also by the natural geochemical anomalies above the ore deposits, as the GMC enterprises are located in the vicinity of such deposits. Technogenic geochemical anomalies had developed near the GMC enterprises; soil Ni, Cu, Co, Cr content and mobility were shown to decrease with increasing distance from the enterprises, whereas plant species diversity increased. Some weak and confounding correlations were revealed between plant biodiversity and soil properties, the correlation being statistically significant for soil Cu and Ni.

Biologically active compounds in ethanol extracts of the leaves of Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii were studied in the zone of influence of Nornickel enterprises (Kola Division). The total content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoid) was determined by spectrophotometry and anti-radical activity was evaluated. The phenolic compound content has increased under anthropogenic stress, indicating that these compounds can be used for monitoring and diagnosing environmental conditions. The plant response to stress was more pronounced for catechins and the total content of phenolic compounds, whose concentration in the zone of maximum exposure increased by 1.4-1.7 times compared with the background. The content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoid) in birch leaves decreased by 1.5-1.9 times as they approached the source of contamination. Water-ethanol extracts of birch leaves from polygons in proximity to the industrial facilities of the enterprise had a higher anti-radical activity (IC₅₀ = 0.07 mg/ml), which may be related to increased catechins content. It was found that the variability of BAS content in the leaves of B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii decreased in a gradient of anthropogenic pollution.

Due to their high sensitivity to changes in habitat conditions, oribatid mites are a promising bioindicator for assessing the state of ecosystem. The article presents the results of the analysis of all available data (2015-2023) on the diversity and biotope distribution of the oribatid mites in the Lapland Nature Reserve, including material from the Great Scientific Expedition organized with the support of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel. The generalized taxonomic list of Oribatida of the Lapland Nature Reserve includes 94 species/subspecies from 55 genera and 31 families, of which 17 species were recorded for the first time in this area, and Protoribotritia oligotricha Märkel, 1963 - in the Kola Peninsula. The greatest diversity was recorded for the families Brachychthoniidae (21 species), Suctobelbidae (13), Oppiidae (9), Carabodidae (6), Crotoniidae and Ceratozetidae (5 species each). The oribatid communities studied formed three clusters: ‘forest’ (pine forests and dwarf shrub tundra); ‘tundra’ (lichen tundras); ‘bog’ (cotton-grass sphagnum bog). The oribatid communities of the ‘forest’ group had the highest similarity of faunas among themselves (35-42 %). The lowest similarity of species composition with other oribatid communities was found for sphagnum bog (8-12 %). In monitoring, in addition to the abundance and alpha-diversity parameters of oribatid mites, attention should be paid to the dominance structure and abundance of eurytopic species (Oppiella nova (Oudemans, 1902) and Tectocepheus velatus (Michael, 1880)), which may serve as additional indicators of habitat change. The results obtained are an important step in establishing the basis and in the future forming long-term data series that will allow monitoring the condition of the areas of the Lapland Nature Reserve, identifying and tracking trends.

Helminth fauna of three shrew species of the genus Sorex (Sorex araneus, S. caecutiens, S. minutus) of the Kola Peninsula was studied. Based on our own and analyzed literature data, a complete taxonomic list was compiled, which consists of 21 helminth species: 14 cestodes species of the families Dilepididae, Hymenolepididae and Mesocestoididae, four nematodes species of the families Strongyloididae and Heligmosomidae, three trematodes species of the families Omphalometridae and Brachylaemidae. The greatest diversity of worms in S. araneus was found: ten cestodes species, four nematodes species and three trematodes species. In S. caecutiens seven cestodes species, three nematodes species and three trematodes species were recorded. Eight cestodes species, three nematodes species and three trematodes species were found in the S. minutus. About 80 % of the studied shrews were infected with helminths. A comparative analysis of the helminth fauna of shrews in Eastern Fennoscandia (the Kola Peninsula, Finland and Karelia) was carried out in the direction from the south to the north of the region, in the latitudinal range (59-61°N, 62-65°N, 66-69°N). A high similarity between the quantitative and qualitative composition of the helminth fauna of shrews in the territory of Eastern Fennoscandia (Finland, Karelia, the Kola Peninsula) in the latitude range of 62-69°N (Cj=0.85) was found, which may be due to climatic conditions favorable for the completion of the life cycle of helminths.

The article presents the results of a study of the biological diversity of hydrobionts in the watercourses of the Upper Amur basin, located in the zone of influence of the mining facility of the mining company “Bystrinsky LLC” (BGRK). The Upper Amur Basin is a historical mining region. In addition to the functioning of the BGRK, other mining companies also produce ore and placer gold in this basin. The main studies of the impact of mining on the aquatic ecosystems of the Upper Amur basin are related to the study of the transboundary Argun River. The purpose of the work is to study the biological diversity of hydrobionts of watercourses of the Upper Amur basin, on the example of the Gazimur River, within the zone of possible negative impact of BGRK facilities. Currently, the hydrogeochemical anomaly of the mining area is a factor enriching the hydrochemical state of the aquatic environment. The high migration capacity of Al, As, Sr, Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe, V in the river waters under consideration allows them to accumulate to concentrations exceeding MPC, regardless of the degree of exposure to BGRK. Hydrobiological studies of the Gazimur River and its tributaries have shown that hydrobionts are represented by widespread species of Siberia and the Far East. Seasonal and interannual variations of biota are associated with changes in climatic, hydrochemical and hydrological indicators. One of the possible reasons for the low species richness and extremely low number of aquatic organisms near the BGRK (the Taina and Bystraya Rivers) may be the high turbidity of river water. Based on the results of the conducted research, indicator species of hydrobionts were identified for subsequent monitoring of the effects of mining on aquatic ecosystems.