Plankton and benthos biodiversity of Taimyr lakes in the “Nornickel“-affected area
E. S. Kravchuk1, O. P. Dubovskaya1,2, S. P. Shulepina2, E. A. Ivanova1,2, N. N. Sushchik1,2, L. A. Glushchenko2, I. I. Morozova2, A. V. Ageev1,2, V. A. Karpov1,2, P. Yu. Andrushchenko1,2, S. V. Andrushchenko1,2, A. V. Drobotov1, M. I. Gladyshev1,2
1Krasnoyarsk Science Centre of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Biophysics, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
2Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Keywords: phytoplankton, zooplankton, zoobenthos, biodiversity, Taimyr Peninsula, Norilsk, anthropogenic impact, Shannon index, species richness, biomass
Abstract
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.
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