Impact of chemical weapon destruction on the structure of lake zoohydrobiont community
Stoĭko, T.G.; Mazeĭ, I.A.; Tsyganov, A.N.; Tikhonenkov, D.V.
Izvestiia Akademii Nauk. Seriia Biologicheskaia 13(2): 225-231
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 1541-1052 PMID: 16634447 Document Number: 599140
Community structure of zoohydrobionts in the lake affected by chemical weapon destruction was studied for the first time. Low pH favored species specific to acidic water bodies as well as bidominant zooplankton community. The long-term effects of chemical pollution determined the stage of community succession, namely, the absence of the key predator (fishes), abundance of detritus consumers in the zoobenthic community (dipteran larvae), diversity of amphibiotic insects, and low species diversity in the zooplankton community with the prevalence of cladocerans and rotifers. Unbalanced composition of higher trophic levels results in an unstable functioning of the lake and accumulation of significant amounts of detritus, which is utilized by the abundant microzoobenthic component of the ecosystem.