Human Impact Induces Shifts in Trophic Composition and Diversity of Consumer Communities in Small Freshwater Ecosystems

2021 ◽  
pp. 389-418
Author(s):  
Oksana Y. Buzhdygan ◽  
Milica Stojković Piperac ◽  
Olivera Stamenković ◽  
Dubravka Čerba ◽  
Aleksandar Ostojić ◽  
...  
2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
I. V. Goncharenko ◽  
H. M. Holyk

Cenotic diversity and leading ecological factors of its floristic differentiation were studied on an example of two areas – Kyiv parks "Nivki" and "Teremki". It is shown that in megalopolis the Galeobdoloni-Carpinetum impatientosum parviflorae subassociation is formed under anthropogenic pressure on the typical ecotope of near-Dnieper hornbeam oak forests on fresh gray-forest soils. The degree of anthropogenic transformation of cenofloras can be estimated by the number of species of Robinietea and Galio-Urticetea classes, as well as neophytes and cultivars. Phytoindication for hemeroby index may be also used in calculation. We propose the modified index of biotic dispersion (normalized by alpha-diversity) for the estimation of ecophytocenotic range (beta-diversity) of releves series. We found that alpha-diversity initially increases (due to the invasion of antropophytes) at low level of antropogenic pressure, then it decreases (due to the loss of aboriginal species) secondarily with increasing of human impact. Also we found that beta-diversity (differential diversity) decreases, increasing homogeneity of plant cover, under the influence of anthropogenic factor. Vegetation classification was completed by a new original method of cluster analysis, designated as DRSA («distance-ranked sorting assembling»). The classification quality is suggested to be validated on the "seriation" diagram, which is а distance matrix between objects with gradient filling. Dark diagonal blocks confirm clusters’ density (intracluster compactness), uncolored off-diagonal blocks are evidence in favor of clusters’ isolation (intercluster distinctness). In addition, distinction of clusters (syntaxa) in ordination area suggests their independence. For phytoindication we propose to include only species with more than 10% constancy. Furthermore, for the description of syntaxonomic amplitude we suggest to use 25%-75% interquartile scope instead of mean and standard deviation. It is shown that comparative analysis of syntaxa for each ecofactor is convenient to carry out by using violin (bulb) plots. A new approach to the phytoindication of syntaxa, designated as R-phytoindication, was proposed for our study. In this case, the ecofactor values, calculated for individual releves, are not taken into account, however, the composition of cenoflora with species constancies is used that helps us to minimize for phytoindication the influence of non-typical species. We suggested a syntaxon’s amplitude to be described by more robust statistics: for the optimum of amplitude (central tendency) – by a median (instead of arithmetic mean), and for the range of tolerance – by an interquartile scope (instead of standard deviation). We assesses amplitudes of syntaxa by phytoindication method for moisture (Hd), acidity (Rc), soil nitrogen content (Nt), wetting variability (vHd), light regime (Lc), salt regime (Sl). We revealed no significant differences on these ecofactors among ecotopes of our syntaxa, that proved the variant syntaxonomic rank for all syntaxa. We found that the core of species composition of our phytocenoses consists of plants with moderate requirements for moisture, soil nitrogen, light and salt regime. We prove that the leading factor of syntaxonomic differentiation is hidden anthropogenic, which is not subject to direct measurement. But we detect that hidden factor of "human pressure" was correlated with phytoindication parameters (variables) that can be measured "directly" by species composition of plant communities. The most correlated factors were ecofactors of soil nitrogen, wetting variability, light regime and hemeroby. The last one is the most indicative empirically for the assessment of "human impact". We establish that there is a concept of «hemeroby of phytocenosis» (tolerance to human impact), which can be calculated approximately as the mean or the median of hemeroby scores of individual species which are present in it.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 136-148
Author(s):  
I. V. Gryb

The concept of an explosion in freshwater ecosystems as a result of the release of accumulated energy, accompanied by the destruction of the steady climax successions of hydrocenoses is presented. The typification of local explosions as well as methods for assessing their risk during the development of river basins are shown. The change in atmospheric circulation, impaired phases of the hydrological regime of rivers, increasing the average temperature of the planet, including in Polesie to 0,6 ºC, deforestation leads to concentration and release of huge amounts of unmanaged terrestrial energy, which manifests itself in the form of disasters and emergencies. Hydroecological explosion is formed as a result of multifactorial external influence (natural and anthropogenic) on the water body in a certain period of time. Moreover, its level at wastewater discharge depends on the mass of recycled impurities and behaved processing capacity of the reservoir, and the mass of dumped on biocides and the possibility of the water flow to their dilution and to the utilization of non-toxic concentrations. In all these cases the preservation of "centers of life" in the tributaries of the first order – local fish reproduction areas contributed to ecosystem recovery, and the entire ecosystem has evolved from equilibrium to non-equilibrium with further restructuring after the explosion and environmental transition to a new trophic level. It means that hydroecological explosion can be researched as the logical course of development of living matter in abiotic environmental conditions, ending abruptly with the formation of new species composition cenoses and new bio-productivity. The buffer capacity of the water environment is reduced due to re-development and anthropic transformation of geobiocenoses of river basins, which leads to a weakening of life resistance. This applies particularly to the southern industrial regions of Ukraine, located in the arid zone that is even more relevant in the context of increased average temperature due to the greenhouse effect, as well as to Polesie (Western, Central and Chernihiv), had been exposed to large-scale drainage of 60-80th years, which contributed to the degradation of peatlands and fitostroma. Imposing the western trace of emissions from the Chernobyl accident to these areas had created the conditions of prolonged hydroecological explosion in an intense process of aging water bodies, especially lakes, change in species composition of fish fauna and the occurrence of neoplasms at the organismal level. Under these conditions, for the existence of man and the environment the vitaukta should be strengthened, i.e. buffer resistance and capacitance the aquatic environment, bioefficiency on the one hand and balanced using the energy deposited - on the other. This will restore the functioning of ecosystems "channel-floodplain", "riverbed-lake", reducing the energy load on the aquatic environment. Hydroecological explosions of natural origin can not be considered a pathology – it is a jump process of natural selection of species of biota. Another thing, if they are of anthropogenic origin and if the magnitude of such an impact is on the power of geological factors. Hydroecological explosions can be regarded as a manifestation of environmental wars that consciously or unconsciously, human society is waging against themselves and their kind in the river basins, so prevention of entropy increase in the aquatic environment and the prevention of hydroecological explosions is a matter of human survival. While the man - is not the final link in the development of living matter, it can develop without him, as matter is eternal, and the forms of its existence are different.


Erdkunde ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Mäckel ◽  
Arne Friedmann ◽  
Dirk Sudhaus

Author(s):  
Dmitry Kuznetsov ◽  
Dmitry Kuznetsov ◽  
Anatoliy Kamalov ◽  
Anatoliy Kamalov ◽  
Nataliya Belova ◽  
...  

The dynamics of thermoabrasion coasts on loose sediments under permafrost conditions are highly variable due to several factors: length of the dynamic period of the year, mechanic composition of the frozen ground and its ice content, hydrometeorological conditions, and human impact. Multiannual monitoring of the coastal zone was carried out by Lab. Geoecology of the North (Moscow State University) at the 22 km long Kharasavey deposit site, Western Coast of Yamal Peninsula (Kara Sea). The methods include direct measurements and observations (repeated topographic survey of shore transects from 1981 to 2012) along with remote sensing data analysis (images from 1964 to 2011). This allowed producing detailed characteristics of coastal dynamics. At the site, thermoabrasion coasts occupy the most part, and accumulative coasts are present in the north. Data on natural relief forming factors and ground composition are included in the detailed geomorphologic map of the site. Shore retreat rate shows correlation to amounts of wind-wave energy and to specific wind directions. Human impact on the coast includes dredging at the port channel, mining of sand, driving motor vehicles, and deposition of construction debris. Relations between shore retreat rate and aforementioned factors were studied, including dependencies on ice content, and shore segmentation was carried out. This allows for coastal dynamics forecasts in the region.


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