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Estonian Journal of Ecology

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Open Access Journal

The pelagic food web in forest lakes affected by alkaline mining waste in NW Russia; pp. 214–228

PDF | doi: 10.3176/eco.2008.3.04

Authors

Ismo J. Holopainen, Anna-Liisa Holopainen, Eeva Huitu, Minna Rahkola-Sorsa, Priit Zingel

Abstract

The wastewaters of an iron mining company in NW Russia have changed the water quality in some forest lakes to be hard with a high pH, in contrast to the soft water and low pH in natural lakes. Two impacted lakes and a reference lake were sampled once in early August in three successive years for water quality, plankton communities, and fish. The concentrations of potassium, lithium, and sulphate were high in the impacted lakes. Total phosphorus was low (~ 10 µg L^–1) in all lakes. The primary producers’ biomass and chlorophyll a content in the impacted lakes were high because of high densities of autotrophic picocyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp.). All planktonic communities showed a changed taxa composition and lower species richness. Zooplankton was predominantly Rotatoria in all the lakes. In the impacted lakes, Cladocera was represented by Bosmina, and Copepoda by small cyclopoids. The most obvious substance to be harmful to some planktonic species was potassium. The high pH and high mineral content of the water obviously lower both the toxicity and the bioavailability of heavy metals in the impacted lakes.

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