Article

Gennadiy D. Kataev, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Lapland State Nature Biosphere Reserve (184506, Russia, Murmansk region, Monchegorsk, Zelenyi Lane, 8); e-mail: kataev105@yandex.ru

Kataev G.D. 2017. The impact of industrial emissions of copper-nickel smelter complex on the status of populations and communities of small mammals in the Kola Peninsula. Nature Conservation Research 2(Suppl. 2): 19–27. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2017.033

The population status of the small mammals, Micromammalia, was studied in the central mountain and taiga part of the Kola Peninsula in the Lapland Biosphere Reserve and its buffer zone. For this purpose, control groups of animals were selected at a different distance from the Severonikel' industrial complex which is considered as the largest metallurgical company in Europe. It produces nickel, copper and other non-ferrous metals. The study sites were located at 4–30 km from the local source of industrial pollution. The analysis of population dynamics, faunistic structure and biological parameters of mass species of Soricidae, Myomorpha has revealed the differences in habitats depending on the distance to the industrial complex. The results of the chemical analysis of organs and tissue samples of small rodents, their morpho-physiological and genetic characteristics within emission plume were analysed. The abundance of the studied Mammalia species was the lowest at 5 km north and 7 km south of the metallurgical industrial complex. According to our results, animals in a zone of increased industrial emission (sulfur dioxide, compounds of heavy metals) concentrations had more deviations from the biological norms in comparison with the same species from less polluted areas. Long-term (1936–2014) abundance dynamics of Clethrionomys glareolus was presented due to the new ecological situation in the region and reduction of the volume of sulfur dioxide emission by the Severonikel' industrial complex. This biotesting method using mammals as study objects may be applied for the definition of ecologically safe level criteria of heavy metal production and it may be used in studies of similar ecological situations.

biological indicators, ecotoxicology, heavy metals, mammals, mining and metallurgical company, monitoring, pathology

Received: 07.02.2017

Barcan V.S., Kovnatsky E.F., Smetannikova M.S. 1998. Absorption of heavy metals in wild berries and edible mushrooms in an area affected by smelter emissions. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 103: 173–195. DOI: 10.1023/A:1004972632578
Bezel V.S. 2006. Ecological toxicology: population and environmental aspects. Ekaterinburg: Publishing house «Goscinski». 280 p. [In Russian]
Bolshakov V. N., Pyastolova, O. A., Vershinin V. A. 2001. Specific Features of the Formation of Animal Species Communities in Technogenic and Urbanized Landscapes. Russian Journal of Ecology 32(5): 315–325. DOI: 10.1023/A:1011970109916
Goldman I.L., Smertenko I.I. 1969. Three methods of obtaining preparations of chromosomes of mice. Laboratornoe delo 2: 67–70. [In Russian]
Kataev G.D. 1984. Small mammals are the indicators of human impact in Kola North. In: D.A. Krivolursky (Ed.): Influence of industrial enterprises on the environment. Moscow: Nauka. P. 90–93. [In Russian]
Kataev G.D. 2005. The State of the Mammal Community of Boreal Forest Ecosystems in the Vicinity of a Nickel-Smelting Plant. Russian Journal of Ecology 36(6): 421–426. DOI: 10.1007/s11184-005-0096-9
Kataev G.D., Suomela J., Palokangas P. 1994. Densities of microtinae rodents along a pollution gradientfrom a copper-nickel smelter. Oecologia 97: 491–498. DOI: 10.1007/BF00325887
Kryuchkov V.V., Syroid N.A. 1984. Soil-Botanic monitoring in the central part of the Kola peninsula. In: Monitoring of Environment of Kola North. Apatity: Publishing House of the Kola branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. P. 15–26. [In Russian]
Kucheruk V. V. 1963. New in methodology for quantifying harmful rodents and shrews. In: Organisation and methods for accounting of birds and harmful rodents. Moscow: USSR Academy of Sciences. P. 159–183. [In Russian]
Lukyanova L.E., Lukyanov O.A., Pyastolova O.A. 1994. Transformation of communities of small mammals under the influence of technogenic factors (on the example of the taiga zone of the Middle Urals). Russian Journal of Ecology 3: 69–76. [In Russian]
Maznaya E.A., Lyanguzova I.V., Komaletdinova E.M. 2000. The state coenopopulations of wild-growing berry dwarf-shrubs under air pollution. In: Proceedings of the International conference «Problems of rational utilization and reproduction of berry plants in boreal forest, on eve of XX1 century» (11–15 September, 2000, Glubokoe – Gomel, Belarus). Gomel: Forest Institute of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Р. 80–84.
Rokitsky P.F. 1961. Basics of variation statistics for biologists. Minsk: Publishing House of the Belarusian University. 186 p. [In Russian]
Schwarz S.S., Smirnov V.S., Dobrinskiy L.N. 1968. Method of morphophysiological indicators in ecology of terrestrial vertebrates. Sverdlovsk: Nauka. 386 p. [In Russian]
Semenov-Tyan-Shansky O.I. 1970. Cyclicity in populations of forest voles. Bulletin of Moscow Society of Naturalists 75(2): 11–26. [In Russian]
Yearbook of Kola mining and metallurgical company. Murmansk, 2009. №6. P. 4–5. [In Russian]
Yearbook of air pollutants emissions in cities and regions of the Russian Federation (Russia), 1997. Saint-Petersburg, 1998. 433 p. [In Russian]