Characteristics of the Species Composition and Structure of Macrozoobenthos in Taiga Lakes in Oil-Producing Regions in Western Siberia

Abstract

The macrozoobenthos have been studied in 14 taiga lakes characterized by different contents of heavy metals and oil products (OPs) in the bottom deposits (BDs) (from slightly polluted to extremely polluted). Sixty-five invertebrate species and taxa (the rank below the genus) have been registered. Chironomids dominate in regards to species diversity and frequency of occurrence in most studied lakes. The faunistic similarity of the surveyed lakes in terms of the Sørensen–Chekanovsky index vary from 10 to 63%. The inhibition of benthic communities is not observed in the group of lakes with an extreme content of OPs. The dominant complex comprises Oligochaeta, Mollusca, and Chironomida. The Matkovskii index does not exhibit a significant difference of this group of lakes from the lakes with background conditions. No significant correlations are found between the structural parameters of macrozoobenthos (total number of species and number of species in taxonomic groups) and the content of the OPs, but they have been observed for heavy metals.