Arctic charr as indicator of water quality of mountain lakes of the Khibiny massif under chronic pollution
2019
Lukin, A.A. | Lukina, Yu.N.
Fishes in Subarctic lakes are highly demanding to the water quality and pollution results in organism response that allows to use it as a test objects reflecting state of water quality. Ichthyopathologies cause transformations of population and ichthyofauna under anthropogenic impact. The development of Kola Peninsula resulted in pollution of water bodies with wastewater from mining enterprises containing heavy metals, surfactants, petroleum products, sulfates and others. Lake Bolshoi Vud’yavr that is located in the center part of the Khibiny mountain massif and can be considered as a man-made technogenic water area under multifactorial chronic pollution for decades. Ichthyofauna of the lake in the 1930’s, consisted of 6 species: brown trout, аrctic char, whitefish, grayling, burbot, nine-spined stickleback. The sewage resulted in almost complete disappearance of fish in the lake, excepting Arctic char, which currently dominates the ichthyofauna. Water quality assessment was carried out on the basis of histological analysis and revealed changes in the gills, liver and kidneys, indicating metabolic disorders, weakened immunity, the development of functional disorders and the mobilization of compensatory mechanisms. Most of the morphological changes should be regarded as the long-term consequences of chronic sublethal exposure to toxicants, which can cause a reduction in life expectancy, early maturation or infertility. However, a number of histopathologies testify to acute reaction of fish organism and make it possible to assume that there are sporadic local discharges of pollutants
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