Assessment of the trophic status of a reclamation pond by the fl oristic composition of macrophytes

The study is focused on the trophic status assessment of a reclamation pond using the floristic composition of coastal-aquatic vegetation. The most popular phytoindication methods, both descriptive and efficient, are those calculating the biotic index of freshwater ecosystems basing on the species composition of macrophytes. The method is based on assigning a bioindicative value, i.e. “trophic rank of species”, to the macrophytes. The water body is located within the territory of Kolomna urban district of the Moscow region. The catchment area is 1038,82 hectares; natural vegetation covers an area of 336,08 hectares (32,4%), water bodies – 25,53 hectares (2,5%), agricultural lands – 132,51 hectares (12,8%). The results of geobotanical survey and the remote sensing data suggested a fragmentary-microbelt type of location of the higher plants: mesophytes occupy 4,57 ha, hygrophytes – 4,13 ha, hygrogelophytes – 3,40 ha, and hydrophytes – 1,04 ha. The floristic composition of saprobity indicating species was analyzed to show that the trophic status of the pond is α-mesosaprobic. The large area (65,2%) of the pond’s littoral makes the macrophytes overgrowing highly possible. Water blooming caused by cyanobacteria is characteristic of the pond as a result of water stagnation in the absence of water transition to the downstream pool, input of biogenic elements from the catchment area and increasing water temperature on the littoral. The study shows that a complex of factors can be triggers for changing the environmental situation in the pond. In common they pose high risks for the further safe operation of the reclamation pond, both for regulating local runoff and for irrigation use. The information obtained is important for assessing the environmental consequences of changing state of reclamation facilities and developing a strategy for the management of life cycle of similar hydraulic structures. The procedure presented in the study could be adapted to study the trophic status of other aquatic ecosystems, contributing to better prediction and management of ecological risks in the amelioration branch of agriculture. 

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