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On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification of Aquatic Ecosystems.

Дата публикации: 21 июля 2010
Автор: Ostroumov S. A. →
Публикатор: ar55
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published article:
Ostroumov S. A. On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification of Aquatic Ecosystems. - Russian Journal of Ecology, Vol. 36, No. 6, 2005, pp. 414–420.

On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification
of Aquatic Ecosystems
S. A. Ostroumov

Moscow State University, Vorob’evy gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia
Received November 28, 2003

1067-4136/05/3606-0414 © 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.
Russian Journal of Ecology, Vol. 36, No. 6, 2005, pp. 414–420.
Translated from Ekologiya, No. 6, 2005, pp. 452–459.
Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Ostroumov.

Key words: aquatic ecosystems, water quality, water self-purification, pollution, theory.

Abstract: Ostroumov S. A. On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification of Aquatic Ecosystems. - Russian Journal of Ecology, Vol. 36, No. 6, 2005, pp. 414–420.
—Principles of the theory of the ecological mechanism of water self-purification based on multiple
functions of the biota in freshwater and marine ecosystems are formulated. In developing this theory, the results
of the author’s experiments with filtering hydrobionts have been used. These results indicate that the water selfpurification
mechanism is vulnerable to the impact of some pollutants and, in particular, surfactants. Conclusions
drawn on the basis of the theory have practical significance for biodiversity conservation and for the sustainable
use of the biological resources of aquatic ecosystems.
Key words: aquatic ecosystems, water quality, water self-purification, pollutants, biota, freshwater and marine ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, sustainable
use, biological resources, ecosystem’s services

The study of water self-purification processes
(Skurlatov, 1988; Ostroumov, 2000a) is essential for
approaching fundamental ecological problems (Alimov,
2000; Ostroumov et al.
, 2003) and for resolving
applied issues related to the sustainable use of natural
resources.
The purpose of this paper is to give a systematic
account of the concepts concerning the multiple functions
of the biota in the self-purification of water bodies
and watercourses, without attempting to review the
numerous publications in this field. A quantitative
assessment of the various processes involved in the
self-purification of water bodies and watercourses is
also beyond the scope of this study.
An analysis of our publications over the period from
1997 to 2005 allowed me to make some generalizations
concerning the main processes and factors involved in
the self-purification system of aquatic ecosystems.
MAIN PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOTIC
PROCESSES LEADING TO WATER
PURIFICATION IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
These processes are listed in Table 1. Some of them
were considered in a number of publications (Alimov,
1981; Izrael’ and Tsyban’, 1989; Lisytsin, 2001; Matishov
and Matishov, 2001).
Physical and chemical processes of water self-purification
are often regulated by biotic factors or strongly
depend on them (Ostroumov, 2001a, 2002c). Thus, the
degree of pollutant sorption on settling suspended particles
depends on the concentration of phytoplankton
cells, photochemical processes depend on water transparency,
and transparency depends on the filtering
capacity of hydrobionts. Free-radical processes of pollutant
destruction depend on the binding of metal ions
to dissolved ligands, namely, organic molecules of biological
origin (Skurlatov, 1988). Thus, biotic factors are
at the center of the entire water self-purification system.
All processes involved in water purification are
important, and none of them can be considered more
significant than others. The important biotic processes
leading to water purification that have been characterized
in detail include organic matter oxidation (Sadchikov,
1997; Zavarzin and Kolotilova, 2001; Wetzel,
2001) and water filtration by hydrobionts (Alimov,
1981; Sushchenya, 1975; Shul’man and Finenko,
1990).
The activity of a community that oxidizes organic
matter can be expressed in absolute and relative values:
for instance, as the ratio of energy expended by hydrobionts
for metabolism (total respiration
R
) to their total
biomass (
B
). The
(
R
/
B
)
e
ratio, referred to as the
Shrödinger ratio, reflects the relationship between
energy expenditures for the maintenance of life activity
and, thereby, structure of the community and the
amount of energy contained in its structure (Alimov,
2000).
Organic matter is oxidized by many hydrobionts,
with a special role belonging to bacteria (Vinogradov
and Sushkina, 1987; Zavarzin and Kolotilova, 2001;
Wetzel, 2001). The total biomass of bacteria in the epipelagial
zone (0–200 m) of the World Ocean is approximately
276
×
10
6
t C, averaging 8 g of fresh biomass
(0.8 g C) per square meter of water surface (Vinogradov
and Shushkina, 1987). Many specialists consider
that bacteria account for 60–70% of the total heterotrophic
destruction in the ocean. However, estimations of global
heterotrophic destruction in the ocean are ambiguous.
According to calculations based on average
é
2
consumption
by one bacterial cell, bacterial destruction in the
World Ocean amounts to
100
×
10
9
t C per year; in this
On the Multifunctional Role of the Biota in the Self-Purification
of Aquatic Ecosystems
S. A. Ostroumov
Moscow State University, Vorob’evy gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia
Received November 28, 2003
Abstract
—Principles of the theory of the ecological mechanism of water self-purification based on multiple
functions of the biota in freshwater and marine ecosystems are formulated. In developing this theory, the results
of the author’s experiments with filtering hydrobionts have been used. These results indicate that the water selfpurification
mechanism is vulnerable to the impact of some pollutants and, in particular, surfactants. Conclusions
drawn on the basis of the theory have practical significance for biodiversity conservation and for the sustainable
use of the biological resources of aquatic ecosystems.

RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
Vol. 36
No. 6
2005
ON THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROLE OF THE BIOTA 415
case, the entire heterotrophic destruction in the 0–200 m
layer is
150
×
10
9
t C per year. In the variant based on
the daily average specific production of bacteria and the
coefficient characterizing the efficiency of assimilated
food utilization for growth (
ä
2
= 0.33), bacterial
destruction is approximately
60
×
10
9
t C per year, and
total heterotrophic destruction is
85
×
10
9
t C per year.
An important role in heterotrophic destruction belongs
to protists (total biomass in the epipelagial
69
×
10
6
t C,
averaging 0.2 g C/m
2
) and metazooplankton (body size
0.2–5 mm; total biomass in the epipelagial
386
×
10
6
t C,
averaging 1 g C/m
2
). The ratio of daily production to
biomass (
P
/
B
) in the epipelagial averages 53% for protists
and 2% for metazooplankton (Vinogradov and
Sushkina, 1987).
The filtration rate in some groups of hydrobionts
(ascidians, cirripeds, bryozoans, echinoderms,
bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, and sponges) often
Table 1.
Some factors and processes involved in water self-purification (Pl, pollutants; numbers beginning with 1, 2, and 3
indicate physical, chemical, and biological factors and processes, respectively)

Table
No. Factors and processes of water purification Biotic factors that affect
the processes indicated on the left
1.1 Dissolution and dilution Mixing depends on macrophytes
1.2 Transfer on land The same
1.3 Transfer to adjoining water bodies »
1.4 Sorption of Pl by suspended particles followed by their sedimentation Seston formation
1.5 Sorption of Pl by bottom sediments Detritus formation
1.6 Evaporation Properties of the surface film depend
on DOM
2.1 Hydrolysis pH depends on photosynthesis
2.2 Photochemical transformation DOM and suspended organic matter
2.3 Catalytic redox transformations DOM
2.4 Transformations with the involvement of free radicals DOM
2.5 Decrease in Pl toxicity resulting from binding to dissolved organic matter (DOM) DOM
2.6 Chemical oxidation of Pl with the involvement of oxygen Photosynthesis
3.1 Release of oxygen that oxidizes Pl Photosynthesis
3.2 Sorption and accumulation of Pl and biogenic substances by hydrobionts Plankton, benthos
3.3 Biotransformation of Pl Enzymes
3.4 Extracellular enzymatic transformation of Pl Exoenzymes
3.5 Removal of suspended particles from water by filtration Filter feeders
3.6 Removal of Pl from water column as a result of sorption by pellets Filter feeders
3.7 Release into water of organic substances that serve as sensitizers promoting Pl
photolysis
DOM
3.8 Release into water of organic substances binding with Pl to form less toxic complexes DOM
3.9 Release into water of substances involved in free-radical and catalytic redox
mechanisms of Pl destruction
DOM
3.10 Prevention or retardation of the release of biogenic substances and Pl into water
and their accumulation by benthic organisms
Benthos
3.11 Increase in organic matter content in bottom sediments, which improves Pl binding
by bottom sediments
Detritus formation
3.12 Release of N and P compounds into water (element recycling), which promotes
the growth of oxygen-releasing phototrophic organisms
Bacteria of bottom sediments
3. 13 Removal of C, N, and P from an aquatic ecosystem due to emergence of aquatic
insects, migration of amphibians on land, and foraging of fish-eating birds
Biota of an ecosystem
3.14 Pl biotransformation and sorption in soil (when polluted water is used for irrigation) The same
3.15 Regulation of the abundance and activity of organisms involved in water purification »

416
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
Vol. 36
No. 6
2005
OSTROUMOV

ranges from 1 to 8.8 l/h per gram dry (decalcified) body
weight (Dame
et al.
, 2001). The dependence of filtration
rate on body weight is described by an exponential
function (Alimov, 1981). The total water filtration by
populations of macroinvertebrates (Mollusca, Ascidia,
Polychaeta) in the water column above 1 m
2
of the bottom
was estimated at 1–10 m
3
per day (Ostroumov,
2001a). A great ecological significance of filtering
hydrobionts was emphasized by K.A. Voskresenskii
and A.S. Konstantinov (for review, see Ostroumov,
2001a).
MAIN FUNCTIONAL BLOCKS
OF THE SELF-PURIFICATION SYSTEM
IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
The main functional blocks accounting for the
major part of the total hydrobiological mechanism of
self-purification in aquatic ecosystems are as follows:
(1) the block of filtering activity (“filters”) (Ostroumov,
1998); (2) the block of mechanisms accounting for the
transfer (pumping) of chemical substances from one
ecological compartment (environment) to another, i.e.,
“pumps” operating in the self-purification mechanisms
of aquatic ecosystems; and (3) the block responsible for
the cleavage of pollutant molecules (“mills” that crush
pollutants).
Filters.
Four filtering systems are distinguished
(Ostroumov, 1998): (a) the aggregate of invertebrate filter-
feeding hydrobionts (Ostroumov, 2001a; Dame
et al.
, 2001; Ostroumov, 2005); (b) the belt of coastal
macrophytes that retains a portion of the biogenic substances
and pollutants coming to the ecosystem from
the adjoining territory; (c) the benthos that retains and
absorbs some of the biogenic substances and pollutants
migrating at the water–bottom sediment interface; and
(d) microorganisms sorbed on suspended particles that
move relative to the water mass (settle) because of
gravity; as a result, microorganisms absorb dissolved
organic substances and biogenic elements from the
water (Ostroumov, 1998). During the sedimentation of
a water-suspended particle, oxygen exchange between
the bacteria sorbed on it and the aquatic environment
increases (Zavarzin and Kolotilova, 2001).
Pumps.
The following functional systems promote
substance transfer from one site to another (Ostroumov,
2001a): (a) the block of processes acting as a pump that
transfers some pollutants from the water column to sediments
(e.g., sedimentation and sorption); (b) the block
of processes acting as a functional pump that promotes
the transfer of some pollutants from the water column
to the atmosphere (evaporation); (c) the block of processes
acting as a functional pump that promotes the
transfer of some biogenic substances from water to the
surrounding terrestrial ecosystems (the sum of migration
processes related to the emergence of adult insects
in the species whose larvae develop in water); (d) an
analogous block of processes involving the transfer of
some biogenic substances from water to the surrounding
terrestrial ecosystems due to the activities of birds
that feed on hydrobionts, removing biomass from an
aquatic ecosystem, but nest on the surrounding territory;
and (e) the block of processes involving the transfer
of some biogenic substances from water to the
coastal ecosystems due to the emergence from a water
body of amphibians whose early development proceeds
in water.
Mills
are the functional systems that destroy an
excess of organic matter and cleave pollutants (Ostroumov,
1986, 2001a; Skurlatov, 1988): (a) the molecular
mill of intracellular enzymatic processes, (b) the mill of
extracellular enzymes present in an aquatic environment,
(c) the mill of photochemical processes promoted
by sensitizers of biological origin, and (d) the mill of
free radical processes involving ligands of biological
origin (Skurlatov, 1988). There are many examples of
the quantitative study of the corresponding processes
(Wetzel, 2001).
SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR THE BIOTIC
MECHANISMS OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM
SELF-PURIFICATION
The biotic processes of self-purification receive
energy from the following sources: photosynthesis,
oxidation of autochthonous organic matter, oxidation
of allochthonous organic matter, and other redox reactions.
Thus, virtually all available energy sources are
used. Some energy is received due to oxidation of the
components of which the system rids itself (dissolved
and suspended organic matter). In this respect, selfpurification
processes are comparable to energy-saving
technologies (Ostroumov, 2002b).
Self-purification is often related to organic matter
oxidation by aerobic organisms. Equally important are
anaerobic processes, in which energy is generated due
to electron transfer to acceptors other than oxygen. The
anaerobic energetics determines the metabolism of
many microorganisms, including the methanogenic
(destruction of organic matter with the release of methane),
sulfidogenic (the release of
ç
2
S, ç
2
, and methane),
and anoxygenic phototrophic communities (the
release of
S , H
2
S
, hydrogen, and methane) (Zavarzin
and Kolotilova, 2001). The products of their activity
are further used as oxidation substrates by organisms of
other communities, including bacteria of the group
named “the bacterial oxidative filter.” This group functions
under aerobic conditions and oxidizes hydrogen
(hydrogen-reducing bacteria), methane (metanophores),
NH
3
(nitrificators),
H
2
S
(sulfur bacteria), and
thiosulfate (thionic bacteria). The involvement of bacteria
that use metal ions or ions containing metals (Fe, Mn) as
electron acceptors is also important. Quantitative characteristics
of relevant processes are given in the paper
by Wetzel (2001).
O4
2–

RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
Vol. 36
No. 6
2005
417

ON THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROLE OF THE BIOTA
INVOLVEMENT OF MAIN GROUPS
OF ORGANISMS IN THE SELF-PURIFICATION
OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
The involvement of microorganisms, phytoplankton,
higher plants, invertebrates, and fish in the selfpurification
of aquatic ecosystems and the improvement
of water quality was analyzed in several papers
(Ostroumov, 1986, 2000c, 2001a; Zavarzin and Kolotilova,
2001). All these groups take an active part in the
self-purification of aquatic ecosystems, each being
involved in more than one or two processes.
Heterotrophic aerobic bacteria actively participate
in self-purification processes. As noted above, representatives
of many other groups of bacteria are also
involved in organic matter destruction and self-purification
of water bodies (Zavarzin and Kolotilova, 2001).
Moreover, an important role in organic matter destruction
belongs to protists, aquatic fungi, and related
organisms.
The diversity of microorganisms participating in the
destruction of biopolymers and in the self-purification
system is the more important as the microorganisms
that functionally complement each other in bacterial
communities are represented by phylogenetically distant
forms (Zavarzin and Kolotilova, 2001).
Water filtration, which is of primary importance for
water purification, is accomplished by representatives
of many taxa (Alimov, 1981; Sushchenya, 1975; Vinogradov
and Shushkina, 1987; Ostroumov, 2005). In the
marine plankton, for instance, the function of filter
feeders consuming fine particles (nanophages) is performed
by Appendiculariae, Doliolida (class Thaliacea),
small Calanoida, meroplankton (larvae), and other
invertebrates; the function of coarse filtration (euryphagous
filter-feeders) is performed by
Oithona
sp.
(Cyclopoida), Oncaea (Cyclopoida), large Calanoida,
and Euphausiaceae (Vinogradov and Sushkina, 1987).
For a detailed list of the main planktonic and benthic
filter feeders in ecosystems, see Ostroumov (2002a).
RELIABILITY OF THE WATER
SELF-PURIFICATION SYSTEM
The reliability of the water self-purification mechanism
is closely related to the fundamentally important
problem of ecosystem stability (Krasnoshchekov and
Rozenberg, 1992) and is often ensured by duplicating
many components of the system. For instance, water filtration
is performed by two different large groups of
organisms, the plankton and the benthos, and at a high
rate (Alimov, 1981; Sushchenya, 1975). In addition, the
benthos duplicates the activity of zooplankters constantly
remaining in the pelagial zone, because the larvae
of many benthic filter feeders are planktonic organisms.
The plankton includes two large groups of multicellular
invertebrate filter feeders, crustaceans
(Sushchenya, 1975), and rotifers (Monakov, 1998),
which provide a backup for each other. In addition,
there is yet another large group of organisms (Protozoa)
with a slightly different type of feeding, which, in turn,
provide a backup for multicellular filter feeders (crustaceans
and rotifers).
Water filtration is performed in parallel by many
representatives of the biota. The filtering activity (the
amount of water filtered per hour as expressed in body
volumes of the filter-feeding organism) is up to
5
×
10
6
in nanoflagellates and
5
×
10
5
in ciliates (Fenchel, 1986,
1987; cited from Wetzel, 2001). Cladocerans filter
4
−
40 ml (in some cases, up to 130 ml) per animal per
day; copepods, up to 27 ml (Wetzel, 2001); rotifers,
0.07–0.3 ml (Monakov, 1998). These and other filter
feeders provide a backup for each other in removing
suspensions from the water.
Another group of important self-purification processes,
the enzymatic destruction of pollutants, are
accomplished by bacteria and fungi, which, therefore,
provide a backup for each other. The same applies to
the variety of hydrobionts participating in the oxidation
of dissolved organic matter.
Yet another important component of reliability is the
self-regulation of the biota. Almost all organisms involved
in self-purification are under the dual control of other
organisms representing the preceding and subsequent
links in the trophic chain. Their role can be efficiently
studied by means of the inhibitory analysis of regulatory
interactions in trophic chains (Ostroumov, 2000b).
Among the mechanisms of ecosystem regulation, an
important role belongs to different forms of signaling,
including those by means of chemical substances that
transmit information or regulatory signals. I have proposed
to designate such substances ecological chemoregulators
and ecological chemomediators (Ostroumov,
1986, 2003).
The reliability of the water self-purification system in
an ecosystem is provided by the multiplicity of components
(processes) that comprise this system and operate,
to some extent, in parallel. Water purification and the
improvement of its quality, in turn, are necessary for the
self-maintenance of the entire aquatic ecosystem, as they
provide for the remediation of the habitats of its constituent
species. These processes are vitally important, since
water is regularly supplemented with autochthonous and
allochthonous organic matter and biogenic elements
brought by precipitation, fallout, and runoff from the
adjoining territory. Thus, water self-purification for an
aquatic ecosystem is an important function that ensures
its stability, as is DNA repair for the system of heredity
systems, which gives grounds for regarding water purification
as ecological repair in aquatic ecosystems.

418
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
Vol. 36
No. 6
2005
OSTROUMOV

RESPONSE OF THE SELF-PURIFICATION
SYSTEM AS A WHOLE TO EXTERNAL
(ANTHROPOGENIC) INFLUENCES
ON A WATER BODY
The system of self-purification and water quality
formation is labile (Ostroumov, 2000c) and easily
transforms when environmental conditions change,
which interferes with the analysis of trends in its functioning.
The results of my experiments shed light on the
factors responsible for the lability of a concrete process
involved in self-purification, namely, water filtration by
hydrobionts (mollusks and rotifers) (Ostroumov,
2000a–2000c, 2001a–2001c, 2002a–2002c, 2005).
This process proved to be inhibited by sublethal concentrations
of anthropogenic pollutants such as surfactants
(Ostroumov
et al.
, 1997; Ostroumov, 2000a–
2000c, 2001a), mixed surfactant-containing preparations
(Ostroumov, 2001a; Ostroumov, 2005), cadmium,
and some other substances (Table 2). A similar effect on
mollusks and zooplanktonic filter-feeders was also
described for other pollutants (Day and Kaushik,
1987). These data show the hazard of anthropogenic
impact on aquatic ecosystems (chemical pollution of
water bodies and water courses) as a factor impairing
the efficiency of the water self-purification system
(Ostroumov, 2000a–c; 2001a–c; 2002a–c; Braginskii
and Sirenko, 2003).
SOME GENERAL TENDENCIES
AND PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONING
OF THE WATER SELF-PURIFICATION SYSTEM
An analysis of data on specific features of the functioning
of the biota as a factor of water self-purification
in aquatic ecosystems provides a basis for some generalizations
(note, however, that the tendencies listed
below prevail but are not universal, and exceptions to
the general rule may be found in some ecosystems):
(1)
The observed rates of particular self-purification
processes are often lower than the maximum
possible rates.
This may be evidence for the existence
of regulatory mechanisms. Thus, the rate of water filtration
by hydrobionts is regulated and considerably
decreases when the concentration of suspension in
water becomes higher (Sushchenya, 1975; Shul’man
and Finenko, 1990).
(2)
There is a maximum diversification of organisms
performing the main functions
in the mecha-
Table 2.
Influence of different pollutants on the removal of suspended particles from water by filter-feeding hydrobionts.
The effect on the efficiency of suspension removal (EESR) was calculated as described (Ostroumov, 2001a)
Pollutant Hydrobiont Concentration, mg/l Note, reference
Trimethyl tin chloride (TMTC)
Dreissena
polymorpha
0.01–10 Mitin, 1984; cited from
Ostroumov, 2001a
Cadmium sulfate
Mytilus
galloprovincialis
0.5 Original data
Copper sulfate
M
.
galloprovincialis
2 The same
Lead nitrate
M
.
galloprovincialis
20 »
Petroleum hydrocarbons (gas oil)
M
.
galloprovincialis
4–8 »
TDTMA
M
.
edulis
×
M
.
galloprovincialis
(natural hybrid population)
0.05–5 »
TDTMA
Crassostrea
gigas
0.5 EESR 761%
SDS
M
.
edulis
,
M
.
galloprovincialis
>1 Ostroumov, 2001a;
Ostroumov, 2002a
SDS
Crassostrea
gigas
0.5 EESR 231%
Triton X-100
Unio
tumidus
5 Ostroumov, 2001a
Triton X-100
M
.
edulis
≥
1 Ostroumov, 2001a
SD1 (OMO)
Unio
tumidus
50 EESR 187%
SD2 (Tide)
M
.
galloprovincialis
50 EESRà 207%
SD3 (Losk)
M
. galloprovincialis 7 EESR 551%
SD4 (IXI) M. galloprovincialis 10 EESR 158%
SD4 (IXI) M. galloprovincialis 50 EESR 276%
LD1 (E) M. galloprovincialis 2 EESR 214%
LD1 (E) Crassostrea gigas 2 EESR 305%
LD2 (Fairy) Cr. gigas 2 EESR 1790%
Note: The highest EESR value over the experimental period is indicated; SD is synthetic detergent, LD is liquid detergent, SDS is sodium
dodecylsulfate.
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Vol. 36 No. 6 2005
ON THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROLE OF THE BIOTA 419
nism responsible for the parameters of the aquatic environment
and its self-purification. Indeed, as noted
above, almost every function (oxygen release, oxidation
and transformation of dissolved organic matter,
water filtration, etc.) in a given ecosystem is accomplished
by different groups of organisms simultaneously.
(3) The maximum possible number of stages in
the pathways of biogenic migration of elements is
often characteristic of the functioning of biotic mechanisms
responsible for the parameters of the aquatic
environment and its purification.
(4) Synecological cooperativity: many processes
that determine the parameters of the aquatic environment
and lead to its self-purification are accomplished
efficiently and at a high rate due to the joint actions of
two or more species (groups of species).
(5) Continuity of significance of the biota: the
biota remains highly important throughout the space
occupied by an aquatic ecosystem and at any moment,
irrespective of the time of day, season, or the stage of
succession.
(6) Balanced combination of opposite processes:
organisms simultaneously release and absorb organic
molecules, oxygen, and CO2; produce suspended
organic matter and remove it from water in the course
of their filtration (Ostroumov, 2002c); etc.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR NATURE-CONSERVATION PRACTICE
My experiments and the theoretical considerations
based on their results suggest the following conclusions,
which may be important for sustainable socioeconomic
development:
(1) Since almost the entire aquatic biota is involved
in the processes responsible for water quality and the
self-purification of aquatic ecosystems or in their regulation,
it is necessary to preserve the entire biodiversity
of aquatic ecosystems (Ostroumov, 2002b).
(2) Since the species of terrestrial ecosystems and
habitats bordering water bodies and watercourses
actively participate in water purification, it is necessary
to protect the biodiversity of these coastal ecosystems
in order to maintain water quality at a high level.
(3) In estimating the critical anthropogenic load on
an aquatic ecosystem (Moiseenko, 1999), it is important
to take into account the lability and vulnerability of
self-purification processes in the ecosystem.
(4) New types of ecological hazard created by
chemical substances were revealed (Ostroumov, 2001c,
2002e).
(5) New principles were proposed for eutrophication
control (Ostroumov, 2001b) and nature conservation
in water areas (Ostroumov, 2002b).
(6) New pollutants that reduce the capacity of
aquatic ecosystems (water bodies and watercourses) for
self-purification will be revealed.
The multifunctional role of the biota in water selfpurification
is an additional illustration of V.I. Vernadsky’s
thesis that “… living matter … geologically … is
the greatest force in the biosphere and determines all
processes occurring in it” (Vernadsky, 1991).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author is grateful to A.P. Lisytsin, V.V. Malakhov,
E.A. Kriksunov, G.S. Rozenberg, T.I. Moiseenko,
V.D. Fedorov, V.V. Il’inskii, A.P. Sadchikov,
O.F. Filenko, and G.E. Shul’man for discussing issues
relevant to this study.
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Опубликовано 21 июля 2010 года

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