The Response of the Invertebrate Communities of Steppe and Floodplain Meadows to Emissions from the Karabash Copper Smelter

Abstract

Based on the materials of 2014, the response of invertebrate communities in floodplain and steppe meadows to emissions from the Karabash copper smelter was assessed (the main pollutants are SO₂ and heavy metals). Near the smelter, in the phytocenoses of meadows of both types, the phytomass of herbage decreases (2–7 times) and the proportion of graminoids increases (from 36–45 to 53–85%). The abundance of invertebrates in the meadows of both types varies similarly: the total abundance decreases (by a factor of 1.4–2.9), while the abundance of all trophic and most large taxonomic groups does not change. The taxonomic structure of invertebrates in floodplain meadows changed only in the impact zone, while in steppe meadows, already in the buffer zone. This result partially confirms the hypothesis put forward that in the communities of floodplain meadows, the reaction to pollution is less pronounced than in steppe meadows.