The watershed of the Vuoksa lake and river system, one of the largest transboundary waterways in the region, was chosen as the area of work.
For long-term monitoring, five permanent sites of complex observations of the population of decapod crustaceans were equipped in the river area. They are located in the city of Svetogorsk, the village of Lesogorsky, the city of Kamennogorsk, as well as in the villages of Baryshevo and Losevo.
At each of these sites, the branch's specialists conducted a detailed collection of hydrobiological data: they described the dominant species of macrophytes, took samples of phytoplankton, photosynthetic pigments, zooplankton and zoobenthos. This will make it possible to further assess the qualitative and quantitative composition of aquatic communities in places where invasive species are potentially present.
The main focus was on trapping alien crustaceans. A total of 61 crayfish of the species Pacifastacus leniusculus (signal crayfish) were caught at 80 trap stations. Their total weight was 1914 grams.
The obtained materials will become the basis for a comprehensive analysis of the situation with invasive species in transboundary water bodies of the Leningrad region. The specialists of the St. Petersburg branch of VNIRO will have to assess the spatial distribution of signal cancers, identify the features of its biology in local conditions, and most importantly, understand how the alien species interacts with native cancers and how strongly it is already represented quantitatively in the Vuoksa ecosystem.
The results of the work will help predict environmental risks and, if necessary, adjust the strategy for preserving biodiversity in the region's reservoirs.
VNIRO Press Service
