Landscape resilience and the modern state of phytoplankton in the streams of the Kularsky gold-bearing region

An assessment of landscape resilience and hydrobiological research on watercourses was conducted for the first time in the Kular gold-bearing region within the Yana River basin of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). This study was prompted by the increasing interest in resuming placer gold mining in these areas, which could potentially harm the natural environment and exacerbate existing ecological issues. To address these potential negative impacts, it is essential to implement effective environmental protection strategies. A key component of this effort involves assessing the current state of the natural environment and thoroughly evaluating the resilience of its ecosystems. The hydrobiological research employed both quantitative and qualitative samples collected from the Suor-Uyalaakh River streams. We assessed landscape resilience using a methodology aimed at understanding how key factors affect landscape stability in the cryolithozone. Additionally, we conducted field and laboratory analyses of algae to identify indicators of species composition, abundance, and biomass in the watercourses of the Suor-Uyalaakh River. The findings revealed low diversity and underdevelopment of algal populations, with diatoms being the dominant group in the phytoplankton and phytoperiphyton communities. In contrast, green algae showed lower diversity, followed by yellow-green algae and Euglena. The evaluation of landscape stability in the region indicated extremely low to low resistance to human impacts, which varied based on the ratio of permafrost to bioclimatic factors. The data collected can serve as a basis for creating a biomonitoring database, particularly in light of the increasing human pressures on the aquatic ecosystems of the Suor-Uyalaakh River in Northeast Yakutia. Assessing the resilience of landscapes in the Kular goldbearing deposits may be practically significant for formulating ecological regulations and implementing environmental protection measures to mitigate adverse effects on the natural environment.

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