Northen Institute of applied ecology:

Ya. L. Volpert, Leading Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences, e-mail: ylv52@mail.ru

North-Eastern Federal University named after M. K. Ammosov:

E. G. Shadrina, Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences

Northen Institute of applied ecology:

G. N. Savvinov, Chief Executive Officer, Doctor of Biological Sciences

P. P. Danilov, Head of Laboratory, Candidate of Biological Sciences

S. I. Poiseeva, Leading Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences

Long-term studies of land ecosystems (soils, plants, and mammal population) have been conducted in the area affected by operations of two diamond mining plants situated in the middle taiga and northern taiga subzone. On the basis of the anthropogenic influence intensity, the territory can be divided into micro-, meso-, and macroanthropogenic sectors. In case of microanthropogenic influence, the soil cover, generally, is unaffected; transformations of flora and fauna are diagnosed at the organism level and most likely are reversible. In case of mesoanthropogenic influence, the soil cover is almost unaffected, and transformations of biota can be seen at the population and ecosystem level; the changes are deeper and most often irreversible. In case of macroanthropogenic influence, the soil cover is destroyed, deep transformations of all ecosystem components can be observed, and even if recovery is possible (whether it is due to artificial or natural revegetation), the resulting communities differ enormously from the communities found in the wild nature; and the direction of the succession process does not suggest that ecosystems that would be at least close to natural ones can reappear in such areas in the foreseeable future.

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