Littoral zone of Lake Ladoga: Ecological state evaluation

The littoral zone of a lake is an important ecotone between terrestrial and aquatic systems. From the point of view of the lake ecosystem, much of the mineral, organic and toxic substances entering the lake from the drainage basin are transformed in the littoral zone by physical processes and biochemical pathways. The littoral zone of Lake Ladoga can be divided into three main regions: the shallow southern region, the fairly steep western and eastern shorelines, and the northern archipelago. In these regions, the communities of aquatic macrophytes, periphyton, phyto- and zooplankton and meio- and macrobenthos have been extensively studied. This paper presents numerical data on these communities, with special reference to comparisons between areas subjected to different degrees of anthropogenic loading. Most of the communities are characterized by high species diversity and spatial heterogeneity especially among the macrophyte associations in which intensive production and decomposition takes place. Water dynamics and water exchange rate are the main abiotic factors in the formation of littoral communities. The characteristics of plant associations and bottom substrate, rather than pollution, appear as the most important factors structuring meio- and macrobenthic invertebrate communities in the littoral.