2026 Ecosystem Transformation 9 (4), 33-59

Ecological status of recently formed quarryorigin water bodies: a case study of the Nivy and Ushakovo quarries, Kaliningrad Region

Moiseenko V.V. , Tsupikova N.A., Masyutkina E.A., Sevostyanova E.A.

This paper presents the results of an assessment of the current ecological status of two young flooded quarry lakes located in the Kaliningrad Region, near the settlements of Nivy and Ushakovo. The findings indicate that the ecosystems of both water bodies are at the early stages of succession and are still undergoing active formation. While dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations were highly similar across two water bodies , the permanganate index was significantly higher in the Ushakovo quarry lake. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and zoobenthos communities in both lakes were composed
of widely distributed species, though taxonomic similarity between the two water bodies remained low. The Ushakovo quarry supported aquatic communities with higher species diversity, a more complex, and more even structure, with a wider range of trophic groups. A comprehensive analysis of hydrochemical and hydrobiological parameters suggests that the water quality in both quarry lakes is currently transitional between clean and moderately polluted.

V. V. Moiseenko
Kaliningrad State Technical University
Sovetsky Prospekt 1, Kaliningrad, 236022 Russia

Atlantic Branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography («AtlantNIRO»)
Dmitry Donskoy St. 5, Kaliningrad, 236022 Russia

moiseenko@atlant.vniro.ru

N. A. Tsupikova
Kaliningrad State Technical University
Sovetsky Prospekt 1, Kaliningrad, 236022 Russia


E. A. Masyutkina
Kaliningrad State Technical University
Sovetsky Prospekt 1, Kaliningrad, 236022 Russia


E. A. Sevostyanova
Kaliningrad State Technical University
Sovetsky Prospekt 1, Kaliningrad, 236022 Russia

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