Morphological anomalies of carabelles in industrial zones of the city of Tula

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate morphological anomalies in representatives of the Carabidae family in industrial areas of Tula city and to assess environmental quality in these territories. Such sites are subject to intense anthropogenic impact, which can disrupt normal organism development and manifest as various morphological deviations — teratologies. A total of 1,675 ground beetle specimens were collected from the sanitary-protection zones of two metallurgical enterprises, as well as from control sites. Beetle sampling was carried out using standard Barber soil traps. Five types of morphological anomalies in Carabidae were identified during the study. The highest number and frequency of anomalies were recorded in the industrial areas of the two metallurgical plants — 14.66 and 11.17 %, respectively. At the control sites, these values were significantly lower — 2.52 and 1.82 %. Based on the frequency of morphological anomalies, environmental quality in the industrial areas and control territories was assessed. In the sanitary-protection zones of the metallurgical enterprises, environmental quality was classified as “very heavily polluted,” whereas at the control sites it was classified as “good” and “excellent.”