Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2026 number 2

Multimetric indexes (MMI) are an important biomonitoring tool that is widely used to assess the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The effectiveness of MMI lies in their ability to combine both the structural and functional features of communities of organisms, as well as the features of the entire ecosystem. The use of organisms such as macroinvertebrates in the development of MMI is most common in lake biomonitoring. No such work has been carried out in Russia to assess the ecological state of lakes. In this study, a multimetric index based on the composition and structure of macroinvertebrate communities was developed for low-altitude Altai lakes experiencing high recreational and agricultural stress. The studied lakes were grouped into two groups according to the degree of organic pollution: reference and disturbed. Using a step-by-step statistical analysis, five metrics were selected from 55 indicators of macrozoobenthos communities, which were included in the final multimetric index. The selection tests included sensitivity (discrimination), stability (seasonality), redundancy, and correlation with environmental variables (abiotic factors). The new index was compiled by the following metrics: the Pielou Evenness index, the number of mayflies, the occurrence of shredders, the number of caddisflies and gammarids. These indicators were evaluated on a continuous scale and divided into 6 classes of water quality in accordance with the classification adopted in Russia. The developed index demonstrated the ability to distinguish not only dirty and clean lakes, but also moderately polluted reservoirs. The new index can become an informative tool for monitoring and assessing the ecological status of lakes.