Equidosimetric approach in ecology and tools for its implementation

The article discusses the problem of combined anthropogenic environmental pollution and the possibility of a formalized representation of the impact of factors on biota. The application of the equidosimetric approach in ecology is considered as one of the options for assessing the danger of anthropogenic influence on the biosphere in conditions of insufficient knowledge about the features of the combined effects of factors. The implementation of the equidosimetric approach in the comparative analysis of the impact of various factors on ecosystems was clearly presented by G.G. Polikarpov in the form of a radio-ecological, as the author called it, conceptual model. The article presents a modified and supplemented modern version of the model, which is designed to compare and assess the impact of various anthropogenic factors not only on ecosystems, as it was in the original version, but also on any single living organism or their combination. As a digital tool for implementing the equidosimetric approach, it is proposed to create a network resource containing the necessary quantitative information. The information system “Factorial Ecology” is being developed at the Department of Radioecology and Ecotoxicology of the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University, which includes a corresponding database “MonoData”. To date, the database has been created and is being actively updated, containing quantitative characteristics of the effects of factors on individual organisms or their communities. These can be numerical indicators, for example, LD50, LC50 or mathematical equations of the “dose – effect” type. Data is searched using paper and digital literary sources and online resources using various search engines and chatbots. The database includes the following fields: The object of influence; Habitat; The influence factor; The characteristic (parameter) of the object according to which the impact of the factor is being assessed; Quantitative assessment of the impact: An indicator or equation of the “dose – effect” type); Comment; The source of the information and the first and last name of the person responsible for the calculations, if they have been performed. The database “MonoData” is part of the Factorial Ecology information system we are developing and is designed to identify the most dangerous man-made factors affecting the environment, as well as identify the most vulnerable specific organisms, ecosystem components and ecosystems as a whole. The database is pre-arranged in the form of a spreadsheet, as the most convenient form for further creation of a network resource. The necessary calculations are performed using the specialized statistical software package “Stadia” and the R language. Currently, the number of entries in the MonoData database exceeds 500.

It is assumed that the information system will be open (freeware), and the system will also be implemented in English and Chinese. As the experience of creating and operating international environmental systems, such as the well-known radioecological information system ERICA (Environmental Risk from Ionising Pollutants: Assessment and Management), has shown, this contributes to the popularization of the resource and its further development.

The equidosimetric approach can also be used in the construction of dynamic simulation models. In this case, it will be necessary to monitor the dynamics of man-made pollution indicators, for example, the concentration of ecotoxicants, and, if necessary, change priorities and take into account the dominance of certain impact factors. The initial information for such calculations can be obtained by using the MonoData database we are creating. This database can also be useful for calculating risks with a known type of interaction of factors among themselves, for example, when summing effects.