Ecological features of cyanobacteria and algae communities of the littoral of the meromictic Lake Shira (Khakassia Republic, Russia)

During the study of cyanobacteria and algae from littoral of the meromictic Lake Shira (Republic of Khakassia, Russia) forty-eight taxa were identified: Cyanobacteria - 7, Chlorophyta - 5, and Bacillariophyta - 36 species. Cyanobacteria were represented by cosmopolitan taxa Leptolyngbya voronichiniana, cf. Trichocoleus hospitus and widely distributed in the freshwater ecosystems species Phormidium cf. paulsenianum, Pseudophormidium cf. golenkinianum, P. pauciramosum, Leptolyngbya perforans, and L. subtilissima. Among green algae typical freshwater taxa Chloroidium saccharophilum, Desmodesmus abundans, Oocystis lacustris, Chlorella sp., Stigeoclonium sp. were detected. Among Bacillariophyta the most frequent species were Amphora ovalis, Cymbella affinis, Encyonema silesiacum, Eunotia fallax, Gomphonella olivacea, G. parvulum, Kobayasiella subtilissima, Navicula minima, N. radiosa, N. veneta, Nitzchia fonticola, N. palea, Grunowia tabellaria, Surirella undulata. Several rare species cf. Fragilaria tenera, Grunowia tabellaria and cf. Ulnaria capitata were found. In relation to mineralization indifferents was the largest group (73%). In relation to pH, a unique feature of the investigated lake was the predominance of alkaliphilic species of diatoms (56%), such as Amphora ovalis, Cymbella affinis, Gomphonema truncatum, Hantzschia amphioxys, Navicula minima, N. veneta, Nitzschia cf. linearis, N. palea, Planothidium lanceolatum and other. In the geographic structure cosmopolitan group included 25 species (69%), boreal group - 4 species (11%), arcto-apline group - 2 species (6%). To obtain more accurate information on the biodiversity of cyanobacteria and algae of Lake Shira further studies using molecular-genetic and electron microscopic methods are needed.