Regional, vertical and seasonal distribution of phytoplankton and photosynthetic pigments in Lake Baikal

A 3-year phytoplankton study was carried out in Lake Baikal (Siberia) as part of the CONTINENT project and in conjunction with a 60-year long monitoring programme by the Irkutsk State University. A combination of microscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analysis was used....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of plankton research 2005-08, Vol.27 (8), p.793-810
Main Authors: Fietz, Susanne, Kobanova, Galina, Izmest’eva, Lyubov, Nicklisch, Andreas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillariophyceae
Blooms
Check lists
Chlorophyceae
Chlorophyll
Chlorophylls
Chrysophyceae
Cyclotella
Diatoms
Endemic species
Flora
Freshwater
Global warming
High-performance liquid chromatography
HPLC
Inland waters
Lakes
Microscopy
Photosynthesis
Photosynthetic pigments
Phytoplankton
Picoplankton
Pigments
Rivers
Seasonal distribution
Species composition
Stratification
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Summary:A 3-year phytoplankton study was carried out in Lake Baikal (Siberia) as part of the CONTINENT project and in conjunction with a 60-year long monitoring programme by the Irkutsk State University. A combination of microscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analysis was used. All over the lake, the dominant functional group (by biovolume) was the vernal diatom blooms, due to the dominance of endemic Cyclotella species. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) was significantly highest at the Selenga and Barguzin inflows (2.39 ± 0.34 and 2.49 ± 0.18 nmol L–1, mean ± 95% CI, respectively) and higher in the South than in the North (1.43 ± 0.26 and 0.96 ± 0.13 nmol L−1). This variation of Chl a reflected changes in the phytoplankton composition. Diatoms and Chrysophyceae were the major contributors to the total Chl a except in the South (Chlorophyceae) and Selenga Delta (cyanobacterial picoplankton). There were also indications of species composition changes due to enhanced P-loading from the Selenga River. However, canonical analyses indicated that temperature and stratification were the major driving forces for regional distribution patterns and seasonal succession. It seems likely that further global warming will cause a shift in the species and group composition towards small cells at the expense of the large endemic diatom flora.
ISSN:0142-7873
1464-3774
DOI:10.1093/plankt/fbi054