Composition and structure of phytoplankton communities in the Samara River (Saratov Reservoir basin)

O.G. Gorokhova

Samara Federal Research Scientific Center RAS, Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin RAS, Togliatti, 445003 Russia

E-mail: o.gorokhova@yandex.ru

Received December 23, 2019

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DOI: 10.26907/2542-064X.2020.3.413-429

For citation: Gorokhova O.G. Composition and structure of phytoplankton communities in the Samara River (Saratov Reservoir basin). Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Estestvennye Nauki, 2020, vol. 162, no. 3, pp. 413–429. doi: 10.26907/2542-064X.2020.3.413-429. (In Russian)

Abstract

The phytoplankton communities of the Samara River were described based on their quantitative parameters and species diversity. A total of 160 species and intraspecific taxa of algae from 8 divisions were identified in the algal flora. Chlorophyta (46%) and Bacillariophyta (25%) prevailed. The degree of species composition similarity differed between the river reaches: from 15% in the upstream area to 59% in the ecotone zone, in which the water from the river mixes with the Saratov Reservoir. The abundance and biomass of phytoplankton increased, with significant fluctuations, from the headwaters to the mouth. The longitudinal dynamics of phytoplankton abundance was determined by Chlorophyta, while the dominance of other algal groups appeared to be confined to only certain areas. Based on the biomass values, diatoms, green algae, and large-cell phytoflagellates prevailed. The dominant species composition of the algal communities shifted because of flood control, tributary influx, anthropogenic eutrophication, and backwater effect in the mouth area.

Keywords: phytoplankton, algal communities, Samara River, Saratov Reservoir, Volga River basin

Acknowledgments. This study was performed as part of the state assignment “Assessment of current biodiversity and forecast of its change for ecosystems of the Volga River basin under the conditions of their natural and anthropogenic transformation”.

Special thanks to L.V. Golovatyuk (PhD in Biology, Laboratory of Ecology of Small Rivers, Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin, Russian Academy of Sciences) and E.M. Kurina (PhD in Biology, Laboratory of Ecology of Small Rivers, Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin, Russian Academy of Sciences) for kindly providing the phytoplankton samples and the hydrological data.

Figure Captions

Fig. 1. Schematic location of stations in the Samara River, where samples were taken (scale: 1:2 500 000).

Fig. 2. Composition of the algal divisions in the phytoplankton of the Samara River (I) and changes in the species abundance within the algal divisions along the river length (II).

Fig. 3. Dendrogram of similarities between the local algal florae at different reaches of the Samara River.

Fig. 4. Percentage of the dominant species from different divisions in the total number (N) and biomass (B) of phytoplankton; changes in the species diversity indices (Hn, Hb) and evenness along the river length.

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