Phytoplankton assemblages of the Southern Baikal in 1990-1995 and 2016-2018

Abstract

At present, the littoral zone of the Southern Baikal is under anthropogenic impact. The negative changes in underwater vegetation landscapes most dramatically appeared near the Listvyanka settlement. In this study, we compare phytoplankton assemblages from the surface layer (ca. 1.5 m depth) near the Listvyanka settlement collected during 1990-1995 and 2016-2018. We have compared phytoplankton data with solar irradiance and air temperatures. Phytoplankton community was represented by 70 taxa, where Bacillariophyta and Cryptophyta dominated the biomass. In 2016-2018, there were no signifcant differences in biomass or abnormal seasonal vegetation of the studied phytoplankton taxa compared to 1990-1995