Altitudinal zonality and natural zoning as factors of bottom invertebrate communities formation in lakes of Western Siberia and Russian Altai

Abstract

In 2003-2016 and 2018, macrozoobenthos from 60 lakes of Western Siberia and the Russian Altai was studied. The lakes refer to high- and medium-altitudinal zones as well as steppe, forest-steppe and taiga natural zones. In lakes under study, we identified 183 species of macroinvertebrates from 10 classes: Demospongiae (1 species), Nematoda (1), Oligochaeta (7), Hirudinea (5), Phylactolemata (1), Bivalvia (4), Gastropoda (10), Arachnida (1), Crustacea (2) and Insecta (151). Species number, species diversity, abundance and biomass of macrozoobenthos in high-altitudinal and natural zones differed both in their average values and within individual zones and belts. Among major factors responsible for benthic communities development in the mountain lakes were water temperature and nutrients content in water, whereas in the lowland water bodies salinity and humification of water.