Cyanobacterial Diversity of the Northern Polar Ural Mountains

Denis Davydov

doi:10.3390/d13110607

Abstract

This study provides new results from an inventory of cyanobacterial species from the Northern Polar Ural Mountains. The article also compiles all existing published data on the cyanobacterial diversity of the region. This ecoregion is located in a unique geographical position in the transition between the sub-Arctic and low Arctic zones and heterogeneous natural conditions. Likely, the unexplored biodiversity of this area’s terrestrial cyanobacteria is high. In total, 52 localities were studied, with 232 samples collected. Cyanobacterial samples were studied under a light microscope. Species were identified based on morphological characteristics only. A total of 93 species of cyanobacteria were identified in different habitats; 70 species were found on wet rocks, 35 on the shores of water bodies, 27 in slow streams, and 21 on waterfalls. In total, 37 species are reported as part of the Ural flora for the first time, while three species (Chroococcus ercegovicii, Gloeocapsopsis cyanea, Gloeothece tepidariorum) were detected in Russian territory for the first time. The composition of the cyanobacterial flora of the Polar Urals was compared with the flora of the nearby Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. According to the Sorensen similarity index, the Polar Urals’ flora is more like the flora of Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Highlights

Cyanobacteria make up an important component of extreme Arctic environments.They are of fundamental ecological importance since they contribute to both carbon and nitrogen fixation and are often the dominant primary producers in polar ecosystems
The diversity and distribution of cyanobacteria are still poorly understood in Northern Russia [1]
We investigated the diversity of cyanobacteria in Ochenyrd ridge for the first time

Summary

Introduction

Cyanobacteria make up an important component of extreme Arctic environments. They are of fundamental ecological importance since they contribute to both carbon and nitrogen fixation and are often the dominant primary producers in polar ecosystems. The study of cyanobacterial diversity is important to consider different microbial distribution patterns [2]. Recent studies have shown that traditional cyanobacterial “morphospecies” are comprised of different taxonomic species [3,4,5,6,7]. Many cyanobacterial taxa do not have gene sequence data. Widespread taxa, such as Dichothrix, Petalonema, and Stigonema, are cultivation-resistant genera. Most of the data about biodiversity accumulated in previous studies are based on the morphological method of identification. Reliable morphological species identification of the Arctic’s cyanobacteria is challenging

Methods

Results

Conclusion