Phototrophic communities of Kulunda Steppe soda lakes (Altai Region): history of algological studies and modern data.

Abstract

The Kulunda Steppe soda lakes are the only occurrence of hypersaline soda lakes in Russia. They are characterized by a variable hydrological regime with cyclic high-amplitude fluctuations of temperature and brine concentration. The algae of the Kulunda Steppe soda lakes were first studied by Soviet phycologists headed by N.N. Voronikhin in 1927–1932 and new taxa were described: algal genus Lochmiopsis Woronich. et Popova (later revised to Ctenocladus circinnatus Borzì) and cyanobacterial species Aphanocapsa salina Woronich., Synechocystis crassa Woronich., Trichormus (Anabaena) pseudovariabilis (Woronich.) Komárek et Anagnostidis, Anabaenopsis issatschenkoi Woronich., Anabaenopsis milleri Woronich., Anabaenopsis nadsonii Woronich., Oscillatoria deflexa var. crassa Woronich., Limnospira (Arthrospira, Spirulina) fusiformis (Woronich.) Komárek et Lund. Later (since 2007) studies were continued by the microbiologists from the Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology RAS. In this work, a comparison of the algological diversity found in the soda lakes of the Kulunda Steppe during periods 1929–1932 and 2007–2020 is made, and a brief overview of taxonomic problems of selected eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria is given. In total, 33 morphotypes of cyanobacteria were identified. Most species of algae and cyanobacteria were described based on the exclusively morphological criteria. Thus, their phylogenetic position remains unclear and requires careful analysis using a modern polyphasic approach.