Phytoplankton communities of reservoirs of the forest-steppe zone under conditions of technogenic load

Abstract

On the example of the rivers Oskolets and Chufichka, flowing into the river Oskol, the phytoplankton of small rivers of the forest-steppe zone of the Belgorod region, which are of technogenic origin, is considered. The taxonomic and ecological composition of communities of microalgae and cyanobacteria was studied in order to determine the ecological and biological state of surface waters of the Starooskol-Gubkinsky mining region of the Kursk magnetic anomaly. Everywhere in the waters of the watercourses under consideration, cyanobacteria species characteristic of polluted habitats, as well as species recognized as producers of cyanotoxins, are observed. Among them are Ostillatoria granulata Gardner, Ostillatoria guttalata van Goor and Ostillatoria putrida Ag., Ostillatoria splendida Grev. The quality class of the studied waters is defined as the III-rd «Satisfactory purity», and in some cases - as the II-nd, that is, the waters are «Clean». It has been established that the processes of water self-purification proceed intensively. However, the quality of waters determined by the Pantle-Bukk saprobity index in the modification of V. Sladechek within the limits of III and
 II classes does not indicate their ecological well-being, since a number of species of cyanobacteria and diatoms show teratological changes, which are expressed in somewhat “blurred” outlines. their appearance. In addition, an abundance of mineral particles associated with the reduction activity of nitrogen bacteria is observed almost everywhere in the waters.