Plankton Biocenoses of the Mountainous Shebety Lake (Zabaikalskii Krai, Russia)

Abstract

Studies of phyto- and zooplankton were performed in summer 2002 and 2016 in the mountain Shebety Lake (Zabaikalskii krai, Russia). According to the hydrochemical composition, the lake waters belong to the hydrocarbonate–calcium type with a total mineralization of 30 mg/L. The littoral plankton biocenosis is characterized by higher species diversity and quantitative parameters in comparison with the pelagic plankton biocenosis. According to the principal component analysis, the hydrochemical composition of lake waters (pH, nutrient, and organic matter concentrations) is the main abiotic factor influencing the structural organization of the plankton community in the pelagic zone; in the littoral zone, these factors are the chemical features of the waters (pH, nutrient content, and cationic composition) and hydrophysical parameters (depth and water temperature). It was found that a combination of abiotic and biotic factors causes a different qualitative distribution of aquatic organisms in different zones of the lake. In the coastal zone, there is a great integration of the community; in the pelagic zone, the community exhibits a multicomponent nature.