Present-day characteristics of phytoplankton, microphytobenthos and phytoepiphyton of the Kaniv Reservoir

Abstract

The paper studies quantitative diversity and dominant complexes of phytoplankton, microphytobenthos and phytoepiphyton in lotic and lentic biotopes within the Kaniv Reservoir in summer seasons of 2017–2022, considers their association with some abiotic variables, assesses the trophic state, information diversity according to Shannon’s index and water quality. The cell count of planktonic algae varied within 2780–124155 thous. cells · dm–3, biomass – 0.631–11.636 mg · dm–3, benthic algae – 390–13874 thous. cells · 10 cm–2 and 0.162–2.651 mg mg · 10 cm–2, epiphytic algae – 50–680 thous. cells mg · 10 cm–2 and 0.050–1.679 mg · 10 cm–2 respectively. In lotic biotopes the phytoplankton cell count was higher than in lentic biotopes due to algal inflow from the Kyiv Reservoir and tributaries. The structural organization of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos is represented by oligodominant complexes of Cyanobacteria – Bacillariophyta and Bacillariophyta – Cyanobacteria respectively, and phytoepiphyton – by monodominant complex of Bacillariophyta. The necessity to distinguish dominant complexes according to cell count and biomass has been proven. The dominant complexes of algal communities clearly divide into three clusters (for plankton, benthos and epiphyton), and each of them – into two clusters (for lotic and lentic biotopes). The Sorensen similarity between phytoplankton and microphytobenthos was higher than between phytoplankton and phytoepiphyton, which can be explained by sedimentation of planktonic forms on the bottom under different ecological conditions. High cell count and biomass, diverse dominant complex of algal communities depend upon some abiotic variables (solar radiation, photic layer thickness, water temperature in summer, nutrient content). According to phytoplankton the trophic state of the Kaniv Reservoir is assessed as eutrophic–polytrophic, and according to contour algal communities – as oligo-mesotrophic–mesotrophic. This difference complies with the “alternative stable states” theory. That is, in summer the water reservoir is in “turbid state”, when planktonic Cyanobacteria grow intensively, screen the water surface and suppress the photosynthesis of benthic and epiphytic algal communities. The water quality of the Kaniv Reservoir is within the 1st–3rd classes (clean–satisfactory clean waters), there are no point of diffuse sources of water pollution, which mainly coincides with retrospective data.