ISSN 19950829, Inland Water Biology, 2013, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 184–193. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013. Original Russian Text © L.M. Kipriyanova, R.E. Romanov, 2013, published in Biologiya Vnutrennikh Vod, 2013, No. 3, pp. 17–26.
PHYTOPLANKTON, PHYTOBENTHOS, AND PHYTOPERIPHYTON
Communities of Charophytes in Water Bodies and Water Courses in the North of the Endorheic Basin of the ObIrtysh Interfluve (Western Siberia) L. M. Kipriyanovaa and R. E. Romanovb a
Institute for Water and Environmental Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Morskoi pr. 2, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia email:
[email protected] b Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Zolotodolinskaya 101, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia Received November 8, 2011
Abstract—As a result of investigations in 60 lakes in the north of the endorheic basin of the Ob–Irtysh inter fluve (Western Siberia) in 2001–2009, nine syntaxa (types of plant communities) of the association rank were distinguished using the Braun–Blanquet approach: Charetum fragilis, C. contrariae, C. intermediate, C. tomentosae, C. asperae, Nitellopsidetum obtusae, Charetum canescentis, C. altaicae, and C. vulgaris. The rel atively low coenotic diversity is due to the predominance of brackish and saline lakes in the surveyed area. Charetum fragilis is the most common in the forest–steppe zone; Charetum tomentosae and Charetum canes centis are frequent in the steppe zone. The ranges of salinity for charophytes species and communities have been estimated. Charophytes in the studied area grew successfully and formed communities in eutrophic and even hypertrophic waters. Keywords: stoneworts, Charophyta, Chara, lakes, Novosibirsk oblast, mineralization, salinity, Charetea fragilis DOI: 10.1134/S1995082913020053
INTRODUCTION Information on the distribution of stoneworts of the southern West Siberian Plain are presented in [2, 14, 15, 17–19]. However, data on communities of charophytes are scarce [7, 17–19] and sometimes very brief [6, 20]. There is little information on the hydro chemical preferences of charophyte species [17, 33]. The aim of this work is to provide data on the ceno sis diversity of charophytes in the north of the endorheic basin of the Ob–Irtysh interfluve and iden tify halotolerance ranges of species and coens of stoneworts. MATERIALS AND METHODS The lakes under study are located on middle and low structural and geomorphic surfaces [13]. The former is characterized by altitudes of 100–200 m. The reliefs are mainly ancient drainage valleys with widths of 10–30 km. Modern river valleys and hillside interfluves are oriented from northeast to southwest and are heavily waterlogged. The low structural and geomorphic surface is characterized by altitudes of 90–110 m. It is formed mainly of young alluvial and lacustrine–alluvial plains with low ridges. The climate of the region is changing from cool with insufficient
precipitation in the northern steppe (with an absolute minimum temperature of –52 to –53°C, a frostfree period of 100 to 110 days, sum of air temperatures >10°С of 1750–1800°C, and annual precipitation of 350–400 mm) to a warm dry southern steppe (with the absolute minimum temperature of –47°C, a frostfree period of 120 days, sum of air temperatures >10°C of 2050–2200°С, and annual precipitation of 225– 300 mm) [8]. The lake systems are very unevenly distributed in the area (the ratio of lake surface to the drainage area is from 10%). The peculiarity of Western Sibe rian lakes is that they are located on an almost perfect plain and are small, shallow, with varying degrees of salinity (from fresh to hypersaline lakes), and of differ ent origins (relic, watererosion and wateraccumula tive, suffosionsubsidence, and postglacial). The lead ing role in the hydrological balance is played by the arrival of hard winter precipitation, soil drench, and evaporation. There is almost no surface runoff from the system and the amount liquid precipitation in the warm and transitional seasons is negligible. The variety of water bodies, especially in regards to water chemistry, makes it possible to consider the region under study a promising model for studying the ecology of species and communities of stoneworts, because ranges of concentrations of certain compo
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COMMUNITIES OF CHAROPHYTES IN WATER BODIES AND WATER COURSES
Chany Lake
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Novosibirsk
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
Fig. 1. Locations of coens of charophytes: (1) Charetum fragilis, (2) C. contrariae, (3) C. intermediae, (4) C. tomentosae, (5) C. asperae, (6) Nitellopsidetum obtusae, (7) Charetum canescentis, (8) C. altaicae, and (9) C. vulgaris.
nents and salinity is much wider than in natural zones to the north. The material was collected in summer (midJuly to midAugust), 2001–2009, in Novosibirsk oblast and northwest of the Altai region (Fig. 1). We surveyed 60 lakes and 4 rivers and processed more than 50 sam ples (>100 sheets and fixed samples). We used Braun–Blanquet approaches to ecofloris tic classification in collecting and processing the material. Communities were described in natural boundaries. In communities with areas larger than 100 m2, a sample area of 100 m2 was laid in the most homogeneous typical part of phytocoens. To estimate the abundance of species, a scale from [11] was used: (r) extremely rare; (+) rare, coverage is small; (1) the number of individuals is large, but the degree if cover age is low, or sparse, but coverage is large; (2) projec tive cover degree from 5 to 25%; (3) projective cover degree from 25 to 50%; (4) projective cover degree from 50 to 75%; and (5) projective cover degree >75%. Transparency was measured by a white Secchi disk with a diameter of 30 cm. To determine water classes and groups, a chemical analysis of water for the main ions was conducted. Mineralization was measured by an ionometric technique using a portable ion meter ANION–7051; the values of salinity are given in grams per 1 dm3 in terms of NaCl. Concentrations of nitrogen in nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia were deter mined by the colorimetric method. In ecology, descriptions of species and communities information on the trophic status of the studied water bodies are given by inorganic nitrogen Nmin [36]. The hydro INLAND WATER BIOLOGY
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chemical class and group are shown as follows: CCa (hydrocarbon class and calcium group) and ClNa (chloride class and sodium group), according to dom inant cations and anions. The classification of water mineralization is given in accordance with the Venice system (
