Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data
Artificial reservoirs formed by hydroelectric dams are young ecosystems requiring water quality monitoring, as they often serve local populations. Traditionally, this is performed through hydrochemical and sanitary assessments, alongside phytoplankton composition analysis. This study aimed to assess...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Diversity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/369 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849433314303148032 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuri Galachyants Darya Petrova Artem Marchenkov Maria Nalimova Yelena Likhoshway |
| author_facet | Yuri Galachyants Darya Petrova Artem Marchenkov Maria Nalimova Yelena Likhoshway |
| author_sort | Yuri Galachyants |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Artificial reservoirs formed by hydroelectric dams are young ecosystems requiring water quality monitoring, as they often serve local populations. Traditionally, this is performed through hydrochemical and sanitary assessments, alongside phytoplankton composition analysis. This study aimed to assess the seasonal dynamics of microbial communities—both bacterioplankton and microeukaryotes including phytoplankton—in the Irkutsk Reservoir (IR), which is fed by the cold oligotrophic waters of Southern Baikal (SB). Using parallel metabarcoding of 16S and 18S rRNA gene fragments, we analyzed community composition during the open-water season and evaluated the ecological connectivity between these two freshwater systems. We demonstrated that seasonal changes in microeukaryotic communities were closely linked between SB and IR, with the greatest divergence observed in early summer and progressive convergence by autumn. Metabarcoding confirmed microscopy-based observations while providing higher taxonomic resolution and detecting otherwise overlooked groups. Bacterioplankton communities also exhibited seasonal variation and were shaped by environmental gradients and reservoir characteristics. Cyanobacteria peaked in SB in late summer but did not dominate communities, unlike in mesotrophic lowland reservoirs. These findings demonstrate the value of metabarcoding for freshwater monitoring and provide new insights into microbial community dynamics in river–reservoir systems influenced by oligotrophic lake inflow. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-24267433e29347b589378b812e109e3e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj-art-24267433e29347b589378b812e109e3e2025-08-20T03:27:06ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-05-0117636910.3390/d17060369Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding DataYuri Galachyants0Darya Petrova1Artem Marchenkov2Maria Nalimova3Yelena Likhoshway4Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, Irkutsk 664033, RussiaLimnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, Irkutsk 664033, RussiaLimnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, Irkutsk 664033, RussiaLimnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, Irkutsk 664033, RussiaLimnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya Street, Irkutsk 664033, RussiaArtificial reservoirs formed by hydroelectric dams are young ecosystems requiring water quality monitoring, as they often serve local populations. Traditionally, this is performed through hydrochemical and sanitary assessments, alongside phytoplankton composition analysis. This study aimed to assess the seasonal dynamics of microbial communities—both bacterioplankton and microeukaryotes including phytoplankton—in the Irkutsk Reservoir (IR), which is fed by the cold oligotrophic waters of Southern Baikal (SB). Using parallel metabarcoding of 16S and 18S rRNA gene fragments, we analyzed community composition during the open-water season and evaluated the ecological connectivity between these two freshwater systems. We demonstrated that seasonal changes in microeukaryotic communities were closely linked between SB and IR, with the greatest divergence observed in early summer and progressive convergence by autumn. Metabarcoding confirmed microscopy-based observations while providing higher taxonomic resolution and detecting otherwise overlooked groups. Bacterioplankton communities also exhibited seasonal variation and were shaped by environmental gradients and reservoir characteristics. Cyanobacteria peaked in SB in late summer but did not dominate communities, unlike in mesotrophic lowland reservoirs. These findings demonstrate the value of metabarcoding for freshwater monitoring and provide new insights into microbial community dynamics in river–reservoir systems influenced by oligotrophic lake inflow.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/369metabarcoding16S and 18S rRNA gene fragmentsoligotrophic freshwater ecosystemslake–river transitionseasonal dynamics |
| spellingShingle | Yuri Galachyants Darya Petrova Artem Marchenkov Maria Nalimova Yelena Likhoshway Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data Diversity metabarcoding 16S and 18S rRNA gene fragments oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems lake–river transition seasonal dynamics |
| title | Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data |
| title_full | Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data |
| title_short | Dynamics of Phyto- and Bacterioplankton in Southern Baikal and Irkutsk Reservoir During the Open Water Period of 2023 According to Metabarcoding Data |
| title_sort | dynamics of phyto and bacterioplankton in southern baikal and irkutsk reservoir during the open water period of 2023 according to metabarcoding data |
| topic | metabarcoding 16S and 18S rRNA gene fragments oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems lake–river transition seasonal dynamics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/369 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yurigalachyants dynamicsofphytoandbacterioplanktoninsouthernbaikalandirkutskreservoirduringtheopenwaterperiodof2023accordingtometabarcodingdata AT daryapetrova dynamicsofphytoandbacterioplanktoninsouthernbaikalandirkutskreservoirduringtheopenwaterperiodof2023accordingtometabarcodingdata AT artemmarchenkov dynamicsofphytoandbacterioplanktoninsouthernbaikalandirkutskreservoirduringtheopenwaterperiodof2023accordingtometabarcodingdata AT marianalimova dynamicsofphytoandbacterioplanktoninsouthernbaikalandirkutskreservoirduringtheopenwaterperiodof2023accordingtometabarcodingdata AT yelenalikhoshway dynamicsofphytoandbacterioplanktoninsouthernbaikalandirkutskreservoirduringtheopenwaterperiodof2023accordingtometabarcodingdata |