Work

Comparative analysis of freshwater phytoplankton communities in two lakes of Burabay National Park using morphological and molecular approaches

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: We analyzed phytoplankton assemblages' variations in oligo-mesotrophic Shchuchie and Burabay lakes using traditional morphological and next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches. The total phytoplankton biodiversity and abundance estimated by both microscopy and NGS were significantly higher in Lake Burabay than in Lake Shchuchie. NGS of 16S and 18S rRNA amplicons adequately identify phytoplankton taxa only on the genera level, while species composition obtained by microscopic examination was significantly larger. The limitations of NGS analysis could be related to insufficient coverage of freshwater lakes phytoplankton by existing databases, short algal sequences available from current instrumentation, and high homology of chloroplast genes in eukaryotic cells. However, utilization of NGS, together with microscopy allowed us to perform a complete taxonomic characterization of phytoplankton lake communities including picocyanobacteria, often overlooked by traditional microscopy. We demonstrate the high potential of an integrated morphological and molecular approach in understanding the processes of organization in aquatic ecosystem assemblages.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95223-z

Authors: Dmitry V. Malashenkov, Veronika Dashkova, Kymbat Zhakupova, Ivan A. Vorobjev, Natasha S. Barteneva

Institutions: Lomonosov Moscow State University, Nazarbayev University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,990

Funder: Nazarbayev University