Protistology 4 (4) 327-337 (2006/7)
Heterotrophic flagellates from freshwater biotopes of Matveev and Dolgii Islands (the Pechora Sea)
Denis V. Tikhonenkov 1 and Yuri A. Mazei 2
1
Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
Summary
The species composition and distribution of heterotrophic flagellates in freshwater biotopes of Matveev and
Dolgii islands were investigated. Thirty-seven species and forms were identified. Paraphysomonas vestita and
Spumella sp. were the most common species. Most flagellates belonged to cercomonads, diplomonads,
choanoflagellates and kinetoplastids. Species richness in different habitats varied from 2 to 10 species. The curve
"cumulative species number vs. sampling effort" does not flatten out, so the species list obtained should be
considered as incomplete. Local species richness of moss biotopes is significantly higher than predicted by this
curve, whereas local diversity of lake biotopes shows a significantly lower level. Our observations confirm previous
studies maintaining that the majority of the heterotrophic flagellates have a worldwide distribution. The lower
complexity of polar heterotrophic flagellate communities may be explained by poor sampling effort.
Key words: heterotrophic flagellates, species richness, community structure, polar regions
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