Protistology 5 (2/3) 213-230 (2007/8)
Species diversity of heterotrophic flagellates in Rdeisky reserve wetlands
Denis V. Tikhonenkov
Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
Summary
The active and cryptic species diversity, abundance, biomass, community structure of heterotrophic flagellates
were studied in the acid boggy lakes in the Rdeisky State Nature Reserve in March and July, 2005. Ninety species and
forms of heterotrophic flagellates were found. The most abundant groups are chrysomonads, kinetoplastids, euglenids,
the most abundant species are Paraphysomonas sp., Spumella sp., Bodo designis, Goniomonas truncata,
Astasia sp., Protaspis simplex. In different biotopes, the population of heterotrophic flagellates ranged
from 114 to 7457 ind./cm3; their biomass, from 17.1 × 10-3 to 1833.5 × 10-3
μg/cm3. Within one lake, sphagnobiont communities are characterized by higher integral community
characteristics (species diversity and richness, abundance, biomass) than communities in other habitats. This fact
can be explained by a higher habitat heterogeneity and a large number of potential ecological niches for the
heterotrophic flagellates. The total pattern of flagellates' distribution is extremely mosaic. Distinctions between
microbiotopes are greater than those between different lakes. "Basic" communities (those of sphagnobionts and
overrotten plant residues) and "derivative" communities (those of bottom sediments and peat) are distinguished in
each lake. The "basic" communities are characterized by maximal abundance and species richness. The "derivative"
communities are simplified variants of the "basic" ones, with lower abundance and species richness, and the absence
of characteristic species. The same tendencies are traced at the level of both cryptic and active species diversity.
Cryptic species diversity is considerable higher than the active one, but represents the latter in many respects.
Key words: Heterotrophic flagellates, species diversity, community structure, Rdeisky reserve
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