WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF PONDS OF THE CENTRAL POLISSIA BY THE STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL INDICATORS OF PHYTOPLANKTON

Abstract

Reservoirs formed in the process of human  activity  are  a new type of  reservoir  and  an  integral element of  landscapes.  Studies  of  these  water  bodies  make  it  possible  to  establish  the  mechanisms of formation and functioning of phytoplankton in artificially created  ecosystems.  Studies  were conducted in 2018-2020 on phytoplankton assemblages in ponds  of  the  Central  Polissia  area in Ukraine. The work aimed to evaluate the water quality of the Central Polissia ponds according to structural and functional indicators of phytoplankton development. Differences in phytoplankton abundance, biomass, and structure,  dominant complexes  of  species  were  assessed  in  the  studied ponds. 103 species of algae, represented by 105 intraspecific taxa, including those containing the nomenclature type species, from 7 divisions, 11 classes, 20 orders, 31 families,  and  60  genera  were found in the studied ponds. The  occurrence  of  9  types  of  algae,  which  were  not previously found  in the territory of Ukrainian  Polyassia. Chlorophyta,  Euglenozoa,  and Miozoa  were  the  structure- forming divisions in the phytoplankton biomass in the studied ponds. The dominant species complex of the ponds’ phytoplankton (according to abundance and  biomass)  was  formed  by  5–18  species, which accounted for 33–62% of the species richness of the water bodies. Shannon’s diversity index indicated the predominance of the polydominant structure of phytoplankton in most ponds. Phytoplankton assemblages of the studied ponds in central Polissia were characterized by high biodiversity, differentiated structure, and differences in dominant species, which highlight the critical role of artificial water bodies in biodiversity. This study provides necessary information for understanding the changes in the phytoplankton community caused by anthropogenic impacts on artificial water bodies.