Possibilities of using algae in the ecological assessment of urban soils

Abstract

Background. This article discusses the results of a study of the species diversity of algae on urbanized soils in the city of Novosibirsk. The purpose of this work is to elucidate the response of algoflora to the degree of anthropogenic load as a possible bioindicator of the state of the environment. Materials and methods. Within the city of Novosibirsk, 9 sites were selected with varying degrees of anthropogenic load, where samples were collected according to the generally accepted algological method. Results. During the studies, 92 species and intraspecific taxa (c/o) belonging to 4 divisions, 7 classes, 11 orders, 22 families, and 39 genera were identified. Algae from the blue-green algae division - 42 species, green algae - 31 species, yellow-green algae - 6 species and diatom algae - 13 species were found in the soil of the studied sites. Changes in the ecological and cenotic significance from 0.13 to 0.77 and in the integral index of algogroup development from 29 to 211 for different plots allowed us to judge about the responses of algogroups to the degree of anthropogenic impact. Conclusions. The use of the ecological and cenotic significance of species and the integral indicator of development made it possible to determine the degree of formation of algal groups as a response to the anthropogenic load in Novosibirsk. Anthropogenic load significantly affects the degree of formation of algal groups, which can serve as a bioindicator of the state of the environment.

Keywords

• soil algae
• urban soils
• phytocoenotic organization
• environment
• novosibirsk
• western siberia