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We studied freshwater Lake Dikoye located in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal. Negative changes associated with cyanobacterial bloom were observed in the lake. Phototrophs were represented by cyanobacteria, green algae, and diatoms. In the microbial community, Cyanobacteria were the dominant phylum and accounted for up to 48% of the total diversity. Cyanobacteria were represented by 7 genera and 9 species. Microcystis aeruginosa, a potentially toxic species, was dominant among cyanobacteria. According to chlorophyll a content, the lake should be assigned to eutrophic ones. The bacterial eutrophication index for the lake studied varied from 1.17 (middle eutrophic) to 28.2 (hypereutrophic) during cyanobacterial bloom.

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The Baikal Rift Zone hosts many hot springs with a wide range of temperature and physical-chemical conditions, which may harbour different niches for the distribution of microbial communities. We investigated microbial community composition and their functional activity in two alkaline hot springs with a temperature range of 34.4 to 73.6°C. Comparative analysis of the composition of the dominant taxa showed significant differences depending on the collection sites. In the community of high-temperature zones with a water temperature of 55-64°C, a high proportion of thermophilic bacteria Acetothermia (up to 57.9%), Deinococcus-Thermus (up to 50%), and Aquificae (up to 10.8%). Proteobacteria (29-77%) and Firmicutes (15-26%) dominate in the sulphide-free Garga spring (73-75°C). The functional analysis of the microbial community showed that the primary producers are cyanobacteria, anoxygenic phototrophs, and chemolithotrophic bacteria. At the terminal stages of the mineralization of organic matter, sulphate-reducing bacteria are the main destructors in the microbial communities in hot springs. The cyano-bacterial and sulfidogenic microbial communities play an important role in the formation of geochemical barriers and mineral formation.

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