Diatoms in Kamchatka’s Hot Spring Soils

Abstract

Diatoms inhabiting terrestrial habitats that are affected by thermal activity remain poorly studied, despite significant interest in the biodiversity of hot springs. The Kamchatka peninsula is characterized by the presence of 30 active volcanoes associated with hydrotherms. Our study involved a survey of diatom diversity in soils around the Malki, Upper Paratunka, and Dachnie thermal springs on the Kamchatka peninsula. A total of 49 diatom taxa were found. The genera Pinnularia, Planothidium, Fragilariforma, Epithemia, Halamphora, Gomphonema, Nitzschia, Aulocoseira, Sellaphora, Surirella, and Navicula were the most common. Pinnularia cf. subcapitata and Planothidium lanceolatum were dominant in all springs. Diatom communities in the soils near the thermal springs included both aquatic and terrestrial species, which may reflect the transitional nature of habitats at the borders of hot springs and soils. To gain a better understanding of the diversity of diatom communities in soils near thermal springs, broader worldwide studies are necessary.

Diatoms in Volcanic Soils of Mutnovsky and Gorely Volcanoes (Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia)

“…Samples (100 g of soil) were taken with metal cylinders, according to the terrestrial diatom sampling method [ 60 ], and put into sterile paper bags. The samples were examined according to previously described methods [ 28 ]. For diatom cell cleaning, 1 g of each soil sample was diluted with 10 mL of deionized water and 10 mL of nitric acid.…”

“…The floristic similarity of volcanoes was accessed with the Sørensen–Czekanowski coefficient [ 28 ].…”

“…The abundance of the diatom species was estimated with the previously described method [ 28 , 83 ]. According to this method, the minimum abundance of algae was 1 point (1–15 on a slide) and the maximum abundance was 15 points (more than 50 on a slide).…”

“…The floristic similarity of volcanoes was accessed with the Sørensen-Czekanowski coefficient [28]. For the comparison and visualization of the similarities between diatom communities from Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes, a Venn diagram was used [80,81].…”

“…Information on the algae of Kamchatka’s volcano soils is limited and based on a sporadic sampling. The numerous hot springs associated with volcanic activity have traditionally attracted a great deal of attention from researchers [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. At the same time, there is evidence that volcanic soils can harbor a significant diversity of algae and cyanobacteria [ 5 , 29 ].…”