We present the results of the study of diatoms in microphytobenthos from Lake Baikal in the areas of confluence of the Upper Angara, Kichera, Barguzin, Selenga, Kultuchnaya, Pokhabikha, and the Slyudyanka rivers. A total of 465 taxa of Bacillariophyta were identified by means of light and scanning electron microscopy; among them, 226 taxa are first cited for the lake and 56 are new for science. In the studied area, most of the species found are known cosmopolites inhabiting neutral and slightly alkaline environments. A species whose distribution is limited to Lake Baikal or water bodies of the Baikal Rift Zone accounted for 20% of the revealed diversity. The Selenga, the Upper Angara, and the Kichera rivers enrich the composition of the benthic community by rheophilic and epiphytic diatoms, which, however, does not reach high values of abundance. Diatom flora of the southern tributaries of Lake Baikal has no significant impact on the composition of the phytoepilithon.
Keywords: diatoms, benthos, littoral, new taxa, Lake Baikal
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