the forecast value. The assessment of the significance of the
suggested very long-term
forecasting method will mainly depend on the sea level fluctuation pattern in the forthcoming
years. At the moment we should note that this forecast made in 2015, in contrast to other
forecasts predicting further fall of the sea level [3], was justified by the fact that in 2016-2018
the sea level actually stabilized and started to rise.
References
Caspian Sea water balance and level fluctuations. Modelling and forecasting. - M.:Triada Ltd.,
2016. - 378 p
Oleinik O.V. Analysis of the spectral - temporal structure of the time series of the Caspian Sea
level // Space and time, 2011, No. 1(3), PP. 149-161
Panin G.N., Vyruchalkina T.Y., Solomonova I.V. Climatic changes in the Arctic, North Atlantic,
and the Caspian Sea area and their interrelations // Fundamental and applied
climatology, 2015, 1, pp. 183-209
Shlyamin B.A. Very long-term forecast of the Caspian Sea level forecast // VGO, 1962, V. 92,
Issue 1, pp. 26-33
26
HORMOGONIOPHYCEAE (CYANOPROKARYOTA) IN PLANKTON OF AZERBAIJANI
SECTOR OF THE CASPIAN SEA
Nuriyeva М.А.
Institute of Botany of ANAS, Badamdar highway 40, Baku AZ1073, Azerbaijan, nuriyevamaya@mail.ru
Key words: Cyanoprokaryota, Hormogoniophyceae, phytoplankton, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan
INTRODUCTION
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland, brackish water body on the planet located at the junction of
Europe and Asia. The current state of the Caspian Sea is characterized by the instability of
environmental conditions which has a direct influence on aquatic ecosystems. Changes in the ecology of
the sea significantly affect the species composition of algae and the structure of phytocenosis.
Phytoplankton is the most widespread ecological group of algae and represent one
of the main parts of
the modern hydroecosystem of the Caspian Sea. The blue-green algae
(Cyanoprokaryota) including
Hormogoniophyceae are an integral component of the aquatic ecosystems of the Caspian Sea which play
an important role in the life of the sea.
The article provides updated information on species diversity and the distribution of
Hormogoniophyceae algae in the plankton of the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea, taking into
account the nomenclatural changes of J. Komárek et K. Anagnostidis [4].
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The material for this work was the results of generalization and analysis of literature data of the floristic-
systematic and hydrobiological nature [1,11 and others] and long-standing original studies [7-10 and
others] of the Hormogoniophyceae algae of the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The class
Hormogoniophyceae is presented according to the nomenclatural changes of J. Komárek et K.
Anagnostidis [4].
RESULTS
The oldest organisms of phytoplankton is blue-green algae (
Cyanoprokaryota) including the
Hormogoniophyceae ones, which are an integral component of the Caspian water ecosystems and play
an important role in the life of the sea. Being autotrophs, they are the primary creators of organic
matter, the source of oxygen, which is necessary for the breathing of animals
and plants, serve as food
for hydrobionts, including for fish, creating fish abundance of the sea. Blue-green algae play an
important role in the sedimentation of the Caspian Sea forming an oil-like combination of sapropeles
which is quite possibly, is a precursor of oil in the Caspian Sea.
However,
Hormogoniophyceae in the Caspian Sea play a negative role causing practical damage. Harm is
possible with "blooming" of water in the sea which is the result of fish kill. Summarizing the
results of
the analysis of literature data and long-term original studies of
Hormogoniophyceae algae of plankton of
Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, 41 species (43 intraspecific taxa) of 2 orders -
Oscillatoriales,
Nostocales, 6 families, 6 subfamilies and 19 genera are registered. It was revealed that in the studied sea
area
Oscillatoriales occupies a leading position on the species richness - 31 species (33 intraspecific taxa)
belonging to 3 families -
Pseudanabaenaceae Anagn. et Komárek,
Phormidiaceae Anagn. et Komárek,
Oscillatoriaceae (S.F.Gray) Harvey et Kirchner; 6 subfamilies-
Pseudanabaenoideae Anagn. et Komárek,
Spirulinoideae Gomont,
Leptolyngbyoideae Anagn. et Komárek,
Heteroleibleinioideae Anagn. et
Komárek,
Phormidioideae Anagn. et Komárek,
Oscillatorioideae and 12 genera -
Jaaginema Anagn. et
Komárek,
Limnothrix Meffert
, Pseudanabaena Lauterborn,
Spirulina Turpin ex Gomont,
Planktolyngbya
Anagn. et Komárek
, Heteroleibleinia (Geitler) Hoffmann
, Arthrospira Stizenberger ex Gomont
,
Phormidium Kützing ex Gomont,
Planktothrix Anagn. et Komárek,
Porphyrosiphon Kützing ex Gomont
,
Lyngbya Agardh ex Gomont
, Oscillatoria Vaucher
ex Gomont. Out of families the most differently
represented are
Phormidiaceae-13 species (14 intraspecific taxa) and
Oscillatoriaceae-10 species (11
27
intraspecific taxa). The largest role belongs to the genera:
Phormidium - 10 species (11 intraspecific taxa)
and
Oscillatoria - 6 species (7 intraspecific taxa). Despite that
Oscillatoriales is represented by the
greatest species diversity in the studied sea area but in plankton they occur, mainly sporodically, singly,
in the form of separate confervoid individuals. Confervoid blue-green alga
Limnothrix redekei (Van Goor)
Meffert was encountered quite frequent in the summer-autumn period and in some
years reached a
large number of up to 755.2 ths. cell/l [10]. N.V.Kondratieva [5] notes that this species develops
intensively in lakes and can cause "blooming" of water. Of the toxic species of this order, the typically
marine species
Lyngbya majuscula Harvey ex Gomont is found which is also represented in the plankton
in the form of separate filaments.
Nostocales in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea include a considerably smaller number - 10 species
of 3 families -
Tolypothrichaceae Hauer, Mareš
, Bohunická, Johansen et Berrendero-Gomes
,
Aphanizomenonaceae Elenkin
, Nostocaceae Agardh ex Kirchner and 7 genera -
Tolypothrix Kützing ex
Bornet et Flahault
, Anabaenopsis (Woloszyńska) Miller,
Aphanizomenon Morren ex Bornet et Flahault,
Chrysosporum E. Zapomelová,
O. Skácelová,
P.Pumann, R.Kopp. & E.Janecek,
Dolichospermum (Ralfs ex
Bornet & Flahault) P. Wacklin, L. Hoffman & Komárek,
Nodularia Mertens in Jurgens ex Bornet et
Flahault,
Anabaena Bory ex Bornet et Flahault. According to species diversity the family
Aphanizomenonaceae is distinguished - 8 species.
Nostocales is represented by a small number of
species but plays an important role
in the life of the sea, in phytoplankton. Some species as
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae are found in Azerbaijani sector of Sea and known for their toxicity. Under
favorable conditions every year at the end of summer it causes the "blooming" of water. Developing
massively in the Northern Caspian it penetrates into the Middle and Southern Caspian and extends
along the western coast. In the period of intensive reproduction algae is toxic to fish, all aquatic animals,
it can cause conjuctivitis in humans and irritates the human skin [6]. Species of
Anabaena flosaquae
(Brébison ex Bornet et Flahaut), Nodularia spumigena Mertens ex Bornet et Flahault also belong
to toxic
species that can cause "blooming" of water. The second forms toxin nodularin, which acts on fish and
prevents the development of caviar [2,12]. Local "blooming" of water in the form of small spots in the
life of the sea plays a positive role, as its waters are enriched with biogens. But strong "blooming" often
leads to deterioration of the quality of water and ultimately leads to the death of animals. In humans,
poisoning with these types of toxins develops an allergy, conjunctivitis and food intoxication [3,12]. With
prolonged use of water and fish from water bodies exposed to intensive "blooming" of water, a person
becomes ill with diseases as "Gaffian" or "Yuksovsky-Sartlan", during which kidneys, nervous and
muscular system are affected, movement functions are disrupted, that often leads to fatality [2,13]. The
toxins of blue-green algae are several times superior to such poisons as curare and botulin.
The most often encountered species: from
the genera Chrysosporum-
Ch. bergii (Ostenfeld) E.
Zapomelová and others
, Ch.minor (Kiselev) Komárek
; Anabaenopsis - A. cunnigtonii Taylor
, A.
tanganyikae (G.S.West) Woloszyńska & V.Miller; of the genus
Nodularia 2 widespread, halophilic species
-
N. harveyana (Thwaites) Thuret
, N.spumigena.
Nodularia spumigena lives mainly in the northern part
of the Caspian Sea, rarely in the
Middle and South but Nodularia harveyana occurs frequently
throughout the entire water area of the sea.
Thus, so far, 41 species (43 intraspecific taxa) of
Hormogoniophyceae of 2 orders-
Oscillatoriales,
Nostocales, 6 families, 6 subfamilies and 19 genera have been recorded in the plankton of the
Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The leading position occupies
Oscillatoriales - 31 species (33
intraspecific taxa) belonging to 3 families, 6 subfamilies and 12 genera.
Nostocales is represented by the
smallest number -10 species of 3 families, 7 genera but representatives of this order play an important
role in the life of the sea.
References
1.Babaev G.B..Composition and distribution of phytoplankton in the western part of the Middle
and Southern Caspian: Thesis. ... cand. Biol. sciences. Baku, 1968, 32 p.
2.Burkholder J. M.. Implications of harmful microalgae and heterotrophic dinoflagellates in
management of sustainable marine fisheries. Ecological Applications. 1998, 8 (1): 37- 62.
28