Assessment of the ecological state of lakes in the Belarusian Lake Region using the Q index of the phytoplankton community
https://doi.org/10.29235/1029-8940-2026-71-2-157-166
Abstract
The article presents the results of an assessment of the ecological state of 11 lakes of the Belarusian Lake Region with different trophic status using the Q index of the phytoplankton community during the seasons of 2023–2025. The seasonal dynamics of the index and its relationship with key trophic indicators were examined. The Q index was found to vary widely (from 0.11 to 4.03), demonstrating seasonal variability: increasing from spring to summer and decreasing towards autumn, which reflects the seasonal succession of phytoplankton. The highest average index values, corresponding to good water quality, were recorded in mesotrophic lakes Volos Severny, Volos Yuzhny, while the lowest were typical of hypertrophic lakes Velikoye, Ilmenok. Correlation analysis revealed statistically significant negative correlations of the Q index with phytoplankton biomass (ρ = –0.67) and total phosphorus concentration (ρ = –0.50), and a positive correlation with water transparency (ρ = +0.68). The absence of a significant correlation with the proportion of cyanobacteria emphasizes the integrated nature of the index, which accounts for the contribution of all functional groups. It was shown that in hypertrophic lakes, the index remains consistently low regardless of the season, whereas in water bodies with a lower trophic status, it is sensitive to seasonal community rearrangements. The obtained results confirm the diagnostic value of the Q index as an integrative indicator of trophic status, but also highlight the need to consider its seasonal dynamics and limitations associated with the dominance of certain taxa.
About the Author
A. Yu. Karpaeva
Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Bioresources
Belarus
Belarus
Anastasiya Yu. Karpaeva – Junior Researcher
27, Akademicheskaya Str., 220072, Minsk
References
1. Kornevaa L. G., Solov’eva V. V. Dynamics of morphofunctional groups of phytoplankton of the Rybinsk Reservoir and assessment of the quality of its waters using the community index. Vodnye resursy [Water resources], 2021, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 52–60 (in Russian).
2. Reynolds C. S., Huszar V., Kruk C., Naselli-Flores L., Melo S. Towards a functional classification of the freshwater phytoplankton. Journal of Plankton Research, 2002, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 417–428. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/24.5.417
3. Semenchenko V. P., Razlutskii V. I. Ecological quality of surface waters. Minsk, Belaruskaya navuka Publ., 2010. 330 p. (in Russian).
4. Lopukh P. S., Yakushko O. F. General limnology: a manual for students of the Faculty of Geography. Minsk, Belarusian State University, 2011. 366 p. (in Russian).
5. Mikheeva T. M. Methods of quantitative enumeration of nanophytoplankton (review). Gidrobiologicheskii zhurnal [Hydrobiological Jornal], 1989, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 3–21 (in Russian).
6. Mordukhai-Boltovskii F. D. Methodology for studying biogeocenoses of inland water bodies. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1975. 240 p. (in Russian).
7. Gollerbakh M. M. (ed.). Identifier of freshwater algae of the USSR. 14 vol. Moskva, Sovetskaya nauka Publ., Leningrad, Nauka, Leningradskoe otdelenie Publ., 1951–1983 (in Russian).
8. Komárek J., Anagnostidis K. Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa. Cyanoprokaryota. Oscillatoriales. München, Elsevier Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, 2005. 759 p.
9. Padisak J., Borics G., Grigorszky I., Soroczki-Pinter E. Use of Phytoplankton Assemblages for Monitoring Ecological Status of Lakes within the Water Framework Directive: The Assemblage Index. Hydrobiologia, 2006, vol. 553, pp. 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1393-9
10. Armstrong G. D. Colonies as defence in the freshwater phytoplankton genus Dinobryon (Chrysophyceae). Ph. D. Thesis. Vancouver, 1985. 178 p.
11. Kostryukova A., Mashkova I., Belov S., Shchelkanova E., Trofimenko V. Short Communication: Assessing phytoplankton species structure in trophically different water bodies of South Ural, Russia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 2021, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 3530–3538. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d220853
12. Kulizin P. V., Vodeneeva E. L., Okhapkin A. G. Experience of using functional classification of phytoplankton to assess the water quality of some left-bank tributaries of the Volga River (Cheboksary Reservoir basin). Printsipy ekologii [Principles of Ecology], 2020, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 48–59 (in Russian).
13. Sommer U., Gliwicz, Z. M., Lampert W., Duncan A. The PEG-model of seasonal succession of planktonic events in fresh waters. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 1986, vol. 106, no. 4, pp. 433–471. https://doi.org/10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/106/1986/433
14. Demir А. N., Fakioğlu O., Dural, B. Phytoplankton functional groups provide a quality assessment method by the Q assemblage index in Lake Mogan (Turkey). Turkish Journal of Botany, 2014, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 169–179. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1301-60
15. Sevindik T. O., Tunca H., Gönülol A., Gürsoy N., Küçükkaya Ş. N. Phytoplankton dynamics and structure, and ecological status estimation by the Q assemblage index: a comparative analysis in two shallow Mediterranean lakes. Turkish Journal of Botany, 2017, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 25–36. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1510-22
16. Ochocka A., Pasztaleniec A. Sensitivity of plankton indices to lake trophic conditions. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2016, vol. 188, art. 622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5634-3
17. Gong D., Guo Z., Wei W., Bi J., Wang Zh., Ji X. Phytoplankton Community Structure and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in Nanhai Lake. Diversity, 2022, vol. 14, no. 11, art. 927. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110927
18. Trifonova I. S. Ecology and succession of lake phytoplankton. Leningrad, Nauka. Leningradskoe otdelenie Publ., 1990. 182 p. (in Russian).
19. Malashenkov D. V., Mosharova I. V., Il’inskii V. V., Mosharov S. A. Functional classification of phytoplankton and microbiological parameters for assessing the state of coastal waters of Southern Baikal. Biologiya vnutrennikh vod [Biology of inland waters], 2022, no. 1, pp. 3–13.
Review
Views:
82
JATS XML
Email this article 
