Amazing Discoveries of Benthic Fauna from the Abyssal Zone of Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is a natural laboratory for the study of species diversity and evolution, as a unique freshwater ecosystem meeting the all of the main criteria of the World Heritage Convention. However, despite many years of research, the true biodiversity of the lake is clearly insufficiently studied, especially that of deep-water benthic sessile organisms. For the first time, plastic waste was raised from depths of 110 to 190 m of Lake Baikal.

The Phylogenetic Position of Spironucleus sp. (Diplomonadida: Hexamitidae) from the Intestine of Chinese Sleeper Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877 (Actinopterygii: Odontobutidae).

Introduction: The Chinese (Amur) sleeper (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) (Actinopterygii: Odontobutidae) is a freshwater fish species with high invasive potential. Diplomonads have been detected in the intestines of Chinese sleepers using light microscopy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the diplomonads in Chinese sleepers using molecular-genetic methods.

Genetic diversity of Diplomonadida in fish of the genus Coregonus from Southeastern Siberia.

Diplomonadida are primitive flagellate protozoa, among which both commensals and pathogens have been recorded. To date, members of the genera Hexamita and Spironucleus have been reported in the digestive system of fish in the Baikal region. We determined the genetic diversity of Diplomonadida in fish of the genus Coregonus from south-eastern Siberia using molecular-genetic methods.

Long-term cultivation of primmorphs from freshwater Baikal sponges Lubomirskia baikalensis.

The work was aimed at performing long-term cultivation of primmorphs in vitro from freshwater sponge Lubomirskia baikalensis (Pallas 1776), collected from Lake Baikal, obtaining its long-term primmorph culture in both natural (NBW) and artificial (ABW) Baikal water and at identifying the impact of different environmental factors on formation and growth of primmorphs. The first fine aggregates of L. baikalensis are formed in vitro 10-15 min after dissociation of sponge cells.