Expedition on board RV “G. Titov”, July 13-19, 2019

The expedition within the framework of the programme “Alveolates and Other Benthic Protists of Lake Baikal as a Necessary Element of the Functioning of the Lake Ecosystem” was carried out onboard RV “G. Titov”, July 13-19, 2019, in Central and Northern Baikal.

The expedition was aimed at fundamental research of genetic diversity of protists in the benthos of the Baikal sors and small lakes on its coast.

The planned fieldworks were fulfilled at 23 stations. Samples of benthos and plankton were taken from sors and lakes located in the central and northern basins of Lake Baikal, and the main physicochemical parameters were measured at the sampling sites. The fieldworks were carried out in various ecotopes, including the channels directly connected with Baikal, as well as lakes without direct access to Baikal. All samples were prepared for subsequent analyses using microscopy and methods for extracting total DNA. In the future, the revealed genetic diversity will be compared with the previously obtained data on the benthic protists from open Baikal. In addition, a description of zooplankton will be compiled for all investigated lakes, whose information is incomplete or absent. In general, the collected materials are necessary for a better understanding of evolutionary and migration events.