Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

Microalgae of lentic water bodies as drivers of ecosystem service provision

Liudmyla Sova, Viktor Karamushka
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Abstract

Due to their significant species diversity and sensitivity to environmental changes, microalgae are important indicators of the ecological state of water bodies and, together with other hydrobionts, contribute to the provision of ecosystem services in aquatic systems. Since their contribution to ecosystem service provision in stagnant water bodies remains insufficiently studied and requires further substantiation to assess the ecological value of such systems, this study aimed to examine the relationships between the species composition of microalgae and the formation of relevant ecosystem services in stagnant water bodies, using the example of the Korostyshiv Quarry (Zhytomyr Region, Ukraine). To determine the species composition and distribution of microalgae, standard methods were used (sampling and preservation of water samples, isolation, identification, and quantitative analysis of microalgae using microscopy). The results revealed a relatively balanced phytoplankton community structure with low species diversity: five microalgal species belonging to four different divisions (Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Chrysophyta, and Dinophyta). The biomass concentration was relatively low, reaching up to 2 g/L. The species composition of phytoplankton and the results of water chemistry analysis indicate a good ecological state of the water body. Relationships between the functional characteristics of microalgae and ecosystem services were identified. It was found that the species composition of microalgae is a key factor in the formation of ecosystem services, determining primary production, nutrient cycling, and the condition of the aquatic environment. Within the framework of the CICES classification, it was demonstrated that microalgae in the studied quarry water body contribute to the formation of nearly all types of ecosystem services (3 provisioning, 9 regulating and supporting, and 4 cultural services), albeit with varying intensity. The dominant contribution of microalgae in the quarry ecosystem was associated with regulating and supporting ecosystem services. The results obtained can be used for the development of a national framework for assessing ecosystem services in freshwater lentic ecosystems

Keywords

phytoplankton; quarry ecosystems; biotopes; indicator species; biogeochemical cycling

Suggested citation
Sova, L. , & Karamushka, V. (2026). Microalgae of lentic water bodies as drivers of ecosystem service provision. Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 22(2),90-104. https://doi.org/10.31548/dopovidi/2.2026.90
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