Diversity of sand-dwelling dinoflagellates from the Northwestern Black Sea (Ukraine)

Anastasiia Snigirova, Shauna Murray, Mona Hoppenrath

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractpeer-review

Abstract

Marine benthic habitats, such as sandy beaches, intertidal flats, and tide pools, are characterized by a high abundance and specific diversity of dinoflagellates. Sandy habitats constitute 90% of the Northwestern Black Sea coast. This shelf zone is significantly influenced by river discharge, which shapes its eutrophic conditions and creates a highly dynamic hydrological regime. A key feature of this region is the presence of various estuaries with a wide range of salinity and connections to the sea. Although research on benthic dinoflagellates in European seas has intensified in recent years, knowledge of this group of Protista in the Black Sea region remains limited, with only 17 species recorded (Terenko 2010; Snigirova et al. 2014).
This study, initiated in 2021, investigated the spatial distribution and biodiversity of benthic sand-dwelling dinoflagellates at six locations in the Northwestern Black Sea. Dinoflagellates were identified in 12 samples collected from the Gulf of Odessa, Tylihul and Hryhorivsky Estuaries, Budaki and Tuzly Lagoons, and the area around Zmiinyi Island. In total, 13 species from 7 genera were recorded, including three species – Amphidiniopsis swedmarkii (Balech) J.D.Dodge, Prorocentrum lima (Ehrenberg) F.Stein, and P. fukuyoi Sh.Murray & Y.Nagahama – that had previously been identified as sand-dwelling in the region. The remaining 10 species, from the genera Amphidiniopsis, Amphidinium, Blixaea, Bysmatrum, Herdmania, and Speroidium, had been recorded in plankton but are reported here for the first time in Black Sea benthic habitats. Light and Scanning Electron Microscopic documentation of these species is provided for the first time.
Original languageEnglish
Pages76
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - 4 Nov 2024
EventThe Asian Pacific Congress of Protistology (APCOP-V) 2024 - The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Duration: 4 Nov 20246 Nov 2024
https://protist-au.org/

Conference

ConferenceThe Asian Pacific Congress of Protistology (APCOP-V) 2024
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityBrisbane
Period4/11/246/11/24
Internet address

Keywords

  • Sand-dwelling Dinoflagellates
  • Black Sea
  • Marine Benthic Habitats

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