Taxonomic structure of phytoplankton in the residual lakes of the Chornobyl NPP cooling pond under current conditions

• Date: 2026
• Main Authors: Shcherbak, V.I., Gudkov, D.I., Mykhailiuk, O.V., Belyaev, V.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: Ukrainian
• Published: M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine 2026
• Online Access: https://algologia.co.ua/journal/article/view/36.2.118
• Journal Title: Algologia

The taxonomic composition of phytoplankton in the residual lakes of the former cooling pond of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP cooling pond) comprised 365 species (379 infraspecific taxa, ist) of algae belonging to 162 genera, 79 families, 42 orders, 17 classes, and 8 divisions. The basis of the floristic spectrum was formed by Bacillariophyta (31–42%) and Chlorophyta (28–36%), while Euglenozoa (9–11%) and Cyanobacteria (9–12%) acted as subdominants. Analysis of the spatial distribution of phytoplankton showed that the highest species richness 256 (287 ist) is typical for the north-eastern and north-western residual lakes of the former ChNPP cooling pond, which is determined by the hydrological influence of the Pripyat River. In the south-eastern and south-western residual lakes of the former cooling pond, the number of species decreased to 206 (216 ist). The established Sørensen species similarity coefficients (0.69–0.80) indicate the formation of the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton under the influence of partial hydrological isolation of the residual lakes.