Abstract
Diatomic assemblages from the bottom sediments of the endorheic karst lake located in the semiaridic steppe area of the Caucasus Mountains (Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria) were analyzed. For the first time, the initial stages of the formation of the entire lake ecosystem were studied on the basis of the diatomic algae. In this work, they were graphically analyzed and isotopically dated. The age of the lake is 130–150 years. Two stages of formation with a phase transition were identified for the lake diatomic assemblage. At the first stage, the diatomic algae primarily colonized, and the modern diatomic assemblage was formed at the second stage. The studied lake has not been finally formed and its water area is now expanding. This is confirmed by graphical analysis of the taxonomic structure of diatomic assemblages.
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Razumovsky, V.L. Formation of the karst lake ecosystem in the steppe belt of the Caucasus Mountains: A diatomic analysis. Arid Ecosyst 4, 103–106 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096114020097
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096114020097
Keywords
- diatomic assemblage
- graphical analysis
- karst lakes