IRN AP09563101 Project topic "Assessment of the state of hydrobionts and microbiome of water bodies in Western Kazakhstan and forecast of their change"

Relevance

In the west of Kazakhstan, there are numerous fresh, brackish and salt lakes, the hydrochemical and hydrobiological characteristics of which, along with spatial heterogeneity, are subject to significant chronological changes. The reason for such changes is cyclical fluctuations in climatic conditions, causing periodic filling and drying of lakes, as well as anthropogenic influence. The impact of these changes on fish populations of different ecological groups is different. In recent decades, the lakes of the region have seen a decrease in stocks and a sharp drop in the number of valuable fish species caused by the negative consequences of climate change and anthropogenic impact. Most of the water areas of the reservoirs of Western Kazakhstan are suitable for fish farming. This natural reserve is far from being fully utilized and requires state support for the development of lake fish farming based on the use of natural fodder resources of water bodies. Hydrobionts and microbiome of inland water bodies represent a food base for fish, birds and the entire biota as a whole, are the initial link in the food chain. The planned studies of the seasonal and three-year dynamics of the composition of aquatic organisms and the microbiome are the basis for further monitoring and forecasting the development of water bodies.

Project goal

Project goal: hydrobiological and metogenomic study of hydrobionts and microbiome of inland reservoirs of West Kazakhstan and their use as markers of the ecological state of the environment, comprehensive assessment of their impact on the state of fish resources and aquatic vegetation.

Project Objectives

To achieve this goal, the following tasks are defined:

- Study of stock, literary and departmental materials on hydrology, hydrochemistry, Hydrobiology, ichthyology of the studied region

- Characteristics of natural and man-made conditions for the development of lake basins. Identification of the main genetic types of lake basins, calculation and classification of morphometric indicators of lakes.

- Analysis of the spatial location of lakes of different salinity and chemical type, search for patterns of their differentiation, classification of lakes.

- Analysis of long-term changes in the hydrological regime of lakes in the region based on available data from hydrological observations and different-age satellite images and topocards.

- Carrying out a complex of full-scale hydrological works, creating a model of water balance of reservoirs, determining the causes and forecast of changes in the lake regime as a result of natural factors and anthropogenic

- Analysis of the dependence of the taxonomic structure of hydrobionts on the set of abiotic environmental factors obtained during hydrobiological and hydrochemical monitoring of the studied lakes. Assessment of the species structure of plankton and bottom communities under the influence of a complex of abiotic factors using various statistical methods of analysis.

- Description of the features of seasonal changes in the number of species, biomass and the ratio of taxonomic groups of hydrobionts. Systematization of information about the microbiome of lakes of different geographical regions as "complex" indicators of their ecological status.

- Sequencing of a representative collection of DNA samples isolated from various reservoirs in West Kazakhstan, deep sequencing of libraries of taxonomically significant genes (16S rRNA), analysis of total alpha and beta diversity, and search for environmental drivers responsible for the evolution of microbial communities in aquatic environments.

- Assessment of the current state and prospects for the use of fish species in lakes. The study of fish productivity, species composition, numerical and gender ratio of species.

- Study of the floral composition and degree of overgrowth of higher aquatic vegetation of lakes. Analysis of the taxonomic structure of flora and the structure of ecological forms in relation to the water factor.

The concept of trophic levels of substance and energy use will be used, which makes it possible to get a quantitative idea of the ratio of biomass, products, food needs and participation in organic destruction of each of the recycling groups, which can be represented as a biotic balance.

Expected Results

The main practical expected results of the project are to develop recommendations for improving the productivity of reservoirs in order to obtain the largest amount of fish products from them, new data on integrated analytical quality control of lakes, and the development of a strategy for integrated use and adaptive management of reservoirs and their protection from possible negative consequences.

A representative collection of the water microbiome of lakes in Western Kazakhstan will be created. Common DNA will be extracted from each sample, 16s rRNA libraries including bacterial and archaeal components will be created, at least 5000 nucleotide sequences will be sequenced from each library, and their taxonomic analysis will be performed. A detailed comparative analysis of samples will allow us to link the taxonomic structure of the lake microbiome with physical, chemical, climatic and environmental factors, as well as the state and use of these waters. Thus, the implementation of this project for the first time will create a methodological basis for assessing the geo-ecological and biological state of lake waters, based on a fundamentally new and, obviously, innovative approach – the analysis of the structural features of microbial communities of water using a new generation of sequencers. The competitive advantage lies in the previously unattainable detail of microbiome analysis using NGS, which allows the entire complex of microorganisms, including non-cultured forms. In addition, very specific features of lakes in Western Kazakhstan will certainly be of interest to world science, since for the most part similar studies are conducted with local collections.

Students and undergraduates involved in the project will acquire the skills of research thinking, applied knowledge, to assess the quality of water and the ecological state of reservoirs.

Another result of the project will be a network developed within the project for monitoring the ecological and chemical state of lakes, where we have provided consistent and comprehensive monitoring of the ecological and chemical state of lake waters. This network can be used by government agencies and other interested parties for further monitoring. Research data will be analyzed, interpreted and converted into pre-defined forms of information presentation using appropriate data analysis methods. Information can be sent to those who need it to make decisions, evaluate management practices, or conduct in-depth research. In addition, information will be available to the public and presented in a form that meets the needs of different target groups.

The results of the study will be the basis for the development of fisheries by studying the dependence of the feed base on seasonal fluctuations and the hydrochemical regime of lakes in Western Kazakhstan. An electronic catalog on CD-ROM and an Atlas of the main species of hydrobionts will be compiled, which can be used by state environmental and fisheries authorities and fisheries entities.

Achieved results

Work is underway to characterize the natural and man-made conditions for the development of lake basins. Work is underway to analyze the spatial distribution of lakes of various salinity and chemical types, search for patterns of their differentiation, classification of lakes. A map of the location of salt lakes has been compiled. Work continued on the analysis of long-term changes in the hydrological regime of the region's lakes based on the available data of hydrological observations and different age space images and topographic maps. In 2021, we conducted studies of the hydrological regime of the region's lakes.

Work is underway to carry out a set of full-scale hydrological works, create a model of the water balance of reservoirs, determine the causes and forecast changes in the regime of lakes as a result of natural factors and anthropogenic impact, develop recommendations on the permissible impact of anthropogenic factors on the lakes of the region and maintain the water level at a stably acceptable level for conservation of biodiversity. Field hydrological studies have been carried out.

As a result of the analyzes carried out in the spring, summer and autumn period of 2021, ten lakes of the West Kazakhstan region were examined: Saryshyganak, Shalkar, Balykty Sarkyl, Aydin, Zhanama, Edilsor, Prorva, Brusyanoe, Glubinnoye, Ulken Tuzdy Sarkyl.

Comprehensive studies of the WKO lakes were carried out: Prorva, lake. Deep, lake. Shalkar, lake Balykty Sarkyl, lake Edilsor, lake Brusyanoe and Lake Aydin. In zoobenthos samples taken from the above-mentioned lakes, organisms of 46 taxa from 4 groups were observed: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Crustacea and Insecta.

DNA extraction of lake water was carried out. To isolate DNA, we used the destruction of filters cut into 4 parts with glass beads (0.1 mm and 0.5 mm) with vigorous shaking on a Precellis device (6000 rpm for 30 sec) in 1 ml of CTAB 1x solution (0.05 M Tris HCl pH 8.0; 0.7 M NaCl; 0.01 M EDTA; 1% (w / v) CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide)) with the addition of 500 ml of chloroform (chloroform-isoamyl alcohol 24: 1).

The assessment of the current state and prospects for the use of commercial fish species in the lakes has been carried out. At the same time, the species composition of the ichthyofauna of Lake Shalkar was established: pike - 5.4%, rudd - 29%, bream - 4.3%, crucian - 16.1%, blue bream - 22.6%, perch - 12.9%, carp - 5.4%, som - 3.2%, tench - 1.1%.

The investigated water bodies are classified as fresh (Prorva, Glubinnoe, Brusyanoe), brackish (Shalkar, Balykty Sarkyl, Aydin) and salty water bodies (Edilsor). A high level of mineralization was noted on Lake Edilsor, the indicators varied within the range of 19.486 - 47.221 g / l, low indicators were found on Lake Prorva from 0.295 to 0.390 g / l and refers to α hypogaline waters. Investigations of the floristic composition and the degree of overgrowth with higher aquatic vegetation of the lakes have been carried out.

A scientific recommendation was developed to increase the biological productivity of water bodies. The influence of natural and climatic factors on the formation of communities of aquatic organisms has been determined.

The systematization of information on the microbiome of lakes in different geographic regions as "complex" indicators of their ecological state was carried out, the collection of the lake microbiome, DNA extraction of the lake microbiome, high-performance sequencing, the final systematization will be completed in 2022.

Research group

Sergaliev Nurlan Khabibullovich - project manager, candidate of biological sciences, professor.

Scopus Author ID, (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55982921900).

Researcher ID, (P-7274-2017)

ORCID (http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3527-9593)