The fauna of Oligochaeta (Annelidae) of Thermal and Cold Karst Aquatic Ecosystems (Pymvashor Natural Landmark, Bol’shezemel’skaya Tundra, Subarctic Hydrothermal System)

Study Extent

The dataset provides information on the number of individuals of aquatic oligochaete in zoobenthos sample.

Sampling

The research was carried out on August 2019 in the course of the Pymvashor Creek, in its tributaries (Pit’evoi and Goryachii creeks), and in the springs. The water temperature in Pymvashor Creek before the influx of all the thermal springs studied was ~6°C (karst zone II). The downstream water temperature, despite the discharge of hot or cold springs into the brook, changed insignificantly during the study period: 11.1°C after the thermal zone I and 12°С downstream from Pit’evoi Creek (karst zone III). An exception was the confluence of the Bassein spring (thermal zone III) and Pymvashor Creek where the temperature was 15.4°C. The temperature in cold springs and Pit’evoi Creek in summer was 3.0–6.1°С (karst zone III); in warm springs and Goryachii Creek, 19.0–27.2°С (thermal zone II). Between the Mount Kholodnaya (karst zone II) Mount Goryachaya (thermal zone II) was located thermal zone I (Pymvashor Creek). The list of species contains only our own data.

Quality Control

The data were collected and identified by specialists from the Institute of Biology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Morphological analysis specimens were performed using compound microscopes BIMAM R13-1, Leica DM 4000B. For identification of species we used both standard keys and data reported in modern studies specifically addressing the taxonomy (Chekanovskaya 1962; Timm 2009; Key to identification of zooplankton and zoobenthos, 2010, Schmelz, Collado, 2010). 1. Key to Identification of Zooplankton and Zoobenthos of Fresh Water of European Russia, KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, 2010, pp. 151–183. [In Russian]. 2. Schmelz R., Collado R. A guide to European terrestrial and freshwater species of Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta). Soil organisms. Vol. 82. pp. 1-176. 3. Chekanovskaja O.V. Aquatic oligochaetes of the fauna of the USSR. Moscow-Leningrad: Nauka. 1962. 412 pp. [in Russian]. 4. Timm T. A guide to the freshwater Oligochaeta and Polychaeta of northern and central Europe. Lauterbornia, 1999. Issues 66. 235 pp.

Method steps

1. Oligochetae samples were taken with a Petersen grab (sampling area 0.025 m2) on soft bottoms and with a hydrobiological scraper (blade length 30 cm and mesh size of the attached with mesh size ≤158 μm, sampling area 0.09 m2) on gravel bottoms. Samples were preserved in 4% formaldehyde (in the field) and examined under light microscopes in the laboratory. Morphological analysis was performed using a stereomicroscope Leica DM 4000. The worm species affiliation was ascertained under existing taxonomic keys in accordance with the present-day classification of each group. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Institute of Biology, Syktyvkar (Oligochaeta).

This dataset provides current data on oligochaete fauna of a hydrothermal system: Pymvashor Creek, its tributaries (Pit’evoi and Goryachii creeks) and in the springs

1. Annelida
   rank: phylum
2. Oligochaeta
   rank: subclass
3. Naididae
   rank: family
4. Naidinae
   rank: subfamily
5. Tubificinae
   rank: subfamily
6. Enchytraeidae
   rank: family
7. Lumbriculidae
   rank: family
8. Pristinae
   rank: subfamily
9. Rhyacodrilinae
   rank: subfamily

Pymvashor Creek, hydrothermal system, a third-order tributary of the Pechora River, flows in the eastern part of Bol’shezemel’skaya Tundra north of the Arctic Circle (67°09′76′′ N, 60°51′20′′ E). This is a typical foothill watercourse with pronounced fluctuations in flow velocity and a rocky bottom. Eight thermal and five cold springs discharge themselves into Pymvashor Creek within a ~1.5 km stretch forming a hydrothermal system.