Diversity and Ecology of Late Glacial Diatoms of the Eastern Baltic Region

The sediments of shallow basins formed on along the coast of the Baltic Ice Lake in the Late Glacial are a valuable source of information for reconstructing the paleoenvironment. A detailed diatom analysis, along with chronological and lithological studies, was performed for the sediments of one of these paleoreservoirs, uncovered in the Kulikovo section (Sambian Peninsula, Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation) and dated to 14,000-12,500 calBP. As a result of this study, the essential diversity of Late Glacial diatoms was revealed and 204 species were found. Among them, benthic and epiphytic species belonging to the group of oligohalobous indifferents predominate. The most typical species are <i>Pseudostaurosira brevistriata</i>, <i>Staurosirella ovata</i>, <i>Gyrosigma attenuatum</i>, <i>G. acuminatum</i>, <i>Amphora affinis, Epithemia adnata</i> and <i>Cymbopleura inaequalis</i>. A comparison with available regional data showed that the mass development of pioneer epiphytic diatoms of the Fragilariaceae in the Allerød is common to most of the paleoaquatic ecosystems. A local feature of the Kulikovo paleoreservoir, along with a wide range of ecological diatom groups, is the episode of massive development of <i>Gyrosigma</i> spp., benthic diatoms capable of living in streaming water, in the first half of the Allerød. The Kulikovo diatom assemblages reacted sensitively, not only to the main environmental shifts of the Allerød and Younger Dryas, but also to smaller-scale climatic events, such as Herzensee Oscillation (GI-1b) and changes in hydrological regimes (water level fluctuations, flow rate) caused by local environmental transformations.