IN MEMORY OF VERA BORISOVNA VOZZHINSKAYA

On July 29, 2021, just 90 years have passed since the day of birth of Vera Borisovna Vozzhinskaya, doctor of biological sciences, head of the Laboratory of biological foundation of mariculture IO RAS. She was connected with our Institute during all her life, 43 years – from young post-graduate up to well-known algologist, specialist in benthic marine algae. She was a bright personality, outstanding organizer, skilled expedition worker. Under her leadership 37 coastal expeditions of IO were carried out – to the White, Barents, Black and Far East Seas. She tragically perished in happy and long-awaited moment: just after the authorization of her degree (doctor of biology) by All-Russian Attestation Commission. Publications by V.B. Vozzhinskaya are in demand up to now, especially her unique monograph on the White Sea macrophytobenthos and investigations on productivity of bottom seaweeds.

Lagoon ecosystems: peculiarities of the species, spatial and trophic structure of macrobenthos (Kandalaksha bay, White sea)

Изучены видовое разнообразие, пространственная и трофическая структура макробентосных сообществ сублиторали и нижних горизонтов литорали в 5-ти лагунных экосистемах Кандалакшского залива Белого моря. Всего в исследованных экосистемах было обнаружено 52 вида бентосных беспозвоночных животных и 6 видов морских трав и водорослей. В сублиторали наибольшим видовым разнообразием, общей плотностью и биомассой макробентоса характеризуется наиболее открытая к морю лагуна, расположенная на выходе из кутовой области Кислой губы, а наименьшим - наиболее закрытая и заиленная лагуна Никольской губы, где преобладали солоноватоводные и морские эвригалинные виды. Промежуточное положение занимали лагуна Ермолинской губы, лагуна, расположенная рядом с Ершовским озером и лагуна на Зеленом мысу. В нижней литорали общие показатели структуры сообщества макробентоса (общая плотность, биомасса и в меньшей степени видовое разнообразие) в отличие от сублиторали увеличивались от менее зарегулированных и открытых экосистем к более закрытым системам. Исключением является лагуна Никольской губы, значительное заиление которой приводит к существенному уменьшению видового разнообразия и снижению общей плотности и биомассы сообщества макробентоса. The species diversity, spatial and trophic structure of macrobenthos communities in the sublittoral and lower littoral horizons in five lagoon ecosystems of the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea have been studied. In total, 52 species of benthic invertebrates and 6 species of sea grasses and algae were found in the studied ecosystems. In the sublittoral zone, the highest species diversity, total density and biomass of macrobenthos is characterized by the lagoon most open to the sea, located at the exit from the innermost area of Kislaya Bay. The lowest diversity is found in the most closed and silted lagoon of Nikolskaya Bay, where brackish water and marine euryhaline species predominated. The lagoon of the Ermolinskaya Bay, the lagoon located next to the Ershov Lake and the lagoon on Cape Verde hold an intermediate position. In the lower littoral zone, the general indicators of the structure of the macrobenthos community (total density, biomass, and, to a lesser extent, species diversity), in contrast to the sublittoral one, increased from less regulated and open ecosystems to more closed systems. An exception is the lagoon of Nikolskaya Bay, the significant siltation of which leads to a significant decrease in species diversity and a decrease in the total density and biomass of the macrobenthos community.

An Interplay between Viruses and Bacteria Associated with the White Sea Sponges Revealed by Metagenomics

Sponges are remarkable holobionts harboring extremely diverse microbial and viral communities. However, the interactions between the components within holobionts and between a holobiont and environment are largely unknown, especially for polar organisms. To investigate possible interactions within and between sponge-associated communities, we probed the microbiomes and viromes of cold-water sympatric sponges Isodictya palmata (n = 2), Halichondria panicea (n = 3), and Halichondria sitiens (n = 3) by 16S and shotgun metagenomics. We showed that the bacterial and viral communities associated with these White Sea sponges are species-specific and different from the surrounding water. Extensive mining of bacterial antiphage defense systems in the metagenomes revealed a variety of defense mechanisms. The abundance of defense systems was comparable in the metagenomes of the sponges and the surrounding water, thus distinguishing the White Sea sponges from those inhabiting the tropical seas. We developed a network-based approach for the combined analysis of CRISPR-spacers and protospacers. Using this approach, we showed that the virus–host interactions within the sponge-associated community are typically more abundant (three out of four interactions studied) than the inter-community interactions. Additionally, we detected the occurrence of viral exchanges between the communities. Our work provides the first insight into the metagenomics of the three cold-water sponge species from the White Sea and paves the way for a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between microbial communities and associated viruses.

Boulder pits of the White Sea Region

The purpose of the article is to introduce into scientific circulation little-known and controversial objects made of stones discovered during our field surveys in 2019 on the Tersk Coast of the White Sea near the Khlebnaya River. The monument consists of 27 boulder structures of four types: ring-shaped layouts with a recess in the center –– boulder pits (24), “seid”, “pile”, a flat boulder with stones laid on it. Boulder pits within the borders of the Russian Federation are found in the coastal zone of the Western and Northern White Sea regions and the Barents Sea. The distribution of such objects is noted in Finnmark and Finnish Lapland and correlates with the area of historical settlement of local Sami groups. We tend to interpret the “boulder pits” as objects associated with non-Christian cult practices, possibly of a funerary nature.