DNA Metabarcoding of Macroinvertebrates in the Biomonitoring System of Lake Baikal

In 2019, six years after the closure of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, the macrozoobenthos was studied using hydrobiological and molecular-genetic (DNA metabarcoding) methods. According to the data obtained by different methods, the quantitative development of the macrozoobenthos in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal at depths of up to 5 m, as well as the species composition and structure of its communities, is comparable with previous years of research. The tendency of the increase in the proportion of Oligochaeta since 1968–1971 and findings of the Palearctic species Psychomyia flavida Hagen, 1861 (Trichoptera) and Paratanytarsus grimmii (Schneider, 1885) (Chironomidae), not previously encountered in Lake Baikal, indicate an increase in trophicity in the areas studied. The experience of our research can be recommended for improving the biomonitoring system of Lake Baikal, as well as other water bodies.