Phytoplankton Monitoring in Zingster Strom

The focus of this monitoring program was on phytoplankton, defined here as planktonic photoautotrophic microorganisms, including both eukaryotic microalgae and cyanobacteria, as well as closely associated protists. Water samples were collected directly from the basin using a 2 L water sampler to ensure representative capture of the planktonic community.

In the laboratory, each sample was subsampled into two separate 2 mL aliquots to allow for complementary preservation and analysis approaches. One aliquot was fixed with Lugol's iodine solution, a standard preservative widely used in phytoplankton studies due to its effectiveness in maintaining cell morphology and enabling reliable identification and counting under light microscopy. The second aliquot was fixed with glutaraldehyde, which provides superior preservation of fine cellular structures and is particularly suitable for smaller or more delicate taxa.