SykoA

The collection of microalgae living cultures was started in the Institute of Biology (IB) of Komi Scientific Centre in 2010 as a part of IB SYKO herbarium. Today, the collection contains 572 unialgal сultures collected in the European Russian Northeast (Polar, Subpolar and Northern Urals, Bolshezemelskaya tundra), isolated from soil and water samples. There are several strains from soils of the Southern Svalbard. Green algae/Chlorophyta (210 strains) form the main part of the collection. It also contains Cyanobacteria – 65 strains, Charophyta – 58, Heterokontophyta – 39 and Cryptophyta – 26. The collection contains four authentic strains (SYKOA C-013-09 Drouetiella ramosa Davydov, Vilnet, Novakovskaya, Patova; SYKOA Cr-008-19 Cryptomonas parmana Martynenko, Gusev, Sterlyagova; SYKOA Ch-193-22 Heterochlamydomonas uralensis Novakovskaya, Boldina, Shadrin, Patova; SYKOA Ch-111-18 Mychonastes frigidus Patova, Novakovskaya, Martynenko, Gusev, Kulikovskiy) and one herbarium specimen (SYKO № 1017-A Stigonema lichenoides Patova, Novakovskaya, Shalygin, Shadrin) based on which new species are described. There are 174 strains from Heterokontophyta, Chlorophyta, Charophyta transferred to storage from other algological collections and laboratories specializing in algological testing. The collection includes monocultures of dominant species of algae from different ecological groups (edaphophilous, cryophilous, nitrophilous, etc.), rare species and taxa with uncertain systematic position. The main aims of the collection are to conserve biodiversity of microalgae of Arctic and northern regions of the European Russia, and to collect new strains for their further use in floristic, systematic, evolutionary, molecular, genetic and ecological studies. In addition, the collection includes fixed algal samples (17,560 items), the mixed soil-algae samples (2,115 items), permanent preparations of diatom algae (13,605 items) and a herbarium of macroalgae and macrocolonies of cyanobacteria and algae (191 items).

The collection is registered in GCM (Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Acronym: SYKOA, WDCM Number: 1125.