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 more than 400 algologically pure strains of algae collected in the European Russian Northeast (Polar and Subpolar Urals, Bolshezemelskaya tundra), isolated from soil and water samples. Also, there are several strains from soils of the Southern Svalbard. Green algae and cyanoprokaryota / cyanobacteria form the main part of the collection. Departments Eustigmatophyta and Xanthophyta are presented in the collection by five species. 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 from Arctic and northern regions of the European Russia, and to collect new strains for their further use in floristic, systematic, evolutionary, molecular, genetic and ecologycal studies.
The collection is registered in GCM (Global Catalogue of Microorganisms) Acronym: SYKOA, WDCM Number: 1125