From 7 to 11 September 2026, LIN SB RAS held the VIII All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation, titled "Algae: Problems of Taxonomy and Ecology, Use in Monitoring and Biotechnology.»
The VIII All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation, titled «Algae: Problems of Taxonomy and Ecology, Use in Monitoring and Biotechnology,» was held from 7 to 11 September 2026, at the «Pribaikalskaya» tourist center in the settlement of Listvyanka (near Irkutsk) under the auspices of LIN SB RAS.
162 participants from 6 countries attended the conference:
- Russia
- The Republic of Belarus
- The People's Republic of China
- India
- Tajikistan
- Mongolia.
The participants represented scientific and educational institutions from the following cities:
- Abakan
- Apatity
- Barnaul
- Borok
- Vladivostok
- Gomel
- Irkutsk
- Kazan
- Kaliningrad
- Kerch
- Minsk
- Moscow
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Orenburg
- Perm
- Petrozavodsk
- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
- Pushchino
- Saint Petersburg
- Sevastopol
- Syktyvkar
- Xiamin
- Ulaanbaatar
- Ufa
- Feodosia
- Qingdao
- Yakutsk
Plenary presentations were delivered by:
Vladimir V. Kirillov «Algae as a factor and indicator of ecological safety in the multipurpose use of surface waters.»
Aleksander N. Kamnev «Figures in Russian phycology: milestones of development»
Yelena V. Likhoshway «The initial formation stages and development of phycological research on Lake Baikal»
Aleksander B. Kupchinskiy «Algae in the exhibits of the Baikal Museum SB RAS.»
The following consecutive sessions included 64 oral presentations:
- Current issues in phycology;
- Biological diversity of algae in geographically distant water bodies of diverse nature;
- Phytoplankton in water bodies of diverse nature: species composition and indicator properties;
- Cyanobacteria and algae in natural communities: new findings;
- Life cycle and molecular phylogeny;
- Biotechnological potential and practical applications of cyanobacteria and algae;
- Cultivation of cyanobacteria and microalgae; biologically active substances;
- Modern methods for monitoring taxonomic diversity of algae: molecular genetic analysis and metabarcoding.
Postgraduate and undergraduate students delivered 11 oral presentations. Among them, Anna P. Seleznyova was awarded a diploma for the best presentation titled «The effects of varying nitrogen concentrations in the culture medium on the growth, pigment composition and fatty acid profile of diatoms.» Affiliation: K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow.
Thirty-six presentations were featured during the poster session, including 11 by postgraduate, undergraduate students, and school students. Among them, Maria O. Shchukina was awarded a diploma for the best poster presentation titled «River continuum or habitat heterogeneity? A comparative analysis of eukaryotic phytoplankton in the Volga River using metabarcoding data.» Affiliation: I.D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok.
A diploma was awarded for a poster presentation by a school student, Elizaveta A. Podunay titled «Features of sexual reproduction and the life cycle of Neosynedra delicatissima (Bacillariophyta).» Affiliation: Gymnasium No. 5, Feodosia, Republic of Crimea.
The following roundtable discussions were held:
Roundtable No. 1. Information about All-Russian and International conferences on phycology that took place in 2026.
Roundtable No. 2. The development of Russian journals.
In the lobby of the Pribaikalskaya Hotel, there was a photo exhibition of Andrey I. Tanichev titled «Zapovednoye Pribaikalye» (Baikal Region Reserve Areas), alongside the «Dykhanie» (Breath) workshop exhibition of handcrafted jewelry inspired by micrographs of algae. Conference participants were presented with monographs authored by staff members of LIN SB RAS.
Thirty-eight participants took part in the conference remotely.
Following the conference, a collection of abstracts was published: V62 Algae: Problems of Taxonomy and Ecology, Use in Monitoring and Biotechnology [Electronic resource]: VIII All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation (Irkutsk, Listvyanka, Russia, September 7–11, 2026)—Abstracts. Edited by Ye.V. Likhoshway (Dr Sc in Biology, Professor), E.G. Sorokovikova (Cand Sc in Biology), and T.A. Shcherbakova (Cand Sc in Biology).—Electronic text data (7.75 MB).—Irkutsk: Asprint, 2026.—175 p.—ISBN 978-5-908115-58-2.
Some of the conference materials were published as articles in a special issue of the journal «Limnology and Freshwater Biology» (https://doi.org/10.31951/2658-3518-2026-A-4) and were accepted for publication in the journal «Issues in Modern Phycology» (https://www.algology.ru/index.php?q=47).
In addition to the scientific program, conference participants and 12 accompanying persons took part in the educational excursions led by lecturers and guides. These included:
- A tour of the main exhibition and the arboretum at the Baikal Museum SB RAS, conducted by Elena V. Mincheva and guides from the Baikal Museum;
- A walking tour to the «Chersky Stone» observation point, led by Yulia R. Zakharova (LIN SB RAS);
- An excursion across the southern basin of Lake Baikal (near Cape Tolsty and the Circum-Baikal Railway) aboard the Limnological Institute’s research vessels «Akademik Koptyug» and «Titov», accompanied by guides from the «Zapovednoye Pribaikalye» organization—Andrey I. Tanichev and Svetlana A. Kozlova—along with phycologist lecturers from LIN SB RAS: Olga I. Belykh, Yulia R. Zakharova, Ekaterina G. Sorokovikova, and Ekaterina D. Bedoshvili;
- A performance at the Baikal Seal Aquarium in the settlement of Listvyanka, directed by Evgeny A. Baranov;
- A visit to the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory (Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS) and the atmospheric monitoring station (LIN SB RAS), guided by Maxim Y. Shikhovtsev (LIN SB RAS);
- A lecture titled «Mysteries of Lake Baikal biodiversity,» featuring a film viewed through VR headsets, presented by Sergey I. Didorenko (Baikal Museum SB RAS);
- A lecture titled «Diving research in Lake Baikal,» which included the opportunity to try on diving equipment and a virtual tour of the lake floor, presented by Aleksander B. Kupchinsky, Director of the Baikal Museum SB RAS.
- Excursion and practical workshop, "The living world of Lake Baikal under a microscope": collecting samples of aquatic organisms at the source of the Angara River and analyzing them under a microscope. A game of "Mafia" with a Baikal-themed twist, facilitated by Dmitry Y. Karnaukhov (LINSB RAS).
- An educational, historical walking tour, «Getting to know Listvyanka», led by Elena V. Golovacheva (LIN SB RAS).
- An excursion to the «Taltsy» Museum of Wooden Architecture, accompanied by Darya P. Petrova (LIN SB RAS).
The conference resolution included the following points upon the conference conclusion:
1. Conference participants expressed opposition to the «algolization» of water bodies;
2. The urgent need for the publication of modern, Russian-language atlases and identification keys for algae was highlighted;
3. The city of Petrozavodsk (Karelian Research Centre) was selected as the venue for the IX All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation «Algae: Problems of Taxonomy and Ecology, and Their Use in Monitoring and Biotechnology»;
4. The establishment of a Russian Phycological Society, focusing specifically on providing expert assessments on issues related to aquatic ecology, was proposed.
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The conference was organized by Limnological Institute Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS) and the I.I. Molchanov-Sibirsky Irkutsk Regional State Universal Scientific Library. Staff members from the LIN SB RAS Department of Cell Ultrastructure, Laboratory of Aquatic Microbiology, and Information and Analysis Department were involved in the conference organization.
The conference was supported by the Baikal Museum SB RAS, Siblabservice, En+, Sberbank of Russia, the Baikal Seal Aquarium, Zapovednoye Pribaikalye, LEGEND of BAIKAL, and the Duma of the Irkutsk Municipal District.
Thanks to all for the assistance and participation in the conference!
Yelena V. Likhoshway
Chair of the Conference Organizing Committee
Dr Sc in Biology, Professor
