Soda lakes of the Southern Transbaikal - unique ecosystems

Soda lakes are found in the steppe zone of the Southern Transbaikal. Distinctive features of waters of soda lakes are high mineralization and extreme alkaline values of pH. Such conditions cause the development in the water and bottom sediments of alkalophilic microorganisms capable of carrying out biochemical reactions in the alkaline conditions of the medium. The main role in the production of organic matter in these ecosystems is played by cyanobacteria, which are the structural basis of microbial mats. Soda lakes of Transbaikalia are places of treatment and recreation for the local population. The therapeutic effect of soda lakes is due to the physiological action of alkaline water, a concentrated solution of brine salts and the complex effect of mud sediments. In the creation of biologically active substances in water, brine and mud, aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms participate.