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This article presents an analysis of the microbial community growing on a stainless steel plate. A sample from this plate has been tested for the rpoC gene. Dominant biofilm species (clones) were identified with the help of molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene fragment. The activities of planktonic microorganisms and biofilm microorganisms attached to the plate were compared. Seven of nineteen sequences (37%) were found to belong to the Sphingobacteria group. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences cloned from natural biofilms sampled from Lake Baikal showed a great variety of microorganisms in the biofilm. The following taxonomic groups were revealed among them: sphingobacteria, α-proteobacteria, cyanobacteria, verrucomicrobia, bacilli, γ-proteobacteria, flavobacteria, and β-proteobacteria. This kind of analysis was done in Lake Baikal for the first time.

Development of benthic communities on rocks from the interdisciplinary test site near Cape Berezovyi (southern Baikal) is analyzed. Rock plates were placed on the bottom in the shallow-water zone of Baikal for six months, and a community consisting of microorganisms, microphytobenthos, and meiobenthos developed on them. The development and activity of hydrobionts depended on the chemical composition and structure of the rock. Marble and granite plates were populated by them more selectively than amphibolite plates. It is supposed that the biota plays an important role in destruction of rocks in the shallow-water zone of Baikal.