The collection [EMHC] at the Võrtsjärv Centre for Limnology comprises phyto- and zooplankton samples, gathered predominantly during the last fifty years from the Baltic Sea and from lakes and rivers of Estonia. There are also many samples from the beginning of the XX century. The collection as the whole is of particular value for the research of long-term climatic and ecological changes.
The collection includes the following parts.
Microscopic objects:
- phyto- and zooplankton samples (24 000, ca 200 gathered before World War II). Observational data about phytoplankton of the Lake Peipsi (years 1962 – 2023) are available: https://dspace.emu.ee/xmlui/handle/10492/3711
- mounted diatom samples (600 specimen gathered 1975-1997) and ca 1275 mounted specimens of phytoplankton and from microphytobenthos (collected in 1993-2023)
Zoobenthos:
- zoobenthos samples (>6000) collected from streams, lakes and Baltic Sea
- mounted oligochaetes (>4500 specimens, 27 type specimens)
- other macroinvertebrates (>3600 specimens)
- dried shells of large molluscs (ca 1900 specimens)
- photos of macroinvertebrates (ca 15 500 images)
Hydrophytes:
- vascular plants and mosses (>5200)
- collection of charophytes (ca 200)
Photos of waterbodies:
- 2700 images of Estonian waterbodies from different authors from 1926-1990, available at: https://koguddev.emu.ee/ehmc/en/fotod/
- 8600 images of waterbodies of Estonia and some neighbouring areas by H.Timm
Contact person: Henn Timm (henn.timm@emu.ee)