[Interactions between larvae of the hoverfly Eristalinus sepulchralis and microorganisms in the hydrothermal springs of the Uzon caldera, Kamchatka].

The physicochemical and microbial characteristics of some medium-temperature hydrotherms of Kamchatka Peninsula (Uzon caldera), habitats of the hoverfly Eristalinus sepulchralis larvae, were studied. In these hydrothermal vents, the larvae were found to use various prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms as a nutrient substrate. The rates of chemo- and photosynthetic activity of the suspended microbial communities inhabiting the hydrotherms and supporting the existence of larvae were measured. By light and electron microscopy, exo- and endosymbiotic prokaryotic microorganisms were revealed in the digestive and respiratory systems of larvae.