Papers by Anastasia Yurtseva
Contemporary problems of ecology, Apr 1, 2024
Sibirskij èkologičeskij žurnal, 2022
Evolutionary Ecology Research, 2019
Evolutionary Ecology Research, 2019
Hypothesis: Fluctuating asymmetry (FA)-random deviations from perfect symmetry that are used as a... more Hypothesis: Fluctuating asymmetry (FA)-random deviations from perfect symmetry that are used as a measure of developmental stability-is an effective indicator of stress and fitness in threespine stickleback. Organisms: The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and two other species, the brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) and ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), were the focus of a review of the literature. In addition, four populations of G. aculeatus-one anadromous population from the Kamchatka River, two marine populations from the White Sea, and one freshwater population from the White Sea basin-were studied in the field. Methods: A review of the literature relating fluctuating asymmetry to different variables, and a comparison of fluctuating asymmetry in four populations of stickleback, which differed in geographical distribution and life history, using lateral plates and four cranial bones (operculum, lachrymal, third suborbital, quadrate). Results: An appraisal of the literature on fluctuating asymmetry suggests that decreasing interest in FA studies has likely resulted from conflicting research results. To some extent, this problem is likely caused by the morphological structures used in FA analysis, which are generally limited to the lateral plates and pelvic fins. These structures can evolve quickly in response to various environmental changes, thus their fluctuating asymmetry reflects not only individual fitness and stress, but also multiple uncontrolled factors that may directly affect those same structures. Using four cranial bones in our analysis showed lower fluctuating asymmetry in anadromous stickleback from the Kamchatka Peninsula compared with marine and freshwater stickleback from the White Sea and its basin. This may be caused by more favourable feeding conditions in the North Pacific than in the White Sea. The different environmental conditions at these locations did not appear to have a significant effect on fluctuating asymmetry, although the comparison of freshwater, anadromous, and marine populations showed that the fluctuating asymmetry of the structures we used is responsive to these differences. Our
Diversity
Studies of speciation and intraspecific differentiation in salmonid fishes are traditionally base... more Studies of speciation and intraspecific differentiation in salmonid fishes are traditionally based on analysis of osteological traits. In the current study the variation of osteological traits was compared between two Atlantic salmon forms: anadromous and landlocked. Each form was represented by three samples: one from a wild population, and two from hatcheries; i.e., we studied six samples in total. In total, 45 osteological characters were analyzed. Differences between the forms were found to be genetically determined to a substantial extent. The factor “origin” explained 48% of the total morphological difference between the fish samples; the factor “habitat”, 32%; and their interaction, 14%. Phenotypic plasticity of the anadromous form was observed to be lower than that of the landlocked form. We consider that the higher phenotypic plasticity may compensate for a decrease in genetic diversity which is observed in landlocked forms of the species.
Contemporary Problems of Ecology, 2022
Abstract— The round goby is a small demersal fish that is considered one of the top invasive fish... more Abstract— The round goby is a small demersal fish that is considered one of the top invasive fish species. Having settled far beyond its native Ponto–Caspian region, the round goby currently inhabits the basins of the Baltic and North Seas, as well as the Great Lakes of North America. Since 2005, the species has been increasingly recorded in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Finland, where one of its northernmost populations has been formed. This work is focused on studying the morphological differentiation of the round goby from different parts of the Gulf of Finland in order to assess the spatial heterogeneity of its populations and their isolation and to suggest the most probable ways the species penetrated and dispersed there. Four samples were compared according to 5 meristic and 35 morphometric traits. The traits characterized the number of fin rays and rows of scales along the body, the shape of the body and head, and the position and shape of the fins. The comp...
Contemporary Problems of Ecology, 2020
Abstract This review summarizes and analyzes data on the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus acul... more Abstract This review summarizes and analyzes data on the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus L. of the White Sea, which is currently the most abundant fish in the region and, therefore, plays an important role in inshore and offshore communities. The threespine stickleback was abundant in the 1920s–1940s; its numbers declined significantly between the late 1960s and late 1990s and have increased again since then, showing a positive correlation with water temperature. In order to reveal the mechanisms of changes in the population of this species and to assess its role in the marine ecosystems, various aspects of the population biology of the species (interannual and seasonal population dynamics, spatial heterogeneity, age and sex structure, lipid and fatty acid status, homing, and fluctuating asymmetry), as well as its interactions with other organisms (feeding characteristics of adults and juveniles, role in feeding predatory fish, association with eelgrass, parasite composition and spatial distribution, and relationships with competing species) are analyzed.
Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2010
The round goby has established in all Baltic Sea sub-basins and is continuously increasing its ra... more The round goby has established in all Baltic Sea sub-basins and is continuously increasing its range and abundance in recently colonized habitats. The species has become the predominant fish species in many coastal areas and poses strong predatory pressure essentially on epibenthic mollusks. It has also become an important prey species in areas where it is numerous, with signs of individual-level benefits for some piscivorous fish. Results and assessment Current status in the Baltic Sea Round goby is an invasive species of Ponto-Caspian origin, likely transported to the Baltic Sea via ballast water (Sapota 2006). It was first observed in the Baltic Sea in Gulf of Gdansk in 1990 (Skóra and Stolarski 1993). Round goby is currently considered as one of the top invasive species in the Baltic Sea (Kornis et al. 2012, Ojaveer and Kotta 2015). It has been established in all Baltic Sea sub-basins (Figure 1).
Long-term deterioration of water quality is known to reduce the importance of benthic ecosystem m... more Long-term deterioration of water quality is known to reduce the importance of benthic ecosystem metabolism in shallow coastal ecosystems, but drivers of spatial and short-term variability in ecosystem metabolism are poorly understood. We addressed this knowledge gap through detailed seasonal measurements of ecosystem metabolism across depth gradients from shallow (2 to 3 m) eelgrass-dominated to deeper (4 to 5 m) muddy regions of a shallow, productive estuary. Combined measurements of gross primary production (GPP), respiration (R) and, by difference, net ecosystem production (NEP) by the open-water diel oxygen technique and in situ chamber incubations showed high importance of shallow eelgrass habitats for metabolism at the system scale. Seasonal variations in GPP, R and NEP increased with light availability and temp erature with highest NEP in all habitats during the warm and sunny mid-summer. The shallow eelgrass-dominated and neighboring habitats were seasonally net autotrophic ...
Biological Communications
Sexual dimorphism (SD) in the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus reflects the differen... more Sexual dimorphism (SD) in the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus reflects the different roles of the sexes in reproduction and their adaptations to different ecological niches. We quantified SD in one population of marine stickleback from the White Sea, collected during the spawning period from three spawning grounds, each at a distance of 5 km or less from the others. We used a landmark-based approach to quantify variation in 44 morphometric linear traits. In total, 749 females and 693 males were analyzed. In males, anterior body parts are larger — the base of the caudal fin and armor structures such as the first and second dorsal spines and the pelvic spine. Females have larger posterior bodies — the abdomen, pelvic girdle and the third dorsal spine. The SD of caudal body parts exhibits complex patterns. In White Sea threespine stickleback, SD patterns are generally similar to other populations of the species, but more often show male-biased patterns. Female-biased size...
Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814), is a fish of Ponto-Caspian origin that has... more The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814), is a fish of Ponto-Caspian origin that has been invading the Baltic Sea since the 1990s. Currently, it is abundant and commercially important in some areas of the sea. This species was first reported in the eastern Gulf of Finland (GoF) in 2012. Its occurrence increased thereafter, however it has remained largely unstudied in this region. The aim of this study was to investigate the population characteristics of the round goby in the eastern GoF to better understand its expansion trend and whether it will become abundant enough to be exploited by the local fishery. Fish were caught using multi-mesh gillnets (12–60 mm mesh) and a beach seine (0.5–10 mm mesh). Occurrence, density, catch per unit effort, biomass per unit effort, relative number and biomass in catches, as well as age, size and sex ratio were studied. The species regularly occurred in samplings along the southern coastline of the GoF, as well as some central areas an...
Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2010
The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether vertebral deformities influence on the grow... more The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether vertebral deformities influence on the growth performance of salmon, and if so, at what level of severity the growth performance ⁄ welfare is affected. To do this, Atlantic salmon postsmolts were individually tagged and reared in a common seacage from January 2005 until January 2006. At the end of the experiment, dissected vertebral columns were radiographed, evaluated for vertebral deformities, and the location and type of deformity was recorded. For statistical analysis the fish were grouped according to the number of deformed (d) vertebrae (v); 0 dv (n = 173), 1-5 dv (n = 43), 6-10 dv (n = 11), 11-20 dv (n = 18) and 21-44 dv (n = 31). In fish with less than six dv, the deformities were found within the tail fin region (v 50-58). Fish with 11-20 dv also had a high occurrence of dv within the tail region (V31-49), and fish with more than 20 dv also had a high occurrence of dv within the caudal trunk region (V9-30). Growth was significantly influenced by the number of dv. At the end of the experiment, fish with more than 10 dv were shorter and had a higher condition factor than normal fish, and fish with more than 20 dv were shorter, had lower weight and a higher condition factor than normal fish. In the first period in seawater (January-June) there was no detectable differences in growth (length or weight) between the groups, but the condition factor of the individuals with a high number of dv increased. In the second period (June-January), fish with more than 10 dv, had a significantly lower growth rate. This study indicate that a low occurrence of vertebral deformities have little effect on the growth performance ⁄ welfare of salmon. Data sampling On 12 January 2005, 96 fish were killed and radiographed and 408 fish were measured for fork length to the nearest 0.1 cm and body weight to the nearest 0.1 g. All the fish were also
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Papers by Anastasia Yurtseva