Population of silver crucian carp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius auratus</Emphasis> (Cypriniformes,Cyprinidae) with “golden” individuals in the pond of the city of Volgograd

In the pond Gornaya Polyana of the city of Volgograd, the population of silver crucian carp Carassius auratus, some individuals of which have coloration similar to that of goldfish, were found. The studied “golden” individuals from this population morphologically do not differ from individuals of the same size from other populations of C. auratus that consist of typically colored individuals. Nevertheless, the total sample of C. auratus from Gornaya Polyana differs from samples of other populations of Volgograd oblast, besides the presence in it of “golden” individuals also, on average, in larger scales. The assumption is made that the population of C. auratus from Gornaya Polyana pond initially represented a naturalized goldfish. After mass dispersal of the Eurasian silver crucian carp C. auratus in the basin of the Lower Volga, hybridization between these two forms likely occurred. It is suggested that, over the territory of the former Soviet Union, several other populations of C. auratus that originated from the goldfish or have an admixture of its genes existed and exist.     

Chromosomal polymorphism in the populations of malaria mosquito <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anopheles messeae</Emphasis> (Diptera,Culicidae) in the Volga region

We studied the species composition and chromosomal variability of malaria mosquitoes in the Volga Basin (Upper, Middle, and Lower Volga regions). We investigated larvae karyotypes of sibling species of the Anopheles maculipennis group. We calculated the frequencies of chromosomal inversions in the local populations of the dominant species An. messeae. We discovered that karyotypic structure of An. messeae populations depends on landscape-climatic zones. Populations of the Upper, Middle and Lower Volga differ in frequency of chromosome inversions XL, 2R, 3R, and 3L.     

Migrations and resources of sterlet <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser ruthenus</Emphasis> (Acipenseridae) from the lower reaches of the Volga River

Based on long-term materials, spawning, postspawning, and downstream migrations of the Lower Volga sterlet Acipenser ruthenus were studied. The dates, extent, pattern (two-step and one-step) and main parameters of the spawning and postspawning migrations of the previously separated three populations of the Lower Volga starlet—Volgograd and eastern and western delta ones were established. The main differences of the downstream migration of this potanadromous species from that of anadromous species of acipenserids were revealed. It was found that, after downstream migration, juveniles of sterlet form a continuous chain of aggregations from the dam of the Volgograd Hydraulic Power System to the Caspian Sea. Each link of this chain acts as a center of formation of local groups of sterlet that are components of the distinguished populations. It is shown that the observed distribution of sterlet in the lower reaches of the Volga is determined by the location of the spawning grounds of individual populations and the extent of downstream migrations of prolarvae and larvae. The total extent of migrations of sterlet is small (it does not exceed 250 km), which is a cause of the relative isolation of the previously distinguished populations. The stocks of Volgograd sterlet are exhausted at the present time; the recovery of its stock is possible, first of all, at the expense of a decrease in illegal fishing. The resources of the eastern and western delta populations of sterlet are in a satisfactory condition.     

Molecular genetic analysis of five extant reserves of black honeybee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis melifera melifera</Emphasis> in the Urals and the Volga region

Local populations of the black honeybee Apis mellifera mellifera from the Urals and the Volga region were examined in comparison with local populations of southern honeybee subspecies A. m. caucasica and A. m. carpatica from the Caucasus and the Carpathians. Genetic analysis was performed on the basis of the polymorphism of nine microsatellite loci of nuclear DNA and the mtDNA COI–COII locus. On the territory of the Urals and the Volga region, five extant populations (reserves) of the black honeybee A. m. mellifera were identified, including the Burzyanskaya, Tatyshlinskaya, Yuzhno-Prikamskaya, Visherskaya, and Kambarskaya populations. These five populations are the basis of the modern gene pool of the black honeybee A. m. mellifera from the Urals and the Volga region. The greatest proportion of the remaining indigenous gene pool of A. m. mellifera (the core of the gene pool of the population of A. m. mellifera) is distributed over the entire territory of Perm krai and the north of the Republic of Bashkortostan. For the population of A. m. mellifera from the Urals and the Volga region, the genetic standards were calculated, which will be useful for future population studies of honeybees.     

Dynamics of species composition of fish and some results of ichthyomonitoring in the middle course of the Oka (Ryazan oblast)

The dynamics of species composition of fish from the middle course of the Oka is considered. A total of 53 species of Cyclostomata and fish was previously recorded; however, only 43 species have been found at the present time. Due to different causes, ten species have disappeared, and ten new species have emerged. The species composition and structure of aboriginal fish population are characterized by relative stability; however, the total abundance of fish during the current decade, as compared to the 1970s, has considerably decreased. The sterlet Acipenser ruthenus, lake minnow Phoxinus precnurus, Volga zander Sander volgensis, and freshwater sculpin Cottus gobio belong to rare fish.     

Genetic polymorphism of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tulipa gesneriana</Emphasis> L. evaluated on the basis of the ISSR marking data

Using the method of ISSR analysis, the genetic diversity of 18 natural populations of Tulipa gesneriana L. from the north of the Lower Volga region was examined. The ten ISSR primers used in the study provided identification of 102 PCR fragments, of which 50 were polymorphic (49.0%). According to the proportion of polymorphic markers, two population groups were distinguished: (1) the populations in which the proportion of polymorphic markers ranged from 0.35 to 0.41; (2) the populations in which the proportion of polymorphic markers ranged from 0.64 to 0.85. UPGMA clustering analysis provided subdivision of the sample into two large clusters. The unrooted tree constructed using the Neighbor Joining algorithm had similar topology. The first cluster included slightly variable populations and the second cluster included highly variable populations. The AMOVA analysis showed statistically significant differences (F_CT = 0.430; p = 0.000) between the two groups. Local populations are considerably genetically differentiated from each other (F_ST = 0.632) and have almost no links via modern gene flow, as evidenced by the results of the Mantel test (r =–0.118; p = 0.819). It is suggested that the degree of genetic similarities and differences between the populations depends on the time and the species dispersal patterns on these territories.     

Analysis of microsatellite loci variability in rare and endemic species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium regelianum</Emphasis> A.K. Becker ex Iljin

SSR analysis of rare and endemic species Allium regelianum, which grows in the south of Russia, was performed for the first time. Variability analysis of 88 accessions of A. regelianum was carried out using four highly polymorphic microsatellite loci (PIC value ranged from 0.55 to 0.72). SSR-analysis made it possible to revealed polymorphism within and among the populations of A. regelianum from Volgograd region. Analysis of Wright’s F-statistics and the analysis of molecular variance showed that more than 90% of total genetic variation of the species was attributed to the differences within the populations and less than 10% of the differences were found among the populations. Cluster analysis of 46 accessions of A. regelianum from three populations of Volgograd region and principal coordinate analysis of all accessions did not reveal differentiation among the populations.     

Opisthobranch gastropods from the Lower Cretaceous of the Ulyanovsk Volga Region: 1. Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tornatellaea</Emphasis> Conrad

Five new species of the genus Tornatellaea from the Lower Cretaceous of the Volga Region near Ulyanovsk, T. kabanovi sp. nov. (Hauterivian), T. densistriata sp. nov., T. gracilis sp. nov., T. volgensis sp. nov. (Barremian), and T. sinzovi sp. nov. (Aptian), are described. The data on geographical and stratigraphical distribution of new taxa are provided.     

New data on acoustic communication and ecology of grasshoppers of the genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eremippus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dociostaurus</Emphasis> (Orthoptera,Acrididae) and notes on the use of bioacoustic data in supraspecific taxonomy of the subfamily Gomphocerinae

The calling songs of Dociostaurus hauensteini, Eremippus simplex, E. miramae, and E. sobolevi are described for the first time. The species composition and ecology of grasshoppers of the genus Eremippus from the Lower Volga basin were studied. Reproductive isolation between Eremippus species in this region was shown to be determined principally by the differences in the acoustic behavior. The calling songs were compared in five Eremippus species, and divided into three groups according to their amplitude-temporal patterns. The importance of bioacoustic data for supraspecific taxonomy of the subfamily Gomphocerinae is discussed.     

Genetic diversity and reproductive traits in triploid and tetraploid populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gladiolus tenuis</Emphasis> (Iridaceae)

Most perennial herbaceous plants are able to reproduce vegetatively as well as sexually. Sometimes, such plants may lose the capacity for sexual reproduction. We have studied the case of sterility in triploid populations (2n = 3x = 45) of Gladiolus tenuis M.Bieb. in a considerable part of its area of distribution. Initially, we recorded the presence of a large clone of G. tenuis to the east of the Volga River, as a result of isozyme analysis. We also used AFLP fingerprinting to genotype 55 samples from 10 populations of G. tenuis and one population of the closely related G. imbricutus L. This analysis revealed an extremely low genetic diversity in sterile triploid populations of G. tenuis and a rather high genetic diversity in fertile tetraploid populations (2n = 4x = 60) over most of the area of this species. Genetic distances between fertile and sterile populations of G. tenuis were similar to those between different species of gladioli. It appears that a single sterile genotype has spread vegetatively over 800 km, propagating by daughter corms. The study of the reproductive features of G. tenuis suggests that the cause of sterility may be self-incompatibility between individuals of the clone.     

Using genetic monitoring to inform best practice in a captive breeding programme: inbreeding and potential genetic rescue in the freshwater pearl mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Margaritifera margaritifera</Emphasis>

Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) populations are declining in Northern Ireland to the extent that a captive breeding programme was established on the Upper Ballinderry river in 1998. Previous genetic analysis of the hatchery broodstock and their first cohort of offspring showed significant levels of inbreeding (F _IS  = 0.166). The broodstock, which currently numbers ca. 90 individuals, was supplemented with new individual mussels, whilst in 2013, a previously unknown population was discovered on the Lower Ballinderry river. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the rotation of the broodstock has led to a decrease in the levels of inbreeding in the second cohort of juveniles, and to determine whether the new population found in the Lower Ballinderry was genetically distinct from the captive bred population and populations from the Upper Ballinderry, which represent the source of the hatchery broodstock. Genotyping using eight microsatellite markers indicated that levels of inbreeding in the second cohort of captive-bred mussels were high, (F _IS  = 0.629), and were comparable to those sampled from the original cohort and the hatchery broodstock (F _IS  = 0.527 and 0.636 respectively). Bayesian analysis of population structure indicated that the newly discovered Lower Ballinderry population was genetically distinct from the broodstock and its source populations on the Upper Ballinderry. The observed differentiation was primarily due to differences in allele frequencies, and was most likely a result of genetic drift. The occurrence of ten alleles, albeit at low frequency, in the Lower Ballinderry population, including four private alleles, suggests that this new population could be incorporated into the broodstock with the aim of decreasing levels of inbreeding in the future.     

Evaluation of phylogenetic relationships in the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mus</Emphasis> using <Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis>-specific microsatellite DNA markers

The t-complex includes a complex system of genes localized in the proximal region of chromosome 17 of house mouse Mus musculus. The results of microsatellite analysis of laboratory stocks of house mice carrying t ¹², t ^w5, t ^w12, and t ^w73 haplotypes and wild mice from natural populations of Russia (Volgograd, Rostov, Saratov oblasts, and Kalmykia), Armenia, Bulgaria, Iran, and Mongolia performed by the PCR method with the use of eight pairs of D17Mit primers (16, 21, 23, 28, 32, 57, 63, 78) are presented. These pairs of primers amplify microsatellite DNA sequences on mouse chromosome 17 in the region from 7.6 to 18.8 cM that correspond to inversions (In (17) 3.4). Each pair of primers recognized three to six variants of nucleotide sequences ranging in size from 90–120 bp (D17Mit 16) to 300–330 bp (D17Mit 57). In most cases, two variants of nucleotide sequences were detected in each individual, i. e., most individuals were heterozygous for the microsatellite loci under study. The highest similarity of the spectra of microsatellite DNA fragments was revealed in laboratory stocks of house mice carrying the t ^w5 and t ^w73 haplotypes. The spectra of animals from the Rostov and Volgograd oblasts appeard to be most similar to them. The microsatellite spectra of individuals from Iran closely resemble the spectrum of an individual from Armenia. It was demonstrated that amplified microsatellite fragments localized in the region of the t-complex can be used to identify representatives of the Mus genus from wild populations.     

A deep sequencing approach to estimate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum</Emphasis> complexity of infection (COI) and explore apical membrane antigen 1 diversity

Background

Humans living in regions with high falciparum malaria transmission intensity harbour multi-strain infections comprised of several genetically distinct malaria haplotypes. The number of distinct malaria parasite haplotypes identified from an infected human host at a given time is referred to as the complexity of infection (COI). In this study, an amplicon-based deep sequencing method targeting the Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (pfama1) was utilized to (1) investigate the relationship between P. falciparum prevalence and COI, (2) to explore the population genetic structure of P. falciparum parasites from malaria asymptomatic individuals participating in the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and (3) to explore selection pressures on geospatially divergent parasite populations by comparing AMA1 amino acid frequencies in the DRC and Mali.

Results

A total of 900 P. falciparum infections across 11 DRC provinces were examined. Deep sequencing of both individuals, for COI analysis, and pools of individuals, to examine population structure, identified 77 unique pfama1 haplotypes. The majority of individual infections (64.5%) contained polyclonal (COI > 1) malaria infections based on the presence of genetically distinct pfama1 haplotypes. A minimal correlation between COI and malaria prevalence as determined by sensitive real-time PCR was identified. Population genetic analyses revealed extensive haplotype diversity, the vast majority of which was shared across the sites. AMA1 amino acid frequencies were similar between parasite populations in the DRC and Mali.

Conclusions

Amplicon-based deep sequencing is a useful tool for the detection of multi-strain infections that can aid in the understanding of antigen heterogeneity of potential malaria vaccine candidates, population genetics of malaria parasites, and factors that influence complex, polyclonal malaria infections. While AMA1 and other diverse markers under balancing selection may perform well for understanding COI, they may offer little geographic or temporal discrimination between parasite populations.

     

Morphological and Genetic Traits of Pikeperch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis> of the Volga–Akhtuba Aquatic System: on the Spatial Structure of a Species in the Lower Volga Basin

Characters of external morphology and ten loci of microsatellite DNA are investigated in pikeperch Sander lucioperca from the Volga–Akhtuba water system on sites of the Akhtuba and the Volga situated 150 km from the beginning of the Volga Delta and 300 km from the dam of the Volgograd Power Plant. Significant differences in plastic characters are found between samples from the Akhtuba and the Volga. Differences are also found in the genetic diversity of pikeperch: the found alleles are more numerous in most loci and the mean value of allele diversity is higher in the sample from the Akhtuba. At the same time, the calculated distance between samples of pikeperch is not certain. However, this may follow from limitations accompanying the calculation of differentiation parameters. The allele diversity and heterosis of pikeperch from the Akhtuba and the Volga are higher than those in populations from the Baltic basin and Western Europe. The known differences in external morphology and in genetic characters indicate to the present day partial separation of the Volga pikeperch from the Akhtuba pikeperch and that the found polymorphism of morphological and genetic characters reflects the ecological plasticity of the species, which is an adaptive response to changing environmental conditions.     

Rediscovery of type material of the bioerosional trace fossil <Emphasis Type="Italic">Talpina</Emphasis> von Hagenow, 1840 and its ichnotaxonomic implications

Friedrich von Hagenow is renowned for his seminal inventory of the diverse invertebrate fauna from the lower Maastrichtian chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of the Isle of Rügen, Germany. Tragically, his immense collection at Stettin (today Szczecin, Poland) was almost completely destroyed during World War II, including the type material of hundreds of species established by him during the first half of the 19th century. Seven belemnite specimens from his collection rediscovered at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, as well as 14 belemnites traced at the Museum für Mineralogie und Geologie at the Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, include syntypes of four Talpina ichnospecies, labelled T. ramosa, T. solitaria, T. foliacea and T. sentiformis. To document this material, a new ‘digital cylinder seal technique’ was applied. The rediscovered material allows lectotype designations for T. ramosa and T. solitaria (now Trypanites solitarius), whereas T. foliacea and T. sentiformis, which where not formally published by von Hagenow, are regarded as nomina nuda. As a consequence, the non-topotypical neotypes of T. ramosa and T. solitaria, as designated by Ehrhard Voigt in 1972, are obsolete.     

Consequences of the arms race between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Maculinea teleius</Emphasis> social parasite and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myrmica</Emphasis> host ants for myrmecophilous butterfly conservation

The arms race between Maculinea butterflies and Myrmica host ants leads to local host-parasite adaptations. In our study, we assessed whether sympatric and allopatric Myrmica scabrinodis populations exhibit behavioural differences towards Maculinea teleius larvae during the adoption-period when butterfly larvae need to be taken inside the Myrmica nest. The second aim was to assess the butterfly survival rate inside ant colonies from different populations. We used one sympatric host population and three allopatric populations: one infested by M. teleius and two uninfested populations. We found that ants from the sympatric population showed a higher number of positive behaviours toward M. teleius larvae during adoption than ants from the allopatric populations. There were no differences in the number of inspection or negative behaviour events. The survival of butterfly larvae was highest inside sympatric host colonies and differed from the survival of M. teleius reared by ants from the allopatric, uninfested populations. No difference was found for the survival rate of M. teleius raised by infested, allopatric host colonies compared to sympatric host populations. Our results suggest the lack of behavioural counter-adaptations of local hosts of M. teleius that more easily adopt and rear butterfly caterpillars compared to naive M. scabrinodis colonies. Our results may also have implications for Maculinea butterfly conservation, especially for reintroduction programmes. We suggest that the existence of behavioural host defences should be checked for the source host population, as well as for the Myrmica population from the reintroduction site. It may also be reasonable to introduce several Myrmica host colonies from the source butterfly host population.     

Distribution,abundance, and size structure of Amur kaluga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser dauricus</Emphasis> and Amur sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">A. schrenckii</Emphasis> in the Lower Amur and Amur Estuary

Distribution, population structure, and abundance of Amur kaluga Acipenser dauricus and Amur sturgeon A. schrenckii in the Lower Amur and Amur Estuary have been considered based on the materials of two surveys performed in 2011. Both species occur along almost the entire length of the Lower Amur and in major part of the Amur Estuary. The density of their aggregations has significantly decreased in most regions of the river if compared to the 1960s. In the Amur Estuary, A. dauricus and A. schrenckii are most abundant in freshwater and light salted water bodies of its western part. In 2011, the abundance and biomass of A. dauricus and A. schrenckii in the Lower Amur and Amur Estuary was 345000 specimens and 7110 tons and 289000 specimens and 1946 tons, respectively.     

Taxonomic implications of the morphological and genetic variation of cultivated and domesticated populations of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agave angustifolia</Emphasis> complex (Agavoideae,Asparagaceae) in Oaxaca,Mexico

The Agave angustifolia complex, distributed from Mexico to Costa Rica, comprises four species and five varieties, including three species used for mescal production. The complex is represented in the Mexican state of Oaxaca by two wild taxa, A. angustifolia var. angustifolia and A. angustifolia var. rubescens, the cultivated form A. angustifolia “Espadín” and the partially cultivated species A. rodacantha. The aims of this study were to investigate the morphological and genetic variation of the A. angustifolia complex in the state of Oaxaca and to identify traits useful for taxonomic delimitation. Four wild and three cultivated populations of A. angustifolia from Oaxaca, one population of A. tequilana from Guanajuato and one population of A. angustifolia from Sonora were sampled for morphological, genetic and cytometric analyses. We showed that cultivated populations of A. angustifolia “Espadin,” A. rhodacantha and A. tequilana could be clearly differentiated from wild populations. Furthermore, the domesticated populations of A. angustifolia, known locally as “Espadin,” had a higher ploidy level and lower genetic variation than their related wild populations. The population of A. angustifolia from Sonora could be recognized as a different entity. Populations of A. rhodacantha need to be studied throughout their entire distribution area to further evaluate their taxonomic delimitation.     

Chlorophyll Content as an Indicator of the Modern (2015–2016) Trophic State of Volga River Reservoirs

Data on the chlorophyll a (Chl a) content in water of the Volga River reservoirs sampled at 64–73 sampling stations in the summer period of 2015 and 2016, analyzed using the standard spectrophotometric method, are presented. Chl a content varied from a minimum of 0.9–3.0 to a maximum of 7.6–32.1 μg/L in June 2016, from 2.1–15.5 to 9.4–86 μg/L in August 2015, and from 1.1–6.7 to 15.1–62.7 μg/L in August 2016. A local increase in Chl a occurred in the near-dam areas of the reservoirs, as well as downstream of the confluence with tributaries. The highest Chl a concentrations were constantly recorded in the highly eutrophic Shoshinskii Reach in the Ivankovo Reservoir and at the Oka River mouth in the Cheboksary Reservoir. The average values of Chl a concentrations make it possible to classify the Ivankovo, Uglich, Rybinsk, and Cheboksary reservoirs as eutrophic; the Gorky and Kuibyshev reservoirs as moderately eutrophic; and the Saratov and Volgograd reservoirs as mesotrophic.     

On the distribution of riffle minnow <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alburnoides bipunctatus</Emphasis> (Cyprinidae) in the Volga Basin

On the basis of analysis of our own and published data on the distribution of the riffle minnow Alburnoides bipunctatus rossicus in rivers of the Volga Basin, the eastern boundary of the range of this subspecies included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation is specified. It is shown that A. bipunctatus is widely distributed in the entire basin of the Middle Volga and Kama, except the extreme northeast (mountain tributaries of the Upper Kama upstream the Chusovaya River), and rarely occurs in the Upper Volga Basin. The Tereshka River (Ulyanov oblast) and Chapaevka (Saratov oblast) should be considered the southern boundary of the distribution of the subspecies in the Volga Basin. Since the mid-1990s, a drastic and uniform increase in the number of findings and the abundance of A. bipunctatus is recorded. This species has become a common fish in many rivers and, in some cases, a dominant species in river ichthyocenoses. Possible causes of these changes are discussed, and a conclusion is made concerning the need of the revision of the status of the subspecies A. bipunctatus rossicus.