The morphological characteristics of Artemia shrimps from Siberian populations

Morphological analysis of characteristics of shrimps from parthenogenetic and bisexual Artemia populations from a vast territory from the Urals to the Sayan Mountains was made. A normal distribution of the majority of parameters and a different degree of their interrelation and dependence on some environmental factors (salinity, ion composition, and ratio) were recorded. The analysis included seasonal, interannual, and sexual variability of Artemia. The greatest influence of salinity and separately of main ions (except for carbonates, hydrocarbonates, and calcium) on the abdomen and furca structure is shown. No correlation was found between water salinity and body length. The cluster analysis of a complex of morphological parameters showed grouping of populations by salinity of lakes instead of their geographical position and sexual structure of populations.