Department of Evolutionary Genetic and Fundamentals of Systematics

The principal area of research

Genetic mechanisms of evolutionary transformation and processes of changes in biodiversity relevant to conservation and sustainable management of animal wildlife resources.

History, principal direction and main results

The department was founded on the 01. 02. 2000. Mezhzherin S. V., a principal research scientist, Dr. Sci., Phd., was appointed the head of the Department. The initial task of the department is to organize and conduct evolutionary genetic research of animals in the wild at the level of molecular and genetic markers within the framework of the plans of the Institute. Later on the area of research was extended. Nowadays the main areas of our research are: search for patterns of evolutionary genetic changes in fragile taxonomic complexes in time and space; genetic screening of cryptic populations; identification of zones with genetic instability; GIS-modeling with the focus on the global climate change; solution of controversial issues in taxonomy of some vulnerable species complexes using DNA sequencing. The major results that were obtained in the last 10 years are: the conclusion that parthenogenetic reproduction by cloning is more effective than typical amphimixis (Mezhzherin S.V.); the condition and assessment of the dynamics of wildlife animal resources in Ukraine for the last 100 years has been revised; increase of genetic instability of clonal populations of loaches (genus Cobitis) occurring in the most contaminated rivers of the Right-bank Ukraine (Mezhzherin S.V., Tsyba O.A.), revision of Eastern European crayfish species composition (genus Astacus) with the evidence of the existence of two new species (Mezhzherin S.V., Kostyuk V.S., Zhalay O.I.); a description of the clonal structure of parthenogenetic weevils (family Curculionidae) and verification of the synthetic origin through multiple hybridization of modern species (Morozov-Leonov S. Y.); establishment of principles for making GIS-predictions of the expansion of invasive species. The invasion of Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) has been widely studied within Ukraine and the significance of the epigenetic structure of the invader for adapting to new habitat conditions has been examined (Tytar V.M.); a revision has been accomplished of the phylogeny and phylogeography of species belonging to the genera Spermophilus and Sicista (Rusin M.Yu.).

Publications

Since the foundation of the Department 7 monographs, 11 textbooks and training materials, which are endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Science, 3 vocabularies, 5 electronic tutorials, 371 journal articles, were published; 102 of them are present in the Scopus database.

Main publications:

Козиненко И.И. Титар В.М. Шуваликов В.Б. Зоологический мониторинг антропогенних воздействий – К.:Институт зоологи НАН Украины, 2003. – 78с.

Козиненко И.И. Титар В.М. Шуваликов В.Б. Природные популяции животных в зоне отчуждения чернобыльской АЭС: комплексный биомониторинг гомеостаза. Радиоэкологические исследования в зоне отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС. Труды Коми научного цетра УрО РАН, 2006, - № 180, - с.48-68.

Yanchukov A., Hofman S., Szymura J.M., Mezhzherin S.V., Morozov-leonov S.Yu., Barton N.H., Nurnberger B. Hybridization of Bombina bombina and B. variegata (Anura, Discoglossidae) at a sharp ecotone in Western Ukraine: comparisons across transects and over time // Evolution. 2006. V.60, N3. P. 583–600.

Межжерин C. В. Животные ресурсы Украины в свете стратегии устойчивого развития: аналитический справочник. Киев. Логос. 2008. 282 с.

Morozov-Leonov S. Y., Mezhzherin S. V., Nekrasova O. D., Kurtyak F. F., Shabanov D. A., Korshunov A. V. (2009) The parental genomes inheritance by the hybrid form Rana “esculenta” (Amphibia, Ranidae). Russian Journal of Genetics, 45, 488-495 [In Russian].

Mezhzherin S. V. The ploidy and genetic structure of hybrid populations of water frogs Pelophylax esculentus complex (Amphibia, Ranida) of Ukraine fauna. / S. V. Mezhzherin, S. Yu. Morozov-Leonov, O. V. Rostovskaya, L. Yu. Sobolenko // Cytology and Genetics. — 2010 — Vol. 44. — № 4. — P. 212-216.

Hadid Y., Nemeth A., Snir S., Pavlicek T., Csorba G., Kazmer M., Major A., Mezhzherin S.V., Rusin M., Coskun Y., Nevo E. Is evolution of blind mole rats determined by climate oscillations?// PLoS ONE. 2012. V.7. Is.1. e30043.

Титар В.М. Аналіз ареалів видів: підхід, заснований на моделюванні екологічної ніші // Вестн. зоології. – 2011. - Отд. вып. №25. – 204 с.

Межжерин С.В., Кокодий С.В., Кулиш А.В., Верлатый Д.Б., Федоренко Л.В. Гибридизация золотого карася (Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758)) в водоемах Украины и генетическая структура гибридов // Цитология и генетика. 2012. Т. 46. №1. С.37-46.

Межжерін С. В., Лашкова О. І. Ссавці України (довідник-визначник). Київ. Наукова Думка. 2013. 358 с.

Mezhzherin, S. V., Pukhtayevych, P. P., Tsyba, А. А. Absorbing hybridization of Cobitis taenia and Sabanejewia aurata (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae) in water reservoirs of Northern Ukraine connected with diploid-polyploid complex formation // Vestnik zoologii. 2014. V. 48, N 6. Р. 503-510.

Mezhzherin S.V., Kostyuk V.S., Garbar A.V., Zhalay E.I. The thick-clowes crayfish, Astacus pachypus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Astacidae), in Ukraine; caryotype, allozymes and morphological parameters // Vestnik zoologii. 2015. V.49, N1. P. 41-48

Hoffmann A., Plotner J., Pruvost N. B., Christiansen D. G., Rothlisberger S., Choleva L., Mikulicek P., Cogalniceanu D., Sas-Kovacs I., Shabanov D.,Morozov-Leonov S., Reyer H. U. Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of diploid and polyploid hybrid water frog populations (Pelophylax esculentus complex) across Europe. Molecular Ecology. 2015 24, 4371-4391.

Kokodiy S. V. Breeding potential of adventitious species of Carassius auratus and Carassius gibelio (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) in water bodies of Ukraine //Vestnik Zoologii. 2016. № 50. Т. 5. C. 423–428.

Межжерин С.В., Гарбар А.В., Власенко Р.П., Онищук И.П., Коцюба И.Ю., Жалай Е.И. Эволюционный парадокс партеногенетических дождевых червей. Киев: Наукова Думка, 2018. 232 с.

Межжерин С. В., Верлатый Д. Б. Проходные и пресноводные рыбы Нижнеднепровский эстуарной системы в начале XХІ столетия // Вестник зоологии. 2018. Отдельный выпуск. 36. 90 с.

Citation

References to scientific articles of researches in the Scopus database are within 15-30 per year (Mezhzherin S.V., Morozov-Leonov S.Yu.,Rusin M.Yu., Tytar V.M., Kokdiy S.V., Zhalai O.I.). The highest level of citation is 13, by H-index. (Mezhzherin S.V.).

Scientific and organizational activities

Our researchers are the members of academic councils (Institute of Zoology and Grand Ukrainian Encyclopedia), specialized scientific council of the I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology. They are the members of editorial board of certain scientific journals, the Ukrainian Red Data Book, the Grand Ukrainian Encyclopedia. Researchers of our Department peer review scientific programs and publications. They prepare responses to requests from public authorities (Cabinet of Ministers, Security Service of Ukraine, Antimonopoly Committee, Ministry of Ecology, Fiscal Service).

Workforce. Twenty employees worked at the Department since its foundation: 18 researchers with a scientific degree and 2 leading engineers. These days there are 2 Dr. Sci. and 7 Ph.d researchers. They work in 9 research areas. Four employees have retired (Shuvalikov V.B., Tkachenko V.O., Isayeva H. M., Zavodnikova N.S.), two (Dzeverin I.I.,Ghazali M.A. are members of the Department of Evolutionary Morphology. Lashkova O.I., Fedorenko L.V. work in other institutions. Berezovska O.P. and Yanchukov V.O. work abroad. Alekseeva A.I. (1949-2007) has passed away prematurely.

Pedagogical activity. (Shuvalikov V.B., and Mezhzherin S.V. delivered courses of evolutionary genetics at the Department of Biology and Medicine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Morozov-Leonov S.Yu. delivers a practical course of medical parasitology. Mezhzherin S.V. has been lecturing at the Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University for 15 years.

The total number of post-graduate students who obtained a Ph.d degree at the Department is 24. Another 6 worked at the Department as applicants. There are 4 fellowships who obtained their Dr. Sci degree at our Department under the leadership of Mezhzherin S.V.

Defended Doctoral theses:

1. Dzeverin I.I. Mechanisms affecting the evolutionary change of cranial structures in Myotis and related vespertilionid taxa (2012).

2. Garbar O.V. Hybridization phenomena and their evolutionary significance: earthworms and pulmonate mollusks as the example (2012).

3. Yanovych L.M. Unionida Rafinesque, 1820 (Bivalvia) in modern ecological conditions in Ukraine (population state, sex structure and reproduction peculiarities, biocenotic links and the fauna) (2013).

4. Morozov-Leonov C. Yu. Hybridization of amphibians: population structure, evolutionary sence, hybrid biotypes status (2014).

Defended PhD theses:

1. Morozov-Leonov S. Yu. Genetic processes in hybrid populations of water frogs Rana esculenta L. complex of Ukraine (1998).

2. Yanchukov A.W. Structure of the hybrid zone between Bombina bombina and Bombina variegate (Anura, Discoglossidae) in Ukraine Pre-Carpathian(2002).

3. Nekrasova O.D. Population structure and hybridization of green frogs of the Rana esculenta complex from urban territories of Middle Dnieper basin (2002).

4. Lashkova E.I. Wood mice Sylvaemus (Muridae) from the Ukraine fauna: geographic distribution, morphometric variation, and identification (2003).

5. Lisetskaya T.J. Structure of the spined loaches of genus Cobitis Sabanejewia (Cyprinifirmes: Cobitidae) Middle Dnepr Basin and Severskiy Donetz River (2004).

6. Kurtyak F.F. The amphibians of the flat Transcarpathians area: status of fauna and the analysis of problem groups (2004).

7. Fedorenko L.V. Systematical, biological, morphological and genetic structure of shad genus Alosa (Clupeiformes, Alosinae) from Danube (2006).

8. Zhalay O.I. Immunogenetic analysis of peculiarities hybrid green frogs populations Rana esculenta comlex of Ukraine.

9. Vlasenko R. P. The taxonomy of Aporrectodea (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) genus earthworms in the fauna of Ukraine: biochemical-genetic, karyological and morphological approaches (2008).

10. Pavlenko L. I. Genetic structure and hybridization of diploid-polyploid complex of spined loaches genus Cobitis (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae) in Ukraine (2008).

11. Kokodiy S.V. Natural hybridization of golden crucian carp Carassius Carassius (L., 1758) with prussian carp C. auratus (L.1758) s. lato in the Dnieper basin.

12. Ghazali M.A. Odontometric variation in Myotis species (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from the Ukraine fauna: evolutionary, functional, ecological aspects (2010).

13. Sobolenko L. Yu. Amphibians and Reptiles of Western Podillya: fauna, ecology and distribution of species (2010).

14. Rostovska O.V. Geographical patterns of structural changes of green frog hybrid populations of the Pelophylax esculentus complex (Linnaeus, 1758) in Ukraine (2010).

15. Vasilyeva L.A. Unionida (Bivalvia) in the fauna of Ukraine: allozymic and morphological variability (2011).

16. Kotsyuba I.Y. The structure of mass diploid and polyploid partenogenetic earthworms (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) populations within Ukraine (2011).

17. Korshunova O.D. Allospecies structure and introgressive hybridization in Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758) s. lato (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) within Ukraine (2012).

18. Verlaty D.B. Freshwater and anadromous fish of Nizhnedneprovsky Basin: species composition, abundance and changes in population structure of commercial species (2012).

19. Kulish A. Structure and dynamics of communities Carassius (Jarocki, 1822) reservoirs in Eastern Ukraine (2013).

20. Rusin M.Yu. Rare and endangered species of rodents of the Steppe zone of Eastern Ukraine (2013).

21. Kostyuk V.S. Genetic and morphological variability, species structure of freshwater crayfish Astacidae Latreille, 1802-1803 in the fauna of Ukraine (2013).

22. Tsyba A.O. Modern ichthyofauna of Stugna river, as reflection of the state of fish population in small river basin of the Middle Dnieper(2014).

23. Andriichuk T.V. Variability and Reproductive Organs` Structure of Viviparus vivipurus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Viviparus contectus (Millet, 1813) (Gastropoda, Viviparidae) within Ukraine: the Contrastive Analysis (2015).

24. Pukhtayevych P.P. Karyotype variability and structure of hybrid dipoid-polyploid complex of fish of the genus Carassius Nilsson, 1832 and Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 of the Right-bank Polissya of Ukraine (2016).

25. Rashevska H.V. Rodents of zonal landscapes of the Right-bank Steppe of Ukraine: species composition, distribution and numbers.

Our future Phd students:

1. Saliy T. V. The comperative analysis of native fauna (Сobitis taenia) and invasiv (С. eleongatoides — taenia — tanaitica) forms of loaches in Dieper basin.

2. Ulyura J. M. Terrestrial vertebrates fauna of mining industry dumps in the Donbas region.

3. Chayka Yu.Yu. Geographic parthenogenesis and reproduction features of diploid Aporrectodea caliginosa and triploid Aporrectodea trapezoides of earthworms (Lumbricidae).

4. Moshkivskiy I.M. Small terrestrial mammals of Zhytomyrske Polissya.

5. Tereshchenko V.O. Modelling of evolutionary-ecological and microevolutional processes of old world mice subfamily (Muridae), with a focus on Palearctic species (2021-2022).

Future Doctoral theses:

1. Mylobog Yu. V. The fauna, changes in the number and prediction of habitat alteration of Falconiformes birds of the Pontocaspian region of the European steppe zone.

2. Smagol` V. M. The current status and ways of resource optimization of even-toed ungulate (Artiodactyla).

I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, 2004-2019