Assessment of ecological conditions for growing the market-size fish in the Kantivka fattening pond (Khmelnychchyna, Ukraine)

Abiotic (water quality) and biotic (Phyto-, zooplankton and benthos) factors in the Kantivka fattening pond the Khmelnitskrybhosp Private Joint-Stock Company were studied during the vegetation seasons in 2020. The aquaculture objects in the pond are cyprinid fish species (carp, grass carp, silver carp, pike). The ecological conditions of the pond were evaluated as good enough for the fish fattening purpose. The critical water quality parameters were following traditional values accepted for fish farming in Ukraine. The taxonomic composition of plankton and benthos was represented by widespread and Ubiquiti species mainly. The 124 species and intraspecies taxa of microalgae and the 34 species of zooplankton were identified in the Kantivka fattening pond. The mean abundance and biomass for the phytoplankton were 183.8 million cells/dm3 and 35.61 mg/dm3, respectively; for zooplankton, those were as 336600 ind/m3 and 14.83 g/m3, and for zoobenthos, those values were as 309.6 ind/m2, and biomass as 5.84 g/m2. Such parameters of natural forage base correspond to the optimal values for natural fish food according to fish farming standards in Ukraine. In the late summer, the free-living copepod stages and mature adult females of the parasitic copepod crustacean Ergasilus sieboldi Nordmann were registered in plankton. This copepod causes the invasion of fish diseases like infection and destruction of gill arches, which leads to a severe disturbance in fish respiration, emaciation, delaying in growth, and the potential death of commercial fish even. The development of natural fish food in the Kantivka fattening pond is shown an intensive level of biomass and abundance of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and zoobenthos. It is considered sufficient to meet the natural nutritional needs (in combination with artificial feeding) for older age groups of the cultivated cyprinid fish species

Spatial insurance against a heatwave differs between trophic levels in experimental aquatic communities

Climate change-related heatwaves are major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, our current understanding of the mechanisms governing community resistance to and recovery from extreme temperature events is still rudimentary. The spatial insurance hypothesis postulates that diverse regional species pools can buffer ecosystem functioning against local disturbances through the immigration of better-adapted taxa. Yet, experimental evidence for such predictions from multi-trophic communities and pulse-type disturbances, like heatwaves, is largely missing. We performed an experimental mesocosm study to test whether species dispersal from natural lakes prior to a simulated heatwave could increase the resistance and recovery of plankton communities. As the buffering effect of dispersal may differ among trophic groups, we independently manipulated the dispersal of organisms from lower (phytoplankton) and higher (zooplankton) trophic levels. The experimental heatwave suppressed total community biomass by having a strong negative effect on zooplankton biomass, probably due to a heat-induced increase in metabolic costs, resulting in weaker top-down control on phytoplankton. While zooplankton dispersal did not alleviate the negative heatwave effects on zooplankton biomass, phytoplankton dispersal enhanced biomass recovery at the level of primary producers, providing partial evidence for spatial insurance. The differential responses to dispersal may be linked to the much larger regional species pool of phytoplankton than of zooplankton. Our results suggest high recovery capacity of community biomass independent of dispersal. However, community composition and trophic structure remained altered due to the heatwave, implying longer-lasting changes in ecosystem functioning

Фаунистический обзор каланоидных копепод (Crustacea) континентальных вод Украины

Faunistic overview together with updated checklist, comprising 38 species and 2 subspecies of calanoid copepods inhabiting fresh and brackish Ukrainian waters classified in three families and twelve genera is provided. The only freshwater calanoid species endemic to Ukraine is Speodiaptomus birsteini Borutzky, 1962, a stygobiont found once in an underground lake in the Skels’ka Cave (Crimean Peninsula). Two species, Hemidiaptomus (Hemidiaptomus) rylovi Charin, 1928 and S. birsteini are included as a threatened species in the Red Book of Ukraine. Dubious records and distribution patterns of some calanoid taxa are discussed. The calanoid fauna of Ukraine is compared with those of adjacent countries.Представлен фаунистический обзор с обновленным списком, состоящий из 38 видов и 2 подвидов, относящихся к трем семействам и двенадцати родам каланоидных копепод, обитающих в пресных и солоноватых водах Украины. Speodiaptomus birsteini Borutzky, 1962, единственный пресноводный вид каланоид эндемик Украины, стигобионт найденный однажды в Скельской пещере Крымского полуострова. Два вида Hemidiaptomus (Hemidiaptomus) rylovi Charin, 1928 и S. birsteini в настоящее время занесены в Красную книгу Украины. Обсуждаются распространение каланоидных копепод, а также сомнительные находки некоторых видов в Украине. Фауна каланоид Украины сравнивается с таковой соседних стран.I thank Dr. Maria Hołyńska (Museum and Institute of Zoology, PAS) and Prof. Vladyslav Monchenko (Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NASU) for critical reviewing this paper. Dr. Vasiliy Vezhnovets (Belarusian State University), Dr. Leszek Błędzki (Mount Holyoke College), and Jozef Terek (University of Prešov) kindly provided me recent calanoid copepod lists of Belarus, Poland, and Slovakia, respectively. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Danny Tang for his helpful comments, suggestions on the manuscript and improving of English

Ecological Characteristic of Calanoids (Copepoda, Calanoida) of the Inland Waters of Ukraine

Ecological Characteristic of Calanoids (Copepoda, Calanoida) of the Inland Waters of UkraineThe article presents analyze of known published data and own observations on ecology of freshwater and brackish calanoid copepods of fauna of Ukraine. The briefly characteristic of main types of waterbodies inhabited by calanoids is given. The relation of species to the important ecological factors of water environment like temperature, habitat permanence, salinity, pH, current, suspended matters, and interaction with other hydrobionts is analyzed.</jats:p

Faunistical Overview of Calanoid Copepods (Crustacea) from Continental Waters of Ukraine

Faunistical Overview of Calanoid Copepods (Crustacea) from Continental Waters of Ukraine Faunistic overview together with updated checklist, comprising 38 species and 2 subspecies of calanoid copepods inhabiting fresh and brackish Ukrainian waters classified in three families and twelve genera is provided. The only freshwater calanoid species endemic to Ukraine is Speodiaptomus birsteini Borutzky, 1962, a stygobiont found once in an underground lake in the Skels'ka Cave (Crimean Peninsula). Two species, Hemidiaptomus (Hemidiaptomus) rylovi Charin, 1928 and S. birsteini are included as a threatened species in the Red Book of Ukraine. Dubious records and distribution patterns of some calanoid taxa are discussed. The calanoid fauna of Ukraine is compared with those of adjacent countries.</jats:p

Фаунистический обзор каланоидных копепод (Crustacea) континентальных вод Украины

Faunistic overview together with updated checklist, comprising 38 species and 2 subspecies of calanoid copepods inhabiting fresh and brackish Ukrainian waters classified in three families and twelve genera is provided. The only freshwater calanoid species endemic to Ukraine is Speodiaptomus birsteini Borutzky, 1962, a stygobiont found once in an underground lake in the Skels’ka Cave (Crimean Peninsula). Two species, Hemidiaptomus (Hemidiaptomus) rylovi Charin, 1928 and S. birsteini are included as a threatened species in the Red Book of Ukraine. Dubious records and distribution patterns of some calanoid taxa are discussed. The calanoid fauna of Ukraine is compared with those of adjacent countries.Представлен фаунистический обзор с обновленным списком, состоящий из 38 видов и 2 подвидов, относящихся к трем семействам и двенадцати родам каланоидных копепод, обитающих в пресных и солоноватых водах Украины. Speodiaptomus birsteini Borutzky, 1962, единственный пресноводный вид каланоид эндемик Украины, стигобионт найденный однажды в Скельской пещере Крымского полуострова. Два вида Hemidiaptomus (Hemidiaptomus) rylovi Charin, 1928 и S. birsteini в настоящее время занесены в Красную книгу Украины. Обсуждаются распространение каланоидных копепод, а также сомнительные находки некоторых видов в Украине. Фауна каланоид Украины сравнивается с таковой соседних стран.I thank Dr. Maria Hołyńska (Museum and Institute of Zoology, PAS) and Prof. Vladyslav Monchenko (Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NASU) for critical reviewing this paper. Dr. Vasiliy Vezhnovets (Belarusian State University), Dr. Leszek Błędzki (Mount Holyoke College), and Jozef Terek (University of Prešov) kindly provided me recent calanoid copepod lists of Belarus, Poland, and Slovakia, respectively. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Danny Tang for his helpful comments, suggestions on the manuscript and improving of English

A New Finding of the Non-Native Copepod Sinodiaptomus sarsi (Copepoda, Calanoida, Diaptomidae) in Ukraine

Sinodiaptomus sarsi is found for the second time in Ukraine, in the three artificial lakes of the one of capital Kyiv city`s park, Nyvky, after its first record in the Carpathian Mountain region near Slovakian border in 2016 by Dr. Mykitchak. Our morphological study showed the similarity between the specimens of S. sarsi found in Kyiv with existing illustrations and descriptions of the Asian population of this species. The most likely route of penetration is human intentional release. Some diagnostic details are discussed and short redescription of species is presented in the paper.</jats:p