Student works after 2nd year practical training - 2016

Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2008 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2009 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2010 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2011 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2012 (Part I) Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2012 (Part II) Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2013 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2014 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2015 Student Works After Practice of the II Year Course - 2017 Ermakov D. V., Tarasenko E. S. Investigation of the Population System Structure of Green Frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) from Koryakov Ravine (Zmievsky District, Kharkiv Region) // «Biolohiia: vid molekuly do biosfery». Proceedings of the XI International Conference of Young Scientists (November 29 – December 2, 2016, Kharkiv, Ukraine). – Kh.: Vydavnytstvo KhNU imeni V. N. Karazina, 2016. – P. 137-138. Katrushenko S. A. Amphibian Anomalies in the Kharkiv Region // «Biolohiia: vid molekuly do biosfery». // «Biolohiia: vid molekuly do biosfery». Proceedings of the XI International Conference of Young Scientists (November 29 – December 2, 2016, Kharkiv, Ukraine). – Kh.: Vydavnytstvo KhNU imeni V. N. Karazina, 2016. – P. 139-140. Rusachenko E. N., Bondarenko A. V., Hryhorenko R. A., Meleshko Ye. V. Investigation of the Population System Structure of Green Frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) of Dobrytske Pond in Zmievsky District, Kharkiv Region // «Biolohiia: vid molekuly do biosfery». Proceedings of the XI International Conference of Young Scientists (November 29 – December 2, 2016, Kharkiv, Ukraine). – Kh.: Vydavnytstvo KhNU imeni V. N. Karazina, 2016. – P. 147-148. Shershutiuk D. D., Adonkina I. V., Viniukova A. A., Pustovalova E. S., Shevchenko A. S. Determination of Ploidy of Tadpoles of Green Frogs from Lower Dobrytske Pond (NNP "Homolshanski Forests") // «Biolohiia: vid molekuly do biosfery». Proceedings of the XI International Conference of Young Scientists (November 29 – December 2, 2016, Kharkiv, Ukraine). – Kh.: Vydavnytstvo KhNU imeni V. N. Karazina, 2016. – P. 152-153. INVESTIGATION OF THE POPULATION SYSTEM STRUCTURE OF GREEN FROGS (PELOPHYLAX ESCULENTUS COMPLEX) FROM KORYAKOV RAVINE (ZMIEVSKY DISTRICT, KHARKIV REGION) Ermakov D. V., Tarasenko E. S. V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Faculty of Biology, Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Svobody Square, 4, Kharkiv, Ukraine e-mail: kat_tarasenko@mail.ru Two green frog species, Pelophylax ridibundus and Pelophylax lessonae, upon crossing form hybrids, which have been given a species-analogous name – Pelophylax esculentus. A characteristic feature of these hybrids is the ability for hemiclonal inheritance: clonal, without recombination, transmission of parental species genes from generation to generation. The joint reproduction of P. esculentus, and usually representatives of parental species, leads to the formation of hemiclonal population systems (HPS), in which both clonal and recombinant genomes are transmitted. The HPS of green frogs from Koryakov Ravine (near the biological station of V. N. Karazin KhNU in the village of Haidary, Zmievsky District, Kharkiv Region) has been studied for more than 20 years. In 1995-1996, a population system consisting only of diploid P. esculentus was identified here (Lada, 1998). At the beginning of the 21st century, frogs were practically absent in Koryakov Ravine, but in 2015 the situation changed significantly – in June-July 2015, 83 individuals were caught, marked, and released (Artemova, Beshentseva, Meleshko, unpublished data). The task of this work is to study the composition (in terms of taxonomic affiliation, sex, and ploidy) of the green frog HPS from Koryakov Ravine in 2016, as well as to compare the obtained data with the results of the 2015 study. Animals were caught by hand at night using a flashlight from a boat and from the shore of the pond. Species and sex were determined by a set of morphological characteristics (Shabanov, 2015). Body length was measured with calipers. Frogs were marked by amputating specific fingers and standard blood smears were obtained. Blood smears were photographed at high magnification (×40 objective) using a USB camera. The length of 20 erythrocytes on each smear was measured in the PDFXChangeViewer program, and the measurement results were converted to μm using a photograph of an object micrometer obtained under the same conditions. Frogs with erythrocytes longer than 26 μm were diagnosed as triploids (Bondareva et al., 2012). We examined 36 individuals, of which 4 ♀♀ and 3 ♂♂ P. ridibundus, 1 ♀ and 27 ♂♂ P. esculentus (2n), 1 ♀ P. esculentus (3n) and 1 ♂ P. esculentus (3n). The proportion of triploid individuals was 5% of the entire sample. Comparing the 2015 and 2016 samples, we found that the difference between them was not statistically significant (p = 0.53). Unfortunately, no 2016 marks were found in the 2016 sample. Thus, Koryakov Ravine is inhabited by an R-E-Et-HPS (i.e., an HPS including P. ridibundus, as well as di- and triploid P. esculentus) with a significant predominance of diploid male P. esculentus and a small proportion of triploids (5%). Compared to 2015, the structure of the green frog HPS of Koryakov Ravine has not changed significantly. Summary. The water frogs, living in Koryakov ravine (near the village Gaydary in Zmievsky district of the Kharkov region) forms hemiclonal population systems. Diploid males of P. esculentus are prevailing. Share of triploids is 5 %. In comparison with the 2015 HPS Pelophylax esculentus complex structure has not changed significantly (p = 0.53). We thank Prof. D. A. Shabanov for scientific guidance and O. V. Biriuk for training in research methods and assistance in conducting the study. AMPHIBIAN ANOMALIES IN THE KHARKIV REGION Katrushenko S. A. V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Svobody Square, 4, Kharkiv, 61077, Ukraine e-mail: katrushenkos@mail.ua Morphological anomalies of animals have long attracted the attention of researchers (Borkin, 2007; Vershinin, 2007). Amphibians are a convenient monitoring object, as their numbers in habitats are sufficiently high, and they possess the highest sensitivity to pollution among terrestrial vertebrates, as all developmental stages occur outside the female's body. Amphibian anomalies in the Kharkiv Region have been insufficiently studied, therefore any research on this topic is relevant. The aim of this work is to study the diversity of external amphibian anomalies in the Kharkiv Region. The material for this work consisted of amphibian samples from the collections of the Museum of Nature of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. We examined 247 individuals of green frogs (representatives of the Pelophylax esculentus complex), 108 individuals of Rana arvalis, and 45 individuals of Lissotriton vulgaris. During field research, a living sample of Bufo bufo (427 individuals) was studied, collected on April 3, 2016, in Iskov Pond. The museum collection materials were collected in the Kharkiv Region, mainly during the period from 2003 to 2007. Amphibian anomalies were determined visually, according to the classification of V. L. Vershinin (2015) and O. D. Nekrasova (2008; 2014). According to this classification, amphibian anomalies are divided into 3 large groups: 1) limb anomalies; 2) head anomalies; 3) other anomalies (e.g., spinal anomalies, skin anomalies, etc.). Statistical processing of the material was carried out using standard methods (Borkin et al., 2012). The following indicators were used: occurrence of individuals with anomalies Pas (calculated for each species), partial occurrence of anomalies Ap, and relative occurrence of anomalies Ara. As a result of the study, 11 variants of morphological anomalies were found: brachydactyly, oligodactyly, ectromelia, polyphalangy, thickening of finger, rotated phalanx, syndactyly, schizodactyly, ectrodactyly, skin growth on finger, and excrescence on the foot. All found deviations are limb anomalies. They are the least harmful, so individuals with such deviations are usually viable (Spirina, 2009). Among the anomalous individuals found, the highest percentage of deviations was recorded in L. vulgaris: Pas = 44.4%, which indicates the mass character of limb anomalies. The occurrence of animals with limb anomalies among tailed amphibians is significantly higher compared to tailless amphibians, which has been noted by other authors (Berezin, 2014; Litvinchuk, 2014). In samples of tailless amphibians, the occurrence of individuals with anomalies did not exceed 5%, which indicates the background occurrence of anomalies in these animals. In green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex), anomalies occur with greater frequency (Pas = 4%) compared to terrestrial amphibians (for B. bufo Pas = 3.7%, for R. arvalis Pas = 0.9%). The data are statistically significant: for green frogs p < 0.03 according to Pearson's χ2 criterion, for common toads and moor frogs p < 0.036 and p < 0.02, respectively. Summary. A study was conducted on anomalies of amphibians in the Kharkiv region (Ukraine). In the result, the detected anomalies such as brachydactyly, oligodactyly, ectromelia, polyphalangy, thickening of finger, rotation, syndactyly, schizodactyly, ectrodactyly, skin growth on finger, excrescence on the foot and anophthalmia. The author expresses gratitude to Ph.D. Korshunov A. V. for the idea of the work and scientific guidance. INVESTIGATION OF THE POPULATION SYSTEM STRUCTURE OF GREEN FROGS (PELOPHYLAX ESCULENTUS COMPLEX) OF DOBRYTSKE POND IN ZMIEVSKY DISTRICT, KHARKIV REGION Rusachenko E. N., Bondarenko A. V., Hryhorenko R. A., Meleshko Ye. V. V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Faculty of Biology, Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Svobody Square, 4, Kharkiv, Ukraine e-mail: raymer96@mail.ru The group of green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus) comprises Pelophylax lessonae (Camerano, 1882), Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771), and their hemiclonal hybrid Pelophylax esculentus (Linnaeus, 1758). Co-inhabiting and reproducing representatives of this complex form hemiclonal population systems (HPS). In this work, the composition of the HPS of green frogs from Dobrytske Pond (territory of NNP "Homolshanski Forests", Zmievsky District, Kharkiv Region) was studied, for which a high proportion of triploid hybrids was previously recorded. The task of this work is to study the composition and estimate the abundance of the specified HPS, as well as to compare the obtained data with the results of the 2015 study. A random sample collected on July 9, 2016, was studied. Frogs were caught by hand at night using a flashlight. Species and sex of frogs were determined by a set of external characteristics (Korshunov, 2010). Frogs were marked by finger amputation. Ploidy was determined by erythrocyte size (Bondareva et al., 2012). Blood smears were photographed at high magnification (×40) using a USB camera, erythrocyte length was measured using the PDF-XChangeViewer program, and the obtained results were processed in the Statistica 8.0 program. The abundance of the studied HPS was estimated by Petersen as the ratio of the 2016 sample size to the proportion of collected individuals marked in 2015, with Bailey's correction (mark-recapture method). The studied sample consisted of 96 individuals: Pelophylax esculentus – 86 individuals (90% of the sample), including 29 females (34%) and 57 males (66%), and P. ridibundus – 10 individuals (10% of the sample): 8 females (80%) and 2 males (20%). The proportion of triploids was 17% (16 individuals, including 11 females and 5 males). Relative to the results of the previous catch (Meleshko et al., 2015), the proportion of triploid individuals did not change (p = 0.2181) compared to 2015. The sample included 4 individuals with marks from previous years (3 individuals with 2015 marks and 1 with a 2014 mark). The estimated abundance of the HPS was 2328 ± 926 individuals. 88 marked individuals were released into Dobrytske Pond. Thus, the HPS of green frogs from Dobrytske Pond belongs to the R-E-Et type (includes P. ridibundus, di- and triploid P. esculentus of both sexes) with a predominance of diploid male P. esculentus. No changes in the abundance of triploid individuals are observed (p = 0.2181). This indicates the stability of the Dobrytske Pond HPS. Summary. The hemiclonal population system of water frogs from Lower Dobristky pond (National Park "Gomilshansky lissy") was studied. Sexual and species structure was determined. The diploid males of P. esculentus prevailed in this R-E-Et-HPS. The portion of parental species (P. ridibundus) is 10 %. The portion of male P. esculentus in sample is 66 % (57 individuals of 86). The portion of female is 34 % (29 individuals). The number of triploids was shown p = 0.2181 %) not changed with respect to 2015 data. The estimated population size is 2328 ± 926. The authors are grateful to Professor of the Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology D. A. Shabanov for scientific guidance, as well as all participants of the catches for assistance in collecting frogs. DETERMINATION OF PLOIDY OF TADPOLES OF GREEN FROGS FROM LOWER DOBRYTSKE POND (NNP "HOMOLSHANSKI FORESTS") Shershutiuk D. D., Adonkina I. V., Viniukova A. A., Pustovalova E. S., Shevchenko A. S. V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Faculty of Biology, Svobody Square, 4, Kharkiv, Ukraine e-mail: shunyasha@ukr.net Two parental species, Pelophylax ridibundus and Pelophylax lessonae, as well as their interspecific hybrid, which is conventionally called Pelophylax esculentus, make up the hybridogenic group of green frogs (P. esculentus complex). We studied the hemiclonal population system (HPS) of Lower Dobrytske Pond, located in NNP "Homolshanski Forests" near the Biological Station of V. N. Karazin KhNU. Previous studies of this HPS showed that mature frogs in its composition belong to P. ridibundus, as well as di- and triploid P. esculentus. The task of the work was to develop a method for intravital determination of tadpole ploidy and to assess the proportion of triploids in the sample of tadpoles from the HPS of Lower Dobrytske Pond. A random sample of 15 tadpoles of the genus Pelophylax, collected on 11.07.2016 using a hydrobiological net in the shallow water of the pond, was studied. The developmental stage (Gösner, 1960), body length, and total length were determined in tadpoles (McDiarmid, Altig, 1999). Ploidy was determined by karyoanalysis (Vegerina et al., 2013). Part of the tail fin was removed intravitally from tadpoles. Half of the preparations were made by incubating part of the tail in a 0.1% colchicine solution for 12-18 hours, the other half was not subjected to colchicine treatment. Samples were kept in a hypotonic solution for 20 minutes, immersed in Carnoy's fixative, cell suspensions were dropped onto slides, and the obtained preparations were stained with Giemsa reagent. Metaphase chromosome plates were photographed at high magnification using a USB camera. The obtained results were processed in the Statistica 8.0 program. The method for intravital determination of tadpole ploidy was successfully tested, but needs improvement. In the future, we consider it correct to use an isotonic colchicine solution. All studied individuals turned out to be diploid. The composition of the tadpole sample we studied significantly differs (p < 0.0001 according to Pearson's χ2 criterion) from the composition of mature individuals according to data from this (Rusachenko, Bondarenko, Hryhorenko, Meleshko, 2016) and previous years (Meleshko, Korshunov, Shabanov, 2014). Apparently, our result confirms the assumption about the selective mortality of diploid tadpoles of parental species that appeared as a result of crossing interspecific hybrids (Biriuk et al., 2016). As a result of the death of some diploids, the proportion of triploids among individuals of a certain age increases. To study this process, it is necessary to conduct independent estimates of the ratio of di- and triploid individuals of different ages. Summary. A study was conducted to determine the proportion of triploids among tadpoles of Pelophylax genus and to try out a new intravital method of ploidy determination. 15 tadpoles from the population of Pelophylax esculentus complex inhabited the Lower Dobritsky pond district of the Kharkiv region, the floodplain of the Gomolsha River at the National Natural Park "Gomilshanski lisy") were studied. No triploids have been found. The authors express gratitude to D. A. Shabanov for the idea of the work and scientific guidance, O. V. Biriuk — for training in the research method, and N. A. Drohvalenko — for assistance in collecting material for the study.