Laboratory of Freshwater and Experimental Hydrobiology

Staff Gallery  •  Laboratory Website (In Russian)

Laboratory of freshwater hydrobiology was founded in the end of the 19th century, when collections of freshwater invertebrates were for the first time exhibited at the Zoological Museum. In the second half of the 20th century, laboratory was headed by outstanding hydrobiologists V.I. Zhadin, G.G. Vinberg, A.F. Alimov. The main directions of studies of the laboratory include the study of structural and functional organization of aquatic ecosystems, inventory of the fauna of continental reservoirs, and taxonomy and phylogeny of aquatic invertebrates. For this goal, numerous reservoirs situated in Leningrad, Pskov, and Archangelsk Provinces, Republics of Karelia and Buryatia, reservoirs of the Crimea, Arctic, Pamir, and Mongolia were examined, together with ecosystems of the Neva River estuary, delta of Volga River, northern Caspian Sea, and Lakes Baikal and Sevan. Important directions of laboratory studies include problems of rational use of aquatic biological recourses, estimation of ecological state of aquatic ecosystems, protection and preservation of their biological diversity. Great attention is paid to the problem of introduced species.

In 2010–2020, 9 monographs, keys, and atlases of invertebrate animals of continental reservoirs and more than 300 papers, including papers in leading international journals, were published. The results of the study of energy, matter, and information flows in aquatic ecosystems, regularities of growth and reproduction of aquatic animals, dynamics of population density and biomass of their populations under influence of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors. Several dozens of new for science invertebrate species were described from reservoirs of Europe, Asia, North and South America.

Staff

24 employees (19 researchers, 4 collection keepers, 1 research assistant).

Sergei M. Golubkov (Head of department, Corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Victor R. Alekseev (Principal Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor)

Evgenia V. Balushkina (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Nadezhda A. Berezina (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Victor V. Boulion (Principal Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor)

Vera G. Vlasova (Senior Collection Keeper)

Mikhail S. Golubkov (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Yulia I. Gubelit (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Anna S. Demchuk (Junior Researcher)

Tamara I. Kazantseva (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Valentina S. Kotelnikova (PhD Student)

Tatyana L. Lazareva (Senior Collection Keeper)

Larissa F. Litvinchuk (Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Alexey A. Maximov (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Irina P. Nikolaeva (Senior Collection Keeper)

Vera N. Nikulina (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Marina I. Orlova (Leading Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Vasily A. Petukhov (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Andrey A. Przhiboro (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Liubov G. Riumina (Research Assistant)

Natalia M. Sukhikh (Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Irena V. Telesh (Principal Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Semyon Ya. Tsalolikhin (Principal Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor)

Iya G. Tsiplenkina (Senior Collection Keeper)

Topics of State Assignments

“Studies of biological diversity and the mechanisms of the impact of anthropogenic and natural factors on the structural and functional organization of ecosystems of continental water bodies. Systematization of biodiversity of salt lakes and non full saline inland seas in the zone of critical salinity, study of the role of brackish water species in ecosystems”.
PIs: Head of Laboratory, Corresponding Member of RAS S.M. Golubkov, Doctor of Biological Sciences N.V. Aladin, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.R. Alekseev.
No. АААА-А19-119020690091-0.

“Dynamics and forecasting of the state of the most important types of resources”.
PI: Head of Laboratory, Corresponding Member of RAS S.M. Golubkov.
No. АААА-А18-118012590177-8.

“Studies of the dynamics of trophic interactions, biological diversity and nutrient cycling in the ecosystems of continental water bodies caused by anthropogenic impact and climate fluctuations”.
PIs: Academician of RAS A.F. Alimov, Head of Laboratory, Corresponding Member of RAS S.M. Golubkov.
No. АААА-А17-117021310121-0.

Laboratory collections

Collection of roundworms (Nematoda: Dorylamida, Enoplida, Monhysterida, Chromadorida, Plectida, Araeolaimida)

Collection of polychaetes and leaches (Oligochaeta, Hirudinea)

Collection of crustaceans and rotifers (Arthropoda: Copepoda, Cladocera, Branchiopoda, Ostracoda; Rotifera)

Collection of aquatic mites (Arthropoda: Hydrocarina)

Collection of dipteran insects (Arthropoda: Diptera)

Main publications of the Laboratory staff

Alekseev V.R., Pinel-Alloul B. (Eds.) 2019. Dormancy in Aquatic Organisms. Theory, Human Use and Modeling. Monographiae Biologicae 92. Springer International Publishing. 274 p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21213-1

Berezina N.A., Maximov A.A., Vladimirova O.M. 2019. Influence of benthic invertebrates on phosphorus flux at the sediment-water interface in the easternmost Baltic Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 608: 33–43. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12824

Golubkov S.M., Golubkov M.S., Tiunov A.V. 2019. Anthropogenic carbon as a basal resource in the benthic food webs in the Neva Estuary (Baltic Sea). Marine Pollution Bulletin 146: 190–200. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18422

Golubkov M., Nikulina V., Golubkov S. 2019. Effects of environmental variables on midsummer dinoflagellate community in the Neva Estuary (Baltic Sea). Oceanologia 61: 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceano.2018.09.001

Sukhikh N., Souissi A., Souissi S., Holl A.-C., Schizas N. V., Alekseev V. 2019. Life in sympatry: coexistence of native Eurytemora affinis and invasive Eurytemora carolleeae in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Oceanologia 61: 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceano.2018.11.002

Telesh I.V., Schubert H., Joehnk K.D., Heerkloss R., Schumann R., Feike M., Schoor A., Skarlato S.O. 2019. Chaos theory discloses triggers and drivers of plankton dynamics in stable environment. Scientific Reports 9, 20351. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56851-8

Berezina N.A., Maximov A.A., Strelnikova A.P. 2018. The benthos as the basis of vendace, coregonus albula, and perch, Perca fluviatilis, diets in an oligotrophic sub-arctic lake. Polar Biology. V. 41. P. 1789–1799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2319-0

Golubkov S.M., Berezina N.A., Gubelit Y.I., Demchuk A.S., Golubkov M.S., Tiunov A.V. 2018. A relative contribution of carbon from green tide algae Cladophora glomerata and Ulva intestinalis in the coastal food webs in the Neva estuary (Baltic Sea). Marine Pollution Bulletin 126: 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.032

Maximov A.A. 2018. Interannual and long-term dynamics of macrobenthos on the example of the top of the Gulf of Finland. St. Petersburg: Nestor Historia. 260 p. [Russian]

Golubkov S., Golubkov M., Tiunov A., Nikulina V. 2017. Long-term changes in primary production and mineralization of organic matter in the Neva Estuary (Baltic Sea). Journal of Marine Systems 171: 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2016.12.009

Alekseev V.R., Tsalolikhin S.Ya. (Eds.) 2016. Identification keys of zooplankton and zoobenthos of fresh waters of the European part of Russia. Volume 2. Zoobenthos. St. Petersburg: KMK Scientific Press Ltd. 457 p. [Russian].

Gubelit Yu., Polyak Yu., Dembska G., Pazikowska-Sapota G., Zegarowski L., Kochura D., Krivorotov D., Podgornaya E., Burova O., Maazouzi Ch. 2016. Nutrient and metal pollution of the eastern Gulf of Finland coastline: Sediments, macroalgae, microbiota. Science of the Total Environment 550: 806–819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.122

Alimov A.F., Bogatov V.V., Golubkov S.M. 2013. Production hydrobiology. St. Petersburg: Nauka. 343 p. [Russian]

Laboratory staff participate in the following grants

RFBR No. 20-04-00035_a. “In search of the sea Tethys: Faunistic study of the remnants of the relict fauna of hydrobionts of the Tethys Sea using the method of molecular genetic dating” (PI V.R. Alekseev).

RFBR No. 19-04-00217_а. “Predictive assessment of the impact of potentially dangerous invasive plankton species on the diversity and functioning of pelagic communities of estuarine and coastal ecosystems of the Baltic Sea” (PI I.V. Telesh).

RFBR No. 19-04-01000_a. “Winter biological processes in small lakes” (PI A.A. Maximov).

RFBR No. 19-14-50004_Expansion. “A study of dormancy in aquatic organisms in space conditions” (PI V.R. Alekseev).

RFBR No. 17-04-00027_a. “Risk assessment and consequences of biological invasion of aquatic organisms in continental Arctic water bodies in Russia” (PI V.R. Alekseev).

RFBR No 15-29-02706_ofi_m. “Biological diversity of plankton as an indicator of invasion process in estuary ecosystems” (PI I.V. Telesh).

International Project ER90 HAZLESS. “HAZardous chemicaLs in the eastern Gulf of Finland — concentrations and impact assessment” The project is implemented jointly with the Tallinn Technical University (Estonia). (PI from Russian side N.A. Berezina).