Our projects - stickleback

Climate change and other anthropogenic impacts are causing major changes in marine ecosystems, especially rapid changes in the northern seas. To predict these changes and their consequences, scientific research is needed. Our project, carried out in the White and Baltic Seas, focuses on the mass species of fish in these seas – the threespine stickleback, its population biology, as well as related predators, food organisms, and parasites, etc.

Study of stickleback and ecosystem around it provides wide opportunities for cooperation among scientists and students with different interests. And cooperation like this, by its’ synergistic effect, promotes the creation of new ideas and scientific results of a high level.

You can also read about our project on Researchgate.

Population biology

Long-term dynamics
Spatial distribution in the White Sea
Seasonal cycle
Age and growth
Homing and attachment to the site
Sexual dimorphism
Spatial and temporal morphological variability. Fluctuating asymmetry
Spatial distribution in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea

Trophology

Stickleback feeding in the White Sea
Stable isotopes
Stickleback as a food object
Herring in the White Sea
Herring in the Baltic Sea
Food competition of threespine and ninespine sticklebacks in the Baltic Sea
Food competition of stickleback and jellyfish in the Baltic Sea
Fish of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea

Experiments

Homing and attachment to the site
Food competition of stickleback and jellyfish in the Baltic Sea
Stickleback behavioral responses to different stumula
Stickleback behavior at different sex ratios
Preference by stickleback of different biotopes

Environmental biochemistry

Lipids and fatty acids
Other biochemical parameters

Parasites

Parasites of juveniles: composition, age dynamics and spatial distribution

Phylogenetics

Phylogenetics studies

Spatial organization of communities

Fish communities in the White Sea: spatial and temporal variability
Herring in the White Sea
Ninespine stickleback in the White Sea
Eelgrass as a stickleback habitat
Preference by stickleback of different biotopes
Fish of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea

Winter expedition (M.V.Ivanov, A.Poryadkov, T.S.Ivanova). ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. March 2013. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Stickleback is underwater. In the vicinity of the ERS "Belomorskaia". July 2007. Photo by A.V. Gerasimova.
One of the first catching of stickleback with a 30-meter seine (from left to right - M.V. Ivanov, T.S. Ivanova). In the vicinity of the ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. August 2006. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Keeping fish in captivity. ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. July 2008. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Mitya the kitten is conducting a scientific experiment. ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2014. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Night catch by the seine in windy weather. Dvina Bay. June 2011. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
We are trying to repeat the observations of the seine in 1930 (In the photo - A.V. Gerasimova). Yakovleva Inlet (approx. 8 km from the ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU). June 2012. Photo by E.V. Shatskikh (Rybkina).
Expedition to Onega and Kandalaksha bays (from left to right - M.V. Ivanov, K. Ivlev, T.S. Ivanova). June 2010. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
With a new trawl (from left to right - D.L. Lajus, T.S. Ivanova, M.V. Ivanov). June 2011. Photo by A.O. Yurtseva.
Preparation for navigation (from left to right - M.V. Ivanov, N. Mingazov, E.V. Shatskikh (Rybkina), D.A. Fateev, T.S. Ivanova). ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2009. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Herring catch. ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Stickleback Day - 1 (from left to right - P.V. Golovin, T.S. Ivanova, N.V. Polyakova, M. Shandra, A.A. Makhrov, V.S. Artamonova, A.V. Kucheryavy). Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology, St. Petersburg State University. February 2014. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Stikleacbk Day -2. Biscuits in the form of stickleback (author - N.V. Polyakova). February 2015. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Marking stickleback in rainy weather (from left to right - N.V. Polyakova, A.E. Zelenskaya, P.V. Golovin, R-Kh. Voigt). Kolyushkovaia lagoon in the vicinity of ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2016. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Males from a standard sample 0.5 l. ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2008. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Observations of the spawning behavior of stickleback (E.V. Shatskikh-Rybkina). Kolyushkovaia lagoon in the vicinity of ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2009. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Expedition to Onega and Kandalaksha bays: mode of life and sample processing (from left to right - the driver, M.V. Ivanov, T.S. Ivanova). June 2010. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Release of a tagged stickleback into the sea. Kolyushkovaia lagoon in the vicinity of ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. June 2016. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Tagged stickleback. Koliushkovaia lagoon in 2 km from ERS "Belomorskaia". Ph.: D. Lajus
Stickleback Day – 4 (from left to right: T.S.Ivanova, A.V. Kucheryavyy, E.Kondakova, N.V. Polyakova, P.V. Golovin, A.S. Dorgam, A.A. Makhrov, V.S. Artamonova, E.V. Rybkina, Z. Zhidkov, S.A. Murzina, P.P. Strelkov, A.E.Barmintseva, A.G. Bulakhov, L.S.Myuge). Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology, St. Petersburg State University. March 2017 Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Fishing on the island Gorely near the ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU (D.L. Lajus, T.S.Ivanova). July 2008. Photo by Yu.A. Lajus
Double rainbow over the ERS "Belomorskaia" of SPBU. View from island Gorely. June 2009. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
The composition of the expedition to Onega and Kandalaksha bays (from left to right D.L. Layus, K. Ivlev, T.S. Ivanova, M.V. Ivanov, the driver). June 2010. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Drying after overnight sampling (T.S. Ivanova and M.V. Ivanov). June 2011. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Installing GoPro cameras to study stickleback migration (T.S.Ivanova and M.V. Ivanov). Koliushkovaia lagoon in 2 km from ERS "Belomorskaia". June 2013. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Fishing (from left to right: A.E. Zelenskaia, D. A. Alaverdyan, I.A. Stogov). June 2014. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Preparation of gillnets (from left to right: A.V. Kucheryavy, E. Mas-Marty, A.Yu. Yurtseva). Koliushkovaia lagoon in 2 km from ERS "Belomorskaia". June 2015. Photo by D.L. Lajus.
Installation of a framework for studying stickleback migrations from the sea to the Kolyushkovaya lagoon and back (M.V. Ivanov). 2 km from ERS "Belomorskaia". June 2016. Photo by D.L. Lajus.