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We studied predatory fish species in relation to the biodiversity of fish assemblages and environmental variables at 511 sites in small and mid-sized rivers at the eastern edge of the European continent. The studied region has a high geographical and environmental heterogeneity. The impact of environmental factors on species occurrence was analyzed with generalized linear models. The main influential environmental factors on the occurrence of predatory fish species were elevation and the width and depth of the river. For the first time for a large area of Eastern Europe, optimum points and niche breadths for predatory fish species along width, depth, and velocity gradients were estimated. The width of the ecological niche can vary significantly both between different species of fish and within the same species for certain factors. Our results identify the bioindicative potential of predatory fish species in river ecosystems in this, sometimes overlooked, the eastern part of the continent. We found that the probabilities of occurrence of pike, burbot, pikeperch, and asp were close to zero when the Shannon index was less than 1 and the number of fish species was less than 5. The probability of occurrences of perch was 100% if the number of fish species in the site was more than 15.

The processes of domestication and subsequent distribution of animals in Eurasia are closely related to human migrations and intercultural exchanges starting from the end of the Pleistocene. The development of methods for the isolation and analysis of ancient DNA from archaeological and paleontological remains has made it possible to take a new look at both the presumed core regions of domestication and the geography and dynamics of livestock distribution. This paper discusses the reports on the reconstruction of the migration processes of domestic animals in Eurasia using the analysis of ancient DNA performed by leading specialists from Great Britain, France, Finland, Ireland, and Russia at the international symposium on Domestic Animal Archaeogenomics (Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, March 2020). In addition to discussing the demographic history of different species of domestic animals, special attention was given to the development of methods for working with ancient DNA and the peculiarities of sample storage and handling. Summarizing the results of the symposium, the authors identified priority areas for future research. The interdisciplinary nature of research and the need to create broad scientific network that includes specialists from different fields were emphasized.

Background Numerous megafauna species from northern latitudes went extinct during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition as a result of climate-induced habitat changes. However, several ungulate species managed to successfully track their habitats during this period to eventually flourish and recolonise the holarctic regions. So far, the genomic impacts of these climate fluctuations on ungulates from high latitudes have been little explored. Here, we assemble a de-novo genome for the European moose (Alces alces) and analyse it together with re-sequenced nuclear genomes and ancient and modern mitogenomes from across the moose range in Eurasia and North America. Results We found that moose demographic history was greatly influenced by glacial cycles, with demographic responses to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition similar to other temperate ungulates. Our results further support that modern moose lineages trace their origin back to populations that inhabited distinct glacial refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Finally, we found that present day moose in Europe and North America show low to moderate inbreeding levels resulting from post-glacial bottlenecks and founder effects, but no evidence for recent inbreeding resulting from human-induced population declines. Conclusions Taken together, our results highlight the dynamic recent evolutionary history of the moose and provide an important resource for further genomic studies.

We employed geometric morphometric techniques to investigate external (body) morphology of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) populations from the wild and hatchery facilities. Wild graylings were representative of Balkan and Caspian phylogenetic clades, whereas hatchery-reared specimens originated from Balkan and Adriatic phylogenetic clades. Individuals of T. thymallus from the Adriatic phylogenetic clade were the largest, followed by those from the Balkan phylogenetic clade, while graylings from the Caspian phylogenetic clade were the smallest. Graylings from hatchery facilities were larger than graylings from the wild. Body shape variation in T. thymallus coincides with genetic differentiation of the analyzed populations, whereas it is less influenced by difference in environment they experience in wild and captive habitats. Although hatcheries can generate large numbers of individuals, some of which will have an extreme phenotype, the variance in body shape was similar in captive and wild populations. Allometric relations were different between specimens from the wild and from hatchery facilities, as well as among those belonging to different phylogenetic clades. Allometric analyses performed separately for the wild and hatchery-reared populations revealed significant effect of allometry and similar trends in size-related shape variation among populations from different phylogenetic clades. We found that phenetic relationships among the studied wild grayling populations inferred from non-allometric body shape variation better reflected their phylogenetic relationships than equivalent data from hatchery populations.

Studies on assemblages of freshwater fishes along elevational gradients of rivers are lacking, even in Europe. In this paper we have explored the entire range of elevational gradients existing in the European part of Russia. We analyzed how fish biodiversity (species richness, abundance, diversity indices) at 435 river sites differed by elevation. The impact of elevation on the distribution of freshwater fish species was analyzed using regression and ordination methods. For the first time for a large area of Eastern Europe, optimum points and niche breadth for fish species along altitude gradients were estimated. Our analyses showed: (1) species richness and Shannon index decreased in the upper part of the gradient; fish abundance showed a unimodal response to elevation; highest numbers were found at elevations between 250 and 500 m; (2) ordination analysis demonstrated an upstream-downstream gradient of the fish assemblages; (3) regression analysis showed significant preferences for elevation by 19 species, all of which were monotonic; (4) optimum and niche breadth (tolerance) were highly variable between species; only five species (brown trout, grayling, common minnow, bullhead and stone loach) were encountered at elevations above 650 m; and (5) in our region, the habitat of grayling was higher in the mountains, and its abundance (numbers) at extreme elevations was greater, than brown trout. These results show how fish assemblages differ with elevation. Our findings identify the data that can be used for regional environmental monitoring of the state of small rivers and for aquatic conservation.

The European domestic goose is a widely farmed species known to have descended from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser). However, the evolutionary history of this domesticate is still poorly known. Ancient DNA studies have been useful for many species, but there has been little such work on geese. We have studied temporal genetic variation among domestic goose specimens excavated from Russian archaeological sites (4th&ndash, 18th centuries) using a 204 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region. Specimens fell into three different genetic clades: the domestic D-haplogroup, the F-haplogroup that includes both wild and domestic geese, and a clade comprising another species, the taiga bean goose. Most of the subfossil geese carried typical domestic D-haplotypes. The domestication status of the geese carrying F-haplotypes is less certain, as the haplotypes identified were not present among modern domestic geese and could represent wild geese (misclassified as domestics), introgression from wild geese, or local domestication events. The bones of taiga bean goose were most probably misidentified as domestic goose but the domestication of bean goose or hybridization with domestic goose is also possible. Samples from the 4th to 10th century were clearly differentiated from the later time periods due to a haplotype that was found only in this early period, but otherwise no temporal or geographical variation in haplotype frequencies was apparent.

Fish assemblages and environmental variables were studied in 245 sites in small and mid-sized rivers of the Tatarstan Republic. The basic aim of this investigation was to model the habitat requirements of the 26 most common freshwater fish species at the eastern edge of Europe since the spatial variation of the assemblages of these fish species is little understood there. The impact of environmental factors on species distribution using both presence-absence and abundance data was analyzed with regression methods and ordination methods, which are widely used by European ichthyologists elsewhere. Ordination analysis demonstrated an upstream-downstream gradient of the fish assemblages. Regression analysis indicated that basic predictors of species preference were elevation and “size” of river. For the first time in Eastern Europe, optimum points and niche breadth for fish species along basic environmental gradients were estimated. Niche breadth (tolerance) was highly variable between species. Generally, estimated relationships between environmental factors and the probability of fish presence and abundance were consistent with known fish ecology.

The evolutionary relationship of grayling populations from the Kama and upper Ural drainage was studied, and the genetic diversity of the local populations was assessed. The complete mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced and 12 microsatellite loci genotyped. Five previously undescribed closely related haplotypes (Caspian clade) were detected. The Caspian and previously reported Scandinavian clade formed a Caspio–Scandinavian group that was found to be the closest relative to the Balkan clade of European grayling. Based upon the molecular results, paleogeological information and a molecular clock of 0.5% change per million years, it appears the Caspio–Scandinavian group split some 0.6 million years ago (95% HPD = 0.33–0.92 mya), while the Balkan clade separated about 1 mya, in the Pleistocene. The sister relationship between Caspian and Scandinavian haplotypes implies that, at some time over that period, the Caspian basin might have been a corridor for dispersal connecting eastern and northern Europe. Microsatellite analysis revealed relatively large inter-population genetic differentiation among the Caspian sample set, pointing to genetically distinct populations that are deserving of special attention in terms of management and conservation.

Aim To examine whether change in the timing of a large number of phenological events and their response to temperature differs between trophic levels during the period 1988–2008. Location In the vicinity of Kazan, Tatarstan Republic, Russia (55°45′ N, 49°08′ E). Methods Observations of the dates of first events of 22 plant phases, 8 insect phases, 3 herpetofauna phases and 26 migrant bird phases were examined using regression to assess changes over time and response to temperature. Differences between trophic levels were assessed using ANOVA. Results In comparison to studies from western Europe, relatively few phenological series (15) revealed a significant advance over time, but a much larger number (37), including all the herpetofauna and nearly all the plants, showed a response to temperature. Trends in birds were, on average, twice as great as those for plants, but plants had a significantly greater temperature response. Over the study period local temperatures had not risen significantly but some phenological change was still evident. Main conclusions Phenological change has been less marked in the eastern edge of Europe than in western and central Europe. This is compatible with a lack of significant local warming during the study period. A large number of species show strong responses to temperature so will be expected to advance if/when local temperatures do increase. In contrast to results from elsewhere in Europe, early events were not the most temperature responsive, suggesting local adaptation preventing precocious behaviour and the consequent dangers of sub-zero temperatures.

The timing of when migrant birds return to breed is a key component of studies of the impact of climate change upon bird populations. However, such data are not distributed evenly across the World, and in the Northern Hemisphere are underrepresented in Asia and the east of Europe. Therefore, to help rectify this bias, we analysed first arrival dates (FAD) of four species of Sylvia warblers (Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, Whitethroat S.communis, Lesser Whitethroat S.curruca and Garden Warbler S.borin) collected in the Tatarstan Republic of Russia between 1957 and 2008. Over the whole period the species returned to their breeding sites between three and six days earlier; these trends were significant except for Whitethroat. Advances in arrival were especially apparent in the two earlier species, Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat, mainly because local temperatures for March had risen substantially. Except for Whitethroat, FADs were significantly related to temperatures in the African wintering ground and/or in Tatarstan. Whilst significant correlations occurred between FADs of some of the species, there was considerable variability in these relationships indicating a species-specific response to rising temperatures. Changes in FADs in this eastern extremity of Europe were smaller than in Central and Western Europe.

The return of the skylark Alauda arvensis is a traditional harbinger of spring in Central and Eastern Europe. The record analysed in this study of skylark arrivals in the eastern extremity of Europe is one of the longest extant records of bird migration in the world (131 yr between 1811 and 2008). In the last 30 yr there has been a rapid increase in March temperatures (ca. 3.7°C) and an advance in the arrival date of skylarks (11 d). 2008 was the earliest year in the whole record. The response of skylark migration to temperature is shown to be non-linear and it is anticipated that advances in arrival dates will now accelerate as temperatures continue to rise.

We analysed data on the arrival dates of four species of leaf warbler (genus Phylloscopus) collected in Tatarstan between 1957 and 2004. There was no evidence over the whole period that the warblers returned to their breeding sites significantly earlier, mainly because local temperatures for April and May, months when the majority of birds arrived from their wintering grounds, did not increase significantly. However, arrival dates of two species (Chiffchaff P. collybita and Willow warbler P.trochilus) were strongly related to local temperature in April, and that of Greenish warbler P. trochiloides to that in May. As expected, arrival dates for the three species wintering in Africa (Chiffchaff, Willow and Wood warblers P. sibilatrix) correlated positively with one another (P0.01 in all cases), but were not correlated with arrival dates of Greenish warbler (P0.5 in all cases), a species wintering in the Indian sub-continent.

Our data, collected in the extreme east of Europe, show that a significant biological effect of climate change has been experienced even in territories where temperature increase has been the lowest. This study documents the climatic response of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) growing near its north-eastern limits in Europe. It demonstrates the potential of oak trees in old-growth forest to act as proxy climate indicators. Many factors may influence the temporal stability of the growth-climate, acorn crop-climate and first leafing-climate relationships. Climate data, climatic fluctuations, reproduction, genetics and tree-age may relate to this instability. Our results stress that an increase in climate variability or climatic warming resulting from warmer winters or summers could affect the oak population in eastern Europe in a similar way to that in western Europe. These findings, from remnants of oak forest in the middle Volga region of Russia, allow a further understanding of how species could be affected by future climates.