Alien aquatic invertebrates of Republic of Karelia: Baikalian Amphipoda (Gmelinoides fasciata (Stebbing, 1899)

Study Extent

Waterbodies in borders of Republic of Karelia

Sampling

Collecting on different lakes and rivers and visual observations

Method steps

1. Collecting or observing specimens, identification of collected specimens, digitizing the data with MS Access and MS Excel, carrying out statistical analysis of data set

Republic of Karelia The Baikalian Amphipoda (Gmelinoides fasciata (Stebbing, 1899)) observed in lakes Onega , Ladoga. The Baikalian Amphipoda Gmelinoides fasciata (Stebbing, 1899) is of great interest, since the range of this species has significantly expanded over the past few decades and continues to expand at the present time. It has no commercial value. Since the 1960s, this specie has been became the object of purpose-oriented introduction in many lakes and reservoirs of the USSR in order to enrich the feed base of fish in natural and artificial reservoirs. The studied species has successfully adapted to the new waterbodies, because has a high ecological plasticity and the ability to migrate. Gmelinoides fasciata (Stebbing, 1899) lives in reservoirs of the most diverse types, from cold oligotrophic to heated shallow waters, with a lack of oxygen in winter. In the diet spectrum of amphipods, plant, animal food and detritus are present. The breeding season begins in April and ends in early September. The species is characterized by a one-year life cycle; the life cycle does not exceed 12-14 months. In 1971-1975, this specie was introduced to the lakes of the Leningrad Region, where it was successfully naturalized. In 1988-1990, the amphipod was recorded in Lake Ladoga, where this species occurs mainly at depths of up to 1 m in thickets of higher aquatic vegetation and on stony surf littoral, as in many lakes. In 2001 it’s Baikal specie was recorded in Lake Onega. Studies of the dynamics of population indicators of G. fasciata show an increase in the number of this species in Lake Onega.