Species Specificity of the Cytogenetic Stability of Fish in a Eutrophic Water Body

The micronucleus test of peripheral blood erythrocytes was used to study cytogenetic stability in bream (Abramis brama L.), perch (Perca fluviatilis L.), roach (Rutilus rutilus L.), and pike (Esox lucius L.) from a eutrophic water body not affected by anthropogenic factors. The dependence of the rate of spontaneous micronucleus formation on fish age was estimated. The effect of natural variation in abiotic environmental factors on the cytogenetic stability of species was analyzed.     

Reproductive Parameters of Adult Birds and Morphophysiological Characteristics of Chicks in the Pied Flycatcher (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ficedula hypoleuca</Emphasis> Pall.) in Technogenically Polluted Habitats

Effects of toxic emissions (heavy metals and sulfur dioxide) on reproductive parameters of adult pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca Pall.) and morphophysiological characteristics of their progeny have been studied in the vicinity of the Middle Ural Copper-Smelting Plant. In polluted areas, the fecundity of adult birds is lower, mortality among the progeny is higher, and changes in the physiological parameters of birds are observed. The effects of toxic load are better manifested in nestlings than in adult birds. They include an increase in the liver index, the reduction of hemoglobin concentration, and an increase in the proportion of immature erythrocytes in the peripheral blood. The proportion of anemic birds also increases. The weakening of nestlings facilitates their infestation by the larvae of parasitic flies. Changes in the differential blood count of nestlings reflect the combined impact of toxic pollutants and parasites.