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Publications (135)
Artificial propagation and stocking of brown trout is a standard practice in recreational fishery management. In recent decades, the importance of maintaining intraspecific diversity and protecting locally adapted lineages has been recognized for the species' long-term survival. The first step in selecting donors for stocking involves distinguishin...
The genetic identity and conservation status of lake ecotype of brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in Slovenia's Alpine lakes Bled and Bohinj have been subjected to changes due to historical stocking practices. We aimed to evaluate the genetic differentiation and origins of these populations to advise for correct conservation strategies. Using...
Brezobzirni antropocentrizem je vzrok nepopravljivih okoljskih sprememb in obsežnih nepremišljenih prenosov organizmov. Takšne spremembe vodijo do križanja sorodnih vrst in populacij, ki so bile naravno medsebojno ločene. Problem je še posebej viden pri salmonidnih vrstah rib, katere so, zaradi potreb poribljavanja, kot protiukrepa intenzivnemu rib...
Fish were sampled at nine locations of the upper Neretva River, upstream of Glavatičevo. Evidence of the endangered softmouth trout (Salmo obtusirostris) was obtained as well as the presence of other native and non-native salmonids. Genetic analysis suggests that the native brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the upper Neretva is homogeneous with no sign...
This is a preliminary and exploratory study of cranial variation in European populations of grayling. We investigated the correspondence between size/shape variation of the dorsal (dc), ventral (vc) and occipital (oc) cranium and phylogenetic relationships (inferred from mitochondrial control region-mtDNA cr and microsatellite dna data) of six gray...
To elucidate the historical biogeography of a species, the patterns of population divergence must be understood, and the evolutionary history of the species must be accurately known. For brown trout ( Salmo trutta complex), estimating divergence times remains a challenge due to the lack of well-defined time calibration points and insufficient phylo...
Three phylogenetic lineages of brown trout have been discovered in the Aoos/Vjosa River based on mtDNA control region (in this study the name Aoos (also Aoös) refers only to the Greek section of the Vjosa (also Vjosë) River in Albania). In addition to the previously detected Mediterranean (ME) lineage, the Adriatic (AD) and marmoratus (MA) lineages...
In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we belie...
Karst landscapes are characterized by intermittent and sinking streams. The most common method used to study underground hydrological connections in karst is tracing tests. However, a more biologically oriented approach has been suggested: analysis of the genetic structure of aquatic organisms. Biological tracers can be sought among trogloxenes, i....
Surrogate production through germline stem cell (GSC) transplantation is becoming a very promising technology in species management and ex situ species conservation. In the present study, we have evaluated if the triploid rainbow trout is a suitable surrogate parent for the production of other salmonid gametes. In three independent trials conducted...
1. The middle part of the Sava River in Slovenia provides one of the longest free-flowing habitats for huchen, a threatened species that is also protected by the European Habitats Directive. However, there are plans for the construction of a chain of hydropower plants along this stretch of river. It has previously been assumed that huchen is no lon...
In brown trout, instances of genetic homogenization after introducing hatchery-reared allochthonous Atlantic strains are well documented. Therefore, mitigation-driven translocation with autochthonous lineages is gaining support. However, when the origin of local donor populations is not clear they should be genetically characterized prior to transl...
Using nuclear DNA sequences we studied the phylogeny and genetic structure of trout in Morocco, and estimated the impact of stocking upon natural populations. We supplemented the sample set from a previous study with new sample localities and with specimens from the main hatchery in Morocco. Phylogeny was performed using Bayesian inference, identif...
Using nuclear DNA sequences we studied the phylogeny and genetic structure of trout in Morocco, and estimated the impact of stocking upon natural populations. We supplemented the sample set from a previous study with new sample localities and with specimens from the main hatchery in Morocco. Phylogeny was performed using Bayesian inference, identif...
The sculpins Cottus metae and C. scaturigo have previously been distinguished morphologically from C. gobio and described as distinct species. In the present study, sculpin samples from numerous sites covering the proposed range of C. metae and C. scaturigo, including unexamined adjacent sites that include topotypic specimens and other sculpins, we...
In 1848, the grayling Thymallus aeliani (Valenciennes) was described from Lake Maggiore, Italy, in the north Adriatic basin. Genetic analyses of the mitochondrial control region showed a unique evolutionary history of grayling inhabiting the rivers of northern Adriatic basin, from the upper reaches of the Po River and its left tributaries in the we...
In 1848, the grayling Thymallus aeliani (Valenciennes) was described from Lake Maggiore, Italy, in the north Adriatic basin. Genetic analyses of the mitochondrial control region showed a unique evolutionary history of grayling inhabiting the rivers of northern Adriatic basin, from the upper reaches of the Po River and its left tributaries in the we...
Brown trout Salmo trutta L. lives mainly in European rivers and is also bred in hatcheries for fishery purposes. Since the end of 19th century it has been introduced in all other continents. For the present survey most of the known self-sustaining brown trout river populations in Japan have been sampled and analyzed through sequences of the entire...
Two new populations of the European mudminnow ( Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) were discovered in the Sava River system, one in its middle part (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the other in a tributary to the Kupa River (Croatia). The Croatian population is the most upstream mudminnow discovery in the Sava River system known to date. The genetic structur...
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....
A study of rare and endangered fish species and environmental parameters in small
rivers of the Republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan was carried out. The location of a niche in 7 fish species in 7 basic habitat parameters is determined.
The genetic structure of European mudminnow populations throughout the species range was examined using mitochondrial DNA and seven microsatellite loci. Ten mitochondrial haplotypes were detected, suggesting three phylogeographic lineages, which likely diverged during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. These three lineages geographically correspond...
Europe's obligate cave-dwelling amphibian Proteus anguinus inhabits subterranean waters of the northwestern Balkan Peninsula. Because only fragments of its habitat are accessible to humans, this endangered salamander's exact distribution has been difficult to establish. Here we introduce a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction-based envi...
The paper presents and discusses the results of the first ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of cyprinid remains
recovered from the Mesolithic-Neolithic sites of Vlasac, Lepenski Vir and Padina in the Danube Gorges
(North-Central Balkans). Cyprinids constitute a significant portion of the identified fish remains recovered
from these sites, which is indica...
To evaluate whether molecular data support the distinctiveness of Salmo macedonicus (Karaman, 1924) and Salmo pelagonicus Karaman, 1938, and to examine a possible impact of non-native trout translocated from the Drim drainage on the indigenous trout of the Vardar drainage, 187 individuals from 15 populations sampled across both drainages were studi...
High endemism of species and lineages of fish genus Salmo require distinct
population management strategies for their sustainability and preservation
from mixing with introduced lineages. Although sperm cryopreservation
is in use in population management strategies, this approach does
not allow preservation of female genetic material. Recently, tra...
The European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (Linnaeus, 1758) is salmonid fish species naturally inhabiting most of European continent. In the past two decades majority of research aimed European grayling genetic structure and description of its phylogenetic lineages. In contrast, not many morphological studies of this species have been published so...
The European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (Linnaeus, 1758) is salmonid fish species with complex life history depicted mostly by recent genetic research. As a result, at least five major phylogenetic lineages have been described and fine genetic structure in each of the lineages has been discovered. Herein, we analyzed cranial morphology of T. thy...
The black Proteus (Proteus anguinus parkelj) forms a very small and endangered population of the only European subterranean amphibian. Since its discovery in 1986 until the most recent sighting in 2012, the black Proteus has been documented at only four sites in extreme Southeastern Slovenia. They are situated within a 2 by 2.5 km maximum aerial di...
Brown trout populations from the middle Volga and upper Ural drainages in the Russian Federation were analyzed with respect to their inter-relationships and phylogenetic status using complete mtDNA control region sequences and 10 microsatellite loci. Among 56 individuals from eight populations (six from the middle Volga and two from the upper Ural...
Following its introduction in the late nineteenth century, rainbow trout gradually spread to become one of the most widespread non-native fishes. Nevertheless, despite continuous introductions, they have become self-sustaining in only a limited number of European rivers, most of which are located in the Prealps. There is no consensus on the reasons...
European bullhead sensus lato is a species complex, in which lineage determination based on morphology has proven to be extremely difficult, probably due to low interspecific and high intraspeciefic morphological variation. Therefore, major evolutionary lineages across Europe have been determined based on molecular data, which also to some extent c...
Marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) is an extensively managed salmonid taxon threatened by historical introductions of non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta) of different origins into habitats in the northern part of its distribution, namely the Po river system and the Slovenian part of the Adriatic watershed. Hybridization between marble trout and brow...
As a basis for future conservation activities, the genetic and external body morphology variability of the European mudminnow Umbra krameri, a highly endangered fish species in Serbia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was determined for existing populations with the use of molecular markers (mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA) and geometric morphome...
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is probably the most widely introduced fish species in the world. Since the first translocation outside of the range of its natural distribution, the species has been introduced into at least 99 countries and has established reproducing populations in many different parts of the world. The present review aims...
Background Classification of species within the genus Salmo is still a matter of discussion due to their high level of diversity and to the low power of resolution of mitochondrial (mt)DNA-based phylogeny analyses that have been traditionally used in evolutionary studies of the genus. We apply a new marker system based on nuclear (n)DNA loci to pre...
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 detect...
New concatenated mtDNA sequences (three genes; n = 22) of Siberian taimen Hucho taimen primarily from west Siberian and European regions of the species' range were added to 12 previously published sequences to provide a phylogeographic overview of the species. European samples show only very minor divergence from west Siberian populations, supporti...
A cryopreservation protocol was tested on the sperm of genetically distinct Adriatic grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and the Natura2000-listed marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) from the Soća River basin in Slovenia. Sperm was frozen in an extender composed of 200 mM glucose, 40 mM KCl, 30 mM Tris (pH 8.0) and 10% methanol as acryoprotectant in the vap...
The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of Serbian huchen and provide guidelines for conservation and management. Fourteen huchen individuals were collected from six localities. For all individuals the mitochondrial DNA control region and the NADH1 gene were sequenced, and two microsatellite loci were genotyped. Sequencing of...
Classification of species within the genus Salmo is still a matter of discussion due to their high level of diversity and to the low power of resolution of mitochondrial (mt)DNA-based phylogeny analyses that have been traditionally used in evolutionary studies of the genus. We apply a new marker system based on nuclear (n)DNA loci to present a nove...
The conservation and protection of native populations hybridizing with introduced non-native species in many cases depend crucially on supplemental breeding. Two well-known examples are brown trout in the Danubian basin and marble trout in the Adriatic basin. We present a fluorescence-based genotyping system for a set of 47 nuclear DNA SNP markers,...
Karst areas have some of the most complex aquifers in the world. Because of extreme groundwater oscillations, different hydrological connections are active depending on the season. Therefore, the complex water network remains poorly investigated, despite many geological, hydrological and geomorphological studies performed. The methodology of water...
Sperm cryopreservation was successfully applied to the culture of the Adriatic grayling in the Soča river basin in Slovenia whose stocks have been affected by introgressive hybridization with non-native grayling from the Danubian drainage. Sperm was collected from wild males at the spawning sites and cryopreserved while fin clips of the same indivi...
In order to elucidate genetic composition of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) populations in the Western Balkans, the partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was sequenced and 12 microsatellite loci genotyped in 14 populations originating from tributaries of the Adriatic and Danube
drainages. Eleven mtDNA haplotypes were found, one...
Complex aquatic systems of karst harbour a rich but little-investigated biodiversity. In Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina karst, temporal springs are inhabited by a group of minnow-like fishes that retreat to the associated ground water during dry seasons and spend several months underground. The most abundant species in this group is Delminichthys a...
We evaluate the hypothesis of no geographic structure in the Huchen (Hucho hucho), a large, predatory salmonid endemic to the Danube basin. Forty-seven individuals sampled from throughout the Huchen’s native
range were genetically characterized. Extremely limited sequence diversity across 1,800 bases of mtDNA (the complete control
region and partia...
We present a set of nuclear DNA SNPs enabling discrimination between Salmo marmoratus, S. obtusirostris and different evolutionary lineages of S.
trutta. The loci containing SNPs were either isolated from marble trout nuclear DNA or inferred from literature. By comparing the joint sequences (ca. 5,830 bp) among 48 tested individuals, 127 substituti...
Marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) populate two geographically separated areas in the northern and southern parts of the Adriatic Sea drainage. Although morphologically similar, each population is distinguished by a different set of unrelated mitochondrial haplotypes, suggesting that they have evolved from different ancestors. Due to a possible discor...
The genetic structure of Salmo dentex and its phylogenetic relations to sympatric salmonids in the Neretva and Skadar River basins were evaluated using mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA) control region, eight microsatellites, and somatolactin (SL) gene. In the Neretva River basin of Bosnia–Herzegovina,
the results based on mtDNA analysis showed extensive ha...
To determine the genetic architecture of trout in Albania, 87 individuals were collected from 19 riverine and lacustrine sites in Albania, FYROM and Greece. All individuals were analyzed for sequence variation in the mtDNA control region. Among fourteen haplotypes detected, four previously unpublished haplotypes, bearing a close relationship to hap...
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become popular markers for population genetics and conservation applications. The use of SNPs is increasing in studies on salmonid fishes, particularly in Salmo salar and several Oncorhynchus species, but they are used only occasionally in S. trutta and not at all in marble trout (Salmo marmoratus). Marbl...
To determine the organization of transferrin (TF) locus in the Salmo trutta genome, partial DNA and cDNA sequencing, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and Salmo salar BAC analysis were performed. TF expression levels and copy number prediction were assessed using real-time PCR. In addition to two previously reported DNA TF variant sequences...
Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (control region, partial cytochrome b and ATPase6 genes) indicate a sister relationship between Vrljika and Neretva softmouth (Adriatic) trout Salmo obtusirostris. This relationship was supported by a tree of individuals based on microsatellite results [allele sharing distances (DAS)], which revealed three distinctive c...
The phylogenetic status of brown trout Salmo trutta L 1758 in Sicily is uncertain as some reports describe these trout as S. macrostigma or S. cettii on one hand while other, contradictory reports imply a hatchery origin on the other. In order to clarify this situation,
we performed sequence analysis of the mtDNA control region and restriction frag...
We explore the historical demography of the Adriatic lineage of brown trout and more explicitly the colonization and phylogenetic placement of Ohrid trout, based on variation at 12 microsatellite loci and the mtDNA control region. All Adriatic basin haplotypes reside in derived positions in a network that represents the entire lineage. The central...
Genetic founder effects of a historical translocation (1965; app. 12 generations ago) of endangered softmouth trout from the
only remaining indigenous population to an adjacent uninhabited river were investigated.
A comparison of 15 microsatellites from contemporary samples in both the source and re-established populations indicated a
very low lev...
Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, characteristic of the Adriatic, Danubian and Atlantic lineages of brown trout Salmo trutta and of Salmo obtusirostris were found in trout inhabiting the River Neretva basin. With the exception of the one associated with softmouth trout, haplotypes were not correlated with operational taxonomic units based on phenotype....
Two populations of softmouth trout (Salmo obtusirostris) from the rivers Neretva (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Jadro (Croatia), along with two neighbouring populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta) were analysed with a suite of genetic markers (two mtDNA genes, two nuclear genes, and nine microsatellites) as well as morphological characters. The Jad...
In order to illuminate the phylogeography of brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in the Balkan state of Serbia, the 561 bp 5'-end of mtDNA control region of 101 individuals originating from upland tributaries of the Danubian, Aegean and Adriatic drainages were sequenced and compared to corresponding brown trout sequences obtained in previous stu...
In order to illuminate the phylogeography of brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in the Balkan state of Serbia, the 561 bp 5'-end of mtDNA control region of 101 individuals originating from
upland tributaries of the Danubian, Aegean and Adriatic drainages were sequenced and compared to corresponding brown trout
sequences obtained in previous stu...
Analysis of both uni-(two mtDNA gene sequences) and bi-parentally (seven microsatellite loci) inherited genetic markers, together with analysis of 40 morphological characters, described Salmo ohridanus as a highly divergent member of the genus Salmo. Based on comparative substitution rate differences at the cytochrome b gene, and a rough estimated...
Genetic variability of trout populations from 13 localities situated in all three sea basins (Black, Aegean and Adriatic) of Serbia was ascertained using the restriction endonuclease Alu I, i.e., by RFLP (Restriction Fagment Length Polymorphism) technique on PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) amplified control region of the mtDNA. Restriction endonucl...
In Slovenia, the Adriatic basin inhabited by native marble trout (S. marmoratus), and the Danubian basin inhabited by native Danubian lineage of brown trout (S. trutta) have been intensively affected by stocking with non-native trout strains. In order to assess spread of non-native strains and their introgression with native trout, a population stu...
