Igor Dzeverin

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine | ISP

The genus Myotis is unique among mammals in its high taxonomic diversity and global distribution. Their phylogenetic relationships reflect biogeographic affinities rather than phenotypes. Myotis diverged from other bats in the early Miocene, with a subsequent split between Old and New World lineages about 19 million years ago. Similar ecomorphs (‘L...

Evolutionary dynamics of covariation patterns in craniometric traits was studied for bats from the Myotis myotis–Myotis blythii species group (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) namely M.m.myotis, M.b.oxygnathus, M.b.omari, M.b.blythii, and M.b.altaicus. These species evolved towards increasing the size. One more species, M.dasycneme, which is...

The Middle Pleistocene replacement of the extinct Microtus nivaloides with its likely descendant field vole (M. agrestis Linnaeus, 1761) shows regional differences suggesting the climatic control of the process. Our aim was to test this hypothesis. We studied samples of M. nivaloides and morphologically related species, both recent and extinct, fro...

Based on morphological and molecular data Benda et al. (2012) suggested that East European and West and East Asian steppe whiskered bat, Myotis aurascens Kusjakin, 1935, is conspecific to M. davidii (Peters, 1869) described from China. This hypothesis found considerable support and eventually it may even turn out to be true, but at present it still...

Absract We studied 8 skull and 42 dental characters in nine Myotis species (M. myotis, M. blythii, M. bechsteinii, M. dasycneme, M. emarginatus, M. nattereri, M. daubentonii, M. brandtii, M. mystacinus) to analyze correlations between hardness of food and skull and dental traits. Contrary to the common bat pattern, Myotis that are specialized on ha...

Mammalian humerus shape is strongly predicted by loading and other functional factors. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans; therefore, it could reflect other specific evolutionary trends. For testing this hypothesis we analyzed 3D shape by methods of geometric morphometry (using 499 semilandmarks) for 32 cetacean taxa which included Protocetida...

Tirasiana Palij, 1976 is a genus of radially symmetric Vendobionts, which were preserved as a positive hyporelief of two superimposed discs. Tirasiana are found in the Vendian deposits of the Podolian Dnister area, the White Sea area and the Urals. For better understanding of the nature and lifestyle of Vendian biota, imprints of the Tirasiana were...

Modularity and modular structures can be recognized at various levels of biological organization and in various domains of studies. Recently, algorithms based on network analysis came into focus. And while such a framework is a powerful tool in studying modular structure, those methods usually pose a problem of assessing statistical support for the...

The presentation for the communication, ''The integrating effect of natural selection in the mammalian skull evolution" at the Conference "Zoology in the Modern World: Challenges of the XXI Century" (see the communication abstract in the "Conference Papers" section). The text (in Ukrainian): 1. Інтегруюча роль природного добору в еволюції черепа с...

The northern fur seal (NFS), Callorhinus ursinus (Mammalia: Otariidae), is a marine mammal species included into the IUCN Red List as the vulnerable species which population is dramatically declining. A significant amount of parasitological data collected previously and our recent data allowed us to clarify the list of NFS metazoan parasites and to...

Dzeverin, I. 2020. Why do we need statistics. [In Ukrainian] Department of Probability Theory, Statistics and Actuarial Mathematics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. – http://probability.univ.kiev.ua/dzeverin_pro_statystyku.pdf

Dzeverin, I. 2020. Vladimir Fridman's ressentiment and biology.Troitsky Variant - Nauka. No. 3(297). P. 14-15. [In Russian]. https://trv-science.ru/2020/02/11/resentiment-i-biologiya-fridmana/

An extensive analysis of the relationships between strongylid egg shedding in domestic horses and the strongylid community structure in regard to the age of the horses, their breeds and different strategies of horse management, particularly with anthelmintic treatment programs was performed. Domestic horses (n = 197) of different ages (5 months to...

Current data concerning the mechanisms of the emergence of novel organs, structures and characters in evolution of vertebrates are briefly reviewed. There are various patterns of these evolutionary changes, e. g. the transformation in size and shape of organs and structures, differentiation of serially repeated homologues, establishment of new conn...

It can be revealed from the estimates of the divergence rates in Sylvaemus species from the Ukraine fauna that the stasis has predominated in their evolution. The divergence of these species could possibly be slowed down by the stabilizing selection.

The aims of the study were to determine fecundity of several strongylid species parasitizing domestic horses and analyze possible relations between numbers of eggs in female uteri and size of both the eggs and the nematodes as well as the influence of fecundity on proportion of species in the strongylid community. Twenty-five specimens from each of...

Crimean Myotis blythii were attributed by various researchers either to European subspecies, M. b. oxygnathus, or to Middle East subspecies, M. b. omari. Crimean M. blythii are intermediate between the two subspecies in their odontometric characters, however they are more similar to M. b. oxygnathus. Ghazali, M., Dzeverin, I. 2012. Biometrics and t...

The presentation of the Thesis for the degree of the Doctor of Sciences (Biol.) [In Ukrainian]

Crimean Myotis blythii were attributed by various researchers either to European subspecies, M. b. oxygnathus, or to Middle East subspecies, M. b. omari. The multivariate analysis of variation based on 29 craniometric characters indicates that Crimean Myotis blythii are the specimens of M. b. oxygnathus. Dzeverin, I., Ghazali, M. 2012. Biometrics a...

An overview of the main objections to the theory of evolution expressed by proponents of creation science and intellectial design Dzeverin, I., Putchkov, P., Knyazeva, O. 2010. Evolutionism and creationism in biology. Biologiia i khimiia v shkoli (2): 7-9. (3): 6-8. (4): 7-9. (5): 11-12. (6): 5-12. In Ukrainian.

Recent studies have revealed genetic and developmental changes responsible for the emergence of powered flight and echolocation at early stages of evolution in the bats (Chiroptera). These unique features seem to have been arisen via changes in both structural genes and the systems of gene regulation.

Among 239 museum specimens of Myotis from Ukraine and adjacent territories, nine specimens have been found out with some deviation in dentition. These are lacking upper smaller premolars (P3), presence of additional P3, congenital absence of the upper canine.– Plecotus et al. 13: 12–13.

Phenotypic evolutionary rates were measured for 27 craniometric characters in 12 extant OTUs from the bat genus Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). Squared Mahalanobis distance was used as a multivariate measure for amount of divergence, and squared Mahalanobis distance weighted by time was used as a measure for the rate of divergence. Estimates...

Greater and lesser mouse-eared bats (Myotis blythii Tomes, 1857, M. myotis Borkhausen, 1797)are closely related species that diverged about one million years ago. Size of the vestigial structures of the toothrow (the third premolar and the third molar) and the proportion of the first and second molar areas from the total area of the studied teeth h...

The rates of divergence were analyzed for craniometric and odontometric characters of 34 extant and fossil Myotis and Myotis-like species (Vespertilionidae) from Western Palearctics using log-rate/log-interval test. The geological age of the studied species ranged from the Oligocene till the present time. Five closely related extant forms (M. myoti...

This paper highlights the principal events from the biography of I. I. Schmalhausen (1984-1963), the author of classical researches in vertebrate comparative anatomy, developmental biology and evolutionary theory. As the organizer of science, Schmalhausen tried to keep high professional level and ethical values of a science under the totalitarian r...

An original geographical form of the lesser mouse-eared bat, Myotis blythii, dwelling in the northwestern Altai was described as the new subspecies, Myotis blythii altaicus. The pelage coloration of this bat is light, the size is medium for the species. M. b. altaicus differs from the western subspecies (M. b. oxygnathus, M. b. omari, and M. b. bly...

Phenotypic evolutionary rates were measured for craniometric characters in five extant closely related OTUs from the bat genus Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae): M. myotis, M. blythii oxygnathus, M. b. omari, M. b. blythii, and M. nattereri using Lynch’s and Gingerich’s approaches. Cranial shape appeared to be more conservative than cranial siz...

On the 70th anniversary of M.F.Kovtun, Ukrainian zoologist and morphologist: Dzeverin, I. I. and Kozhurina, E. I. 2007. Michail Fotievich Kovtun. Plecotus et al. 10: 88-89. [In Russian]. http://zmmu.msu.ru/bats/plecotus/pl10_ann.pdf

The extent of divergence between sibling species of big mouse-eared bats M. blythii and Myotis myotis from the East European populations (the Carpathians, Crimea) has been determined by Lynch's method (1990). Right side mandibular measurements (Table 1) were taken from 69 M. blythii and 24 M. myotis, and then log-transformed prior to calculate Lync...

The Regressive Trend of Complex Phenotypic Structures in Neutral Evolution. Dzeverin I. I. — Evolutionary changes of characters formed in ontogeny by developmental induction are modeled for an infinite population and for replicate finite populations under a mutation — drift equilibrium. Induction occurs by interaction of reactants, which must there...

A trial sample including specimens of 4 wood mice species from the Ukraine fauna is described quantitatively to show the opportunity of diagnostics of wood mice using mandibular characters. The shape of lower jaw is similar in different wood mice species, but these species differ by jaw sizes. The identification of S. tauricus Ognev specimens is th...

Empirical data on wood mice variation and results of numerical modeling were used to discuss the problems of applying the discriminant function analysis in working out the algorithms of identification of closely related species from morphometric characters. As usual, the groups being identified differ from one another at different extent. However,...

A trial sample including specimens of 4 wood mice species from the Ukraine fauna is described quantitatively to show the opportunity of diagnostics of wood mice using mandibular characters. The shape of lower jaw is similar in different wood mice species, but these species differ by jaw sizes. The identification of S. tauricus Ognev specimens is th...

Individual variation and inter-specific distinctions in four species of wood mice (Sylvaemus) of Ukrainian fauna were studied by multiple methods, first of all discriminant analysis. 4 body measurements were made and 18 craniometric characters were measured. The algorithms of species identification using various combinations of these characters are...

Difference in adult size and body shape among the closely related species is the result of diversification in morphogenetic processes. We examined age variation in various external and craniometric characters of four Sylvaemus species from Ukrane fauna, S. uralensis, S. arianus, S. sylvaticus, and S. tauricus, using cross-sectional techniques. The...

We examined the small premolars (P2, P3, P2, P3) and last molars (M3, M3) in Myotis myotis (n=16), M. blythii (n=13), M. mystacinus s.l. (n=13) from Ukraine. The length (L), breadth (B) and height (H) of the tooth crowns were measured (Table 3). We found significant correlation between the left and right values of 10 characters in M. myotis, 5 char...

The ratios of average body, skull and upper molar raw lengths in sympatric species of wood mice of the Ukraine fauna are smaller, than those supposed with Hutchinson’s rule. The comparison of these estimations with the data about specific geographic ranges of wood mice allows to assume that interspecific competition could be only a factor of minor...

Variation of Nyctalus noctula craniometric characteristics was studied on the basis of 430 specimens collected in the territory from Austria in the west to Western Siberia in the east. The data obtained in different seasons and in animals of different sex were considered separately with allowance for specific features of the species biology (regula...

Odontometric Variation and Species Identification of Wood Mice Sylvaemus (Muridae, Rodentia) fromUkraine Fauna. Lashkova, E. I., Dzeverin I. I. – Techniques for identifying 4 species of Sylvaemus genus from Ukraine fauna have been developed as a result of multiple investigation of molar variation.Species belonging of nearly 80% specimens from po...

Under-development of upper second premolars (P3-s) is expressed to a different extent in Palaearctic Myotis species. Application of multiple correlation analysis shows significant correlation between values of craniometric traits and the rudimentation level of P3-s (R2=0,955; p<0,28%). Greatly reduced P3-s correspond to widely placed zygomatic arch...

Ecological diversification of Palearctic Myotis species is determined to a large extent by specialization of some species to aerial insectivory or by a combination of aerial insectivory with substrate gleaning in the adaptation of some other species. The gradient of ecological specialization corresponds with multiple trends in craniometric variatio...

Intertrait correlations were studied by the use of correlation and cluster analyses for 27 craniometric characters in 3 Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) species: M.myotis (33 specimens), M.blythi (285 specimens), and M.dasycneme (72 specimens). Similar correlation pleiades were revealed in craniometric variation of these species. Particularly...

A craniometric study of 274 M. blythi specimens representing 3 subspecies (M. b. oxygnathus, M. b. omari, M. b. blythi) shows the presence of sexual dimorphism in variation of certain characters. Sexual dimorphism patterns in different subspecies as well as in western and eastern population groups of M. b. omari are found to be essentially differen...

27 craniometric characters were measured in 285 specimens of M. blythi. The distribution of these characters in most cases correspond to normal or unimportantly differ from it. Intertrait connections are similar to linear patterns. Correlation pleiad of characters reflecting general skull size is notable. Values of all the traits are influenced to...

Craniometric investigation of 72 adult M. dasycneme specimens from central and eastern parts of specific geographic range shows that sexual dimorphism is present in the variation of some characters. A mandible in males is shorter than in females while upper toothrows are placed broader (except the anteriormost part of upper jaw). An opposite comple...