Ilya Trofimov

• PhD
• Russian Academy of Sciences

The stability of biological systems ensures their viability under the influence of environmental factors. The homeostatic mechanisms of the body ensure the stability of the process of individual development (developmental homeostasis, or homeoresis). The stability of biosystems of a higher rank is determined by the diversity and stability of the co...

We examine temporal variation in a measure of developmental stability, the degree of fluctuating asymmetry of the characters of skull morphology, of the common shrew (Sorex araneus L., 1758) in Central Siberia. Four-year cycles in this population in the last century were accompanied by significant changes in the level of developmental stability. Po...

Variation of the meristic characteristics of pholidosis in the sand lizard, Lacerta agilis, was studied both in laboratory experiments and in natural populations. The total phenotypic variability was assessed by the variation of the sum of the number of scales on the left and on the right sides of the body (l + r), while the measure of developmenta...

Developmental noise is a variety that is not related to the usually distinguished sources of phenotypic diversity, i.e., differences in the genotype and in the environment. This variation arises in the process of the realization of genetic information and reflects the imperfection of ontogenetic processes. The most common measure of it is the value...

Fluctuating asymmetry as a special kind of asymmetry can be defined as deviations from a known predetermined ratio of the parts of morphological structure under study. As a special type of phenotypic variability fluctuating asymmetry is a manifestation of ontogenetic noise or developmental variability. This type of variability is ubiquitous and pla...

We examine possible temporal variation in a measure of developmental stability, providing insight into the degree of fluctuating asymmetry of several characters of skull morphology, of the common shrew, Sorex araneus L., 1758, in Central Siberia. The level of fluctuating asymmetry during the study period in the beginning of this century (2002–2013)...

Developmental noise—which level may vary within a certain backlash allowed by natural selection—is a reflection of the state of a developing system or developmental stability. Phenotypic variations inside the genetically determined norm observed in case of fluctuating asymmetry provide a unique opportunity for evaluating this form of ontogenetic va...

This paper considers the importance of monitoring the state of biological diversity as a priority area of research in the context of increasing anthropogenic impact and global climate change, modern requirements for indicators that can be used to solve this issue, and approaches for characterizing the background state and its possible deviations ba...

Over the last few decades, multitude of evolutionary mechanisms underlying sympatric speciation have been actively investigated. It was shown, that sympatric speciation is usually a result of explosive adaptive radiations accompanied by the genetic and developmental changes. One may propose, that such rapid genetic and developmental perturbations s...

The assessment of the role of environmental factors in providing human health is very important. However, the obtaining of such assessments in practice is associated with considerable difficulties. Certain information on the environmental auspiciousness for the health of living beings can be obtained by using the health of environment methodology a...

The study of the indices of developmental homeostasis in natural populations leads to the definition of the fundamentals of population developmental biology, which is associated with the assessment of the nature of phenotypic diversity and the mechanisms of population dynamics and microevolutionary changes. Characterization of environmental quality...

Increasing anthropogenic impact on the natural environment determines the urgency and significance of provision of the all-round estimation and monitoring of its consequences. The methodology of the health of environment estimation based on characteristics of the condition of different species of living beings by the developmental homeostasis is pr...

The study of the developmental stability in natural populations is a promising direction of population developmental biology, which opens new possibilities for estimation of the nature of the observed phenotypic diversity and understanding the mechanisms of population dynamics and microevolutionary transformations. This direction of the studies all...

Homeostasis as an ability to maintain structural-functional parameters of the system at the required level is a basic characteristic for providing the stability of any biological system (from biosphere and separate ecosystems to communities, populations, and individuals). The study of homeostatic mechanisms that provide the stability of biological...

The dynamics of developmental stability of two burying beetle species displays the trend of an increase in fluctuating asymmetry indices at almost all of the studied sites. It is assumed that the most likely cause of the observed alterations is the deviations from optimal conditions, which result mainly from global climate change.

A population-phenogenetic analysis of plants (European white birch) based on investigation of the stability of their development in natural populations was performed. The data obtained allow characterizing the violation of the stability in natural populations as a response of developing organisms to environmental (climate) changes not only in the r...

The population phenetic structure was studied in the burying beetle Nicroforus vespillo (Linnaeus, 1761) from Kaluga city pine forest. Some possible phenes of N. vespillo were distinguished and frequencies of their occurrence studied. As a result, all the samples belonged to the same population. The phene pool of the population was characterized by...

The results of studying the population-phenetic peculiarities of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespillo (Linnaeus 1761) from an urban pinery (the city of Kaluga) are presented. Some possible phenes of N. vespillo were distinguished, and the frequency of their occurrence is analyzed. The phene pool of the population studied is characterized accordi...