Genetic analysis research. Diet assessment and isotope niche analysis using Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA). Microchemical analysis of otoliths to evaluate the main ecological processes of Twaite shad (spawning). Evaluation of pollutants in biological tissues.
Annotation of the dissertation
The aim of the study is to characterize the ecology of Twaite shad in the Baltic Sea, through the study of genetic analyses between populations from the North Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, feeding niches of the Baltic Sea, a microchemical analysis to study migrations and analyses the concentration of pollutants.
In order to achieve the purpose, the following research tasks were formulated:
Applying molecular methods to estimate genetic differences among Twaite shad from North Sea and the Curonian Lagoon – samples from other areas in the Southern Baltic will be analysed to reveal their origin;
Analysing stable isotopes to reveal feeding niches within the of the Baltic Sea ecosystem;
Undertaking microchemical otolith analysis to find out when Twaite shad migrate into the freshwater of the Curonian Lagoon to spawn for the first time, over how many years, and whether it is a regular process;
Measuring concentration of pollutants and energy stores accumulated in Twaite Shad musculature, comparing differences between the populations from the North and Baltic Seas.
- 2020.09 – 2021.03. Taxonomic recognition and stable isotope analysis of benthic marine fauna in the Baltic and Arctic seas. Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Oceanology (IOPAN), Sopot, Poland.
International scientific conferences:
- Lozys L., Nobili E. . The northern-most spawning population of Twaite shad in the Baltic Sea, Lithuania: collapse, recovery, exploitation and protection – Shad Symposium Worcester, United Kingdom.