рус eng
«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «BIOLOGIYA. ECOLOGIYA»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «BIOLOGY. ECOLOGY»
ISSN 2073-3372 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Biology. Ecology». 2022. Vol 41

Studies of the Water Discharge Effect on the Spawning Migration Distance of Baikal Omul Coregonus migratorius (Coregonidae) in the Selenga River Based on Long-term Data

Author(s)
A. V. Bazov, N. V. Bazova, N. L. Frolova
Abstract
The Selenga River, the main tributary of Lake Baikal, is 1,453 km long and accounts for 50 % of its surface runoff. It is a large foothill, free-flowing, unregulated watercourse flowing through Mongolia (2/3 of the length) and Russia (1/3). Global climatic changes in recent decades have been particularly evident in the Baikal region: since the mid-1990s, there has been a significant decrease in water and sediment runoff in the Selenga basin. Omul spends most of its life cycle in the lake; spawning takes place in the river system. In total, there are 22 spawning rivers of Baikal omul in the Lake Baikal basin, among which 47 % of its spawning grounds are concentrated in Selenga. Omul spawns in the Selenga channel within 20–580 km upstream of the lake, and in some years it crosses the border between Russia and Mongolia. Based on long-term (1936–2018) data of the Baikal omul spawning migration in the Selenga River, the relationship between the average migration distance of the spawning herd core and the water discharge at the beginning of the spawning migration (September) was analyzed. Statistical analysis has established an approximate threshold for water discharge, which marks the shortening of the spawning path in «high-water» years and a noticeable extension of it upstream in “low-water” years. The role of other cumulative factors affecting the spawning distance of omul is discussed. Under conditions of a long subglacial period, omul eggs are successfully incubated in large areas for five to six months (November–April). Stability of habitat characteristics in such a shelter is ensured by a significant decrease in flow velocity and temperature, as well as increased water transparency and a relatively favorable oxygen regime. Ice cover formation can also be attributed to protective factors: it reliably shelters eggs from external atmospheric impact: average ice thickness on the river during the study period was 0,5 m (0,1–1,5 m, maximum by spring it often reaches 2 m near the shores). Hydraulic construction in the upper Selenga Watershed in Mongolia could have a significant negative impact on the spawning grounds of the Baikal omul, reducing the survival of its eggs during the winter months. Such impacts, combined with global warming and other anthropogenic disturbances, may even lead to the extinction of this cold-loving endemic of the Selenga Basin, which will undoubtedly affect the entire lake ecosystem.
About the Authors

Bazov Andrey Vladimirovich, Candidate of Sciences (Biology), Senior Research Scientist, Baikal Branch of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, 4B, Khahalov st., Ulan-Ude, 670034, Russian Federation, e-mail: abazoff@yandex.ru

Bazova Natalia Vladimirovna, Candidate of Sciences (Biology), Research Scientist, Institute of General and Experimental Biology SB RAS, 6, Sakhyanova st.,Ulan-Ude, 670047, Russian Federation, e-mail: selengan@yandex.ru

Frolova Natalia Leonidovna, Doctor of Sciences (Geography), Professor, Head of Chair, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobyovy Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, e-mail: frolova_nl@mail.ru

For citation
Bazov A.V., Bazova N.V., Frolova N.L. Studies of the Water Discharge Effect on the Spawning Migration Distance of Baikal Omul Coregonus migratorius (Coregonidae) in the Selenga River Based on Long-term Data. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Biology. Ecology, 2022, vol. 41, pp. 66-84. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3372.2022.41.66 (in Russian)
Keywords
Baikal omul, Coregonus migratorius, Selenga River, eggs distribution, water discharge, spawning migration.
UDC
597.553.2.574.22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3372.2022.41.66
References

AIS GMVO: Avtomatizirovannaya informatsionnaya sistema gosudarstvennogo monitoringa vodnykh ob"ektov Rossiyskoy Federatsii [Automated Information System for State Monitoring of Water Bodies in the Russian Federation]. Available at: https://portal.eskigov.ru/fgis/267

Afanasyev G.A. Ekologiya nerestovogo stada omulya reki Selengi [Ecology of the spawning stock of omul in the Selenga River]. Ekologiya, bolezni i razvedenie baikalskogo omulya [Ecology, diseases and breeding of Baikal omul]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1981, pp. 5-34.

Bazov A.V., Bazova N.V. Selenginskaya populyatsiya baikal'skogo omulya: proshloe, nastoyashchee, budushchee [Selengan population of Baikal omul: past, present, future]. Ulan-Ude, Buryat SC SB RAS Publ., 2016. 352 p.

Voronov M.G. Ekologo-biologicheskie osnovy povysheniya effektivnosti vosproizvodstva omulya v r. Selenge v sovremennykh usloviyakh [Ecological and biological basis for improving the efficiency of omul reproduction in the Selenga River under modern conditions: Candidate in Biology dissertation abstract]. St.-Petersburg, GosNIORKh Publ., 1993, 18 p.

Voronov M.G., Voronova Z.B., Voronov A.M. Ekspress-metodiki, kak nadezhnyi instrumentarii monitoringa biologo-fiziologicheskogo sostoyaniya proizvoditelei baikal'skogo omulya r. Selengi [Rapid methods as a reliable tool for monitoring biological and physiological condition of Baikal omul spawners in Selenga River]. Aktual'nye voprosy razvitiya agrarnogo sektora ekonomiki Baikal'skogo regiona [Topical issues of agrarian sector development in the Baikal omul region: Proc. AllRuss Sci. Conf., Ulan-Ude, Russia]. Ulan-Ude, Buryat St. Agric. Acad. Publ., 2020, pp. 302-307.

Voronov M.G., Zhugdurova S.V., Akhmetshakirova E.Yu. Morfo-fiziologicheskie pokazateli u proizvoditelei omulya raznykh periodov zakhoda v r. Selenga [Morpho-physiological indices in omul spawners of different periods of entry into the Selenga River]. Aktualnye voprosy razvitiya agrarnogo sektora ekonomiki Baikal'skogo regiona [Topical issues of agrarian sector development in the Baikal omul region: Proc. AllRuss Sci. Conf., Ulan-Ude, Russia]. Ulan-Ude, Buryat St. Agric. Acad. Publ., 2020, pp. 308-316.

Krasnoshchekov S.I. Biologiya omulya ozera Baikal [Baikal omul biology]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1981, 143 p.

Misharin K.I. Estestvennoe razmnozhenie i iskusstvennoe razvedenie posol'skogo omulya v Baikale [Natural breeding and artificial rearing of posolsky omul in Baikal]. Izvestya Biol.-geogr. NII pri Vost.-Sib. gos. un-te [Bull. Biol.-Geogr. Sci. Inst. East-Siberian St. Univ.], 1953, vol. 14, is. 1-4, 133 p.

Misharin K.I. Baikal'skii omul' [Baikal omul]. Ryby i rybnoe khozyaistvo v basseine ozera Baikal [Fishes and fisheries in the Lake Baikal basin]. Irkutsk, Irkutskoe knizhnoe izdatelstvo Publ., 1958, pp. 130-287.

Moskalenko B.K. Sigovye ryby Sibiri: Biologicheskie osnovy promyshlennoi ekspluatatsii i vosproizvodstva syr'evykh zapasov [Siberian whitefish: Biological basis for industrial exploitation and reproduction]. Moscow, Pishchevaya promyshlennost Publ., 1971, 183 p.

Shimaraev M.N., Kuimova L.N., Sinyukovich V.N., Tsekhanovskii V.V. O proyavlenii na Baikale globalnykh izmenenii klimata v XX stoletii [On the manifestation of global climate change in Lake Baikal in the twentieth century]. Doklady Earth Sciences, 2002, vol. 383, no. 3, pp. 397-400.

Ivanov E.G., Danilova L.P., Zil'bershtein V.I., Bystrova I.F. Opisanie otdelnykh rek [Description of selected rivers]. Resursy poverkhnostnykh vod SSSR. Bassein ozera Baikal (Zabaikal'e) [Surface water resources of the USSR. Lake Baikal basin (Zabaikalye)]. St.-Petersb., Gidrometeoizdat Publ., 1973, vol. 16, is. 3, pp. 40-236.

Reshetnikov Yu.S., Bogdanov V.D. Osobennosti vosproizvodstva sigovykh ryb [Peculiarities of whitefish reproduction]. J. Ichthyol., 2011, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 502-525.

Seleznev V.N. Baikalskii omul, ego estestvennoe razmnozhenie i perspektivy iskusstvennogo razvedeniya [Baikal omul, its natural breeding and prospects for artificial breeding]. Izvestya Biol.-geogr. NII pri Vost.-Sib. gos. un-te [Bull. Biol.-Geogr. Sci. Inst. East-Siberian St. Univ.]. 1942,vol. IX, is. 1-2, pp. 24-38.

Chalov S.R., Grechushnikova M.G., Varentsov M.I., Kasimov N.S. Sovremennaya i prognoznaya otsenka stoka vody i nanosov rek basseina Selengi [Current and forecast assessment of water and sediment runoff in the Selenga River basin]. Geogr. Nat. Resour., 2016, no. 5, pp. 39-48.

Sorokin V.N. Usloviya estestvennogo vosproizvodstva omulya v r. Selenge [Conditions for natural reproduction of omul in the Selenga River]. Ekologiya, bolezni i razvedenie baikal'skogo omulya [Ecology, diseases and breeding of Baikal omul]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1981, pp. 34-44.

Tyurin P.V., Sosinovich P.N. Materialy k poznaniyu neresta baikalskogo omulya v r. Kichere [Materials for the Baikal omul spawning survey in the Kichera river]. Izvestya Biol.-geogr. NII pri IGU [Bull. Biol.-Geogr. Sci. Inst. Irkutsk St. Univ.]. 1937, vol. 7, is. 3-4, pp. 198-224.

Khokhlova L. V. Ryby r. Selengi [Fishes of Selenga River]. Ryby i kormovye resursy rek i vodokhranilishch Vostochnoi Sibiri [Fishes and feeding resources of rivers and reservoirs]. Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarskii Rabochii Publ., 1967, pp. 291-325.

Chernyaev Zh.A. O vozmozhnosti razvitiya ikry baikal'skikh sigovykh ryb v pereokhlazhdennom sostoyanii «pagona» [On the possibility of development of Baikal whitefish eggs in the supercooled "pagon" state]. Trudy SVKNII DVNTs AN SSSR, Vyp. 42: Biologicheskie problemy Severa [Proc. North-East Compl. Sci. Inst. FESC AS USSR, is. 42: Biological Problems of North]. Magadan, 1971, pp. 67-73.

Chernyaev Zh.A. Vosproizvodstvo baikalskogo omulya [Reproduction of Baikal omul]. Moscow, Legkaya i pishchevaya promyshlennost Publ., 1982, 128 p.

Shumilov I.P. Vyzhivaemost ikry baikalskogo omulya C. autumnalis migratorius (Georgi) na nerestilishchakh r. Kichery i vliyanie vodnosti reki na urozhainost' pokolenii [Survival of eggs of Baikal omul C. autumnalis migratorius (Georgi) on spawning grounds of the Kichera River and the influence of river water content on the yield of generations]. J. Ichthyol., 1971, vol. 11, is. 2, pp. 280-289.

Shumilov I.P. Biologicheskie osnovy vosstanovleniya i ratsional'nogo ispol'zovaniya zapasov severobaikal'skogo stada omulya [Biological basis for restoration and rational use of the North Baikal omul stock]. Omuli Baikala [Omuls of Lake Baikal]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1974, pp. 81-134.

Bazova N.V., Bazov A. V. Influence of abiotic factors on incubation of Baikal omul eggs in the Selenga River (Lake Baikal Basin). IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., 2021, vol. 908, no. 1, pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/908/1/012013

Danks H.V. How aquatic insects live in cold climates. Can. Entomol., 2007, vol. 139, no. 4, pp. 443-471. https://doi.org/10.4039/n06-100

Obyazov V.A., Smakhtin V.K. Climate change effects on winter river runoff in Transbaikalia. Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol., 2013, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 503-508. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373913070091

Prowse T.D. River-ice ecology. II: Biological aspects. J. Cold Reg. Eng., 2001, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0887-381X(2001)15:1(17)

Frolova N.L., Belyakova P.A., Grigoriev V.Y., Sazonov A.A., Zotov L.V., Jarsjö J. Runoff fluctuations in the Selenga River basin. Reg. Environ. Change, 2017, vol. 17, no. 7, pp. 1965-1976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-017-1199-0

Hampton S.E., Izmest'eva L.R., Moore M.V., Katz S.L., Dennis B., Silow E.A. Sixty years of environmental change in the world's largest freshwater lake – Lake Baikal, Siberia. Glob. Change Biol., 2008, vol. 14, no. 8, pp. 1947-1958. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01616.x

Bronte C.R., Fleischer G.W., Maistrenko S.G., Pronin N.M. Stock structure of Lake Baikal Omul as determined by whole-body morphology. J. Fish Biol., 1999, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 787-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb02033.x

Voronov M. G., Bolshunova E. A., Luzbaev K. V. Spawning Migrations of the Baikal Omul. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., 2021, vol. 670, no.. 1, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/670/1/012017

Chalov S., Kasimov N., Lychagin M., Belozerova E., Shinkareva G., Theuring P., Romanchenko A., Alexeevsky N., Garmaev E. Water resources assessment of the Selenga-Baikal river system. Geoöko. 2013, vol. 34, no. 1-2, pp. 77-102.


Full text (russian)