Hydrobiological station

Director Kovtun Oleg A. senior lecturer of Hydrobiology and General Ecology Department

Staff:

Solovjova Olga L. – biologist (hydrochemistry)
Morozov Iury V. – specialist, chief on mooring line
Tarasenko Anastasiya A. – specialist
Slizky Andrew V. – biologist
Novikov Egor N. – specialist

The Hydrobiological station is located on the Maly Fontan, which is a unique place on the Odessa coast that still keeps the features of marine biota with natural complexes of biogeocenoses that practically disappeared everywhere.

From its foundation Hydrobiological station is the base for hydrobiological, ecological, hydrological and hydrochemical researches of scientists from Odessa National Mechnikov University.

Hydrobiological station is educational and scientific department of Biological faculty, it is presided by Hydrobiology and General Ecology Department.

History of station

History of station counts more than 100 years. It was founded in 1902, by professor P.N. Buchinsky, one of the first who began to carry out researches of local flora and fauna. Due to the station the process of inventory of fauna of Odessa Gulf was sped up: Crustaceans (N. Kalishevsky), sponges (P. Kudelin), fishes (K. Kisilevich, A. Jatsentkovsky). In different years outstanding scientists – I. I. Mechnikov, A. O. Kovalevsky, V. V. Zalensky – worked here.

The zoological station or marine branch of zoological laboratory, as it was called at that time, was the base for work of students, employees of university and Society of Naturalists. The excursions with students and pupils were held here with the purpose of acquaintance with methods of gathering and processing of hydrobiological material.
Famous scientist conducted researches on the station. They investigated: zooplankton (A. O. Bujanovskaia), ichthyoplankton (Yu. P. Zaitsev), zoobenthos (S. B. Grinbart), phytobenthos (I. I. Pogrebniak), fishes (F. S. Zambriborcsh).

In different years guidance and leadership of the station belonged to well-known scientists: P. N. Buchinsky, D. K. Tretiakov, I. I. Pusanov; to head of hydrobiological sector of Zoology and Biological Institute N. A. Zagorovsky, director of Odessa Zoopark G. V. Beizert. Directors of the station were Yu. P. Zaitsev (1950-1956), M. A. Vinnikova (1956-1971), А. Shulim (1971-1973), А. D. Goncharov (1974-1980), S. M. Slukin (1980-2004).

Since 1950 the Station has been represented basically as an educational laboratory. Aquariums with different biogeocenoses from the Odessa Bay were created here for demonstration to students; practical classes, educational and industrial practices, sampling for student's scientific works were carried out.

Since 1966 the station became a base of scientific researches which covered not only water area of the Odessa Gulf, but also estuaries of the Dnieper, the Dniestr, the Danube, of Tendrovsky, Yagorlitsky and Dzharilgachsky Bays, and also limans of northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Educational work

At Hydrobiological station laboratory, practical classes and lectures on general and special courses of Hydrobiology and General Ecology Department on problems of marine and continental water ecosystems ecology, ichthyology, algology, nature protection, ecological and toxicological examination, and also a big special practice training (BST) are carried out.

The station provides teachers of Department with biological material for practical classes on BST, hydrobiology, ichthyology; promotes gathering of material for making of Bachelor degree, Master degree and Ph.D. works.

Scientific and research work

Permanent all-the-year-round hydrochemical monitoring of the sea with definition of key parameters (temperature, salinity, etc.) is carried out on station. The material and technical base of station, which includes some motor boats and pair-oars, necessary hydrobiological and diving equipment, is used by teachers and scientific assistants of Biological faculty, Hydrobiology and General Ecology Department and other departments of university during implementation of scientific and research works. From spring to autumn employees of Hydrobiological Station and Hydrobiology and General Ecology Department conduct ichthyological samplings, samplings of phyto-, zoo, ichthyoplankton, zoobenthos and phytobenthos.

Since 2000 the group of specialists engaged in underwater hydrobiological researches (supervisor – director of Hydrobiological Station, Oleg A. Kovtun, the professional diver and instructor) has been created on station. The group has passed special training (divers of international class – CMAS) and can carry out hydrobiological researches by modern methods, conduct the underwater photo and video shootings, and also computer montage of final shooting material. In 2002-2004 O. A. Kovtun created the serial of films about the underwater world of the Black Sea. In 2006 it received the signature stamps of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and is the manual for pupils and students. For today any scientific or educational institutions of the South of Ukraine does not possess similar opportunities.

Hydrobiological station of Odessa National Mechnikov University is entered to the list of Network of Biological Research Stations of the Black and Azov Seas which carry out constant monitoring of the marine environment and biological resources.

Cooperation

Odessa National Mechnikov University cooperates with biological faculties of various universities and scientific research institutes of Ukraine and Europe, in particular with the Kharkov National V. N. Karazin University, with Klaipeda University (Lithuania) and other universities to carry out joint researches and study work on the basis of Hydrobiological Station. The station participates also in the program of exchange of students and scientific specialists.