Description
This dataset provides long-term observations on the community structure of young-of-the-year (YOY) fish in the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve, Ukraine, from 1987 to 2015. It includes occurrence records with spatial and temporal attributes, species identification, and counts of juvenile fish collected by standardized seining in various aquatic habitats (lakes, channels, river stretches). The data offer valuable insights into recruitment success, biodiversity dynamics, and the ecological response of freshwater fish communities to eutrophication and climatic variability. This resource supports biodiversity monitoring, conservation planning, and ecological research in large floodplain river systems.
Data Records
The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 7,738 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Bondarev, D., Kunakh, O., & Zhukov, O. (2025). Fish community structure in the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve, Ukraine (1987–2015). Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. Occurrence dataset on GBIF.org. https://doi.org/10.15468/xxxxx
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: fb92caa0-8c39-426c-ba19-771409b25c2f. Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.
Keywords
Occurrence; Fish; Freshwater; Biodiversity; Young-of-the-year; Dnipro River; Ukraine; Eutrophication; Recruitment; Community structure; Ray-finned fishes; Cyprinidae; Floodplain; Seining; Specimen; Fish; Freshwater; Biodiversity; Young-of-the-year; Dnipro River; Ukraine; Eutrophication; Recruitment; Community structure; Ray-finned fishes; Cyprinidae; Floodplain; Seining
Contacts
- Metadata Provider ●
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact ●
- Principal Investigator
https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3661-3012
- Content Provider
- Publisher
Geographic Coverage
The dataset covers the aquatic habitats of the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve, located in the floodplain region of the Dnipro River in central Ukraine. The reserve includes a mosaic of rivers, oxbow lakes, floodplain ponds, and channels that provide essential spawning and nursery grounds for freshwater fish. All sampling sites were situated within the protected area boundaries in the Dnipropetrovsk region, between the left bank of the Dnipro River and the Oril River delta.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [48.844, 34.682], North East [48.986, 35.122] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
The dataset includes freshwater fish species primarily from the class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes), representing multiple families such as Cyprinidae, Percidae, Gobiidae, and Esocidae. All species recorded are native or naturalized in the Dnipro River system. The dataset focuses on young-of-the-year (YOY) individuals, providing insights into the recruitment and early life stage dynamics of fish communities. The taxonomic identifications follow FishBase and national checklists of Ukrainian ichthyofauna.
| Class | Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes) |
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| Family | Cyprinidae (Carps and minnows), Percidae (Perches), Esocidae (Pikes), Gobiidae (Gobies) |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 1997-07-03 / 2015-09-03 |
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Project Data
This long-term monitoring project was conducted to assess the structure and dynamics of fish communities in the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve (Ukraine) from 1987 to 2015. The focus was on young-of-the-year (YOY) fish, which serve as indicators of environmental change due to their sensitivity to habitat quality, eutrophication, and water temperature. The study aimed to evaluate recruitment success, biodiversity trends, and community responses to increasing nutrient loads and climate-related changes in hydrology and temperature regimes.
| Title | Monitoring of Fish Communities in the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve under Conditions of Eutrophication and Climate Change |
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| Identifier | DNIPRO-YOY-FISH-1987-2015 |
| Funding | The monitoring activities were supported by the administration of the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve and were also conducted using the personal resources of the project participants. |
| Study Area Description | The study was conducted in the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve, a strictly protected area located in the middle Dnipro River floodplain in southeastern Ukraine. The reserve encompasses a diverse range of aquatic and riparian habitats, including oxbow lakes, shallow bays, floodplain forests, and grassland complexes. This area is characterized by dynamic hydrological regimes, with seasonal flooding and significant variations in water levels. The study sites were primarily situated in the littoral zones of oxbow lakes and riverine segments, which support a rich ichthyofauna and play an essential role in fish reproduction and early development. The region is subject to both natural and anthropogenic pressures, including eutrophication and climate-induced changes in temperature and hydrology. |
| Design Description | The monitoring design aimed to assess long-term changes in fish community structure, particularly focusing on young-of-the-year (YOY) fish as indicators of environmental conditions. Annual surveys were conducted from 1987 to 2015 during the summer season at fixed locations in the littoral zones of the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve. The sampling protocol was standardized to ensure comparability across years, using consistent gear and effort. The design was developed to detect temporal trends in species richness, abundance, and recruitment patterns in response to eutrophication and climate change. Data collection emphasized non-lethal methods and minimized disturbance to the protected aquatic ecosystems. |
Sampling Methods
Fish were sampled annually using a 15×2 m beach seine with a 3 mm mesh size. Sampling was conducted in the littoral zone during the summer period (June–August), targeting juvenile fish (young-of-the-year). Each haul covered an area ranging from 50 to 300 m². At each sampling station, all captured individuals were identified to species level and counted. The sampling effort was standardized across years and locations to allow for interannual comparisons of community structure. No fish were retained; all individuals were released after data collection.
| Study Extent | The study was conducted within the boundaries of the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve in south-central Ukraine, specifically in the floodplain sections of the Dnipro River and its associated water bodies. Monitoring took place annually during the summer months from 1987 to 2015. The sampling covered shallow littoral habitats across multiple permanent stations to assess spatial and temporal dynamics of young-of-the-year fish communities under natural reserve conditions. |
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| Quality Control | All fish specimens were identified to species level by experienced ichthyologists using standard taxonomic keys. Data validation included cross-checking of species names with current taxonomic databases (e.g., FishBase, Catalogue of Life). Data entry was verified manually to avoid transcription errors. Geographic coordinates and dates were checked for consistency across years. Only verified and complete records were included in the final dataset. |
Method step description:
- Field sampling was conducted annually from 1987 to 2015 using a 15×2 m beach seine (3 mm mesh) in the littoral zone of the Dnipro-Orilskiy Nature Reserve. All collected juvenile fish were identified to species level on site or in laboratory conditions using standard taxonomic keys. For each haul, location (GPS), date, and sampling effort (area covered) were recorded. Species presence and abundance data were entered into a structured database and cross-checked for consistency. Taxonomic names were validated using FishBase and Catalogue of Life. Cleaned occurrence data were exported to Darwin Core format for GBIF publication.
Bibliographic Citations
- Bondarev, D., Fedushko, M., Hubanova, N., Novitskiy, R., Kunakh, O., & Zhukov, O. (2023). Temporal dynamics of the fish communities in the reservoir: the influence of eutrophication on ecological guilds structure. Ichthyological Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-021-00854-x
- Zymaroieva, A., Bondarev, D., Kunakh, O., Svenning, J.-C., & Zhukov, O. (2024). Young-of-the-year fish as bioindicators of eutrophication and temperature regime of water bodies. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(2), 161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12313-x
- Zymaroieva, A., Bondarev, D., Kunakh, O., Svenning, J.-C., & Zhukov, O. (2023). Which Fish Benefit from the Combined Influence of Eutrophication and Warming in the Dnipro River (Ukraine)? Fishes, 8(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8010014
Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | https://ukraine.ipt.gbif.no/resource?r=fish_dnipro_1987_2015 |
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