Saša has recently come to Slovenia to finish several previously initiated projects including Caspian grayling and trout.
After his arrival to the bus station in Ljubljana, he immediately proceeded to the lab in Rodica to start DNA isolation. Exceptionally hard-working and valuable guy!
With revival of BTRG site, we had also awakened traditional visit of LIFFe festival, the participation of which is obligatory. Only the most eager members (Tamara and Urška) plus the new ones (Ida and David), who did not dare to say no, and of course Aleš-the boss attended the event.
We were watching The Loneliest Planet, which was far from what the trailer promised (see below).
Nobody liked it but we've been talking about it for quite some time. After the movie, we went to Mexican restaurant to drown disappointment in booze and hot food. Lots of fun.
To identify and
characterize genes potentially involved in skin coloration and color pattern
formation in marble trout (Salmo
marmoratus), she compared skin transcriptome profiles from marble trout,
brown trout (S. trutta), and marble
trout x brown trout hybrids exhibiting the marble color pattern, using a
salmonid 32K cDNA microarray.
Thesis highlights: •transcription
analysis revealed seven genes that are differentially expressed between marble
and brown trout and are involved in the biological process of animal
pigmentation •the formation of marble color pattern in trout depends on wnt signaling pathway •the origin of
marble color pattern is based on reaction-diffusion mechanism.
It was a very nice
presentation, actually for most of us her first public appearance on the stage. Just before the
presentation started (no worries evident)…
…and just after it
face to face with passionate fisherman prof. dr. Rado Komel, a member of
examination board.
In 2010,
Saša got acquainted with Dr. Oleg Askeyev,the
head of Biomonitoring
Laboratory at the Institute of Problems in Ecology and Mineral Wealth, Tatarstan
Academy of Sciences in Kazan. He found out about us via this website. Due to our common interests, we saw
a potential of mutual collaboration; in August 2011, Saša, Matjaž Červek
(my outdoor buddy) and I responded to a Russian invitation for a 14-days
expedition to pre-Ural area in Tatarstan, Orenburg and Bashkiria, in the first
place to perform Thymallus thymallus
sampling, which took place in the middle Kama and upper Ural river systems.
> The
expedition team: Igor (Oleg’s twin brother, ichthyologist), Aleš, Oleg, Matjaž,
Saša, Sergey Monakhov (ichthyologist, PhD student), Rustem the driver, Dmitry (biologist
and excellent cook in the field) and the famous UAZ 4WD van. Saša Belayev (small
mammal expert and curator of the Natural history museum) is taking the picture.
> From my
perspective, the celebrity of this expedition was grayling; we found them in
small headstreams, which are in Slovenia normally populated with brown trout
only. This is only one of several differences that make the Caspian grayling
distinct from the Sava ones. > Net was the
main fishing tool; quite some skill is needed to use it effectively. For more details, see Field trips.
Apaperdescribing a new nDNA-based method for discriminatingSalmo sp. purebreds from hybrids has been just published in Aquaculture. The method, which is based on KASPar technology, is especially important for marble trout conservation.
Diploma highlights: •mtDNA analysis revealed the distinctness of C. metae and
supports its classification into a new species •considerable phylogeographic polymorphism was found in the Western
Balkans possibly giving rise to new species •two major colonization waves of
bullhead to Europe presumably started in the Western Balkans During his diploma stage, Nejc was brought face to face with the concept of minimalism.
Just before the
presentation started (no worries evident)…
…and just after it
face to face with passionate fisherman prof. dr. Rado Komel, a member of
examination board.
> The
expedition team: Igor (Oleg’s twin brother, ichthyologist), Aleš, Oleg, Matjaž,
Saša, Sergey Monakhov (ichthyologist, PhD student), Rustem the driver, Dmitry (biologist
and excellent cook in the field) and the famous UAZ 4WD van. Saša Belayev (small
mammal expert and curator of the Natural history museum) is taking the picture.
> From my
perspective, the celebrity of this expedition was grayling; we found them in
small headstreams, which are in Slovenia normally populated with brown trout
only. This is only one of several differences that make the Caspian grayling
distinct from the Sava ones.
> Net was the
main fishing tool; quite some skill is needed to use it effectively.
