Nature of Georgia

• Community Ecology of Newts. My first study, in early 1980s, was about community ecology of three newt species that live in eastern Georgia. The initial hypothesis about niche shift and character displacement in coexisting newts was rejected as a result of the study. It was shown that newt species which are better adapted to stable environmental conditions are more vulnerable in changing environment than species which are adapted not so good. The results of the study are summarized in publications 1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 46-49, 60, and 64-69 from the complete publications list .

• Population Ecology of Amphibians. In following years (mainly after 1986), I studied different aspects of population ecology and developmental biology of amphibians living in the western Caucasus, among them - of rare endemic species like Caucasian salamander ( Mertensiella caucasicaI ), Banded newt ( Triturus vittatus ), Caucasian mud-diver ( Pelodytes caucasicus ), Caucasian toad ( Bufo verrucosissimus ), and Caucasian brown frogs ( Rana macrocnemis ). The studies were about number dynamics and demography of amphibian populations, analysis of life cycles, description of developmental morphology, and experimental analysis of larval development. These studies are summarized in special publications (16-20, 23-25, 37, 45, etc.) and in a treatise http://www.pensoft.net/notes/1654.stm about the amphibians of the Caucasus.

• Population Genetics and Speciation. Since 1996, I studied population and evolutionary genetics of amphibians - first in the laboratory of Roger Thorpe (University of Wales at Bangor), later in the Molecular Genetic Laboratory of the Zoological Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, Germany. These works were about morphological and genetic differentiation and speciation in the amphibians of the Caucasus. It was shown that the relative importance of gene drift and natural selection for speciation strongly differs between ecological generalists and organisms with a narrow ecological niche. It was also shown that a narrow hybrid zone may be maintained by landscape-dependent selection and, since landscape mosaics is different in different parts of the range, semispecies distinct in some parts of the range, merger in other parts of it. The results of these studies were reported in special publications (38, 40, 41, 55, 56, etc.) and in a monograph (in preparation).

Microevolution, Conservation, Ecological Expertize, Biodiversity. Besides these "mainline" studies, I was involved in other activities, connected with research, conservation and ecological expertise. In 1990, four months I investigated population ecology of amphibians inhabiting southern Vietnam (publications 22, 26 and 32 from the publication list ). Together with German colleagues, I have studied microevolution of different vertebrates - from snakes to mice. There are several publications on these subjects. During last two years, I took part in a project about population ecology, genetics and conservation of amphibians living in Bonn area. In 1990s, I have participated the preparation of the Biodiversity Country Study Report for Georgia.