Zoology Laboratory
The zoology laboratory has been operating since 1921. The "Wild Animal Diseases and Biosecurity" group was established in the Zoology Laboratory in 2022.
The field of laboratory research includes:
Animal protection in Armenia
study of animal diversity,
hybrid speciation,
reticulate evolution, virginity,
zoonotic diseases
animal ectoparasites,
wild animal diseases
phylogeography of vertebrates,
phylogenetics of invertebrates,
alien and invasive animals,
animal behavior
modeling the distribution of animal species.
The main scientific directions operating in the laboratory
A hybrid karyotype study of virgin lizards is performed using different methods, using the isolation of pericentromeric chromosomal regions of the two parental species and the creation of fluorescent DNA probes with nucleotide sequences by the FISH method. New fluorescent DNA probes will enable rapid identification of hybrid chromosomes.
The phylogenetic diversity of five species of rock lizards of the genus Darevskia, D. chlorogaster, D. caspica, D. defilippii, D. schaekeli and D. raddei, along the Elborz mountain range of Iran is studied.
The presence of Mycoplasma spp., Mycoplasma Agassizi, and herpesvirus diseases in wild turtle populations of Armenia is studied.
The prevalence and diversity of dangerous pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks in Armenia are investigated.
The number of neurons in the brain of various reptiles and their evolutionary significance are investigated.
Risks and threats of infectious diseases in wild animals are investigated. The creation of hotspot maps derived from the zoonotic disease risk index, as well as the identification of underlying disease mechanisms, will help improve surveillance and support long-term monitoring programs for emerging infectious diseases. Based on the received data, the target points of spatial variations of zoonotic infectious diseases in Armenia will be mapped.
The diversity of spiders in Armenia and their ecology are studied.
The ecology of land mollusks of Armenia, endangered, endemic, and invasive species of mollusks are studied.
Partnerships
The laboratory cooperates with the following institutions:
RA NAS Zoology and Hydroecology Scientific Center,
RA NAS Institute of Physiology named after L. A. Orbeli,
Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
"EcoHealth Alliance" Scientific Center, USA,
Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
Brno University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Czech Republic,
Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic,
University of Perugia, Italy,
Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany,
Bonn Koenig Museum, Germany,
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Poland,
Sabzevar University, Iran,
University of Tartu, Estonia,
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Science Center for Biology, Budapest, Hungary,
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia,
Ilya State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Staff
Marine Arakelyan
Astghik Ghazaryan
Sargis Aghayan
Georgi Papov
Armine Kosyan
Ruzanna Petrosyan
Tigran Hayrapetyan
Mary Arzumanyan
Ofik Yelabekyan
Seda Adamyan
Tatevik Harutyunyan
Manan Asikyan
Top 5 publications (Scopus, Web of Science 2018-2023):
1. Biodiversity of Armenia. Ed. G. Fayvush, Springer, 2023, 412 pp.
4. Arzumanyan M., Ghrmajyan A., Muradyan V., Tammaru T., Arakelyan M. 2023 Molluscs as bioindicators of tourism pressure on ecosystems of Dilijan National Park, Armenia // Journal of Ecotourism, published online. 22:4, 566-577.
Contacts
Laboratory head:
PhD, Professor Marine Arakelyan
Phone: 45-10 (inner line)
Email: arakelyanmarine@ysu.am
