Search articles

Quantitative characteristics of macrozoobenthos in the rivers of the Kandalaksha coast of the White Sea as a forage base for juvenile salmonids

Authors: Baryshev I. A., Khrennikov V. V.

The macrozoobenthos structure in the rivers of the Kandalaksha coast of the White Sea and the forage base of juvenile salmonids are analyzed. 84 species (92 taxonomic groups) have been found, among which aquatic insect (Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Diptera) larvae predominate. Scarce benthic communities in the mountain rivers (1.6 thousand ind./m2 and 2.4 g/m2) and relatively rich ones in the lowlands (10.3 thousand ind./m2 and 7.4 g/m2) were noted.

Seasonal changes in the hormonal response of Eversmann hamster (Allocricetulus eversmanni, Cricetinae, Rodentia) males to conspecific females’ olfactory signals

Authors: Kropotkina M. V., Kuznetsova E. V.

Reproductive success demands both the male and female getting a particular physiological status, which is usually provided in rodents by certain olfactory signals. The hormonal response of Eversmann hamster (Allocricetulus eversmanni) males to the natural excretes (urine, midventral gland secretion (MVGS)) of conspecific females was studied during several seasons of the year, the animals kept in the conditions of natural lighting and temperature regimes. In the autumn, no reliable changes of the testosterone level in males in response to any presented signal were noted.

Northern Urals bird classification by similarity of their distribution and residence time

Authors: Livanov S. G.

Year-round route surveys of birds on a flat section of the Pechora-Ilytch biosphere reserve were conducted in 1995–1997. In total, 7 habitats were surveyed for the two years, 1,500 km of counts were travelled, and 136 bird species were met. Using multidimensional factor analysis, it has been established that in the Northern Ural region, during their stay in the course of a year, 50 (37%), 70 (51%) and 16 species (12%) prefer wood, villages, and semi-open and open wetland habitats, respectively.

Fertility evaluation of ecologically different forms of house mice and their hybrids of the superspecies complex Mus musculus sensu lato (Rodentia: Muridae)

Authors: Maltsev A. N., Ambaryan A. V., Kotenkova E. V.

In house mice from the superspecies complex Mus musculus s.l., the relative weight of their testicles is higher and the sperm quality is better for the exoanthropic species than for the synantropic ones. It is shown that this pattern is observed at an intraspecific level as well, since the testicle weight index and sperm concentration were significantly higher in the hemi-synantropic subspecies Mus musculus wagneri and M. m. gansuensis as compared to the synantropic M. m. musculus in a few comparisons.

Arthropod abundance on bustard nesting sites in the Saratov Trans-Volga region

Authors: Oparina O. S., Oparin M. L.

The results of our study of the quantitative and qualitative arthropod composition at potential nesting areas of Otis tarda in the Saratov Trans-Volga region are presented. Specific information obtained at 7 areas (2 fallow fields, two fields of winter and spring wheat, two natural fallow lands of different ages, and virgin land) in 2012 is given. A comparative analysis of some indicators of the arthropod abundance and biomass on winter fields treated with chemicals and untreated is conducted. The obtained results are compared with those of previous years.

Seasonal aspectivity of the bird population in the Yelabuga City

Authors: Soloviova E. A.

On the basis of our year-round bird counts in the Yelabuga City located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Tatarstan from 16.10.2010 till 15.10.2012, a seasonal periodization of the population was revealed. The validity of our surveys and variations of the boundaries of the periods and their amount were analyzed. 9 common seasonal aspects of the bird population were found for all habitats in the city. Their description averaged over the city is given. Features of the intra-annual ornithocomplex dynamics were revealed.

Can major roads be absolute barriers to small mammals’ movement?

Authors: Tolkachev O. V.

The influence of a major road on small mammals’ movement was investigated. Muroid rodents were used as the model objects. Two years of our observations using the technique of extensive tetracycline bait marking have shown that the road could be an absolute obstacle to small mammal movements. The extreme barrier effect was determined by some construction features of the road, namely, the presence of a physically impassable median strip along it with the absence of any conduits for rodent movements connecting the road’s sides.

Ecologo-biological characteristic of natural steppe biogeocenoses in the Central Caucasus (the Terskiy variant of vertical zonation, Kabardino-Balkaria)

Authors: Uligova T. S., Gorobtsova O. N., Tsepkova N. L., Rapoport I. B., Gedgafova F. V., Tembotov R. K.

An ecologo-biological characteristic of the natural steppe biogeocenosis components in Kabardino-Balkaria (within the Terskiy variant of vertical zonation) is given. The research results of biological features of common chernozem calcareous soils (humus contents, enzymatic activity, and soil respiration intensity), their spatial and profile distribution combined with basic ecological factors are represented.

Changes in the structure of the rhizosphere complexes of actinomycetes of transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., Solanaceae, Solanales) with the gene Fe-SOD 1

Authors: Shirokikh I. G., Nazarova Y. I., Ogorodnikova S. Y., Baranova E. N.

Tomato transformants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) with the gene of Fe-superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD 1) from Arabidopsis thaliana L. making the plant resistant to the damaging effect of oxidative stress were used in our work. The original-genotype tomato and independent transgenic lines bn 6 and bn 4 were grown in artificial climate. According to the results of determination of the total SOD activity and lipid peroxidation, line 6 bn differs from both the original genotype and line 4 bn by more balanced lipid homeostasis.

Assessment of indices of tundra phytocoenosis pollution with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Authors: Yakovleva E. V., Beznosikov V. A.

14 structures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified in the organogenic soil horizon and plants of the south shrub tundra belt, at a background plot and at a coal mine. The polyarenes in soils and plants were mainly represented by light structures. On the background and polluted areas, mosses of Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum commune and grasses of Deschampsia caespitosa, Festuca ovina contained the highest PAH amounts. PAH bioaccumulation in plants is mainly dependent on their physiological features.

COPPER ION BIOAVAILABILITY IN WATERS OF VARIOUS ORIGIN

Authors: Vishnyakov A. N., Davydova N. S., Stravinskene E. S., Grigoriev Y. С.

The toxic effect of copper ions upon a test culture of alga chlorella in natural (the Yenisei and Kacha rivers), waste and tap water (the Krasnoyarsk city) was estimated. It has been found that the copper toxicity in samples of these waters can greatly reduce. This toxicity reduction, which differed highly in the samples examined, could be caused by binding of potential toxic substances by some compounds in the waters. In natural water, the binding capacity and bioavailability of toxicants vary through seasons.

BREEDING BIOLOGY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN SIBERIAN STONECHAT - SAXICOLA (TORQUATUS) STEJNEGERI (PARROT, 1908) (MUSCICAPIDAE, AVES)

Authors: Golovina M. V., Opaev A. S.

The breeding biology and social organization of a population of the Eastern Siberian stonechat were studied in the Khingan State Nature Reserve (Amur region, Russia) in 2013. This is a territorial monogamy species, inhabiting various types of open areas and nesting on the ground. The Eastern Siberian stonechat belongs to the Common stonechat complex comprising 3 or 4 sibling species.

RECREATION IMPACT ON SOIL MACROFAUNA COMMUNITIES IN THE FOREST-PARK ZONE OF KAZAN CITY

Authors: Gordienko T. A., Vavilov D. N., Sukhodolskaya R. A.

To evaluate the status of the forest-park zone of Kazan City, the soil invertebrate populations in three deciduous forest plots with various recreational degrees were studied. The macrofauna abundance in forest-parks was significantly higher in comparison with suburb forests. The taxonomic composition of the pedobiont communities did not change significantly within the period studied, with earthworms predominated. However, their abundance varied strongly from year to year.

DAILY DYNAMICS OF HYDROCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ZOOPLANKTON IN THE LITTORAL OF THE NOVOSIBIRSK RESERVOIR

Authors: Yermolaeva N. I., Zarubina E. Y., Dvurechenskaya S. Y.

Our results of daily monitoring of the water temperature, hydrochemical parameters, as well as the zooplankton composition and structure in the protected overgrown and non-overgrown littoral of Berd’s Bay of the Novosibirsk reservoir are presented. The data obtained allow us to reveal differences in the daily dynamics of the water temperature, hydrochemical and hydrobiological characteristics of littoral areas of different types. Features of the horizontal migrations of zooplankton are determined by the water overgrowing degree.

PHENOLOGICAL CHANGES OF THE WINTERING OF PELOBATES FUSCUS (PELOBATIDAE, AMPHIBIA) IN THE CLIMATE TRANSFORMATION CONDITIONS OF THE NORTHERN LOWER-VOLGA REGION

Authors: Yermokhin M. V., Tabachishin V. G., Ivanov G. A.

Regularities of the changes of calendar dates of the start, end and duration of Pelobates fuscus wintering in the Medveditsa river valley (Lysogorsky district, Saratov region) within the period from 1892 until 2014 are considered. A reduction of the wintering duration by 7 days (on the average) over the last 120 years is shown, due to a shift of the start wintering date to a later date and that of the end wintering date to an earlier date.

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE SOIL MICROBIOTA IN CHEMICALLY POLLUTED ENVIRONMENT

Authors: Zhuikova T. V., Gordeeva V. A., Bezel’ V. S., Kostina L. V., Ivshina I. B.

The structural-functional diversity of main ecological trophic groups of soil microorganisms in the meadow soils of the Central Urals, anthropogenically contaminated with heavy metals, was studied. The growth of the total numbers of these microorganisms in technozems, in comparison with those in agrozems, is due to the higher abundance of ferric-reducing, denitrifying, nitrogen-fixing and sulphate-reducing bacteria; the increased cellulolytic activity, and the dependence of these characteristics on the soil toxic load.

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AREAS FOR THE COMMON CRANE (GRUS GRUS LINNAEUS, 1758) (GRUIDAE, AVES)

Authors: Ilyashenko E. I.

The possibility of using a wider scale approach of the territorial conservation of rare objects of the wild nature is considered for the western subspecies of the Common Crane (Grus grus Linnaeus, 1758). This approach is in identification of critically important areas (CIA) at different (from global to local) levels not only for rare species but also for breeding groups, sub-populations, populations, subspecies, and communities of widespread and numerous species.

SOME FEATURES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY OF TULIPA GESNERIANA L. (LILIACEAE, LILIOPSIDA)

Authors: Kashin A. S., Petrova N. A., Shilova I. V.

The vitality of 31 natural populations of Tulipa gesneriana is based on our field surveys conducted in several parts of European Russia in 2013 - 2015. Basic factors affecting the population vitality were revealed by analysis of 14 morphological parameters of T. gesneriana. Cattle grazing have turned out to be the most essential factor. The effect of other negative factors is much lower. Overall, the mixed stress-tolerant and ruderal ecologically-cenotic strategy is characteristic of the species studied.

INTERPOPULATION VARIABILITY OF SIGNS OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS OF JUNIPERUS POLYCARPOS C. KOCH (CUPRESSÁCEAE, PINOPSIDA) IN DAGESTAN

Authors: Sadykova G. A., Asadulaev Z. M.

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the variability of the weight and morphometric characters of the generative organs of five geographically isolated populations of Juniperus polycarpos C. Koch (1849) in Dagestan. The stronger dependence of the signs of gallberries than those of seeds on specific territorial conditions is shown. The genetic nature of the differences between the 1,140 m height populations of J.

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