Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2010 number 1

This study provides a comprehensive sedimentologic analysis of the J₂ prospective horizon (Middle–Late Bathonian) in the central West Siberian Basin. Based on the extensive dataset, it was established that structural complexity of this horizon is largely caused by a variety of depositional environments. Sedimentary facies of this horizon pass upward from widespread continental at the base, through deltaic or coastal-continental, to marginal-marine at the top. Change in the paleohypsometry of the study area reflects the distribution of depositional environments, in terms of the proportions of continental, transitional, and marine deposits. The study also shows that facies variability and change in depositional settings can have a significant control on reservoir quality, as well as its vertical and lateral distribution. Using a combination of detailed GDE reconstructions, structure contour mapping on the top and base of the J₂ horizon, analyses of well test data, probability of reservoir presence, distribution of average porosity and permeability within different subenvironments, a composite map showing variations in the reservoir effectiveness in the J₂ horizon was generated.

The distribution of hydrocarbon accumulations in a basin is modeled as a nonstationary Poisson field of points with the average density of accumulations as a function of distance fr om the basin margin. The model, in which this distance is a unique parameter to define the intensity function, is suitable, in a first approximation, for Monte-Carlo simulation of the real pattern of accumulations. The Poisson random field of points is described with a power function, wh ere the power is a fractal dimension used as an integral numerical parameter of the distribution.

The Late Quaternary history of climate and deposition environments in the western Todzha basin has been reconstructed fr om the respective lacustrine and fluvial deposits. Data from sedimentary sections have provided clues to the causes and timing of sudden deposition changes, including those associated with Holocene tectonic activity in the Taskyl fault. Especially informative are permafrost, diatom, spore-pollen, and tree-ring data from a section at the Merzlyi Yar locality, wh ere frozen ground has preserved the pristine rhythmic pattern of sediments. The Merzlyi Yar section stores a record of dramatic consequences of large earthquakes generated by the fault, which produced a large damlake. The revealed pattern of discontinuous limnic deposition, with prominent tree markers and syngenetic ice wedges, places exact constraints on the stratigraphy of the section and allows its correlation with Holocene climate events within the intervals of fossil soils and vegetation.

Cobalt behavior during the oxidation of sulfide ores, unlike that during the oxidation of Co ores, is poorly known. Moreover, cobalt sulfates are rare in the world. Complex hydrous Co-containing and cobalt sulfates have been found in technogenic zones at the Letnee chalcopyrite deposit (Southern Urals). They have been identified at pit bottoms, in the ore stockpile, as well as directly on ore fragments and the evaporation barriers of underdump water puddles. The paper reports the first experimental data on the oxidative leaching of Co-containing sulfide ores in the laboratory. Also, parts of a thermodynamic model for behavior in oxidized zones are presented.
Experiments have revealed an increase in acidity up to pH = 4.14, along with transport of sulfate sulfur and metals into solution. They suggest acid mine drainage during the development of the Letnee deposit. The published stability diagrams for hydrous Cu, Mg, Zn, Co, and Ni sulfates were analyzed and compared with mineralogical finds in a technogenic oxidized zone. This made it possible to explain the precipitation sequence of minerals from solutions during their concentration by evaporation. As salts of these elements are highly soluble, significant contents of toxic metals inevitably remain in equilibrium solution, necessitating additional waste-water treatment (for example, creating sorption geochemical barriers). Therefore, the paper describes regularities in Co behavior during its sorption on solid phases.

Results of U-Pb (SHRIMP-II) and Rb-Sr dating of sillimanite schists in southwestern Transbaikalia are presented, which testify to high-temperature metamorphism in the Late Mesozoic. The metamorphism might have been related to the formation of metamorphic cores or tectonoplutonic activity accompanied by the formation of rift structures in Transbaikalia and Mongolia.

We consider the structural position and petrology of eclogites in the North Kokchetav accretion-collision zone located north of the Kokchetav metamorphic belt formed by high- and ultrahigh-pressure rocks. In the Early Ordovician North Kokchetav tectonic zone, thin sheets of mylonite and diaphthoric gneisses with eclogites are tectonically conjugate with the volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Stepnyak paleoisland-arc zone. Eclogites have been revealed at two sites of the North Kokchetav tectonic zone — Chaikino and Borovoe. The Chaikino eclogites formed at 800—850 °C and 18—20 kbar, and the Borovoe eclogites, at 750—800 °C and 17—18 kbar. Study of pyroxene-plagioclase symplectite replacing omphacite of the eclogites at both sites has recognized three stages of regressive magmatism: (1) formation of coarse-grained clinopyroxene-plagioclase symplectite at 760—790 °C and 11—12 kbar, (2) formation of fine-grained clinopyroxene-plagioclase symplectite at 700—730 °C and 7—8 kbar, and (3) amphibolization of pyroxene at 570—600 °C and 5—6 kbar. The Ar-Ar age of muscovite from the Borovoe mica schists hosting eclogites is 493 ± 5 Ma, which corresponds to the time of cooling of metamorphic rocks to <370 °C. Hence, the peak of high-pressure metamorphism and all recognized stages of retrograde changes are dated to the Cambrian. The geological data evidence that eclogite-schist-gneiss sheets were localized in the accretion-collision zone and became conjugate with sedimentary and volcanic rocks no later than in the Middle Ordovician.

TEM responses of conducting ferromagnetic materials to a complex current pulse have been modeled for a magnetic cylinder typical of well casing. The behavior of the responses is investigated as a function of different model parameters.

Concentrations of helium isotopes were measured in gas and water samples from 28 thermal mineral springs in Tuva and adjacent regions of Buryatia and Gorny Altai. It is shown that fluids from 16 springs are rich in mantle helium (4—35%). With regard to the air contamination of the samples, the corrected ratios of helium isotopes (R _cor = ³He/⁴He) in these springs vary from 5.3·10^–8 to 422·10^–8. Using these Rcor values, we estimated the heat flow; these estimates were then applied to calculate the deep-level temperatures and thickness of thermal lithosphere. According to these parameters, the Tuva region is divided into two parts. Eastern Tuva (from ~96o E to the boundary with Buryatia) is characterized by abnormal helium isotope ratios and heat flow values indicating the intense heating of the Earth’s crust in eastern Tuva. At a depth of 50 km, a temperature reaches 1000—1200 oC, and the thickness of thermal lithosphere is reduced to 70—50 km. This testifies to a rift process west (probably, up to 96o E) of the Baikal Rift Zone. In western Tuva, the average heat flow is much lower, ~45—50 mW/m², which is commensurate with that in the Altai-Sayan folded area as a whole. The deep-level temperatures here are twice lower, and the lithosphere thickness increases to 150 km.

We suggest a model of radon emanation under compression or extension strain from a medium equivalent to rocks containing pores and cracks. The model is shown in several examples to be suitable for simulating the nucleation of rock bursts in deep mines and earthquakes. According to correlation of strain and radon measurements at the same sites, a relative strain change of n · 10^-7 corresponds to a 200 % change of radon activity concentration. This high sensitivity means that radon data can be good tracers of tectonic movements.

Damage and parameters of the earthquakes of October 14, 1800, September 18, 1826, and July 7, 1842, in Santiago de Cuba, southeastern Cuba, have been studied. A quantitative re-evaluation of the size of the events is not feasible due to a lack of data. Hence, we have reinterpreted existing data to establish likely intensities and determine the epicentral region of occurrence. Available data do not permit accurate depth determinations. Intensities estimated from contemporary documentary sources give maximum values of 8, 8—9, and 9 (MSK scale), respectively. These seismic shocks were located in the Southeastern Seismotectonic Province of Cuba, Caribbean—North American Plate Boundary Zone. The earthquakes are associated with the Oriente fault system.

The paper identifies the basic customs charges and what role they could play as the tools for regulating of foreign trade by charge rates. The analysis of the foreign trade in the Siberian Federal District (SFD) over 2001-2007 as well as the review of the customs charges made in the SFD Directorate is presented. The paper considers the factors which impede the progress of the foreign trade in Siberia. The improvement priorities are proposed.

The paper analyzes the consumption practices, which people attribute to markers of poverty and wealth, and the ways of how people build a system of social inequalities around such markers on the base of economic, social and moral criteria. We show that consumption proved to be not only the economic activity but mainly that of a social and appraisal character; and can state that the difference in systems of «alternative inequalities» relates to the fact that people usually address to their different justification registers, i.e. «regimes of fairness», which are based on their different basic values. How competently a person may apply such justification registers could be either the obstacle to or a source of recovering from poverty. These conclusions are illustrated by materials of the empiric study for the concrete region.

The paper analyzes human reproductive patterns as a key factor of fertility. At present when birth rates started to grow after a long drop, the analysis of what factors could shape the human reproductive patterns is of great importance. Applying a logistic regression, we analyze the economic, social and psychological reproductive attitudes (towards having a one-child- or several-children-family) of the population in Vologda Oblast. Such information is considered necessary for developing an effective socio-demographic policy.

The paper shows that the current economic and geographic concepts of the urban conglomeration development are advisable to be supplemented with sociological concepts concerning the processes presently taking place in large urban systems; and offers to see an urban conglomeration as a single social space. We also formulate the tasks of socio-diagnostic researches, subjects of which are urban conglomerations. Our special attention is given to the criteria of whether a community is included into a conglomeration areal in order to define the real boundaries of a conglomeration.

The current techniques for assessment of innovations do not completely reflect the regional specifics of innovation activities. This study offers a system of key indicators which would allow assessing the level of the development of a regional innovation system. We present a classification of the RF regions by the indicators proposed, and a comparative analysis of the SFD regions.

We offer the technique for assessing the economic effectiveness of regional investment projects. Novelty of the technique consists in fact that one can have such assessments only on the base of two indicators such as the investments required and sectoral belonging of projects. We also offer the economic effectiveness criteria which allow ordering the projects according to regional administrations' preferences within some packet of investment proposals. An example of calculations made on some real data is presented.

The study analyzes the key ideas and measures towards environmental protection which were shaped in the second half of the XX century and started to determine the contents of any public ecological policy in the world. We focus on the issues of transformation of the environmental management mechanism applied at the federal and regional level in Russia; and show that our country had a good basis for developing and implementing an effective ecological policy by the beginning of the XXI century but failed to keep it effective for next years. Why it happened is analyzed in the study.

The study presents the author's recommendations on how to improve a local fiscal and tax system with regard to such issue as the revenue and tax distribution and a total increase of local budgets. We offer a management structure which allows the effective distribution of powers and budget resources among different levels of local governments. We prove that some tax revenue should go in favor of local governments.

The paper analyzes how megalopolis uses the trunk and approach lines to provide industrial and intracity communications. A preferable strategy for the development of railway transportation is presented. We show how effective a «trolley car - train» project could be for resolving transportation problems in Novosibirsk.

The study shows the significant difference in political parties' positions on basic economic issues that allow visualizing a factor space of their electorate's preferences and identifying the electorate of each party. We identify factors and relative vectors of electorate's political orientation; and show the stability of electoral preferences. We can state that our knowledge of people's electoral preferences allows identifying those groups of the population in each municipal unit which may vote for some or other party.

The paper considers typological specifics of the knowledge-intensive production cluster in Naukograd «Biysk». We analyze operating results of the cluster and its sub-clusters. Comparative characteristics of leading and less successful companies are presented as well as the priority ways for the cluster development.

The study analyzes the dynamics of interdependence of large foreign companies' economic indicators and changes of their gold reserves. This allows the companies to have more reliable forecasts of their gold production and reserves, and to build their development strategies with due consideration of reserves.

The paper considers the issues of reforms in an educational system and a system of its fiscal funding, i.e. those concerning the conversion of state-financed educational institutions into self-financed ones. The issues of such conversion are examined in the context of an innovation economic model which is oriented on reaching qualitative indicators.

Karyotype of the trematodes Opisthorchis felineus from two populations of the Ob' and the Tom' river basins in the South-East of the West Siberian plain was investigated. Comparative anаlysis of relative length and centromere indexes of 7 chromosomes revealed their identity with those of the trematodes from the lower and upper reach of the Irtysh river. The quality of chromosome spreads allowed improving the former knowledge about the structure of the karyotype of this species, in particular the 6^th and 7^th chromosomes.

Results of helminthologic examinаtion of wintered water voles are reported. In this group of voles, 13 helminth species were detected: 1 - trematoda, 8 - cestodes, and 6 - nematodes. Among them, trematode Notocotilus noyeri Joyex, 1922 (88 ± 2,7) % and cestode Arvicolepis transfuga (Spassky et Merkusheva, 1967) (68,9 ± 3,8) % dominate in invasion extensiveness. Factors determining the probability of vole invermination with the background helminth species are considered. A connection between the perennial dynamics of the host number with the dynamics of invermination with the dominant parasite species is established.

Taxonomic composition of earthworms was anаlyzed and their abundance in the mountainous tundra belt of the Denezhkin Kamen' range in Northern Urals was estimated. Four species were revealed: Perelia diрlotetratheca (Perel, 1976), Eisenia nordenskioldi (Eisen, 1879), E. atlavinyteae Perel et Graphodatsky, 1984 and Dendrobaenа octaedra (Savigny, 1826). It was shown that earthworms dominate in biomass over other groups of soil mesofauna under the mountainous conditions.

Possibility to use water worms Oligochaeta, Tubificidae for purification of bottom sediments from oil and oil products is considered.
It is shown in a set of experiments with Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparede, 1862 that oil, even in so high concentrations as 16,72 g/kg, did not cause their death. Mortality of the organisms during the experiment was caused by nаtural reasons. Active mixing of silt (bioturbation) under the action of the worms was observed, which was expressed as an increase in the thickness of the silt layer in comparison with the reference conditions. In this situation, a trend to increase the silt layer with an increase in oil concentration in bottom sediments was observed. It was established that oil concentration in bottom sediments decreased within 30 days as a result of the vital activity of Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri by a factor of 1,20-1,72 or by 16,67-41,90 % ( < 0,05) in comparison with reference aquarium without worms.

The Bithyniidae molluscs (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia) of 29 populations (14 014 individuals) from Western Siberia were investigated. The guidelines for studying the growth rate of the Gastropoda shells were proposed. The data on the effect of abiotic and biotic factors on the Gastropoda growth rate were anаlyzed. The influence of trematodes in the parthenita stage on the shell growth rate for Bithynia troscheli (Paasch, 1842) was investigated.

In spite of numerous ecological investigations, the limits of intra- and interpopulation morphological variability of the species of Daphnia genus remain poorly investigated; as a consequence, systematics of the genus remains a knotted problem. This is especially true for the species with clearly exhibited variability of body length, for example Daphnia galeata. Investigation of the ontogenetic morphological variability of this species was carried out. As a result, general regularities in variation of body shape in different populations were revealed. The morphotypes of size and age groups of D. galeata turned out to be more variable in the mouth of the Kargat river (the basin of Lake Chany) than in Lake Todzha (the basin of the Bol'shoy Enisey river), however, the growth of such indices as helmet and caudal needle was described by the allometric function and their absolute size decreased with age in the daphnia from both water basins. It is shown that the first mature size-and-age group of D. galeata is most suitable for the investigation of the population morphological variability.

Participation of the proteins of HSP70 family in the mechanisms of stress adaptation under the action of thermal and toxic stress in Baikalian endemic and palaearctic organisms was investigated. Four endemic species of Lake Baikal Gmelinoides fasciatus (Stebb.), Eulimnogammarus cyaneus (Dyb.), E. vittatus (Dyb.), Ommatogammarus flavus (Dyb.) were compared with the representative of palaearctic fauna Gammarus lacustris Sars. The character of synthesis of the heat shock proteins of the HSP70 family under the action of thermal (exposure at a temperature of 20, 25, 30 °С) and toxic (exposure in CdCl₂ solutions with the concentrations 50, 10, 5, 0,5 and 0,05 mg/l) stress was determined. It was shown that all the species under investigation exhibit a common trend to increase the HSP70 proteins; some species-specific features of the character of synthesis of the protein under investigation were observed. It was concluded that HSP70 participate in the mechanisms of thermal and toxic resistivity in the investigated amphipoda species.

Original data on the ecology of water insects inhabiting the lakes of the Barabinsk region of the West Siberian forest-steppe where the lakeside zone is represented by thick reeds are described. It is shown that the reeds along with other lake biotopes are an optimal habitat for many hydrobionts and especially for the larva of Odonаta and Diрtera classes.

Effect of the static electric field of the anticorrosive protection of oil piрelines crossing the Ob on the behavioral response of fish was investigated. It is shown on the basis of calculations and measurements that the electric field strength at the level of the bottom is 0,6 V/m, at a depth of 2 m from the surface it is 0,4-0,1 V/m and spreads at a distance of 50-100 m from the oil piрeline. It is established that the electric field of oil piрelines decreases the migration activity of fish, which causes an increase in fish number in the sector of increased electric field strength.

After an hour of the action of hyperthermia on an organism of the Carassius aurata gibelio Bloch fish species, a number of metabolic reactions in liver get blocked and simultaneously the cascade of reciprocal processes acquired during evolution. With the development of metabolic depression, the activity of the enzymes of citric acid cycle - mitochondrial NADIDG increases by 20.4 %, while the activity of mitochondrial NADMDG decreases by 10.2 %; glycolysis process gets activated by 50.2 %, the activity of caspase-3 and acid phosphatase increases depicting the development of the programmed ways of hepatocyte destruction on the way to apoptosis, autophagia and necrosis. The early regeneration processes are initiated.

For the purpose of zoning with respect to the fauna of Amphibia and Reptiles, Northern Eurasia within the boundaries of the USSR in 1990 was separated into 245 regions over the vegetation map scaled 1 : 20 000 000 so that each region occupied the territory of natural sub-zone extended by 10 in the longitudinаl direction. For each region, a list of species met there was compiled over the natural habitats of Amphibia and Reptiles. Using these lists, we calculated the Jacquard quotients of similarity and performed the cluster analysis of the herpetofauna of the allotted regions. On the basis of these results, a hierarchical classification was arranged. It includes 3 herpetofaunistic regions divided into 5 subregions; some of them are further divided into 13 provinces; some of the latter are divided into 32 districts. Environmental factors correlating with the faunistic heterogeneity of the territory under investigation were revealed.
The proposed division is 2-4 times more informative than the previously developed schemes and takes into account 73 % of the dispersion of similarity coefficients for the faunas of specific regions (the coefficient of multiple correlation is 0.85). Connection with environmental factors and natural regimes may explain 84 % of the fauna heterogeneity (correlation coefficient is 0.92).

Birds inhabiting pine and birch forests, as well as planted pineries, were studied during the years 1995-2006 at the territory and in the vicinity of Kungur (Perm' Territory). The maximal faunistic and biocenotic similarity of the bird population was revealed for pine forests of the city and the region, while the minimal one was revealed in birch forests. It was shown that the anthropogenic action is maximally exhibited in the city birch forests affecting all the investigated parameters of the ornithocenosis: the density of bird population, species diversity and domination.

Model of the dynаmics of bird population in the river floodplain was developed for the purpose of organizing monitoring of floodplain ecosystems. The model is based on the principles of system dynаmics formulated by D. Forrester. A long-term series of observations (1977-2000) in spring and summer in the floodplain of middle Ob in the Kolpashevo District of the Tomsk Region was used. This allowed to improve the structure of the model. The model was implemented with the help of MATLAB 5.2.1 software package. Modeling confirmed the hypothesis that the hydrological regime is the main factor determining the dynamics and structure of bird population in the floodplain of middle Ob.

White crane belongs to common birds of passage of the Aldan upland region; 100 to 200 individuals are accounted visually during a season (up to 5 % of the population). Active passage is observed in May, 14-15 - 25-28, especially during the first days. The major part of white cranes migrating in spring takes the north-north-east direction.

Monitoring of lesser swan was carried out during the years 1982-1995, 2007. The length of aerial count routes was 48 thousand km. An increase in the number of population and broadening of the habitat to the northern and western directions were detected. The data on the number dynamics, geographical distribution, social structure, reproduction indices are reported. Ecological problems connected with an increase in the number of swans are discussed.

Features of whitethroat migration, nesting and moult in the Baraba forest-steppe (south of West Siberia) were studied on the basis of perennial data. The parameters of reproduction as the basis of adaptation of this species to habitation conditions were considered in detail. The variability of reproductive indices of whitethroat inhabiting the south of West Siberia is relatively low and comparable with the available literature data for other parts of the habitat. Deficit of the time of residence in nesting region, which is due to the large distance from wintering area and climatic conditions, is compensated mainly due to a decrease in the completeness of postnuptial moult and its superposition with the beginning of autumn migration.

Studies of the long-term dynamics of different small mammal species in connection with the peculiarities of forest ecosystems transformed under the effect of urbanization showed that a higher rodent number is characteristic of urban communities due to hemisynanthropic species of genus Apodemus (Sylvemus).
It was established that small mammals have similar dynamics in the park-forests in the same type of forest site conditions. However, this regularity is broken inside the city. Stressful conditions of the city environment turn out to be a more powerful factor affecting the structure and dynamics of small mammals than the type of forest site conditions.
The processes taking place in the ecotones at the boundary of city buildings and neighboring forest result in the transformation of plant communities; as a consequence, the structure and dynamics of small mammal communities get changed. Transformation of the lower plant layers ruins the environment of some species and creates favorable conditions for others. Enrichment of community species and an increase in shrub layer density displaces the gradient of habitation conditions to the species usually avoiding coniferous forest: wood and field mice.