Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2017 number 3

A 13-year study of forest-nesting birds (orders Passeriformes and Piciformes) was conducted at five constant census areas in European Russia, the Caucasus and mountains of Southern Siberia. Nesting individuals were mapped at each census area during two or more nesting periods. Nesting densities for each species were estimated. The raster maps of spatial allocation (MSA) at the scale 50 x 50 m of the raster grid were obtained for each species. The degree of spatial conservatism (DSC) for each local population was inferred from the pairwise comparisons of the specific MSAs obtained in the same area in different years with the use of the Gamma rank correlation method. This index characterizes connection between the population and the habitat. Based on 5-year observations in the particular census area, the areas of habitats were estimated and mean DSC values were obtained for each of 18 model species. Using the model Y = 117 - 103.5 X ( Y area of habitat, X DSC; R = 0.84, p < 0.01) it was demonstrated that (axis Y ) and the mean estimates of DSC (axis X ) were calculated by the five-year rows on one experimental plot for 18 bird species. With the help of the model ( Y = 117 - 103.5 X ; R = 0.84 p < 0.01), it is shown: under conditions of almost complete saturation, when population uses almost entire area of available habitats and maximum carrying capacity of habitat is almost achieved, the total area occupied by the individual nesting home ranges of the particular species is in an inverse linear relation from DSC estimates. Based on this model, it is possible to calculate the maximum carrying capacity of habitat for each species from its DSC value. Maximum nesting density for each species in the particular census area was calculated based on its DSC values and mean size of its nesting home range. The ratio between observed and maximum nesting densities allowed to estimate the degree of saturation of carrying capacity of habitat and the population status of the particular species under different environmental conditions.

In the last years, in the Northern Pre-Urals there have been significant changes in the population dynamics of forest voles. In the foothill area the abundance of red vole decreased, and that of bank vole increased significantly, as a result of which there was the change of dominant species. In the nearby lowland areas abundance of the bank vole population remained stable, and that of the red vole increased. The main reason of these changes was the transformation of the environment under the influence of global climate change. Most of all it affected the coniferous forests of the foothills and less - the forest lowlands. As a consequence, response of the various species of voles to these changes in different landscape areas were non-identical.

A comparative study of movement activity and anxiety in the “open field” tests was conducted on the subadult flat-headed and Tuva silver voles using arenas of two diameters of 50 and 63 cm. It was found that the diameter of the arena influenced features of movement in the test conditions. At the arena of larger diameter, individuals of both species had a higher speed of movement and passed a larger distance both in general and on the periphery. Also only at the larger arenas subadult flat-headed voles showed more mobility and probably were less anxious in the test conditions compared to Tuva silver voles. Hypotheses were proposed about the peculiarities of the ecology of these species reflected in their behavior.

We studied fatty acid (FA) composition and content of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in biomass of larvae and adults of Chironomidae species that dominated in benthos of saline Lake Shira: Glyptotendiрes barbiрes, Сhironomus nigrifrons and C. halophilus. Species of different genera significantly differed in their larvae FA composition and essential PUFA content; and they also occupied different ecological niches in the lake. Chironomus species with low PUFA content, 0.2-0.3 mg x g^-1 of wet weight, inhabited a deepwater zone, while G. barbiрes that was rich in PUFA, 2.3 mg x g^-1 of wet weight, dwelt in littoral of the lake. The biochemical differences were likely related with feeding sources of these taxa and may also be explained by the phylogenetic factor. We did not find differences in the PUFA content of larvae and adults of the same species, G. barbiрes. This finding contrasted with previous data that were based on multispecies samples and showed a substantial increase of PUFA content in adult biomass due to the metamorphosis. Thus, data on biochemical content of larvae can potentially be used in calculations of PUFA fluxes from water to land through chironomid emergence from water bodies. However, taxonomic affiliation of the emerged chironomids should be considered due to high variability in PUFA content in Chironomidae species.

According to the materials of a multi-year research the author estimates an ecological status of the forest lakes in the Omsk Priirtyshye in terms of a phytoplankton development. The species composition, structure and floristic similarity degree of the phytoplankton of the polytypic forest lakes are described. The author also determines the trophic status and water quality of these lakes. It was found that an excessive recreation had a negative influence on the ecological status of surveyed lakes.

In 2009-2013, we studied the seasonal dynamics of the feeding spectrum and diet of grayling in a stretch of the middle reaches of the Yenisei River (from the dam of Krasnoyarsk Hydro-Electric Plant to the Kan River mouth) and traced its connection with the state of food supply and fish growth. It was shown that the intensity of fish nutrition was relatively stable throughout the year, despite significant fluctuations in zoobenthos biomass. The contribution of groups that were dominant in the diet - amphipods and larvae of caddis flies - changed depending on the month. Amphipods dominated in the diet of fish in the period from June to October, caddis flies - in the winter and spring months. Among caddis flies, a certain small species Apatania crymophila was consumed. The change of the primary diet component during the summer period corresponds to a sharp increase in the coefficients of relative condition factors, with a peak in August and September. It is assumed that the change in the rate of fish biomass accumulation is associated not only with an increase in water temperature, but also with switching of grayling to consumption of nutritionally more valuable amphipods.

Study of the species composition and diversity of insect communities in herb-shrub layer was conducted. Three hundred seventy four species from 10 orders were revealed. Coleoptera, Diрtera, Heteroptera and Auchenorrhyncha predominated. From 2 to 8 species prevailed in each order. These were Cixius similis Kirschbaum, 1868 , Neophilaenus lineatus (Linnаeus, 1758) , Lepyronia coleoptrata (Linnаeus, 1758) (Auchenorrhyncha), Lygus pratensis (Linnаeus, 1758) , Kleidocerys resedae (Panzer, 1797) , Stictopleurus crassicornis (Linnаeus, 1758) (Heteroptera), Lochmaea suturalis (Thomson, 1866) , Cyphon padi (Linnаeus, 1758) , and Plateumaris discolor (Herbst, 1795) (Coleoptera). The communities had a low species diversity and distribution of species by abundance. The most similar were insect complexes of habitats with herbs as well as habitats with predominant of dwart shrubs. A regression analysis showed a significant relation between species richness and diversity of insects and species composition of plants and their projective cover degree. Various methods of multivariant analysis (CCA and PCA) demonstrated the influence of these еnvironment variables on the spatial distribution of concrete species and their preferences of certain habitats.

A cytogenetic analysis of the seed progeny of Pinus sylvestris L. trees growing in the Voronezh Oblast during differing weather conditions (optimal and drought) was performed. It was established that in the years of drought frequency of mitosis pathologies level increased, but did not go beyond the norm. The spectrum of pathologies in these years is expanded, but should be assumed that some of them may contribute to the reallocation of genetic material between chromosomes, that in turn would expand the range of reaction norm of the organism, thereby improving its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Functionality of soil food webs after forest fires remains generally unexplored. We address this question by studying both burnt and unburnt spruce forests in Central European Russia (Tver Region). In August 2014 we sampled two spatially distant blocks consisting of forest areas burnt in 2010 and the respective unburnt controls. We analyzed biomass and structure of soil food webs as well as carbon mobilization with respect to carbon stocks in the dead wood, litter and soil after burning. The biomass of soil fauna was moderately reduced in the burnt plots. For some groups like testate amoebae and enchytraeids, however, this decrease was highly significant and corresponded with the decreased C-stock in litter. For the other taxa changes in biomass were insignificant. At the same time C-flow through the soil food web after fire was strongly reduced mainly due to the reduction of biomass of active fungi and secondary decomposers. The overall consumption rate of detritus by the soil food web strongly decreased in the burnt forests and was maintained predominantly by the decomposition activity of bacteria instead of fungi. This resulted in the reduction of the total soil food web functionality related with C-mobilization in the forests four years after a fire event.

The effect of plant extracts on susceptibility of several insect’ species to enthomopathogenic microorganisms has been studied. We found that greater wax moth Galleria mellonella weight decreased by 30-50 % under polar and nonpolar extracts of ledum and reindeer lichen treatments. Сrude extract of hemlock enhanced growth rate of larvae by 30 %. Treatment with extract of reindeer lichen led to synergy with virus in gypsy moth Lymantria dispar mortality and with fungal infection in wax moth mortality. It has been established that the main components of the extract are perlatolikovy acid, usnic acid, and also the third component of unknown chemical group. Usnic acid is the main promising additive component to entomopathogenic microorganisms. Treatment by usnic acid led to increase of both colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata and greater wax moth larvae mortality after infection with entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium robertsii and Beauveria bassianа. The maximum effect was shown only with whole extract because of summation of action of each of extract components, or for the reason that components could change the properties in presence of other components of the whole extract.

Foothill plains along the northwest periphery of the Altai-Sayan mountain area are the northern limit of stony substrates in the West Siberia longitudinal sector. Rock outcrops in this area are rare; their yardage usually does not exceed a few tens of square meters. Despite negligible areas, the rocky outcrops keep nearly half of the foothill moss flora. Twenty six from recorded on rock outcrops of the foothill plaints moss species (22 %) are rare both in West Siberia and in neighboring south mountains. An annotated list of species is given. The features of the species distribution in the longitudinal sector of West Siberia are discussed.

Changes of vegetation properties (biogeochemical, morphological, floristic, phytocenotic) around Sibay chalcopyrite deposits were studied. Areas at different distances from mining facilities were investigated. Heavy metal (HM) content was measured in geographical components: soils, waters, bottom sediments, above-ground vegetation and several plant species ( Artemisia austriaca Salvia stepposa , Thymus marschallianus , Veronica incanа , Caraganа frutex , Phlomis tuberosa , Achilea setacea , Galium verum , Phragmites australis . Groups (pleiads) of species based on interspecific contingency coefficient were identified. The clusters represented ecological conditions and level of anthropogenic stress. The set of features for evaluation of transformation of natural territorial complexes by means of phytoindication was proposed.