|
Ecological features of stone marten Martes foina (Carnivora, Mustelidae) in the northern Lower-Volga region. – Belyachenko A.V., Zaharov K.S., and Filipichiev A.O. – Stone marten is a rare species in the northern Lower-Volga region. The spatial distribution of stone marten is related to the local hydrological network structure and the forest belts of agrocenoses, towns, and villages. There are evening and morning peaks in the daily activity of this predator. Small rodents prevail in its nutrition, the fraction of land-nesting birds, insects, berries, and fruits being rather high. Features of the individual field structure and boundary marking ways were studied.
Key words: stone marten, spatial structure, individual field, boundary marking, daily activity, nutrition composition.
<<< To Contents
Diversity and structure of macrozoobenthos communities in the highly mineralized Hara river (near Elton Lake). – Zinchenko T.D., Golovatjuk L.V., Vykhristjuk L.A., and Shitikov V.K. – Our pioneer survey of the highly mineralized Hara river (April and August of 2006 and 2007) has allowed studying the taxonomic structure of its macrozoobenthos, including 35 species and taxa. Data on the spatial dynamics of the specific structure and quantitative development of macroinvertebrate communities were obtained. The benthos community structure is determined by indicators of the river trophic status, biotope diversity, changes in hydrochemical characteristics. Environmental factors (water mineralization, ionic structure, pH, oxygen concentration, water temperature, overgrowth of macrophytaes) influencing the structural changes in macrozoobenthos were revealed. It is shown that the diversity, number, and biomass of halotolerant macrozoobenthos increase with salinity from 6.9 to 14 mg/L. A new halophilic chironomid species of the subfamily Chironominae (Tanytarsus kharaensis Zorina et Zinchenko) was revealed.
Key words: saline river, water mineralization, biodiversity, macrozoobenthos, macroinvertebrate community structure.
<<< To Contents
Structure and seasonal dynamics of the helminth community of bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in the Samarskaya Luka. – Kirillova N.Yu. – The helminth community structure of bank vole subpopulations in several districts of the Samarskaya Luka is analyzed. The seasonal dynamics of the parasite community of rodents was studied. The helminthofauna of bank vole in the Samarskaya Luka includes 23 species. Nematodes and cestodes form the core of the parasite community, whereas trematodes and acanthocephalans are met very seldom. 3 – 5 dominant and subdominant parasite species are met in the helminth community of rodents during all year seasons. The seasonal dynamics of the helminth community is related to the appearance or loss of rare and sole parasites.
Key words: helminths, community, seasonal dynamics, bank vole, Samarskaya Luka.
<<< To Contents
Changes in pine forest ecosystem elasticity to fire disturbances. – Konstantinov A.V. – Retrospective analysis of the influence of high disturbances on the pine forest structure in the territory between the Chernaya and Pugay rivers from the late 19 to early 21 century was carried out. Upon intense loggings and fires, a synergistic effect has arisen and the fire regime has changed, namely, the severity of fires and the frequency of devastating fires have increased. The ecosystem of pine forests on woody lowlands, somewhen adapted to periodic fires, loses its elasticity to fire disturbances to an essential degree if the age structure of pine populations becomes relatively homogeneous and the communities at early succession stages considerably prevail in the vegetative cover. The major cause of the largest devastating fire (1972) in the pine forests of the Nizhegorodskoye Zavolzhie is human activity rather than natural or climatic features of this territory.
Key words: pine forests on woody lowlands, elasticity of ecosystems, disturbances, synergistic effect, fire frequency, Kerzhensky reserve.
<<< To Contents
Plankton and ecological status of water currents on territories of various types (with the Voronezh region as an example). – Krylov A.V., Romanenko A.V., Trankvilevsky D.V., Chubirko M.I., and Stepkin J.I. – Distinctions in the bacterioplankton and zooplankton communities of small and medium water currents in the Voronezh region on several territories selected on the basis of natural process development and human economic activity consequences are shown. The degree of soil erosion and surface waters pollution with artificial wastes and chemicals render the greatest influence. The quantitative and qualitative structure of the plankton in local sites of water currents is influenced by water flow speed, organic and biogenic pollution, and macrophyte development.
Key words: bacterioplankton, zooplankton, number of species, abundance, biomass, drainage region.
<<< To Contents
Testate amoebae community structure in the moss biotopes of streams. – Mazei Yu.A. and Belyakova O.I. – The specific composition and community structure of testate amoebae in the moss biotopes of streams were studied in the Sura river basin (Middle-Volga region). 29 species and forms were identified. The eurybiont species Trinema enchelys, Euglypha ciliata glabra, Centropyxis aerophila, Tracheleuglypha dentata, Corythion dubium, Centropyxis cassis, Trinema complanatum, and Trinema lineare are dominants. The specific richness varies from 2 to 11 species per sample, the abundance is 100 to 4,000 ind. per 1 gram of absolutely dry moss. The degree of forest covering in the basin, hydrochemical peculiarities (the amount of biogenic elements, water hardness) of streams, the size of stream, environmental contamination are possible factors affecting the specificity of the specific composition and community structure.
Key words: testate amoebae, community structure, moss, stream.
<<< To Contents
Mammalian fauna dynamics in Volga-Ural interfluve steppes in the last century. – Oparin M.L., Oparina O.S., Matrosov A.N., and Kuznetsov A.A. – Changes in the teriofauna of the Volga-Ural interfluve steppes in the last century occurred under the influence of natural processes and anthropogenous factors. They were shown especially brightly in the deserted Caspian steppes and the dry steppe of the Syrtovaya plain in the Trans-Volga region. 66 mammal species were recorded in this territory. Some of them have disappeared while others have re-appeared. There were significant fluctuations in their abundance ratio. For the last 50 years, 15 new mammal species have been recorded in the territory under study. The Trans-Volga fauna has been enriched from the south (by one-third) and north (by two-thirds) with representatives of the deserted and wood complexes, respectively.
Key words: mammalian fauna, steppes, Volga-Ural interfluve, climate, wildlife impact.
<<< To Contents
Changes in Curonian Lagoon zooplankton during the hyperblooming period. – Semenova A.S. – The phenomenon of hyperblooming at mass development of blue-green algae in last years was periodically observed in Curonian Lagoon. Structural parameters of zooplankton are considered in the period of Curonian Lagoon hyperblooming. The majority of structural zooplankton parameters were characteristic of hypertrophic and eutrophic water bodies. Zooplankton parameters which primarily react to hyperblooming have been found. Hyperblooming affects zooplankton in the littoral zone to a greater degree.
Key words: zooplankton, Curonian Lagoon, hyperblooming, eutrophication, littoral zone.
<<< To Contents
Some aspects of mathematico-statistical analysis of the morphometric structure of Xeropicta krynickii Kryn. (Geophila: Hygromiidae) populations. – Khlus L.N. – The variability structure of calculated metrical konchologycal parameters of 12 populations of the terrestrial mollusk Xeropicta krynickii Kryn. (Geophila: Hygromiidae) from urbanized and non-urbanized biotopes of the southern Ukraine was studied. A similar structure of morphometrical variability is formed in populations from biotopes with a similar level of urban transformation. The generalized dispersion and generalized variation factor are informative indicators of the konchologycal variability of the species.
Key words: Xeropicta krynickii, konchologycal variability, generalized dispersion, generalized variation factor.
<<< To Contents
A record of nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius Linnaeus, 1758) in the Kama river basin (Nizhnekamsk, Republic Tatarstan). – Askeyev O.V., Askeyev I.V., Ananin A.N., and Tishin D.V. – The paper presents a first finding of nine-spined stickleback P. pungitius in the Kama river basin. Morphometric analysis of individuals of this species from the Omshanka river is given. The fish age was determined by analysis of the microstructure of their otoliths (sagitta and lapillus). The occurrence of the species in a tributary of the Kama river speaks for further expansion of its habitat within the Volga river basin.
Key words: Pungitius pungitius, morphometric analysis, Omshanka river, Tatarstan.
<<< To Contents
Distribution dynamics of Spinus spinus in its southern habitat in the Lower-Volga region. – Zavialov E.V., Tabachishin V.G., and Mosolova E.Yu. – The modern status of the southern limits of Spinus spinus distribution in the northern Lower-Volga region is considered. The southern border of the stable nesting habitat can be drawn through the northern forest-steppe areas of the Saratov Right-Volga-Bank region at the latitude of Petrovsk and Khvalynsk towns.
Key words: Spinus spinus, biotopical location, habitat, Saratov region.
<<< To Contents
A new subspecies of the Caucasian shrew Sorex satunini (Mammalia) and phylogenetic relationships of the species inferred from mtDNA sequences and chromosomal markers. – Orlov V.N., Balakirev A.E., and Borisov Yu.M. – A new subspecies of the Caucasian shrew Sorex satunini tembotovi ssp. n. from the plain between the Kuban and Don rivers and its karyotype (G-banding) are described. Two different types of the mtDNA gene cytochrome b have been revealed in one population. It may be inferred that introgressions in the Pleistocene populations of shrews might explain the incongruence between the chromosomal and mtDNA phylogenies.
Key words: Sorex satunin tembotovi, new subspecies, distribution in the plain, habitats, karyotype, cytochrome b.
<<< To Contents
|
