Aim. To analyze the results of ichthyological monitoring in order to identify the role  of an invasive fish species, Pseudorasbora parva – known in Russia as the Amur Chebachok – in the ichthyological community of the River Don estuary littoral and delta. 

 Material and Methods. Research work was carried out in the prodelta and estuarine  watercourses of the Don delta in the period 2007‐2017. To catch the fish, we used  bimtral, drag nets, gill nets and other fishing gear. Standard methods were applied to  process ichthyological material. A total of 902 specimens of the Amur chebachok  were examined.   

Results. The general characteristics of the invasive species from watercourses of the  delta and from Taganrog Bay are given. Its role in the formation of ichthyofauna and  its relationship with native species in new habitats has been determined. Dimensionmass indicators and other biological parameters of the species are given. 

 Conclusion. The linear structure of the local population of the Amur chebachok consists of different size groupings corresponding to certain ages. The process of acclimatization of the Amur chebachok in the Don delta is associated with certain interactions with elements of the local biocenosis. It was proved that when there is a high  number, both in pond farms and in natural water bodies, the species is an acute food  competitor to juveniles of both farmed or local fish. Its rapid spread is due to the  high survival rate of offspring, high environmental plasticity, rapid growth, short  puberty and the migratory activity of larvae and fry.  

Aim. The paper presents the results of assessment of the indigenous nature and  degree of similarity of apricot cultivars growing in the collection of the Mountain  Botanical Garden, Gunib, Dagestan, Russia based on a comparative analysis of the  variability of leaf morphological characteristics.   

Material and Methods. The material assessed consisted of 33 apricot cultivars of  various ecological and geographical origins aggregated in the following groups: (a)  Dagestan – traditional cultivars; (b) Moscow ‐ selection from the Tsytsin Main Moscow Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences based on wild forms of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; (c) European and (d) Asian ‐ from Central Asia, Tajikistan, China  and Altai.   

Results. The closeness of Dagestan and European varieties in comparison with Asian  and Moscow varieties was shown. Most Dagestan (16 of 19) and European varieties  have round‐shaped leaves (leaf shape index 80‐ 100%), while those from Asia and  the Moscow Botanical Garden have leaves which are elongated elliptical and oval  (60‐80%). Using the method of principal component analysis (PCA), it was established that most cultivars of Dagestan origin have similar leaf shapes and sizes, of  which Tlama kurak (wide‐round), Hekobarsh (elongated) were distinguished by leaf  shape and Esdelik by leaf size.   

Conclusion. Based on a discriminant analysis (Squared Mahalanobis Distances), it  was found that the indices of indicators of leaf attributes (width/length of leaf lamina; petiole length/length of lamina; apex angle/corner of leaf base) are more reliable criteria for differentiating apricot varieties into ecological and geographical  groups than their morphological characteristics.  

Aim. The study of the degree of influence of natural factors in the Trans‐Baikal region on the quality of the air of the city of Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky, which lies in an  intermountain basin.   

Material and Methods. The geomorphology and climate of the intermountain basins of the Trans‐Baikal regions, as well as their separation by orographic features,  were studied. Missing points were identified which need for further scientific research regarding the influence of natural factors of the Trans‐Baikal region on the  quality of the air.   

Results. Geographical and natural factors in the formation of the qualitative composition of the atmosphere of cities located in intracontinental intermountain basins are presented. Studies were conducted from 2005 to 2015 at three observation  posts (hereinafter – OP) in the city of Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky (Н1 = 800 m; Н2 = 860  m; Н3 = 895 m). The dynamics of the average values of pollutant content in the air  of  the  city  of  Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky  for  the  period  2005‐2015  were  considered  (based on field observations from three OPs), as well as the dynamics of the atmospheric pollution index of benzo(a)pyrene in the air in Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky for the  period 2005‐2015. Geoecological threats were assessed together with the geographical mechanisms responsible for them and the dynamics of atmospheric air  pollution of a characteristic situation (the Tugnui basin and atmospheric air of the  city of Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky) were studied. The regular occurrence of extremely  dangerous concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere of cities located in intermountain basins is presented.   

Conclusion. The author’s research into the influence of natural factors (using the  example of the Tugnui basin) on the air quality of a city on the National Priority List  (e.g. the city of Petrovsk‐Zabaykalsky) showed that extremely dangerous concentrations of pollutants, especially substances of the first hazard class, namely benzo(a)pyrene, are created because of geographical factors.  

Aim. The aim of the research was to identify the migration of ash elements and  nitrogen in the leaf litter‐soil  system for forest biogeocenoses of the Crimean  mountains, taking into account the effect of the pyrogenic factor on pine forests of  the Crimean Pine or Pallas Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana D. Don) which occupy  the largest areas.   

Material and Methods. Studies were conducted in the communities of the southern macroslope of the main ridge of the Crimean mountains in the territories of the  Yalta Mountain‐Forest and Crimean Nature Reserves. A comparative analysis (taking into account vertical zonality) was carried out of the migration of chemical elements in the leaf litter‐soil system system at nine sample plots. Forest typological  studies of the stand, chemical analysis of vegetation, soil sections and their physicochemical characteristics were carried out by generally accepted methods.   

Results. Differences in the series of accumulations of chemical elements were established for this territory for the first time. They vary significantly in each type of  forest and have their own specificity that differentiates with regard to migration  activity.   

Conclusions. It was shown that the processes of accumulation and decomposition  of leaf‐fall and litter are components of the biological cycle of organic matter in  protected areas of a large landscape complex – the southern macroslope of the  main ridge of the Crimean mountains and can be considered as providing background monitoring data. This permits us to comprehend the environmental mechanisms of adaptation and the regulation of the structure and functions of these  communities.   

Aim. Comparison of water quality according to 19 indicators: odour at 20°C, odour  at 60°C, taste, colour, turbidity, total iron, permanganate oxidation, dry residue,  total hardness, oil products, surfactants, phenolic index, nitrates (NO3‐), chlorides  (Сl‐), fluorides (F‐), sulphates (SO42‐), zinc (Zn2+), copper (Сu, total), pH value of two  infiltration water intakes in the south‐eastern region of the Republic of Belarus.  Identification and analysis of linear trends, and determination of trends in the dynamics of indicator values. 

Material and Methods. As initial data we used the results of quarterly measurements of the values of borehole water indicators of the infiltration water intakes.   

Results. By comparing the relative concentrations of the mean annual values of the  studied quality indicators for two water intakes, it was revealed that the priority  indicators are odour at 20°C, odour at 60°C, taste, chromaticity, turbidity, and iron.  By comparing the relative concentrations of total iron, it was found that the concentration in the wells of WI 1 is much higher than in the wells of WI 2, probably  due to the presence of rocks and minerals from moraine and fluvioglacial complexes of glacial deposits. For other indicators the values were approximately on the  same level. 

Conclusion. By constructing matrices of pair correlation and geographic proximity  for each of the priority indicators, well groups were identified whose water quality  is interrelated and which were subsequently aggregated as a single group. 

Aim. The purpose of the research is to quantify the agroecological response of  plants and the bio‐productivity of crops to irrigation using electrochemical water  treatment technology.   

Material and Methods. The study was carried out using the tomato (Solanum lycoparsicum, hybrid Pink Paradise F1) in a protected ground culture as an example. The  experimental site is located in the dry‐steppe zone of light chestnut soils of the  Lower Volga region (48о56΄46˝N44о51΄45˝E). The magnitude of the electrochemically initiated shift of the redox potential of irrigation water and the options for  combining the use of electrochemically treated water were taken as variable experimental factors.   

Results. It was established that the magnitude of the electrochemically initiated  shift of the redox potential of irrigation water has a predominant effect on the estimated biometric indicators: the coefficient of variation of the indicators for this  factor reached 9.5‐38.0%. The influence of the method of using electrochemically  treated water is estimated at 4.12‐10.24%, but regarding net assimilation the significance of this factor is not statistically proven. The highest estimates of linear  growth – 2.21 m, maximum leaf area – 43.4 thousand m2/ha, accumulated biomass  – 13.39 t/ha, photosynthetic potential – 3617 thousand m2 days/ha and tomato  biological yield – 140.0 t/ha, obtained by the combined use of a catholyte for vegetation and fertilizer irrigation with an electrochemically initiated shift of the redox  potential (‐500) mV.   

Conclusion. The studies have proved the statistical significance of the biometric  response of tomato plants to the use of water with electrochemically altered redox  potential for vegetation and fertilizer irrigation.   

Aim. The aim of the research was to study the features of formation of adaptive  ability, meat productivity and quality indicators of mutton obtained in the arid conditions of the Volga region from sheep of the Edilbaev breed of different genotypes. 

Material and Methods. A package of teaching materials has been developed concerning an increase in the productive qualities of different genotypes of the studied  breed in the conditions of arid regions of southern Russia.   

Results. The authors’ research has demonstrated the high adaptive abilities of animals of the Edilbaev breed, their economic and biological qualities, food and taste  indicators of their meat, as well as the possibility of further development of the  breed in the arid conditions of southern Russia. As a research base, we selected the  Volgograd‐Edilbay LLC breeding farm (the world's only breeding and genetic center  for raising Edilbaev sheep) which is located in the Volgograd region and specializes  in breeding pure‐bred animals in arid steppe, semi‐desert and desert zones. Due to  the great demand for the livestock of this breed from farms located in arid territories, this study of the comparative aspects of production characteristics of animals  of original and new types in the arid conditions of the Volga region is of interest to  both science and practical animal husbandry.   

Conclusion. An assessment of the nutritional value of mutton obtained from animals of the Edilbaev breed has shown its high nutritional and biological qualities.

Aim. The article considers the potential of the natural, cultural and historical features of the territory of the Dido (Shaurinsky District) basin with its dramatic mountainous setting for the further development of tourism and recreation in regions of  the highlands of the East Caucasus.   

Materials and Methods. In carrying out our study data obtained from field research,  including a comprehensive environmental survey of the territory, were used. Field  research  included  on‐site  expeditions,  profiling,  descriptive,  identification  of  key  areas, mapping, photography. Historical sources, as well as stock imagery and existing cartographic material, were consulted.   

Results. The territory’s natural features and historical and cultural heritage were  examined in terms of their attractiveness for tourist visits and an option of creating a  recreational zone with tourist centres was articulated among other proposals for  tourism and recreational development.   

Conclusion. The Dido basin with its high biological and landscape diversity and distinctive cultural and historical heritage presents significant potential for the development of various types of tourism and an associated local hospitality industry. 

Aim. The circulation and transmission of pathogens is a global biological phenomenon that is closely associated with bird migration. This analysis was carried out with  the aim of understanding and assessing the prospects of using the stable isotope  method to study the circulation and transmission of the avian influenza A virus via  migratory birds. 

Discussion. Insufficient data on the distances of migration of infected birds and their  interpopulational relationships leaves open the question of the transmission of highly pathogenic influenza viruses (HSV) in the wild bird population. A deeper study of  the role of migrations in the spread of HSV may possibly allow the more effective  investigation of the transmission of the viral pathogen between individuals at migration stopover sites and the clarification of global migration routes. New methodological approaches are providing a more complete picture of the geography and phenology of migrations, as well as of the consequences of migratory behavior for species biology. The study of the quantitative component of migratory flows based on  the analysis of the content of stable isotopes (SIMS) in bird tissues seems very promising. This method is being applied to the solution of various environmental issues,  including the study of animal migrations.   

Conclusion. Based on data from the scientific literature, it is shown that SIMS is  promising for the clarification of bird migration routes and the quantification of their  intensity. The resolving power of the method is sufficient to determine the migration  pathways of carriers of viral pathogens on the scale of zoogeographic subdomains  and in even further detail. However, to date, there have been few such studies: in  Russia they have not been conducted at all. The increased use of the SIMS methodology may possibly reveal new ways in which viral infections are spread via birds.  

Aim. Traditionally, prediction of breeding values of male small horned ruminants   (rams) by referring to levels of economically useful traits of their progeny is carried  out by methods of statistical analysis. However, at the same time, there is a forecasting method based on the use of a mixed biometric model. The solution of the system  of equations constituting a mixed biometric model is associated with certain difficulties caused by the peculiarity of the system matrix. It is proposed to use integrated  mathematical packages in the forecast, by which the system of equations can be  solved in several ways, followed by analysis of the results. The prediction of progeny  values is carried out by statistical methods using three statistical tests, as well as with  the use of a mixed biometric model. It is of interest to compare estimates obtained  by using statistical methods with estimates using a mixed biometric model. 

Material and Methods. The initial data set was the live weight of Qigai rams, the  progeny of a group of sixteen rams belonging to eight genetic groups.   Results. It was found that the forecast of breeding values of each animal using a  mixed biometric model substantially clarifies the rank of each animal in the group  being evaluated.   

Conclusion. The refinement of the estimation of breeding value is related to the  effects of the genetic groups to which the animals belong in the mixed model, as well  as the degree of relationship between them. Also the mixed model also allows one to  isolate environmental effects from the overall assessment. Solving the system of  equations in several ways will improve the reliability of the forecast.

Aim: Search for an effective method for obtaining bacterial protein and determining  the optimal concentration for identification of specific types.   

Material and Methods. Using the example of a C. xerosis N 1911 reference strain  grown on a nutrient medium improved by us, methods were investigated of protein  precipitation with sodium chloride, ammonium sulphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, trichloroacetic acid and polyethylene glycol. The threshold sensitivity of the  allergen in six different cultures was determined in tests on 24 guinea pigs infected  with corynebaсteria. Biological activity was studied in cultures from 36 guinea pigs  infected with M. BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine), M. avium, C. xerosis N  1911, C. ulcerans N 675 and C. bovis, as well as 3 rabbits infected with Corynebacterium xerosis. 

Results. Comparative testing of five protein precipitation methods was carried out.  When using ammonium sulphate as a precipitant relatively high results were obtained at a salt concentration of 30% and a pH of at least 5.8. More significant protein precipitation occurred at the isoelectric point of sodium chloride at pH 3.9. It  was noted that trichloroacetic acid and sodium hexametaphosphate had insignificant  precipitating properties while there was none with polyethylene glycol. The threshold sensitivity (0.00005 mg in 0.1 ml) and allergen unit of action (0.0003 mg) were  established. Intensity of skin reaction to sensitin homologous to infection was detected. 

Conclusions. The data obtained revealed the optimal method of protein precipitation, the unit of action of the corynebacterium allergens, and expanded the understanding of the mechanisms of the sensitization of the macro‐organism to tuberculin.  

Aim. To reveal the features of the process of academic mobility as a factor in the  sustainability of the higher education system (in the example of the Republic of  Kazakhstan). 

Discussion. The organisation of student academic mobility is determined by the  students striving to move for the purpose of academic exchange in the educational  space and social adaptation in the framework of this process. The modeling of the  organisation of academic mobility of students in higher education is a specific cognitive method in which the object of study is imitated in a model. A model of the academic mobility of students is presented in this article together with an exposition of  its structural components and functionality.   

Conclusion. In the current situation in Kazakhstan outgoing academic mobility is of  the greatest priority and acts as a mechanism to develop the intellectual potential  and skills of the population. Incoming student mobility in Kazakhstan occupies a less  significant position because of the weak material and technical base of Kazakhstan  universities, underdeveloped services and infrastructure, limited abilities to provide  education in English and visa restrictions. All this negatively affects the competitiveness of the Kazakhstan higher education system. In considering the indicators of  international student exchange in the states of the Customs Union of the Eurasian  Economic Union, it should be noted that outgoing mobility in Kazakhstan is more  than two times higher than incoming, which impacts on the competitiveness of  Kazakhstan universities in international mobility ratings. Effective organisation of  the academic mobility of students in Kazakhstan will contribute to an increase in the  influx of foreign students to its universities. It will also contribute to the formation  of competitive specialists and their participation in the development of an advanced  society and a knowledge‐based economy in the context of globalization, internationalisation and sustainable development. 

Aim. The aim of the study is to identify the degree of external threat relating to the  spread of HIV infection by migrants in the North Caucasus Federal District of Russia. 

Material and Methods. Systemic, comparative geographical, geographic and statistical research methods were applied, as well as MS Excel and SPSS Statistics software packages. The database was created for the periods 1997‐2000, 2003‐2006,  2007‐2010 and 2011‐2015. Four main (aggregated) groups of indicators were selected.   

Results. A hierarchical cluster analysis was undertaken on groups of indicators (the  current situation in states studied regarding the spread of HIV, the flow of migrants  from these states to the North Caucasus Federal District as a whole and its differentiation according to chronological and chorological characteristics) which made it  possible to aggregate the countries of Asia and Africa into four groups according to  threat level of the spread of HIV infection for the North Caucasus Federal District:  (1) extremely high (post‐Soviet states of the Caucasus and Central Asia [excepting  Turkmenistan]); (2) high (states of the eastern Mediterranean [excepting Lebanon],  as well as Afghanistan and Turkmenistan); (3) countries of a medium degree of  threat (most of the countries of sub‐Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia [except Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Brunei], as well as Pakistan); (4) low (all  states).   

Conclusion. Despite the greater spread of HIV in African states compared with  Asian states, it is the latter ‐ especially those formerly part of the USSR ‐ that pose  the greatest threat to the North Caucasus Federal District with regard to the spread  of HIV by migrants. Almost every state of origin of the majority of migrants infected  with HIV has “its own” preferred destination in the North Caucasus Federal District,  to which their inflows are oriented.  

Aim. Identification of metal transference characteristics in components of the ecosystem of the north‐western part of the Caspian Sea.   

Material and Methods. Sampling was carried out according to generally accepted  methods and the determination of heavy metals was carried out by atomic absorption spectroscopy using an atomic absorption spectrometer with electro‐thermal  atomization MGA‐915 MD.   

Results. In studying the migration of trace elements in the trophic chains of the  Caspian Sea sturgeon species it was found that: (a) chromium, manganese and iron  do not accumulate along the trophic chain researched; (b) accumulation of lead and  cobalt above the trophic level occupied by benthic invertebrates did not occur; (c)  cadmium, nickel and copper were accumulated primarily by benthic organisms,  while cadmium and nickel accumulated in the kidneys of Russian and Persian sturgeons and copper accumulated in the liver of both species (d) bioaccumulation of  zinc occurs sequentially in the links: soil‐water‐benthic invertebrates‐benthophage  fish (in Russian and Persian sturgeons in their kidneys, liver and muscles) and (e)  mercury migrates along the links of the food chain, accumulation coefficients increasing progressively in the system: soil‐Didacna mollusc‐benthophage fish (in  Russian and Persian sturgeons in their kidneys, liver and muscles).   

Conclusion. The accumulation of heavy metals from water amongst aquatic organisms depends on the properties of the metal, its involvement in biochemical processes, species, biological status and the nature of abiotic living conditions. 

Aim. The aim of the research was to determine the pollution of bottom sediment  with  heavy  metals  around  artificial  islands  A  and  D,  where  hydrocarbon  raw  materials from the subsalt stratum are being extracted from island D, and where  production has not begun from island A. Investigations were carried out to compare  the content of heavy metals in bottom sediments around these artificial islands.   

Material and Methods. The content of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in  the bottom sediment in the region of artificial islands A and D was studied. Samples  were processed under laboratory conditions by standard methods. Measurement  of the content of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn was made using an ICP‐MS  spectrometer,  and  of  Pb  was  made  using  a  ContAA‐600  atomic  absorption  spectrometer with electrometric atomization (with a HydrEA System Batch Mode  HS 55 modular hydride attachment).   

Results. In 2017, the average concentration of all studied elements in the region of  island D was found to be higher than in the region of island A.   

Conclusion. In all seasons of the research, values in excess of the Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC) of all pollutants was not found.