ECOLOGY OF ANIMALS
Aim. Aim of this the research presented in this article is to analyze the representation of bat (Chiroptera) viruses in various taxa of the Virae kingdom.
Discussion. Currently, 260 viruses are associated with bats belonging to 19 orders, 28 families (9 DNA‐containing and 19 RNA‐containing) and 61 genera (18 DNA‐containing and 43 RNA‐containing). This number includes viruses annotated by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (excluding synonymous species) for which the taxonomic status has been verified by sequencing subgenomic or full‐genomic nucleotide sequences. A large number of unidentified strains from bats are noteworthy – they apparently contain many future prototype viruses for new taxa.
Conclusion. The data presented in this article will undoubtedly be expanded in the nearest future. This is due to the need to improve the system for prevention of dangerous epidemic and pandemic situations primarily by increasing priority attention on bat viruses. Therefore, the catalogue of bat viruses, known as of mid‐2020, presented in this paper could be considered as a kind of "starting point" for future research in this area.
Aim. Estimation of the natural reproduction efficiency and patterns of formation of fish stocks.
Material and Methods. Collection of material was carried out in 2010-2019 in inland water bodies in Dagestan and its shallow Caspian Sea coastal zone. Estimation of the number of juveniles in rivers and canals was carried out using ichthyoplankton cone seines. Fry seines were used to count juveniles of fish in water bodies and in the coastal area. 470 samples of juveniles were collected and 5640 juveniles were analysed. The collection and processing of materials were carried out according to generally accepted methods.
Results. The main environmental factors determining the productivity of fish juveniles in the study area in the long-term have been identified. During the observation period, juvenile fish of 15 species were recorded in spawning grounds of inland water bodies. Roach, bream, carp, crucian carp, rudd and vimba bream dominate. In terms of numbers, roach juveniles predominate: their relative proportion being 31.02% with an increase from 27.1% in 2010 to 35.4% in 2018.The second place was occupied by bream juveniles, whose average relative proportion was 12.1%. The third place was occupied by carp juveniles with an average proportion of 9%. Juvenile zander, catfish, pike and kutum are relatively low in abundance from 2 to 4%. The yield of juvenile fish in 2010-2019 decreased 1.7 times compared to 1990-1995.
Conclusion. It was established that a decrease in the number of juvenile fishes occurs under the influence of unfavorable environmental factors: decrease in sea level; reduction in spawning areas; the shallowing and silting of migration routes due to the lack of a stable water supply. Measures are proposed to improve the living conditions of aquatic biological resources, aimed at increasing the efficiency of their natural reproduction.
Aim. The aim of research was to study various methods of basic soil cultivation and a domestic wastewater silt sludge application which could possibility be directed to soil fertility saving and increase in crop yields.
Materials and Methods. The object of research was a safflower variety called Alexandrite. Experimental variants were carried out according to a 4-fold repetition. Experiment installation, observations and accounting were carried out in accordance with the field experiment methodology named after B.A. Dospehov.
Results. Field research was undertaken in order to study the various methods of a basic tillage and a domestic wastewater silt sludge application possibility under arid conditions of the Volgograd region on light chestnut solonetz soils. The amino acid composition of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seeds has been estimated. The data from the study of soil microbiological activity and the effect of non-traditional fertilizers on the increase in the activity of soil biota are presented. The crop yields and economic evaluation of the Carthamus tinctorius cultivation were determined.
Conclusion. Modern resource-saving soil cultivation technologies and nontraditional fertilizers are required to: maintain the fertility of slightly humus soils in this arid climate zone, increase amino acids levels in plants, increase soil biological activity, as well to increase safflower crop yields. The proposed technical solutions, employing Rancho chisel tillage with as the basic tillage together with the introduction of non-traditional fertilizers-meliorants, provides structural restoration of soil aggregates, intensification of the humus formation process, increase in soil microbiological activity and - as a result - an increase in the yield of the cultivated Carthamus tinctorius crop.
GEOECOLOGY
Aim. The goal of the study is a spatial assessment of the socio-economic framework in the steppe regions of Russia. Characteristics of the density of the socio-ecological framework and the degree of development of its core cities were represented to achieve the goal.
Material and Methods. A methodology is proposed for assessing the level of development of the socio-economic framework based on the conjugate analysis of 6 indicators of the density index of the socio-economic framework and 9 indicators of the developmental index of the core cities of the socio-economic framework for 18 steppe regions of Russia.
Results. A schematic map representing the spatial distribution of the indices studied was produced. A range of urbanisation process features in the regions of the steppe zone of Russia was revealed. In the eastern part, the formation of megalopoli is difficult and the development of agglomeration processes is hampered by the considerable distance from each other of large core cities. Highly urbanised territories might be formed in the western part of the region studied in the course of advanced development. In this connection, disproportions in density indices of the socio-economic framework between the southwest and east regions are noted. Maximum values (4 and more) are recorded in the Belgorod Oblast, Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Adygea and the Republic of Crimea and minimum (less than 2.5) in border and remote regions (Altai Territory, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Kurgan, Orenburg Oblasts and the Republic of Kalmykia).
Conclusion. The development of the socio-economic framework in the mezoregion studied is a mirror reflection of the spatial arrangement of economy and population in the steppe zone of Russia. It is confirmed by a close relation between the development index of core cities in the socio-economic framework and the value of gross regional product. According to the Chaddock scale, the coefficient of correlation between appropriate indicators is 0.94.
Aim. To determine the most and least comfortable zones of the Krasnodar Territory by month.
Material and Methods. The bioclimatic indices studied take into account the combined influences of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and solar radiation in various combinations. A geoinformation analysis of the following bioclimatic indices was carried out: effective temperature, equivalent-effective temperature, bioclimatically active temperature, radiation equivalent-effective temperature, and a complex indicator of the level of pathogenic effects of weather in the Krasnodar Territory. The weather pathogenicity index is the only index in the article that takes into account atmospheric pressure. The study also added an assessment of the severity of winter. The following indices of “cold stress” were calculated and mapped: integrated cooling index (frostbite), Bodman climate severity index, Siple-Passel cooling index and wind-cold index.
Results. The Krasnodar Territory was divided into 4 comfort zones: Azov-Black Sea, Black Sea, South-Eastern Foothills and Continental.
Conclusions. Comfortable months have been established for living in the Krasnodar Territory as a whole, and areas of the Krasnodar Territory favourable for life at any time of the year. The severity of winter in the Krasnodar Territory as shown by the analysis is closely correlated with wind strength.
Aim. Currently, oil pollution remains one of the primary pollutants of the marine environment. This is especially true for the Black Sea and Azov Sea which experience significant anthropogenic pressure. The study presents the results of two-year monitoring studies of the content of oil hydrocarbons in the surface and bottom horizons of the coastal waters of the Azov-Black Sea regions of Russia.
Materials and Methods. The determination of oil hydrocarbons was conducted by infrared spectrometry using a FSM-1201 Fourier spectrophotometer with preliminary transmission of the extracts through a chromatographic column with aluminum oxide. The work was carried out as part of five scientific expeditions (93th, 96th, 100th, 102nd and 105th) of the research vessel, Professor Vodyanitsky, in 2017 and 2018.
Results. The general environmental status for this pollutant is characterized as stable, despite in some cases being 3 to 4 times in excess of established standards (MPC). Separate foci of localized oil pollution have been identified and vulnerable areas of the sea coast of southern Russia have been identified. An excess content of petroleum hydrocarbons in the surface layer compared to the bottom layer was noted, which indicates a surface path of entry of petroleum products into sea water.
Conclusion. Currently, the coastal waters of the western part of Crimea are most affected by oil, primarily associated with the runoff of European rivers and the peculiarities of the marine hydrological regime, including the Kerch Strait, an area of heavy shipping traffic. The Caucasian coast is less affected by oil pollution than the Crimean. Despite the fact that currently the content of oil hydrocarbons in sea water is far from the quantities dangerous to humans and aquatic organisms, monitoring of this indicator is vital due to the increasing anthropogenic pressure on the recreational zones of the Crimean and Caucasian coasts of the Russian Federation.
LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
Aim. Islands and peninsulas in the Volga are of great environmental and recreational importance for the Volgograd agglomeration. Identifying the current state of geocomplexes in the Sareptsky peninsula allow us to assess the developmental trends of the floodplain ecosystems in the Lower Volga, which are under intense economic pressures.
Material and Methods. The mapping was done by decoding Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and drawing landscape contours using the QGIS program. Field work was carried out in June 2019. Seven test plots were laid out. Inventory of forest plantations was undertaken with distribution of trees according to condition and a geobotanical description of the grass stand was done.
Results. The Sareptsky peninsula was revealed to be an island by origin that was artificially attached to the native coast. The landscape structure of the peninsula includes 6 natural-anthropogenic complexes, of which the largest area (62.9%) is occupied by natural floodplain forest and cultivated forest. 13.9% is occupied by water meadows of the central floodplain, 8.0% by aquatic complexes of inland water bodies, 7.3% by anthropogenically transformed areas (settlements and industrial lands, roads and hydraulic structures), 5.1% by open areas of fresh-water floodplain and 2.8% by beach shoals of the river channel floodplain. The signs were revealed of a negative effect on the Volga through the regulation of its flow from desiccation of poplars and meagre species composition of meadow vegetation. It was established that the territory of the peninsula is exposed to a small extent by recreational activities.
Conclusion. Landscape-ecological studies made in the Sareptsky peninsula allowed the assessment of the current state of forest and meadow ecosystems, the identification of the principal factors involved in the deterioration of their ecological status and the articulation of a better way to optimize nature management.
ECOLOGICAL TOURIZM AND RECREATION
Aim. The article discusses the current state of medical tourism, problems and prospects in order to assess the obstacles and limitations in creating tourist health villages in the Iranian province of Yazd.
Materials and Methods. The data were obtained using the analytical and documentary method with a focus on content analysis and by interviewing and questionnaires of key experts of the region: this allowed the identifation and development indices for the development of medical tourism in the development of health villages.
Results. During the first stage, data analysis was performed using the MAXQDA-11 program. In the second stage, the data obtained were studied in order to assess the state of these indices using the SOWAT model. Priorities were then set and the specific weight of obstacles and restrictions was calculated using complex criteria.
Conclusions. Poor transportation provision for medical tourists due to the limited number of domestic and international flights, unavailability of treatment and followup after discharge, ineffective insurance legislation and lack of appropriate new legislation were identified as the main obstacles to the development of medical tourism. Accordingly, long-term and short-term strategies should be developed and implemented in accordance with these issues. On the other hand, taking into account the restrictions and obstacles noted, we have proposed locations suitable for building health villages at a minimum distance from Yazd. These are indicated on a map created using the Arc GIS program. During project implementation, strategic objectives were developed.
GENERAL PROBLEMS
Aim. To study the methodological basis for increasing the potential of applications of microalgae in the national economy, as one of the environmental imperatives in the development of new natural resources for future generations.
Materials and Methods. The research was conducted on the basis of content analysis of Russian and foreign scientific publications and materials obtained in the course of expeditions and experimental and sociological research. The clustercognitive approach and economic-mathematical modeling were used for a more complete exposition of the topic.
Discussion. According to imperatives of the green economy, environmental technologies will become leading factors in the development of the world economy. The most important incentive for entrepreneurs in the environmental market will be growing the demand of consumers and of governments. Promising areas include the use of microalgae in the production of foods beneficial to human health, feed additives in animal husbandry, poultry farming and fish farming, substances for improving water quality in reservoirs and the clean-up of oil spills. The issue of increasing the potential of microalgae at the regional level on the basis of a cognitive cluster approach is most relevant. The procurement of live microalgae biomass in amounts necessary to thoroughly supply world and national markets remains challenging in both technological and technical terms. Economic and mathematical models and sociological research, as well as the opinions of experts, allow us to justify business decisions in opening microalgae production facilities. Microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis present promising prospects for entrepreneurial investment due to the high value of their metabolites.
Conclusion. The increase in production and applications of microalgae is of major strategic potential in the development of the national economy, as the manufacture of bio-products and immune-stimulating drugs increases every year in response to climate change, pandemics, environmental pollution, food shortages and difficulties in accessing clean water. It is necessary to adopt legislative and regulatory instruments and organizational measures aimed at stimulating the investment of funding entities and entrepreneurs in the production of microalgae products in various sectors of the economy. International collaborations, industrial enterprises and space agencies (e.g. Roscosmos and NASA) are actively conducting research into the use of microalgae for the processing of organic waste in human living facilities in space as a source of both oxygen and food. The issue of creating clusters and applying mechanisms of public-private partnership aimed at increasing the profitability of bio-product manufacture from microalgae in various industries and sectors of the economy at the macro-and meso-level remains relevant.
Aim. This study aims to discuss the validity of introducing restrictions on the catch of Coregonus migratorius (Georgi, 1775) with a forecast of the likely environmental consequences of doing so.
Discussion. We show the results of the analysis of the assessment of the state of C. migratorius stocks and the reasons for their decline. We indicate that the biostatistical and hydroacoustical methods for estimating fish numbers, which are traditionally used to substantiate allowable catches, have some disadvantages and limitations. We consider unrecorded catches and unfavourable natural and climatic environmental factors to be reasons for the decline in C. migratorius stocks. We discuss ecological and anthropogenic factors of changes in stocks of this commercially important species for the region. We show the anticipated ecological effects of currently established limits.
Conclusion. The results of changes in the modelling of the number and age composition of fish with different protection strategies indicate that maintaining a low level of replenishment stock the limits would not increase commercial stocks of C. migratorius. Restrictions imposed on the commercial and amateur fishing would significantly increase environmental risks through increase of poaching (including during the spawning period) as well as as a consequence of amateur fishing of other commercially valuable fish species.
Aim. To identify the most important factors in the transformation of ethnocultural space and population identity through the example of a multicultural trans-border region.
Materials and Methods. This research vector provides possibilities to consider this issue in line with the well-known ideas of L. N. Gumilyov regarding the adaptation of ethnic groups to landscapes, as well as to apply an analysis algorithm based on the study of various forms of interethnic contacts and ethnic processes. The author's data from field expedition research, including sociological surveys of the population (more than three thousand people on both sides of the Russian-Kazakh border), interviews, expert assessments, including observation, mapping, etc. have been used. Historical sources, as well as archival documents and existing cartographic materials from various times, have been analysed.
Results. Ethno-cultural groups interact with each other and adapt to landscapes, as a result of these processes ethnic cultures acquire common features and regional specificities. These factors have been evaluated and features of interethnic interaction between migrants and the autochthonous population as well as transformation of the ethno-cultural space are revealed. The speed of transformation is influenced by historical, geopolitical, psychological and economic factors. The article is illustrated with specific examples. Geographical aspects of transformation of ethno-cultural identity as the main marker of ethnic culture in trans-border regions have been considered
Conclusion. The most important factors of ethno-cultural space and regional identity transformation are adaptation in landscapes, intercultural interaction, migration, change of ethnic composition of the population and divergence as a consequence of delimitation.
Aim. To investigate the process of formation of the circular economy in Russia within the framework of ensuring sustainable development and to identify the problems of forming a circular economy and the barriers that hinder the process of implementing business models of a circular economy in enterprises.
Materials and Methods. Our study is based on systems analysis, comparative and statistical methods.
Discussion. The research results have confirmed the necessity of transition to the formation a circular economy in Russia. This is despite the fact that the volume of recycled waste arising from production and consumption in Russia is growing faster than that of its generation, the actual proportion of recycling and waste disposal is growing rather slowly (somewhat more than 50%), while the proportion of the volume of production and consumption waste placed at company facilities, on average, amounted to 50% for the period analysed. Greenhouse gas emissions also have a negative impact on the environment with those of the "Economy" sector accounting for almost 79% thus determining the relevance of transition to renewable energy.
Conclusion. The transition to a circular economy, in particular as a result of the use of renewable energy, will reduce the negative impact of anthropogenic pressure on the environment and ensure a balance between the environmental, economic and social components of sustainable development.
BRIEF PRESENTATIONS
Aim. To obtain new data on the species diversity, phylogenetic structure, and ecological characteristics of thelephoroid fungi (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) in the Republic of Dagestan.
Material and Methods. Both micromorphological and molecular analyses were used for studying of the fungal specimens collected by the authors in 2018-2019 in the Gunibsky and Magaramkentsky Districts of Dagestan. Additional specimens from the Mycological Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE) were studied. The ITS region of nrDNA was amplified with two pairs of primers, ITS1F/ITS4 and ITS5/ITS4.
Results. Sixteen ITS sequences belonging to eight species were obtained from the studied material. Of them, 14 sequences clustered in the Tomentella clade and two sequences nested within the Odontia clade. Four species – Odontia duemmeri, Tomentella lapida, T. radiosa, T. terrestris – were registered for the first time for Dagestan. Detailed information on the specimens studied is presented. Species identification of Odontia fibrosa, Tomentella badia, T. ferruginea, and T. stuposa was confirmed by ITS nrDNA analysis.
Conclusion. Data on the species richness of the genera Odontia and Tomentella in Dagestan is updated, and the species T. lilacinogrisea is excluded from the regional funga. To date the genera Odontia and Tomentella in the Republic of Dagestan are represented by three and fifteen species, respectively.
Aim. To select the maximum variety of landscape structural units from the watershed to the Sintashta river. To determine the boundaries of the recommended specially protected area.
Material and Methods. The Sintashta protected area is currently composed of tracts which only represent a small part of steppe landscape diversity: bushy tracts and forb-grass floodplain and part of the herb-grass steppe terraces. Based on field physical geography description and cartography using GIS systems, the maximum variety of tracts from the watershed to the river in the territory within which lies the Sintashta archaeological monument complex (the cluster section of the Arkaim reserve) was identified.
Results. The course of separate tracts that characterise the steppe landscape from the watershed to the Sintashta River comprises: inclined-undulating banks with gullies and sagebrush-mixed grass steppe, lowland forb-fescue steppe with birch and pine groves, plains grass grassland bushed grassland, flat interfleuve with feather grass-forb steppe with pine and birch groves.
Conclusion. The territory of the Sintashta site is unique in its natural and historical content. Preserving it in the future as a territorial system with its enclosing landscapes and cultural monuments will allow a comprehensive approach to the issues of reconstruction and preservation of the natural environment and the understanding of the economic structure of ancient societies. In ordere to preserve the historical and cultural complex in inseparable connection with the natural landscape, it is recommended that selected key tracts be incorporated in the protected area.
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