Aim. The purpose of this research was to find out what local weather factors influence the nesting timing of the common gull (Larus canus).
Material and Methods. The time of egg laying by the common gull was determined using data obtained during regular surveys over 8 years (1996‐1998, 2002‐2003, 2006‐2008) on the islands of Lake Bolshie Chany. Weather and climatic factors were assessed using open‐access databases.
Results. It was been established that the start of egg‐laying in the colony of the common gull is determined by wind strength, the number of rainy days, the associated atmospheric pressure during the second decade of April, and the air temperature – the transition date at which the average daily air temperature rose above 0°C. In years with unstable spring temperatures, a relationship was revealed between the air temperature and the intensity of egg laying by the common gulls by day. In years when temperatures rise evenly, precipitation and wind speed become the main factors.
Conclusion. We conclude that the egg‐laying dates of the common gull is influenced by weather variables during the whole nesting season and not predominantly by early season variables. We also show the importance of large‐scale climatic phenomena such as the EAWR in explaining variability in timing of the nesting of the common gull in Siberia. We suggest that future studies should focus on the effects of extremes in weather variables and global climatic phenomena.

Aim. The early development of behavioral types and the influence of environmental, mostly social, factors have almost not been studied for natural animal populations. We investigated the effect of the density of non‐relative social environment on the development of the behavior of free‐living chicks of the Black‐headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). Material and Methods. In order to exclude the influence of relationships with native parents on the development of chicks' behavior, 21 clutches were cross‐fostered so as to destroy any negative relationship between the aggressiveness of their parents and the density of their neighbors. The behavioral types of chicks were determined by a 3‐time testing in an “open field” arena at the ages of 2‐3, 8‐9 and 14‐15 days.
Results. Those parents, which effectively coped with close neighboring at the nest settling period, raised more active offspring. The behavior of chicks raised by foster parents, on the contrary, was more passive the fewer unrelated chicks there were nearby and was not associated with the aggressiveness of their parents.
Conclusion. Our work demonstrates the role of an unrelated social environment in the ontogeny of behavioral types in colonial birds. We suppose that the different ways in which influences of parents and neighbors optimize the trajectories of development of behavioral types at an individual level, increase the chances of chicks surviving in the diverse and variable environment of a breeding colony.

Aim. To establish the relevant condition and nature of the distribution of the woodpigeon Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 in the Stavropol region and to analyse the synanthropisation trends of the species.
Material and Methods. The spatial distribution, biology and ecology of the wood pigeon were studied in 2006–2019 according to generally accepted methods in ornithology, followed by statistical processing. The total length of routes monitored in various types of biotopes throughout the Stavropol region amounted to more than 3,500 km.
Results. According to the study results, the wood pigeon inhabits 27 territorial units of the Stavropol region (municipal districts, cities of regional significance/urban district). In the steppe regions it is mainly found in artificial planting of agricultural entities (forest belts along fields, brigades, barns, landscaping of linear features ‐ roads and railways). In the region of the Caucasian Mineralnie Vodi, the wood pigeon can be observed in the green spaces of resort towns. During the study period, 78 species nests were found.
Conclusion. The results of the study confirm the steady expansion of the range of the wood pigeon in the region. The occupation of anthropogenic landscapes by the species is uneven. It has widely adapted to agrocenoses and linear features in the landscape. The rate of synanatropisation, in general, is increasing. However, in settlements the species predominantly develops habitats close to nature ‐ large green areas, remote from residential buildings.

Aim. Comparison of two methods (genetic and morphological) for assessing the polymorphism of populations of the eastern sand lizard (Lacerta agilis exigua) in two ecologically different localities.
Material and Methods. For this, we used the method of polylocus genotyping of genomic DNA regions flanked by inverted repeats of microsatellites and fragments of long terminal repeats of endogenous retroviruses, as well as the assessment of a number of phenotypic characteristics. The material was lizards (a total of 55 adults) caught in two localities: in the Novonikolaevsky District of the Volgograd Region and in the vicinity of the Strizhament mountain, Stavropol Territory.
Results. Of the two methods for assessing the state of the population genetic structure of the eager lizard, the most informative for identifying interpopulation and sex differences was a comparative analysis of the spectra obtained using microsatellite sequences and sites of endogenous retroviruses. This method made it possible to identify the most polymorphic DNA markers, which make it possible to obtain the most informative spectra in terms of the number of loci and polymorphism necessary for describing the genetic structures and their dynamics in the eastern darting lizard with high resolution.
Conclusion. The studies carried out allowed us to identify the most informative indicators for describing population structures and their dynamics in the eastern darting lizard. For the first time, data were obtained indicating that the greatest contribution to interpopulation differentiation in different localities of capture is made by the variability of males compared to females.

Aim. The continuous monitoring of changes in ecosystems must be carried out in connection with global climate changes that affect the state of water bodies. Remote sensing methods have many advantages as a promising method for monitoring biocenoses in large water bodies. We carried out a comprehensive study comparing the results obtained using the latest instruments and methods to expand their further application to the continuous monitoring of water bodies.
Material and Methods. The field research was undertaken using hydroacoustic sensors, submersible holographic camera and high‐resolution thermal sensors in addition to the classical methods of studying the zooplankton ecology – the Juday net and CTD probe. Water temperature, chlorophyll, photosynthetically active radiation and other parameters were measured with an AAQ‐Rinko probe. We provided data for one vertical up to a depth of 100 m.
Results. The main components of mesozooplankton during the ice period are different age stages of the endemic crustacean Epischura baikalensis Sars 1900 and several rotifer species. The article discusses the heterogeneity of the environment and the distribution of plankton detected by various instruments.
Conclusion. The experimental results obtained with the help of a set of devices show that the distribution of zooplankton is very strongly dependent on the physical parameters of the environment. The use of remote sensing methods is an important step towards the automation of basic monitoring of the ecosystem of Lake Baikal and other water bodies. The obtained field data will make it possible to further improve the pattern recognition algorithm in the software of the holographic installation for the specific conditions of Lake Baikal. The results of the vertical distribution and migrations of zooplankton in connection with environmental parameters are assumed to be processed using mathematical modeling methods.

Aim. Polypores are an integral part of forest ecosystems, but to date there is no sufficient information on diversity and ecology of this group of basidiomycetes in many mountain areas. The aim of this study is to reveal species composition and characterize substrate preferences of poroid fungi of the Gunib Plateau (the Republic of Dagestan, Northeast Caucasus, Russia).
Material and Methods. All fungal specimens were collected by the authors during field surveys in 2018–2020, which were carried out within pine, birch, hornbeam, alder, aspen, and mixed forests as well as juniper woodlands. The identification of fungi was performed predominantly by a light microscopy techniques, but also by an analysis of the ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 nrDNA to verify specimens from Postia caesia‐species complex.
Results. A total of 73 species of poroid fungi from 43 genera and 7 orders of the class Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) have been identified in the territory of the Gunib Plateau within the Upper Gunib Nature Park. Among them, there are 29 new species for the Republic of Dagestan, of which 11 species are cited for the Caucasus for the first time. An annotated species list with detailed information on substrata, habitats, localities, and links to herbarium specimens (LE) is provided.
Conclusion. The revealed species richness of polypores has expanded the current knowledge on the mycobiota of the Gunib Plateau and its links with plant communities. The range of leading genera (Antrodia s. l., Ceriporia, Gloeophyllum, Phellinus s. l., Postia, Trametes s. l.) is characteristic of the boreal zone and determined by the predominance of Pinus kochiana forests in the surveyed area.

Aim. The work is aimed at exploring the molecular and genetic properties of avian paramyxovirus 4 (APMV‐4) isolated from the mallard duck.
Material and Methods. In 2018, as a part of an influenza A virus surveillance programme, biological samples were collected from wild birds on Lake Adzhi (Papas) in the Republic of Dagestan. The isolation of virus strains from biological samples was performed using 10‐day‐old special pathogen‐free chicken eggs. The primary detection of hemagglutinating agents in the fluid of the allantoic cavity was carried out via hemagglutination assay. The presence of RNA of the influenza A virus was determined using Real Time PCR. Then, for samples negative in PCR for the influenza A virus, the complete genome DNA sequences were established using NGS sequencing. It was determined that the APMV‐4 strain obtained belonged to intraspecific genetic lines was determined using phylogenetic analysis.
Results. APMV‐4 strain was isolated for the first time in the Western Caspian region. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome and gene F showed that the APMV‐4/mallard/Dagestan/92d/2018 strain belongs to the Eurasian clade of subgenotypes. Analysis of amino acid substitutions showed that the cleavage site of the fusion protein is monobasic which is characteristic of lentogenic strains.
Conclusion. During the surveillance program for influenza A viruses in autumn 2018, the APMV‐4 strain was isolated from the mallard duck. Analysis revealed that the APMV‐4 strain was closely phylogenetically related to strains isolated from two wild and one domestic duck from China. This suggests an interconnection between the bird populations in China and the Western Caspian region within the West Asian‐East African migration route.

Aim. The aim of the research was to identify the possibility of increasing the content of humus in the soil cover of the city of Sumgait using biologics, including those containing cellulose‐decomposing microorganisms, in a controlled manner.
Material and Methods. In the process of conducting laboratory experiments, we took soil samples with the introduction of various modifications of organic substances of plant origin and with the simultaneous introduction of biologics. As biopreparations, we used cultures of cellulose‐decomposing microorganisms isolated from soils, excess activated sludge and the Fermi‐Start biopreparation, both individually and in the form of compositions. Total carbon content was carried out according to the Tyurin method. The total number of microorganisms was determined by generally accepted methods. Enzyme activity was determined by the F. Kh. Khaziev method.
Results. It was revealed that the use of biopreparations – the association of cellulose‐decomposing bacteria, excess activated sludge and Fermi‐Start stimulated an increase in the number of cellulose‐decomposing bacteria (3‐10 times) and the accumulation of total carbon and humus in the soil by 20‐55%.
Conclusion. The use of biological preparations and the introduction of cellulose‐containing materials into the soil, provided that optimum moisture is maintained, ensures in a short period of time – 6 months ‐ a significant increase of humus in the gray‐brown soil content.

Aim. To determine the economic and environmental efficiency of a spring barley fertilizer system by adaptively eliminating nutritional deficiencies according to the functional diagnostics of plant leaves.
Materials and Methods. Three‐year tests were conducted in a field experiment on spring barley. An adaptive innovative version of the experiment was oriented toward eliminating the deficit in plant nutrition by foliar fertilizing with complex fertilizers according to leaf functional diagnostics, which took into account the synergy of interaction between the applied elements. It was compared in terms of economic and environmental indicators with the option where top dressing on the leaves was carried out without taking into account the interaction between nutrients (additional control), as well as with the option without fertilizers (absolute control). The fertilizer requirement of the crop was determined using an Aquadonis portable laboratory. The synergy of interaction between the nutrients was assessed by diagnosing the need for each of them using a specially selected nutrient mixture, which allows us to formalise a model of interconnected factor space.
Results. The high efficiency of using complex fertilizers in the cultivation of spring barley has been established. It is shown that the economical use of fertilizers is achieved by the adaptive elimination of their deficit according to foliar functional diagnostics, taking into account the synergy of interaction between the applied elements.
Conclusion. The application of innovation with the equal quality of barley grain increased the annual saving of total costs from 1830 to 2571 roubles/ha, mainly due to the reduction of fertilizer costs. The innovation allowed a significant reduction in the amount of fertilizers used, which, together with the economic effect, also led to an environmental effect, i.e. environmental pollution by mineral fertilizers was decreased.

Aim. To determine the level of trace elements in typical chernozem when using different systems of primary tillage.
Materials and Methods. In the study systemic, chemical, comparative‐ analytical, field, laboratory and statistical methods were used and software packages Microsoft Excel and Statistica software packages. The following methods of primary tillage: moldboard plowing 20‐22 cm deep, combined tillage (disking+chisel) 20‐22 cm, surface tillage (disking) 8‐10 cm and without tillage (direct seeding) – No‐till were studied for the level of their impact on the change in the content in the soil of the mobile forms of Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Ni, Pb and Cd.
Results. Specific features of changes in the content of the mobile forms of trace elements when systematically using different systems of primary tillage were determined. Differentiation of the content of trace elements in the soil according to the depth of the treated soil layer was identified, especially in the variants with extremely opposite systems of primary tillage, i.e. plowing and No‐till. When plowing is used the accumulation of Zn, Mn, Co, Ni, Pb occurs in the 10‐20 cm soil layer. When No‐till is used the accumulation of trace elements is observed in the 0‐10 layer.
Conclusion. Methods of tillage under study did not contribute to the accumulation of trace elements in the soil in doses exceeding MAC and did not result in soil contamination. The peculiarities identified of the accumulation and distribution of trace elements depending on the method of primary tillage used give the opportunity to regulate their amount in order to raise the level of nutrient content, to improve the nutrition of crops and to control heavy metals to prevent contamination of soil and plants.

Aim. To carry out a comparative analysis of the cytotoxic and antiviral properties of synthesized tellurium derivatives in model cellular systems of infections caused by herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus.
Material and Methods. 4 organo‐tellurium compounds were studied using primary and continuous cell cultures in various infection schemes.
Results. For each biological model studied, different thresholds of cytotoxicity concentration (TCD50 acute CC50 and CD50 CC50) were identified. Tellurium derivatives with methoxyphenyl and ethoxyphenyl ethene exhibit virus‐neutralizing activity, preventing the penetration of herpes simplex virus virions into sensitive cells. HTI (SI selectivity index) for these compounds was 84 and 77, respectively.
Conclusion. The manifestation of the cytotoxic effect of all tellurium‐containing organic compounds for transplanted cells lies in a lower concentration than for primary cells. The data obtained in the analysis of antiviral activity showed that the derivatives have therapeutic properties against HSV infection in cell culture.

Aim. The aim of the study was to study the effectiveness of complex treatment of arterial hypertension comorbid with dorsopathy depending on the severity of atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries.
Material and Methods. The object of the study were 80 patients with arterial hypertension comorbid with dorsopathy, admitted for examination and treatment at the clinic of Federal Research Centre of Fundamental and Translational Medicine (FRC FTM.) in Novosibirsk. Patients were men and women aged 18 to 75 years. They underwent clinical, laboratory and functional examination in the inpatient facility of the FRC FTM. Assessment of the degree of atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries was carried out using ultrasound duplex scanning of arteries.
Results. It was found that in patients with hypertension combined with dorsopathy and atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries without hemodynamically significant stenosis and signs of instability of atherosclerotic plaques, complex treatment with the use of SMT therapy or magnetotherapy more effectively reduces systolic blood pressure than treatment without hardware physiotherapy and more quickly stabilises blood pressure on targets.
Conclusion. In patients with hypertension accounting for the presence of comorbidities in the form of dorsopathy of the cervical spine and atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries that allows the personalization of the therapy of such patients using methods of physiotherapy, reducing the time to achieve the therapeutic effect improved the quality of life of patients.

The article reviews methodological approaches to risk assessment based on a comprehensive analysis of the frequency of natural and technological hazards in the territory of the Kashirsky Municipal District of the Voronezh Region.
Aim. The purpose of this article is to assess and calculate the risks of emergency situations, based on a comprehensive analysis of the frequency of occurrence of natural and technological hazards in the Kashirsky Municipal District of the Voronezh Region, Russia.
Methods. The risk assessment methods employed were based on the combined characteristics of damage and frequency of occurrence of negative environmental or man‐caused processes or hazardous events. Events associated with certain losses or people impacted upon by dangers were considered as negative processes.
Results. The Kashirsky Municipal District is exposed to high risks of flooding, wildfires, biological and social processes, hazards associated with certain housing and communal service regimes and transportation accidents. There are also hydraulic structures and potentially hazardous facilities which increase risks of property damage in the area.
Conclusion. It is necessary to reduce the level of social risk by carrying out preventive activities aimed at minimizing casualties. All scheduled maintenance requirements should be complied with in order to prevent a rise of risk of accident in life sustaining systems and infrastructures. The development of governmental departmental emergency monitoring systems, quarantine procedures and timely observational measures are recommended with the objective of reducing potential biological and social emergencies.

Aim. To examine the contribution structured systems of social mores (adat) and religious and secular public education have made to developing and sustaining socio‐ecological environment management in one community, Verkhnee Gakvari, in the upper valley of the Andiiskoe Koisu in the Dagestan Caucasus, from deep antiquity to the present day.
Discussion. The research involved an extensive review of the relevant literature and on‐line resources dedicated of the region. Communities were visited across the region and discussions were undertaken with their representatives, as well as with other stakeholders. A particular emphasis was placed on the exemplary system of environmental education provided at the Verkhnee Gakvari School and its positive impact in sustaining the socio‐ecological production landscape of its territory. Significant progress was made in researching and documenting the range of issues fundamental to understanding the formation and continuity of the inter‐dependencies with nature and the cultural landscapes unique to these agro‐pastoral cultures of the upper Andiiskoe Koisu. This includes a comprehensive documentation of the contributions the Verkhnee Gakvari School has made to the preservation of its community’s socio‐ecological production landscape.
Conclusion. Verkhnee Gakvari and other traditional communities of the upper Andiiskoe Koisu present a unique multi‐millenial cultural continuum of global significance for understanding the evolution of human society and are a remarkable survival in Europe of successful and harmonious socio‐ecological production landscape interdependencies. As the combined impacts of modern society and climate change now inevitably impinge upon the ability of the inhabitants of this ancient homeland to sustain the benefits which they have so successfully crafted from their environment, the region is in priority need of national and international recognition and support.

Aim. The aim was to analyse the use and protection of land surface water bodies in the context of land relations based on theoretical concepts of the inseparability of water bodies and the land occupied by them.
Material and Methods. An integrated approach based on a combination of statistical methods and a comparative legal method were used to analyse and compare dynamic and territorial series of cadastral accounting data and cadastral maps.
Results. The existing problems in the formation of lands of the Water Fund are caused primarily by inconsistency in maintaining the water register. Therefore, large areas under water bodies are not included in the land of the water Fund and are not protected from arbitrary use. This is fraught with potential harm to water bodies including their complete destruction. Such discrepancies are most typical for most regions within the North Caucasus Federal District.
Conclusion. Analysis showed that the actual status of the majority of water bodies in the territory is quite irregular and that there are widespread inconsistencies with the norms stipulated by the legislation in relation to land under water in the independent category of "land of the Water Fund". In practice, the composition of this category is formed independently of the established criteria for such selection. These inconsistencies are due to the inconsistency of the norms themselves regarding the formation of water Fund lands and the disinterest of land users and local authorities in transferring land under surface water bodies to the category of water Fund lands due to restrictions imposed by legislation on their use.

Aim. The aim of the research has been: the study of the conceptual foundations of sustainable development of the region, identification of the main factors, signs, patterns, principles, preconditions for sustainable development of the region as an ecological and socio‐economic system and the proposition of new approaches to the analysis, assessment and modeling of the development of the region from the standpoint of a systematic approach.
Material and Methods. The research carried out by the authors was based on statistical data from the Federal State Statistics Service, characterising the ecological and socio‐economic development of the Republic of Dagestan. Analysis of the degree of influence and assessment of the prerequisites, factors, conditions of the ecological, socio‐economic development of the region made it possible to substantiate the choice of research methods, most of which are deterministic or probabilistically deterministic in the nature of information. In this regard, the study used methods of quantitative research, which are based on factorial, genetic and normative approaches, including methods of expert assessments, balance planning methods, economic and mathematical methods of optimization and assessment of economic efficiency.
Results. The authors propose new approaches to the study of the problems of assessment, modeling and forecasting of the ecological, socio‐economic development of the region, which will make it possible to identify emerging trends that drive its development. Based on the research of indicators that characterise the basic and auxiliary processes in the region, life support processes and processes that hinder the development, an assessment of the quantitative transformations of ecological‐socio‐economic development in Dagestan was carried out.
Conclusion. The methodology used made it possible to obtain a qualitative characteristic of the regional space to analyze and assess the transformation processes in the ecological‐socio‐economic development of the Republic of Dagestan and to provide an integrated assessment of regional processes.

Aim. To study the theoretical foundations of the state’s ecological security as a structural element of the system of ensuring the states’s economic security. To analyze its basic indicators within the framework of theoretical economic science. To determine the main trends in the dynamics of the main indicators of environmental safety in the economic sphere.
Material and Methods. The study was conducted using such theoretical research methods as analysis, deduction and the method of extrapolation in statistical analysis.
Results. The authors propose to consider environmental safety as an integral part of economic security. In our opinion, it is important to prevent such negative trends as a further reduction in investments in fixed assets aimed at environmental protection, an unjustified increase in the coefficient of environmental protection costs, a decrease in the investment attractiveness of environmental projects, and an increase in environmental crime, in the context of the aggravation of the global financial crisis, the imposition of foreign economic sanctions on our country and the deployment of new waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The actions of negative factors and risks in the field of ensuring environmental safety can become a negative condition in restraining the socio‐economic development of the state and economic security.
Conclusion. The improvement of state regulation of the sphere of environmental safety will provide an opportunity to improve the environmental situation in the long term and will create prerequisites for sustainable socio‐economic development of the state.