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Development of xylophagous groups in pesthole areas of Dendrolimus superans sibiricus Tschetv. in Central Yakutia forests. - Averenskiy A. I. and Isaev A. P. - Massive reproduction of the Siberian silkworm Dendrolimus superans sibiricus Tschetv. in the larch forests of Central Yakutia in 1999 - 2001 caused tree death over a vast territory for the first time. The results of the damage rank of the forests by trunk pests in the subsequent years are discussed. The xylophagous groups are consisted of 16 species. Longicorn beetle (Monochamus sutor) is the dominant species.
Key words: xylophage, Siberian silkworm, longicorn beetle.
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Pine marten's (Martes martes L.) early-spring enlivening activity near Samara City. - Vladimirova E. D. - Features of pine marten's early-spring behavioral enlivening were studied by means of snow tracking techniques. The home range conditions were transformed by the anthropogenic influence. The pine marten subpopulation numbers were low. The early-spring behavioral enlivening phenomenon was expressed intensely. Biosocial interactions were observed. The length of daily course and marking activity were increased.
Key words: pine marten, footprint traces, anthropogenic factor, spring enlivening phenomenon, marking activity, adaptive behavior.
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Changes of the orthopteran population during plant cover restoration in fallow lands of the European steppe. - Zinenko N. V. and Striganova B. R. - A comparative analysis of the composition of multi-species Orthopteran populations in fallow lands in the European steppe has allowed us to reveal ways of their colonization: there have been found inhabitants of the mesophytic intra-zonal communities, including steppe bush formations, and polytopic species occurring in intact and disturbed steppe habitats as well. The structure of the Orthopteran populations in the fallow lands is determined by the composition of plant cover rather than by their actual age and zonal position. Cardinal changes in the composition of the Orthopteran populations are due to replacement of tall weed communities by a herb-grass cover. The faunistic similarity of the Orthopteran populations in fallow lands and zonal plots increased at this successive stage. At a zonal scale, the population density of Orthopterans in fallow lands increases southward while in zonal habitats with typical plant communities a reverse tendency is observed. The Orthopteran populations in fallow lands of all steppe subzones are characterized by higher values of diversity and evenness indices in comparison with zonal habitats. Hence, the wide distribution of fallow lands with weed cover results in an increase of the faunisic and ecological diversity of Orthopterans in the European steppe.
Key words: entomofauna, orthoptera, life forms, steppe, fallow land, virgin land, demutational succession.
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Nickel sulfate effect on seed germination of aquatic plants. - Krylova Ye. G. - The effect of nickel sulfate on seed germination and initial stages of growth of some aquatic plant seedlings belonging to several ecological groups was studied. A regular growth of helophyte seedlings was observed at concentrations within 1 - 25 mg/l; at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/l, necrosis signs and changes in photosynthesis were marked. No seedlings of hygrophytes emerged at concentrations within 25 - 500 mg/l.
Key words: nickel sulfate, aquatic plants, helophyte seedlings.
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Distribution of soil-inhabiting testate amoebae along a mountain slope (Baikal Lake region, Khamar-Daban ridge, Chersly peak). - Mazei Yu. A., Marfina O. V., and Chernyshov V. A. - The specific composition and distribution of soil-inhabiting testate amoebae along the Chersky peak slope (Khamar-Daban mountain ridge, Baikal Lake region) were studied within an altitude range from 1000 to 1570 m above sea-level in accordance with biogeocenosis changes from birch-aspen forests through cedar-fir forests to cedar-fir-bush forest-tundra. 104 taxa were identified. Most common species are ubiquits with a wide geographical distribution: Trinema lineare, Euglypha levis, Euglypha rotunda, Trinema enchelys, Phryganella acropodia, Tracheleuglypha dentata, Assulina muscorum, Trinema complanatum, and Centropyxis aerophila. The specific richness varies from 12 to 40 species per sample, and the abundance does from 500 to 120,000 ind. per 1 g of absolutely dry soil. The spatial heterogeneity of the specific composition grows with altitude and the community composition changes. There being no common patterns of altitudinal community changes of testate amoebae in Western Europe and Baikal Lake region is discussed.
Key words: testate amoebae, community structure, soil animals, altitudinal gradient, Baikal Lake region, Khamar-Daban mountain ridge.
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Zooplankton of the Bolshoy Tsivil river (Middle Volga region) under a changing hydrological mode and an increasing anthropogenic load. - Podshivalina V. N. - The Bolshoy Tsivil river zooplankton composition and structure have been studied. The main factors are compared with A. S. Morozov's research of this river part within 1913 - 1914, when it was a water-mill dam regulated stream. The fauna still features a significant number of eutrophic water indicators, and Rotifera prevails as before. The zooplankter average weight has decreased, while the saprogenicity has increased. Surface food secondary filtrators and grazers have gotten a higher profile in the trophic structure. Such transformations can be evidence of the increasing river pollution of the Bolshoy Tsivil with biogenic and organic matter. The listed characteristics, as most sensitive, can be used for further monitoring of the Bolshoy Tsivil condition and for state estimation of other minor rivers of this region.
Key words: zooplankton, minor rivers, Middle Volga region.
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Usage of GPS devices for bird breeding colony mapping: testing of the method. - Kharitonov S. P., Ivanenko N. Yu., Chukhareva I. P., and Anisimov Yu. A. - Short distances (from 0.5 m up) measured with GPS devices and a ruler were compared with each other. Two test plots with numbered sticks and the results of mapping of some waterbird colonies were used for comparison. If a sample is large enough, it is possible to use a GPS device for mean nearest neighbour distance calculations even for distances as short as 0.5 - 2 m between the mapping points. The type of the spatial distribution of nests can be properly identified with a GPS device only when most distances between the centers of the nests are longer than 2 m; the method is quite reliable for large samples. In small samples, the type of the nest distribution calculated from measurements obtained with a GPS device is biased. A mathematical way to override this bias is proposed.
Key words: colony, mapping, GPS-device, ruler.
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Pterolonchidae as a new family of Lepidoptera for the Russian fauna and landscape-biotopical diversification of Pterolonche inspersa Staudinger, 1859. - Anikin V. V. and Sinev S. Yu. - The family Pterolonchidae (Lepidoptera) was first recorded for the fauna of Russia on the basis of a finding of the Mediterranean species Pterolonche inspersa Staudinger, 1859 in the Republic of Kalmykia. The biotope where this species has been discovered is briefly described and its lepidopterous community is characterized.
Key words: Lepidoptera, Pterolonchidae, Pterolonche inspersa, lepidopterous community, Republic of Kalmykia, Russia.
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New findings of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the Nizhniy Novgorod region. - Ermilov S. G. - 4 species, 2 genera, 1 family, and 1 superfamily of oribatid mites were first discovered in the Nizhniy Novgorod region. The species Carabodes willmanni, Oribatula glabra, Phauloppia lucorum, and the genus Phauloppia are new for the Central European Russia. Geographical expansion of the discovered oribatid mites is discussed.
Key words: oribatid mites, new findings, geographic expansion, Central European Russia, Nizhniy Novgorod region.
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Peculiarities of the growth and development of woody plants in the steppe zone (with town Ipatovo, the Stavropol region, as an example). - Krivokora L. I. - The resistance degree of woody plants and their adaptation to the conditions of growth with low watering are considered. A return reaction to drought as abundant autumn blossom of 32 species, foetus setting in some species, and sprout growth was revealed. Physiological troubles in the adaptation mechanism of woody plants to hibernation were observed.
Key words: resistance degree, extreme weather conditions, autumn blossom, adaptation.
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Chlorophyll-fluorescence ecological estimation of wood plant status in Saransk City. - Lukatkin A. S., Revin V. V., Bashmakov D. I., Krendeleva T. E., Antal T. K., and Rubin A. B. - Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in the annual shoots of maple (Acer negundo L.), poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), birch (Betula pendula Roth), and linden (Tilia cordata Mill.) plants growing in several areas of Saransk City (Mordovian Republic) and its suburban territories. A good physiological status of the arboreal plantations in Saransk was detected (except for the central industrial zone and the Khimmash forest). The photosynthetic apparatus of linden was most sensitive to stress factors, and that of poplar was most tolerant. A high correlation of the dispersion of values in the sample with the average Fv/Fm values over the sample is revealed.
Key words: chlorophyll fluorescence, maple, poplar, birch, linden, tree stand, pollution, Saransk City, Mordovian Republic.
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Ecological features of urban populations of house mice (with the town Ishim as an example). - Malcev A. N. - The abundance dynamics and population structure of house mice were analyzed in several habitats at the town Ishim in 2005 - 2008. These urban populations can restore their abundance and the optimal sex and age structure within a short period.
Key words: urban populations of house mice, number dynamics, population structure.
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Methodical peculiarities of Russian desman counts. - Marchenko N. F. - Practical recommendations on counts of Russian desman (Desmana moschata L.) are given on the basis of my 40-year experience of field works in the Khopyor state natural reserve. The common technique is based on counting desmans' burrows in late autumn (before lakes are frozen up) and in the transparent-ice period in early winter, with subsequent conversion of these data into the number of animals by means of recalculation coefficients. Counting details in field conditions are discussed, relevant to burrow identification as well as to the interpretation of results, which have not been discussed in methodical recommendations earlier.
Key words: Desmana moschata, burrow, asylum, abundance count.
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Data on the parasite fauna of Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877 (Osteichthyes, Odontobutidae) in the Irtysh river basin. - Sokolov S. G., Protasova Е. N., Pelgunov A. N., Voropaeva Е. L., and Reshetnikov А. N. - Ten parasite species were detected in the fish Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii from 5 water bodies of the Irtysh river basin (Western Siberia). Two of them (Nippotaenia mogurndae and Gyrodactylus perccotti) are specific to this fish species. The parasites Sphaerostomum globiporum, Parasymphilodora parasquamosa, and Apatemon gracilis were registered in Amur sleepers for the first time. Lernaea cyprinacea was first found in Amur sleepers in the invasive part of the range of this fish. Amur sleeper is included into the parasite system of L. cyprinacea as a feeder of the copepodit stages. The tapeworm N. mogurndae dominates in Amur sleepers in all the inspected water bodies in terms of abundance and prevalence. Spontaneous invasion of the copepods Mesocyclops leuckarti by the procercoids of Nippotaenia mogurndae was registered in one of the water bodies.
Key words: parasites, Amur sleeper, Perccottus glenii, acquired habitat, Irtysh River.
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