Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010141
M. R. Trubina, D. V. Nesterkova
Abstract
Environmental heterogeneity can significantly modify the rate of species extinction with an increase in anthropogenic load and the rate of recolonization of disturbed territories after a decrease in load, but this issue is poorly understood. The distribution of 14 species of the herb–dwarf shrub layer of forests on an area of 1734 km2 in two natural regions of the eastern and western macroslope of the Urals during periods of high (1995–1998) and low (2014–2016) emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter has been analyzed. With an increase or decrease in load, the pattern of dynamics and the magnitude responses are species-specific and significantly depend on habitat conditions, but the main contribution to the spaciotemporal dynamics of species affects the load level. During the period of high emissions, the environmental heterogeneity slows down the decrease in area of species distribution along a load gradient, but the distribution decreases under very heavy pollution, regardless of habitats or species. After the reduction of emissions, the distribution of most species in the heavily polluted areas has changed little for 19 years; the elimination and reduction in the distribution of the most sensitive species continues. Positive shifts have been revealed mainly in less polluted areas; the rates of recolonization vary in different habitats. Depending on habitat conditions, the species response to an increase or decrease in pressure can be “fast” (relatively high rates of change) or “slow” (lower rates of change and even a continued decline in distribution, despite reductions in pressure).
{"title":"Role of Environmental Heterogeneity in the Species Distribution of Vascular Plants in Periods of High and Low Emissions from a Copper Smelter","authors":"M. R. Trubina, D. V. Nesterkova","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010141","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Environmental heterogeneity can significantly modify the rate of species extinction with an increase in anthropogenic load and the rate of recolonization of disturbed territories after a decrease in load, but this issue is poorly understood. The distribution of 14 species of the herb–dwarf shrub layer of forests on an area of 1734 km<sup>2</sup> in two natural regions of the eastern and western macroslope of the Urals during periods of high (1995–1998) and low (2014–2016) emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter has been analyzed. With an increase or decrease in load, the pattern of dynamics and the magnitude responses are species-specific and significantly depend on habitat conditions, but the main contribution to the spaciotemporal dynamics of species affects the load level. During the period of high emissions, the environmental heterogeneity slows down the decrease in area of species distribution along a load gradient, but the distribution decreases under very heavy pollution, regardless of habitats or species. After the reduction of emissions, the distribution of most species in the heavily polluted areas has changed little for 19 years; the elimination and reduction in the distribution of the most sensitive species continues. Positive shifts have been revealed mainly in less polluted areas; the rates of recolonization vary in different habitats. Depending on habitat conditions, the species response to an increase or decrease in pressure can be “fast” (relatively high rates of change) or “slow” (lower rates of change and even a continued decline in distribution, despite reductions in pressure).</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s199542552401013x
D. V. Sukhova, T. G. Elumeeva, V. G. Onipchenko
Abstract
The modern long-term dynamics of high-mountain communities can be influenced by either climate warming or a reduction in land use intensity. Annual counts of the shoot number of vascular plants were carried out in 1987–2019 on permanent plots located on alpine Festuca varia grasslands (Teberda National Park, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia). Regression models simulating the shoot number dynamics used predictors such as the year (for revealing linear trends) and weather conditions, including the average temperatures and precipitation in the preceding vegetation season (July–August) and in the beginning of the current season (May–June). The number of shoots significantly increased in six species characterized by the lower average altitudes of distribution within the National Park and decreased in five high-mountain species. However, these trends were not associated with an increase in the average temperatures of the July–August period of the preceding year. Changes in weather conditions influenced fluctuations in several species independently of the direction of their dynamics. The linear trend values for one of the sample areas positively correlated with the specific leaf area, water content in leaves, and contribution of a ruderal strategy, and they negatively correlated with the contribution of a stress-tolerant strategy. The dynamics of Festuca varia grasslands was related mainly to a long-term recovery succession after grazing cessation, but not to the warming that occurred during a vegetation season. The main dominant of the community, Festuca varia Haenke, was less subjected to fluctuations and climate changes within the current amplitude, thus providing the stability of the community.
{"title":"Directed Trends in the Shoot Number Dynamics and the Functional Traits of Plants Growing on Festuca varia Grasslands of the Teberda National Park","authors":"D. V. Sukhova, T. G. Elumeeva, V. G. Onipchenko","doi":"10.1134/s199542552401013x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s199542552401013x","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>The modern long-term dynamics of high-mountain communities can be influenced by either climate warming or a reduction in land use intensity. Annual counts of the shoot number of vascular plants were carried out in 1987–2019 on permanent plots located on alpine <i>Festuca varia</i> grasslands (Teberda National Park, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia). Regression models simulating the shoot number dynamics used predictors such as the year (for revealing linear trends) and weather conditions, including the average temperatures and precipitation in the preceding vegetation season (July–August) and in the beginning of the current season (May–June). The number of shoots significantly increased in six species characterized by the lower average altitudes of distribution within the National Park and decreased in five high-mountain species. However, these trends were not associated with an increase in the average temperatures of the July–August period of the preceding year. Changes in weather conditions influenced fluctuations in several species independently of the direction of their dynamics. The linear trend values for one of the sample areas positively correlated with the specific leaf area, water content in leaves, and contribution of a ruderal strategy, and they negatively correlated with the contribution of a stress-tolerant strategy. The dynamics of <i>Festuca varia</i> grasslands was related mainly to a long-term recovery succession after grazing cessation, but not to the warming that occurred during a vegetation season. The main dominant of the community, <i>Festuca varia</i> Haenke, was less subjected to fluctuations and climate changes within the current amplitude, thus providing the stability of the community.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010013
L. M. Abramova, S. N. Zhigunova, V. N. Ilyina, M. V. Lavrentiev, N. A. Suprun
Abstract
This paper discusses the distribution range of the rare species Hedysarum grandiflorum Pall. in European Russia and the gradient of environmental factors within it. Data on 387 species habitats located in 10 regions of the Russian Federation are analyzed. Climatic and soil indices are computed using BioClim raster data on 19 bioclimatic variables, the SoilGrids digital soil mapping system, and the SRTM 1arc_V3 digital elevation model. Annual mean temperatures in H. grandiflorum habitats, as well as mean temperatures of summer and winter months, decrease in a northeasterly direction from Rostov oblast to the Republic of Bashkortostan, while annual precipitation is lower in southern regions of the steppe zone and higher in regions of the forest-steppe zone; in summer, precipitation is higher than in winter. In most cases, marginal species habitats located at the edge of its distribution range feature extreme (either maximum or minimum) values of climatic parameters. In the northeastern part of the H. grandiflorum range, the spread of this species is limited by low temperatures in summer and winter months; from the south, its spread is limited by high summer temperatures and low precipitation in summer. The species is preserved in 19 strict nature reserves, wildlife refuges, natural parks, and national parks and in more than 80 natural monuments. Overall, this is sufficient for its conservation; however, small marginal H. grandiflorum populations require special attention.
{"title":"Bioclimatic Factors and Ecogeographical Patterns in the Distribution of the Rare Species Hedysarum grandiflorum Pall.","authors":"L. M. Abramova, S. N. Zhigunova, V. N. Ilyina, M. V. Lavrentiev, N. A. Suprun","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010013","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>This paper discusses the distribution range of the rare species <i>Hedysarum grandiflorum</i> Pall. in European Russia and the gradient of environmental factors within it. Data on 387 species habitats located in 10 regions of the Russian Federation are analyzed. Climatic and soil indices are computed using BioClim raster data on 19 bioclimatic variables, the SoilGrids digital soil mapping system, and the SRTM 1arc_V3 digital elevation model. Annual mean temperatures in <i>H. grandiflorum</i> habitats, as well as mean temperatures of summer and winter months, decrease in a northeasterly direction from Rostov oblast to the Republic of Bashkortostan, while annual precipitation is lower in southern regions of the steppe zone and higher in regions of the forest-steppe zone; in summer, precipitation is higher than in winter. In most cases, marginal species habitats located at the edge of its distribution range feature extreme (either maximum or minimum) values of climatic parameters. In the northeastern part of the <i>H. grandiflorum</i> range, the spread of this species is limited by low temperatures in summer and winter months; from the south, its spread is limited by high summer temperatures and low precipitation in summer. The species is preserved in 19 strict nature reserves, wildlife refuges, natural parks, and national parks and in more than 80 natural monuments. Overall, this is sufficient for its conservation; however, small marginal <i>H. grandiflorum</i> populations require special attention.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010165
A. E. Zhokhov, M. N. Pugacheva, V. N. Mikheev
Abstract
Changes in the total weight of live clams Pisidium amnicum and the weight of their shells have been studied by comparing uninfected clams with clams infected by trematods Allocreadium crassum, Phyllodistomum folium, and Bunodera spp. The mean total and shell weights of clams infected with A. crassum are significantly lower than those of uninfected clams. The characteristics of clams infected with P. folium and Bunodera spp. are not different from the control, with the exception of the weight of clams infected with Bunodera spp. Clams infected with mature metacercariae of A. crassum possess light and fragile shells that weigh on average three times less than those of uninfected clams (25.6 vs. 74.1 g). The weight of shells of clams with immature metacercariae is not different from that of uninfected clams. The results are analyzed from the viewpoint of the hypothesis of adaptive manipulation of the host phenotype.
{"title":"Decalcification of a Clam Shell Caused by Trematodes: Side Effect or Manipulation of the Host Phenotype?","authors":"A. E. Zhokhov, M. N. Pugacheva, V. N. Mikheev","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010165","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Changes in the total weight of live clams <i>Pisidium amnicum</i> and the weight of their shells have been studied by comparing uninfected clams with clams infected by trematods <i>Allocreadium crassum</i>, <i>Phyllodistomum folium,</i> and <i>Bunodera</i> spp. The mean total and shell weights of clams infected with <i>A. crassum</i> are significantly lower than those of uninfected clams. The characteristics of clams infected with <i>P. folium</i> and <i>Bunodera</i> spp. are not different from the control, with the exception of the weight of clams infected with <i>Bunodera</i> spp. Clams infected with mature metacercariae of <i>A. crassum</i> possess light and fragile shells that weigh on average three times less than those of uninfected clams (25.6 vs. 74.1 g). The weight of shells of clams with immature metacercariae is not different from that of uninfected clams. The results are analyzed from the viewpoint of the hypothesis of adaptive manipulation of the host phenotype.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010153
V. I. Ubugunova, L. L. Ubugunov, A. S. Syrenzhapova, E. Yu. Abidueva, T. A. Ayushina, A. D. Zhambalova, T. E. Tkachuk
Abstract
The soils, vegetation cover, and microbiota of coastal depressions of highly mineralized drainless chloride lakes in southeastern Transbaikalia (Dauria and Lake Bab’e) have been comprehensively studied for the first time. It is revealed that the lakeside ecosystems of the steppe zone are formed under cyclic changes in the level of lakes and the resulting change in the lake water chemical composition. The aeolian factor exerts a certain influence. The dynamic properties and substance composition of soils of superaqual–subaqual, superaqual, and eluvial–superaqual positions have been studied. The current continental salinization of various chemical composition and hydrogenous carbonization has been revealed there. A study of the spatial pattern of phytocenoses and their species composition, depending on location in the relief of lakeside depressions, soil conditions, and halogenesis, shows the allocation of pioneer hyperhalophytic and halophytic communities to quasigley solonchaks. Within the superaquatic part of the lakeside depression, plant communities are predominated by halophytes and mesophytes with the participation of glyco-oligohalophytes and mesoxerophytes. The feather-grass–forb–leymus (Leymus chinensis, Artemisia frifida, Bupleurum bicaule, and Stipa krylovii) steppe with the participation of mesophytes and xerophytes is formed on light-humus soils, similar in composition to zonal steppes. It has been revealed that various microbiomorphic complexes are formed in dynamically evolving lakeside soils, depending on abiotic factors. Highly mineralized chloride lake waters contribute to the formation of similar microbial communities in the bottom sediments of Lake Bab’e and in highly saline horizons of the quasigley solonchak. A large proportion of unidentified prokaryotes has been found in all soil samples. This important unstudied microbial component is present at the level of the Bacteria domain in solonchaks (to 22%), saline humus-quasigley soils (to 15%), and light-humus saline soils (to 16%). The microbiome structure in humus–quasigley soil is characterized by the presence of halobacteria and crenarchaeotes. A significant proportion of taxa involved in carbon and nitrogen cycles and playing an important role in global biogeochemical cycles has been revealed in light-humus saline soil. Halobacteria are not revealed in this type of soil due to the insignificant content of easily soluble salts in the humus and transitional horizons.
{"title":"Soil and Plant Cover and Microbial–Biomorphic Assessment of Ecosystems in Coastal Depressions of Highly Mineralized Drainless Pulsating Lakes of Dauria (Southeastern Transbaikalia)","authors":"V. I. Ubugunova, L. L. Ubugunov, A. S. Syrenzhapova, E. Yu. Abidueva, T. A. Ayushina, A. D. Zhambalova, T. E. Tkachuk","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010153","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>The soils, vegetation cover, and microbiota of coastal depressions of highly mineralized drainless chloride lakes in southeastern Transbaikalia (Dauria and Lake Bab’e) have been comprehensively studied for the first time. It is revealed that the lakeside ecosystems of the steppe zone are formed under cyclic changes in the level of lakes and the resulting change in the lake water chemical composition. The aeolian factor exerts a certain influence. The dynamic properties and substance composition of soils of superaqual–subaqual, superaqual, and eluvial–superaqual positions have been studied. The current continental salinization of various chemical composition and hydrogenous carbonization has been revealed there. A study of the spatial pattern of phytocenoses and their species composition, depending on location in the relief of lakeside depressions, soil conditions, and halogenesis, shows the allocation of pioneer hyperhalophytic and halophytic communities to quasigley solonchaks. Within the superaquatic part of the lakeside depression, plant communities are predominated by halophytes and mesophytes with the participation of glyco-oligohalophytes and mesoxerophytes. The feather-grass–forb–leymus (<i>Leymus chinensis, Artemisia frifida, Bupleurum bicaule,</i> and <i>Stipa krylovii</i>) steppe with the participation of mesophytes and xerophytes is formed on light-humus soils, similar in composition to zonal steppes. It has been revealed that various microbiomorphic complexes are formed in dynamically evolving lakeside soils, depending on abiotic factors. Highly mineralized chloride lake waters contribute to the formation of similar microbial communities in the bottom sediments of Lake Bab’e and in highly saline horizons of the quasigley solonchak. A large proportion of unidentified prokaryotes has been found in all soil samples. This important unstudied microbial component is present at the level of the Bacteria domain in solonchaks (to 22%), saline humus-quasigley soils (to 15%), and light-humus saline soils (to 16%). The microbiome structure in humus–quasigley soil is characterized by the presence of halobacteria and crenarchaeotes. A significant proportion of taxa involved in carbon and nitrogen cycles and playing an important role in global biogeochemical cycles has been revealed in light-humus saline soil. Halobacteria are not revealed in this type of soil due to the insignificant content of easily soluble salts in the humus and transitional horizons.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010074
A. Y. Korolyuk, H. F. Shomurodov, B. S. Khabibullaev, Z. S. Sadinov
Abstract
Tugai ecosystems of desert river valleys are one of the most affected and endangered landscape types. The largest areas of tugai vegetation in Uzbekistan are preserved in the lower reaches of the Amu Dar’ya River. The main massifs of poplar forests are there. To assess their current status, 284 relevés, representing tugai plant communities in the lower reaches of the Amu Dar’ya, have been analyzed. For each one, the position on ecological gradients was determined by species indicator values. It is shown that the scatter of relevés is the greatest for moisture gradient: from 17 to 97 grades, and it is noticeably smaller for pasture digression (2.5–6.5) and soil salinity (16.1–19.5). To reveal the relationships between the species composition and environmental factors, CCA ordination was performed. Groups of relevés, representing the native tugai vegetation and three ecological series connected with salinity, soil moisture, and anthropogenic pressure, are identified. According to them, four generalized plant communities, differing in species composition, floristic diversity, and structure, are distinguished. Indicator plants are identified on the basis of a formalized assessment of species constancy and importance values. The changes in species composition and structure of communities (life form spectra) are shown. It has been established that vegetation halophytization is the most active process following progressive desertification. This process is reflected in the replacement of poplar forests by shrub communities dominated by Halostachys belangeriana and Tamarix hispida. As a result of intensive anthropogenic impact, the vegetation is transformed and the importance value of ruderal annual plants becomes higher.
{"title":"Composition and Structure of Tugai Communities in the Indication of Ecological Conditions in the Lower Amu Dar’ya","authors":"A. Y. Korolyuk, H. F. Shomurodov, B. S. Khabibullaev, Z. S. Sadinov","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010074","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Tugai ecosystems of desert river valleys are one of the most affected and endangered landscape types. The largest areas of tugai vegetation in Uzbekistan are preserved in the lower reaches of the Amu Dar’ya River. The main massifs of poplar forests are there. To assess their current status, 284 relevés, representing tugai plant communities in the lower reaches of the Amu Dar’ya, have been analyzed. For each one, the position on ecological gradients was determined by species indicator values. It is shown that the scatter of relevés is the greatest for moisture gradient: from 17 to 97 grades, and it is noticeably smaller for pasture digression (2.5–6.5) and soil salinity (16.1–19.5). To reveal the relationships between the species composition and environmental factors, CCA ordination was performed. Groups of relevés, representing the native tugai vegetation and three ecological series connected with salinity, soil moisture, and anthropogenic pressure, are identified. According to them, four generalized plant communities, differing in species composition, floristic diversity, and structure, are distinguished. Indicator plants are identified on the basis of a formalized assessment of species constancy and importance values. The changes in species composition and structure of communities (life form spectra) are shown. It has been established that vegetation halophytization is the most active process following progressive desertification. This process is reflected in the replacement of poplar forests by shrub communities dominated by <i>Halostachys belangeriana</i> and <i>Tamarix hispida</i>. As a result of intensive anthropogenic impact, the vegetation is transformed and the importance value of ruderal annual plants becomes higher.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"2010 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010050
A. Hambuckers
Abstract
The soil seed bank could be viewed as an optimisation of the chances of plants to meet favourable conditions in time and space. Owing to the large number of publications and the field’s complexity, available reviews do not cover the entire field. My objective was to produce a synthesis. Determination of the soil seed bank needs careful planning of sampling because of variations in soil depth and clumped distributions. Sample composition is determined from plantlets coming from germinated seeds after exposure to appropriate conditions or directly from seeds after their separation from soil particles. Seed longevity varies from months to decades and depends on desiccation resistance, defences against predators and germination control, notably dormancy. Dormancy characterisation and alleviation factors allow to understand species’ strategies in ecosystems. In agricultural soils, weeds challenge future cultures. Research objectives are often to exhaust their seed banks before crop emergence by reducing seed production, inactivating germination, removing weeds before seed maturation, and controlling the harvest. In natural ecosystems, climax species tend to produce shorter-lived seeds compared to pioneered ones. The soil seed bank may help in restoring degraded vegetation but the similarity with the aboveground vegetation is low. Disturbances may increase or decrease the soil seed bank diversity. Restoration may often rely on natural recruitment from undisturbed areas or on artificial translocation. I emphasise the need to integrate soil seed bank knowledge into dynamic vegetation models, which generally lacks most of the soil seed bank features, while the future distribution of the plant species is one of the main questions in this climate change era.
{"title":"A Guided Tour of the Soil Seed Banks","authors":"A. Hambuckers","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010050","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>The soil seed bank could be viewed as an optimisation of the chances of plants to meet favourable conditions in time and space. Owing to the large number of publications and the field’s complexity, available reviews do not cover the entire field. My objective was to produce a synthesis. Determination of the soil seed bank needs careful planning of sampling because of variations in soil depth and clumped distributions. Sample composition is determined from plantlets coming from germinated seeds after exposure to appropriate conditions or directly from seeds after their separation from soil particles. Seed longevity varies from months to decades and depends on desiccation resistance, defences against predators and germination control, notably dormancy. Dormancy characterisation and alleviation factors allow to understand species’ strategies in ecosystems. In agricultural soils, weeds challenge future cultures. Research objectives are often to exhaust their seed banks before crop emergence by reducing seed production, inactivating germination, removing weeds before seed maturation, and controlling the harvest. In natural ecosystems, climax species tend to produce shorter-lived seeds compared to pioneered ones. The soil seed bank may help in restoring degraded vegetation but the similarity with the aboveground vegetation is low. Disturbances may increase or decrease the soil seed bank diversity. Restoration may often rely on natural recruitment from undisturbed areas or on artificial translocation. I emphasise the need to integrate soil seed bank knowledge into dynamic vegetation models, which generally lacks most of the soil seed bank features, while the future distribution of the plant species is one of the main questions in this climate change era.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010062
O. V. Kalugina, L. V. Afanasyeva
Abstract
Over many years of research into assessing the condition of pine forests polluted by emissions from the Bratsk Aluminum Smelter (BAS), a large array of data of different sizes has been accumulated; when generalizing and structuring it, two groups of representative indicators are identified. The first group includes indicators characterizing with a high degree of reliability the state of assimilated phytomass and growth processes of polluted trees: the percentage of green needles in the tree crown, the mass of needles on the shoots, the total content of chlorophyll in the shoot needles, the ratio of protein and nonprotein nitrogen in the needles, and the value of the Fv/Fm ratio. The second group includes indicators reflecting the efficiency of the antioxidant system: the content of low molecular weight metabolites (proline, catechin, and total glutathione diketogulonic acid (DKGA)), as well as the activity of the peroxidase enzyme. Integral indices are calculated based on these parameters. Regression dependencies between indices and the level of accumulation of elements–pollutants in needles are used to develop scales for assessing the vital state (VS) of forest stands under conditions of technogenic pollution by emissions from a large aluminum smelter. Using this scale, it is possible to identify changes at the earliest stages, when external signs of tree weakening do not yet appear or are minimally expressed. A schematic map is made showing the distribution of pine forests of varying degrees of oppression. It has been established that the maximum deterioration in the condition of tree stands (more than 70%) is observed in local areas in the industrial zone of the BAS, strong deterioration (within 50–69%) is found in different directions from the plant at a distance of up to 10 km away, average (31–49%) is typical for tree stands at a distance of up to 40 km, and weak (11–30%) can be found at a distance of 40–60 (less often 80 km) from the BAS. In the rest of the surveyed territory, changes in the VS of pine stands are minimal, which allows the stands to be characterized as healthy (background).
{"title":"Development of a Diagnostic Scale for Assessing the Vital State of Pine Stands under Conditions of Technogenic Pollution by Emissions from a Large Aluminum Smelter","authors":"O. V. Kalugina, L. V. Afanasyeva","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010062","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Over many years of research into assessing the condition of pine forests polluted by emissions from the Bratsk Aluminum Smelter (BAS), a large array of data of different sizes has been accumulated; when generalizing and structuring it, two groups of representative indicators are identified. The first group includes indicators characterizing with a high degree of reliability the state of assimilated phytomass and growth processes of polluted trees: the percentage of green needles in the tree crown, the mass of needles on the shoots, the total content of chlorophyll in the shoot needles, the ratio of protein and nonprotein nitrogen in the needles, and the value of the F<sub><i>v</i></sub>/F<sub><i>m</i></sub> ratio. The second group includes indicators reflecting the efficiency of the antioxidant system: the content of low molecular weight metabolites (proline, catechin, and total glutathione diketogulonic acid (DKGA)), as well as the activity of the peroxidase enzyme. Integral indices are calculated based on these parameters. Regression dependencies between indices and the level of accumulation of elements–pollutants in needles are used to develop scales for assessing the vital state (VS) of forest stands under conditions of technogenic pollution by emissions from a large aluminum smelter. Using this scale, it is possible to identify changes at the earliest stages, when external signs of tree weakening do not yet appear or are minimally expressed. A schematic map is made showing the distribution of pine forests of varying degrees of oppression. It has been established that the maximum deterioration in the condition of tree stands (more than 70%) is observed in local areas in the industrial zone of the BAS, strong deterioration (within 50–69%) is found in different directions from the plant at a distance of up to 10 km away, average (31–49%) is typical for tree stands at a distance of up to 40 km, and weak (11–30%) can be found at a distance of 40–60 (less often 80 km) from the BAS. In the rest of the surveyed territory, changes in the VS of pine stands are minimal, which allows the stands to be characterized as healthy (background).</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"132 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010049
A. S. Gorshkova, G. V. Podlesnaya, N. A. Zhuchenko, I. V. Tikhonova, M. Yu. Suslova, Yu. R. Nebesnykh, E. A. Zimens, O. I. Belykh
Abstract
Participating in the circulation of nutrients, epilithic biofilms play an important role in water bodies. Denitrification actively proceeds in the epilithon of water bodies. However, information on the environmental factors that affect the process in biofilms is still limited. The object of study in this article involves the number of cultivated denitrifying bacteria in biofilms formed on the stony substrates in different parts of the Lake Baikal littoral zone. It has been found out that the main factors explaining the differences in the number of cultivated bacteria who perform complete denitrification were the temperature and the concentration of total nitrogen in shallow water. This article shows that a lower amount of denitrifiers is typical for biofilms experiencing nitrogen deficiency, as is indicated by the low stoichiometric N : P ratio in biofilms. An uneven distribution of heavy metals in the biomass of epilithic biofilms has been determined. It also may potentially impact denitrification in the epilithon of Lake Baikal.
{"title":"Ecological Factors and Denitrifying Bacteria of Lake Baikal Epilithon","authors":"A. S. Gorshkova, G. V. Podlesnaya, N. A. Zhuchenko, I. V. Tikhonova, M. Yu. Suslova, Yu. R. Nebesnykh, E. A. Zimens, O. I. Belykh","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010049","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Participating in the circulation of nutrients, epilithic biofilms play an important role in water bodies. Denitrification actively proceeds in the epilithon of water bodies. However, information on the environmental factors that affect the process in biofilms is still limited. The object of study in this article involves the number of cultivated denitrifying bacteria in biofilms formed on the stony substrates in different parts of the Lake Baikal littoral zone. It has been found out that the main factors explaining the differences in the number of cultivated bacteria who perform complete denitrification were the temperature and the concentration of total nitrogen in shallow water. This article shows that a lower amount of denitrifiers is typical for biofilms experiencing nitrogen deficiency, as is indicated by the low stoichiometric N : P ratio in biofilms. An uneven distribution of heavy metals in the biomass of epilithic biofilms has been determined. It also may potentially impact denitrification in the epilithon of Lake Baikal.</p>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"104 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1134/s1995425524010086
Abstract—
The hydrochemical and microelement composition of water and bottom sediments has been determined in the Kuchiger thermal spring (Baikal rift zone). The entry of chemicals with groundwater and high temperatures create favorable and specific conditions for the development of microorganisms. The taxonomic diversity of the microbial community of water and bottom sediments is studied using the analysis of 16S rRNA gene aplicons, and 107 619 nucleotide sequences assigned to 211 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) are analyzed. In the studied samples of water and bottom sediments, bacteria dominate; representatives of archaea account for 0.2–3.1%. The phylum Proteobacteria dominate in microbial communities. The subdominants in the studied samples were the phyla Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Acetothermia, and Actinobacteria, where their ratio vary depending on the biotope. One characteristic feature of the microbial community in the Kuchiger thermal spring is the dominance of chemolithotrophic bacteria.
{"title":"Taxonomic Diversity of the Microbial Community in the Kuchiger Thermal Spring (Baikal Rift Zone)","authors":"","doi":"10.1134/s1995425524010086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425524010086","url":null,"abstract":"<span> <h3>Abstract—</h3> <p>The hydrochemical and microelement composition of water and bottom sediments has been determined in the Kuchiger thermal spring (Baikal rift zone). The entry of chemicals with groundwater and high temperatures create favorable and specific conditions for the development of microorganisms. The taxonomic diversity of the microbial community of water and bottom sediments is studied using the analysis of 16S rRNA gene aplicons, and 107 619 nucleotide sequences assigned to 211 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) are analyzed. In the studied samples of water and bottom sediments, bacteria dominate; representatives of archaea account for 0.2–3.1%. The phylum <em>Proteobacteria</em> dominate in microbial communities. The subdominants in the studied samples were the phyla <em>Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Acetothermia</em>, and <em>Actinobacteria</em>, where their ratio vary depending on the biotope. One characteristic feature of the microbial community in the Kuchiger thermal spring is the dominance of chemolithotrophic bacteria.</p> </span>","PeriodicalId":50619,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Problems of Ecology","volume":"104 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140129130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}