Developmental Stability of the Skull in the Pygmy Wood Mouse (Mammalia,Rodentia) along Altitudinal Gradient in the Western and Central Caucasus

To assess the stability of individual development of the pygmy wood mouse (Apodemus uralensis) in mountain areas with different ecogeographic conditions, the levels of fluctuating asymmetry in a series of skull phenes have been evaluated in ten samples from the Western and Central Caucasus. Attention has been focused on the influence of change in environmental conditions along the elevational gradient and the impact of some anthropogenic factors. An increase in the index of fluctuation asymmetry FA_nm has been revealed in samples from populations exposed to pollutants and, in the absence of pollution, from areas where the average annual temperature drops below 5°С (mid-mountain regions). Instability of skull development observed in A. uralensis from the foothills of the Western Caucasus may be a consequence of competitive relationships with the Black Sea field mouse A. ponticus, a sympatric species that inhabits the same biotopes as does A. uralensis but numerically prevails over it.     

The use of biomass production and allometric models to estimate carbon sequestration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha curcas</Emphasis> L. plantations in western Burkina Faso

The topic of carbon sequestration in plants has received much attention recently due to concerns about global climate change, which is being exacerbated by deforestation. In the early days of the global bioenergy boom, the private sector and non-government organizations enthusiastically promoted the planting of Jatropha curcas L. as a key candidate shrub species for the production of bioenergy in West Africa. This study investigates the aboveground biomass production and carbon sequestration potential of J. curcas, which is already widely cultivated for the production of oil seeds, biodiesel and biokerosene. The specific objective is to use a destructive method to develop allometric prediction equations of the aboveground biomass production of J. curcas plantations. 38 J. curcas shrubs were harvested and weighed in order to estimate biomass production. These data were used to develop allometric equations for the estimation of wood, leaf and total aboveground biomass production. The best-fit models found for estimating shrub component biomass and total aboveground biomass production were of the power form. All of the regression equations relating the prediction of leaf biomass, wood biomass and total aboveground biomass with J. curcas diameter at 20 cm above the ground (D) were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and also presented the highest goodness of fit (high R ²). The aboveground biomass carbon content was estimated using the ash method. Carbon content in leaves and wood was, respectively, 48 and 54 %. The current established allometric equations can be helpful to provide a rapid estimation of the aboveground biomass and C stock for J. curcas biofuel projects in semi-arid conditions.     

Effect of Ecological Factors on the Accumulation of Fluorine by Larches, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix gmelinii</Emphasis> (Rupr.) Rupr. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">L. sibirica</Emphasis> Ledeb., in Eastern Siberia

The accumulation of fluorine in the trunk wood and branches of Larix gmelinii growing on soils with a naturally increased fluoride content and of L. sibirica growing in a zone affected by atmospheric emissions from an aluminum plant has been studied. Based on results of in vivo and in vitro experiments, it is concluded that larch trees manifest individual differences in their response to fluorine.     

Diversity and Nitrogen-Fixing Activity of Phototrophic Mycetobionts of Xylotrophic Fungi

It is shown that the basidiocarps of many wood-decomposing fungi are inhabited by taxonomically and biomorphologically various eukaryotic (Charophyta, Chlorophyta, and Ochrophyta) and prokaryotic (Cyanophyta/Cyanobacteria) algae. They represent widespread eurybiont species and do not include any specialized mycetobionts. The communities formed by them have a host preference and green algae are their basic and obligate component, while other organisms are facultative components. Basidiocarps in which mycetobionts include heterocytic cyanoprokaryotes (Anabaena sp., Calothrix parietina, Hassallia byssoidea, Nostoc commune, N. punctiforme, Nostoc sp., and Scytonema ocellatum) are capable of molecular nitrogen fixation. Its activity is 0.044–0.903 mg of C₂H₄/m²/h in the basidiocarps of Bjerkandera adusta, Cerrena unicolor, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, and Trametes ochracea and 0.001–0.008 mg of C₂H₄/m²/h in the basidiocarps of Onnia leporina, Phellinus chrysoloma, Ph. tremulae, and Trametes pubescens. Basidiocarps without algae and those inhabited only by eukaryotic algae have no nitrogenase activity.     

Interspecific interactions of amphipods <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gammarus lacustris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gmelinoides fasciatus</Emphasis>

Experimental studies of interactions between two amphipod species (Gmelinoides fasciatus and Gammarus lacustris) showed that predation is the basic mechanism accounting for their mutual exclusion in nature. Mortality from predation among similar-sized specimens of both species at an equal abundance ratio was similar (24–25% in G. lacustris and 27–30% in G. fasciatus). The displacement of G. lacustris by G. fasciatus was observed when the latter was dominant. Adult G. fasciatus and G. lacustris successfully preyed on juveniles of their competitors and did not differ significantly in daily food consumption as a percentage of body weight: 6–24% at a fresh body weight of 18–24 mg in both species. The potential for rapid population growth under new conditions contributed to the success of the invasive Baikal species G. fasciatus in displacing G. lacustris from many water bodies of Russia.     

Local knowledge about dugout canoes reveals connections between forests and fisheries

Dugout canoes are traditional boat types made from a single tree trunk. This type of boat can reveal unique connections between forest and fisheries in coastal areas: their construction and the species used depend on the local ecological knowledge of artisans and the plant resources available and are also influenced by the type of fisheries in which the canoe will be used. Our objective was to analyze how dugout canoes are constructed, maintained, and currently used in the central coastal region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The study emphasizes the interaction between the use of forest resources and artisanal fishing in this coastal environment. The data collected were based on interviews with 30 artisans and participant observation. Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake, Ocotea porosa (Nees & Mart.) Barroso, Ocotea Aubl../Nectandra Roll. Ex Rottb., and Aspidosperma Mart. & Zucc. are the main taxa used to construct the canoes. Many canoe sizes are used, and based on the boat type, the trunk diameters needed to construct them varies from 0.6 to 2.9 m and trunk heights from 4 to 10 m. Different types of canoe are used according to the type of fishing and especially to the environment conditions. The construction of canoes in the region has decreased due to difficulties in acquiring wood, changes in fishing activities, and reasons related to labor and apprenticeship, all causes related to modernization of the society and urban growth. The knowledge of plant species used can contribute to shape policies to improve forest management. The survival of cultural practices in artisanal fishing communities should be stimulated in sustainable development programs, and it involves maintaining ecological and technical knowledge related to fishing and the plant resources used to manufacture and maintain fishing equipment.     

SNAKES USED IN ETHNOMEDICINE IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

This paper documents zootherapeutic practices in Northeast Brazil. It is primarily based on field surveys carried out in fishing villages located in the States of Maranhão and Paraíba, where dwellers provided information on snake species used as medicine, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and the illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed. The species used as medicinal drug and their respective families were: Crotalus durissus (rattlesnake), Bothrops leucurus (‘lance head’, a venomous snake), and Lachesis muta (bushmaster) of the family Crotalidae; and Boa constrictor (boa constrictor), Epicrates cenchria (‘salamanta’), and Eunectes murinus (anaconda) of the family (Boidae). These zootherapeutical resources were used for the cure of 14 illnesses. The most commonly cited species were Crotalus durissus (n=26) e Boa constrictor (n=6), Apparently, the medicinal use of snakes does not pose a threat for their population in the studied sites.     

Pollination ecology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eomecon chionantha</Emphasis> Hance (Papaveraceae), an endemic species in China

Eomecon chionantha Hance, the only species in the genus Eomecon, is an angiosperm species endemic to China. Here we investigated the pollination syndrome, pollinator generalization of E. chionantha. Our results showed that the individual flower longevity of E. chionantha was 3–5 days. The flowering phenology of E. chionantha can be divided into five phases. We found significant differences in the pollination efficiency of the different insects visiting E. chionantha with bees and flies being the most efficient pollinators. This, in addition to floral morphology and phenology, suggests that E. chionantha is generalized on bees and flies and possesses an outcrossing, partially self-compatible and pollinator-dependent breeding system.     

Ecological and faunistic characteristics of the leech fauna in the Bukhtarma Reservoir,Eastern Kazakhstan

The taxonomic diversity of the Hirudinea fauna and its dependence on the ecological conditions in the Bukhtarma Reservoir (Eastern Kazakhstan) have been studied. The morphological analysis has shown that these leeches belong to two orders and three families: Rhynchobdellida (families Glossiphoniidae and Piscicolidae) and Arhynchobdellida (family Erpobdellidae). On the whole, eight leech species from five genera (Alboglossiphonia, Helobdella, Theromyzon, Piscicola, and Erpobdella) have been identified. Among them, there are three glossiphoniid species (A. heteroclite, H. stagnalis, and T. tessulatum), two species of piscicolids (Piscicola geometra and Piscicola sp.), and three species of predatory leeches (E. octoculata, E. vilnensis, and Erpobdella sp.). Possible effects of hydrochemical parameters of the aquatic environment on the species diversity have been analyzed. Correlation has been revealed between the abundance of species and the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment.     

Species-specific Features of Blood Plasma Amino Acid Spectrum of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in the Urals

The amino acid spectrum of blood plasma in three bat species (Myotis dasycneme, Pipistrellus nathusii, Vespertilio murinus) inhabiting the Urals has been studied for the first time. The bats were trapped in the zone of their high abundance in Chelyabinsk oblast (2013–2014). Free amino acids were determined by liquid ion exchange chromatography (a total of 384 determinations). It has been shown that the plasma amino acid spectrum consists of 22 amino acids in subadult bats of all three species, but there are species-specific differences in their concentrations. The total amino-acid pool concentration in migratory P. nathusii and V. murinus exceeds that in resident M. dasycneme by factors of 2.9 and 1.8, respectively. Migratory species are characterized by a high concentration of plasma arginine: it is six times higher in V. murinus than in M. dasycneme, and in P. nathusii arginine accounts for 25.4% of the amino acid pool. The group of glucogenic amino acids is prevalent in the blood plasma of migratory species (75% in V. murinus and 79% in P. nathusii), while in M. dasycneme the total proportion of lysine, glycine, and glutamic acid is 2.3 times lower than in P. nathusii and 1.7 lower than in V. murinus (p < 0.05). These results provide evidence for significant differences in the contents of free blood plasma amino acids between migratory and resident bat species.     

Plant Species Richness and Developmental Morphology Stage Influence Mycorrhizal Patagonia Plants Root Colonization

The objectives of this study were to determine the percentage of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi at various levels of plant species richness and developmental morphology stages in various perennial grass, and herbaceous and woody dicots species using experimental plots during 2013 and 2014. An auger was used to obtain six replicate root + soil samples at each sampling time on each of the study parameters. Roots were washed free of soil, and percentage AM was determined. The shrub Larrea divaricata was the species which showed the lowest percentage of colonization by AM at the vegetative developmental morphology stage at the monocultures and six-species-mixtures on the experimental plots. Dicots, but not grass, species showed a greater percentage colonization by AM fungi at the greatest (i.e., six-species-mixtures) than lowest (i.e., monocultures) species richness. Although at different degrees of species richness and developmental morphology stages, the perennial grasses Nassella longiglumis and N. tenuis, the herbaceous dicot Atriplex semibaccata, and the shrubs L. divaricata and Schinus fasciculatus showed a greater (p < 0.050) percentage colonization by AM fungi during the second than the first study year. Even though it was species- and sampling time-dependent, percentage colonization by AM fungi increased as species richness also increased most of the times. Our results demonstrated that the plant species differences in percentage colonization by AM fungi in the experimental plots were species richness-, developmental morphology stage-, and sampling-time dependents.     

Most Interesting Findings from Remnants of Chironomid (Insecta: Diptera: Chironomidae) Larvae in Layers of a 200-Year-Old Stratum of Lake Oron Bottom Sediments

The remnants of chironomid larvae from layers of the 10-cm-thick bottom sediment in Lake Oron have been studied. Six taxons unknown in the current chironomid fauna of the lake have been identified: Abiskomyia rivalis, Corynoneura arctica-type, Mesocricotopus thienemanni, Metriocnemus eurynotus-type, Nanocladius rectinervis-type, and Robackia pilicauda. The most probable reasons for the disappearance of these species from the Oron fauna, which are related to environmental changes caused by global climate changes, are considered.     

Total soil available nitrogen under perennial grasses after burning and defoliation

Total soil available nitrogen concentrations (NO^–3 + NH ₄ ⁺ ) were determined underneath plants of the more-competitive Poa ligularis, mid-competitive Nassella tenuis and the less-competitive Amelichloa ambigua exposed to various combinations of controlled burning and defoliation treatments. Defoliations were at the vegetative (V), internode elongation (E) or both developmental morphology stages (V + E) during two years after burning in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina. Hypotheses were that (1) concentrations of total soil available nitrogen after burning are greater underneath burned than unburned plants. With time, these differences, however, will gradually disappear; (2) greater total soil available nitrogen concentrations are underneath plants of the more- than less-competitive perennial grasses; and (3) total soil available nitrogen is similar or lower underneath plants defoliated at the various developmental morphology stages in all three study species than on untreated controls at the end of the study. Concentration of total soil available nitrogen increased 35% (p < 0.05) on average after the first six months from burning in comparison to control plants. However, these differences disappeared (p > 0.05) towards the end of the first study year. Total soil available nitrogen concentrations were at least 10% lower underneath the less competitive N. tenuis and A. ambigua than the more competitive P. ligularis on average for all treatments, although differences were not significant (p > 0.05) most of the times. Defoliation had practically no effect on the concentration of total soil available nitrogen. Rather than any treatment effect, total soil nitrogen concentrations were determined by their temporal dynamics in the control and after the experimental fire treatments.     

Ecological preferences of forest voles

Basic climatic parameters (annual average air temperature and annual amount of precipitation) over 12–25 years have been analyzed with regard to their values corresponding to different levels of abundance in three species of forest voles: Clethrionomys glareolus (in 11 areas of the species range), Cl. rutilus, and Cl. rufocanus (in three areas each). The results show that the abundance of all these species correlates significantly with fluctuations of annual average temperature, with the correlation being negative in Cl. glareolus and Cl. rufocanus but positive in Cl. rutilus. In addition, the abundance of Cl. rufocanus shows a significant correlation with annual precipitation. Voles inhabiting different geographic regions may reach high abundance under different conditions. As for the species range as a whole, however, Cl. glareolus is more ecologically flexible than the other two voles. This species is also more warmth- and moisture-loving, while Cl. rufocanus is more cold-loving and xerophilous, with Cl. rutilus occupying an intermediate position between them. Clethrionomys rutilus is most temperature-dependent and stenothermic among them, whereas Cl. glareolus is indifferent to the factors studied.     

Drought Stress in Four Subalpine Species: Gas Exchange Response and Survivorship

An assessment of adaptability of saplings of four evergreen species (Picea abies Karst., Pinus mugo Turra, Pinus peuce Grisb. and Pinus heldreichii H. Christ.), native for Bulgarian treeline zone, was made on the basis of leaf gas exchange and survivability in artificially induced drought stress. The established low sensitivity of gas exchange to summer drought and the highest mortality of P. abies may be regarded as an evidence for a narrow zone of tolerance. P. peuce and P. heldreichii have low survivorship under drought conditions, regardless of the variable effect of soil moisture on the gas exchange parameters. The better survivability and significant reduction of gas exchange in response to soil water deficit of P. mugo probably will give him an advantage in future adaptation to climate change and in competition with other subalpine species. We conclude that the expected trends in climate change will most likely lead to a further narrowing of the ecological and physiological comfortable zone for two investigated endemic species.     

Comparative Analysis of Microbial Communities of Contrasting Soil Types in Different Plant Communities

Microbiomes were analyzed in samples of the major soil types of Russia and Western Kazakhstan region from different plant communities (fallow, forest, agrophytocenosis). The representatives of 42 bacterial and 2 archaeal phyla were identified in the samples, among which the dominant positions were occupied by representatives of ten phyla: nine bacterial (Actinobacteria (33.5%), Proteobacteria (28.4%), Acidobacteria (8.3%), Verrucomicrobia (7.7%), Bacteroidetes (4.2%), Chloroflexi (3.0%), Gemmatimonadetes (2.3%), Firmicutes (2.1%), Planctomycetes (2.0%)) and one archaeal Crenarchaeota (2.6%). Data analysis by the methods of multivariate statistics suggests that the taxonomic structure of microbiota is formed under the action of two main factors: the strongest factor is soil acidity, which determines the dynamics of the microbiome at the level of major taxa such as phylum, and the weaker factor is the type of vegetation, which determines the community structure at lower taxonomic level (order, family, genus). Detailed analysis of the samples of podzolic soil in Leningrad Region made it possible to identify bacterial taxa specifically associated both with the type of biome (fallow, forest, agrophytocenosis) and with the specific plant community (specific composition of plant synusia).     

On adaptations of trees and shrubs in the north of the Russian Far East

Specific ecological features of trees (Chosenia arbutifolia and Betula lanata) and shrubs (Pinus pumila and Duschekia fruticosa) at the northern limit of their distribution are compared. New biomorphological adaptations of these species under extreme conditions are described.     

Role of bivalve mollusks in formation of aquatic invertebrate consortia in the littoral zone of an artificial eutrophic lake

General biological issues related to the formation and functioning of aquatic invertebrate consortia around Dreissena or Dreissena + Anodonta mollusks in shallow areas of an artificial eutrophic lake are considered. The environment-forming role of Dreissena in assembling the groups of companion (consort) species is shown.     

Gradient Genogeographic Analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis> L. Populations in Europe

Gradients of Nei's genetic distances between 15 samples of Pinus sylvestris L. trees were analyzed along three submeridional transects, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and Transcaucasia. As a result, distinct chorogenetic differentiation was revealed between the populations of this species growing in climatically specific regions of northern and southern Europe. Considerable Nei's distances (DN = 0.045–0.056) and their gradients, combined with differences in stable phenotypic characters (the composition of monoterpenes and morphological parameters of cones) determined at the Pyrenean and Caucasian mountain borders, suggest that the P. sylvestris species structure includes two South Eurasian subspecies, the Pyrenean P. sylvestris L., ssp. iberica Svoboda and the Transcaucasian P. sylvestris L., ssp. hamata (Stev.) Fomin.     

Variation in the Composition of Secondary Metabolites in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flavocetraria</Emphasis> Lichens from Western Siberia

The composition and contents of secondary metabolites in Flavocetraria lichens from Eastern Siberia were analyzed using herbarium specimens. Based on the composition of identified metabolites, three F. cucullata chemotypes and two F. nivalis chemotypes were distinguished. Distinct geographic differentiation between the F. cucullata chemotypes was revealed, probably reflecting their adaptation to environmental conditions. The content of usnic acid in F. cucullata thalli was found to correlate with the latitude of growing region. This may be regarded as evidence for a protective role of this metabolite in lichens growing at high latitudes and exposed to excess solar irradiation during the polar day.