Communities of hydrobionts developing at the water-rock interface in Lake Baikal

Development of benthic communities on rocks from the interdisciplinary test site near Cape Berezovyi (southern Baikal) is analyzed. Rock plates were placed on the bottom in the shallow-water zone of Baikal for six months, and a community consisting of microorganisms, microphytobenthos, and meiobenthos developed on them. The development and activity of hydrobionts depended on the chemical composition and structure of the rock. Marble and granite plates were populated by them more selectively than amphibolite plates. It is supposed that the biota plays an important role in destruction of rocks in the shallow-water zone of Baikal.     

Specificity of Life Conditions for Commercial Invertebrates on Artificial Substrates in the Eutrophicated Amur Bay,the Sea of Japan

The consequences of anthropogenic impact on the water area of Amur Bay (the Sea of Japan) near Vladivostok include the eutrophication of coastal waters and littering with various objects used as artificial substrates, which protect sedentary animals from predators and contribute to the survival of their larvae. An indicator of eutrophication, the diatom Skeletonema costatum accounting for 81–96% of the total abundance of phytoplankton (Stonik and Selina, 1995), is consumed mainly by barnacles and the Pacific oyster. Thus, these animals gain an advantage in the colonization of artificial substrates. The results of the study suggest that eutrophication will lead to changes in the structure of the marine community.     

Effect of increased ambient temperature on the growth rate of young pine forests in the impact zone of a petroleum gas flare

The effect of increased ambient temperature on the vertical, radial, and volume increments of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees has been studied in the zone of thermal impact from a burning petroleum gas flare. Regular age-dependent changes in the pattern of increment dependence on the distance from the flare and ambient temperature have been revealed. The mechanisms of these changes are explained. It is concluded that an increase in ambient temperature by 1.0–1.5° C has a favorable effect on the dynamics of Scots pine growth.