On the Nexus of SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions in China: the ancillary benefits of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emission reductions

This paper examines the issue of ancillary benefits by linking sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission to CO₂ emission using a panel of 29 Chinese provinces over the period 1995–2007. In the presence of non-stationarity and cointegrating properties of these two data series, this paper applies the panel cointegration techniques to examine both the long-run and short-run elasticities of SO₂ with respect to CO₂. The major findings are that: (1) there exhibits a stable long-run equilibrium relationship between the SO₂ and CO₂ emission with the long-run elasticity being 2.15; (2) there exists a short-run relationship between these two emissions with the short-run elasticity being 0.04. In addition, following an exogenous shock that causes a deviation from the long-run equilibrium, it would take approximately 15 years for SO₂ emission to revert toward the long-run equilibrium path with an average annual convergence rate of 6.5%; (3) the derived ancillary benefits that is generated from one metric ton of CO₂ emission reduction, are 11.77 Yuan (approximately US1.7) in the short run and 196.16 Yuan (US 1.7) in the short run and 196.16 Yuan (US 30) in the long run. These findings are not only crucial from the econometric modeling perspective, but also have important policy implications.     

Winter ecology of the pine marten (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Martes martes</Emphasis> L.) in the Volga floodplain opposite Samara

The footprint tracking method has been used to study specific features of winter ecology of pine martens inhabiting the Rozhdestvenskaya Floodplain of the Volga River. Attention has been paid to the size and demographic structure of the population, the distribution of footprints by habitats, home ranges and shelters, features of foraging and territorial behavior, reactions to objects of natural and anthropogenic origin, and interactions with heterospecific animals.     

The role of interactions between individual animals in the response to heat stress in the freshwater crustacean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphnia magna</Emphasis>

The thermal resistance of Daphnia magna Straus is a trait depending on the interaction between individuals. The group effect is expressed in D. magna as both a decrease in thermal resistance and a marked individual differentiation with respect to thermal resistance. Two types of interactions between individual D. magna have been found: (1) the release of an unidentified factor decreasing thermal resistance (without noticeably changing the phenotypic variability of this trait) into the medium and (2) a decrease in the thermal resistance of individuals poorly adapted to heat stress, with the thermal resistance of well-adapted individuals (determined by the dependence of thermal resistance on interactions between individuals) remaining the same or even slightly increasing.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 126–131.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kalinnikova, Krasnoperova, T. Gainutdinov, Sadykova, M. Gainutdinov.     

On the term <Emphasis Type="Italic">Station</Emphasis> used in Russian ecological and faunistic literature

The history of the term station (in Russian, statsiya) in the Russian ecological and faunistic literature, interpretation of its meaning by different authors, and relationships between the terms station, habitat, biotope, and ecological license are discussed. It is suggested that station should be interpreted as the entire set of all external conditions affecting a population, which is observable as a part of physical space possessing certain properties.     

Variation of male nuptial plumage in the willow ptarmigan <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lagopus lagopus</Emphasis> L.

In male willow ptarmigans, the relationship between qualitative differences between birds belonging to different intrapopulation groups and some individual features of male nuptial plumage has been revealed by studying banded birds. Thus, males that have changed their nesting site differ from those returning to the former site and bigamous males differ from monogamous in the number and size of dark spots amid the white plumage. The influence of the time of the onset of spring on the development of nuptial plumage is considered.     

An outline of the theory of the genetic divergence of dry-land and bog populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis> L.

The thesis of the genetic divergence of Pinus sylvestris L. populations that have spread to bogs from the original dry-land populations has been deduced from the concept of the cyclicity of helio- and geophysical processes, derivative postulates on climatic cycles, formation of Holocene high bogs, contrasting differentiation between their environment and that of dry meadows, and the resultant changes in the vectors of microevolutionary factors and strong reproductive isolation between these populations. Logical genetic, ecological-phenotypical, and geographic consequences of this theory have been verified by factual data and general laws known to date. The interpolational and predictive roles of the new theory are demonstrated.     

Chemical composition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Juniperus sibirica</Emphasis> needles (Cupressaceae) in the forest–tundra ecotone,the Khibiny Mountains

The needles of juniper growing in spruce and birch forests of the Khibiny Mountains have been analyzed to evaluate the pattern of changes in their chemical composition (ADF, lignin, cellulose, lignin/cellulose, lipids, phenolic compounds, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, N, C, and also Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Zn, P, S, Al, and Fe). It has been shown that the concentrations of lignin, lipids, phenolic compounds, Ca, Al, and Fe in the needles increase with age, while those of flavonoids, soluble and bound proanthocyanidins, N, P, K, Mg, Zn, and Mn decrease. The needles of juniper from spruce and birch forests differ in the contents of nutrient elements, which is explained by differences in the composition of soils. The contents of lignin, cellulose, and lipids in aging needles are lower in birch forests than in spruce forests.     

Effects of ecological conditions on lipid composition of the liver and muscles in the daubed shanny, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptoclinus maculatus</Emphasis>

A comparative study on the lipid composition of the liver and muscles has been performed in daubed shanny caught in summer (July) in Arctic waters at three different sites (biotopes) along the north-western coast of Spitsbergen. In marine organisms living at high latitudes, lipids play an especially important role, primarily as reserve substances and as a factor influencing adaptation to severe environmental conditions. Since the ecology of daubed shanny is poorly known, the data obtained may be considered novel.     

Analysis of rodent populations in technogenically transformed areas (with reference to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apodemus</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">S.</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">uralensis</Emphasis> from the EURT zone)

It is shown that the response of rodent populations to acute and chronic irradiation depends on its functional structure, i.e., on specific features of animals with two alternative types of ontogenetic development. Upon acute irradiation, sexually immature young of the year (animals with the second type of ontogeny) are most radioresistant. Exposure to chronic irradiation, as in the zone of the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT), leads to an increase in the proportion of mature young of the year (animals with the first type of ontogeny), which are the most radiosensitive part of the population. The abundance and fecundity of mice in the impact zone are consistently higher than in the background zone, which improves the adaptive potential of the population. The role of species ecological specialization and configuration of the contaminated zone in the formation of migrant rodent population is emphasized. It is concluded that a high migration activity allows the pigmy wood mouse (a radiosensitive species) to avoid long-term radiation exposure.     

Factors affecting the sex ratio in the honeybee mite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Varroa jacobsoni</Emphasis>

Study of the seasonal variation of the sex ratio in the honeybee mite Varroa jacobsoni demonstrated that sex determination was affected by temperature, order of reproductive cycles, and population densities in the host’s brood cell and the honeybee nest. The mechanism of reproduction ensuring adaptation of the mite to parasitism and reproduction on honeybees are discussed.     

New Aspect in Understanding the Biocenotic Role of Domestic Ungulates in the Life of Wolf (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Canis lupus</Emphasis> L.)

The dynamics of wolf attacks on domestic ungulates at the levels of population group (the region of Central Forest Nature Reserve) and population (Tver oblast) have been analyzed over the period of 1971 to 2015. It has been found that the frequency of attacks increases during the phase of predator population growth under the effect of qualitative changes within the population. An increase in the frequency of attacks and the number of sheep and calves killed per attack also takes place in the summer–autumn period, as a consequence of training wolf cubs in methods of killing prey. Therefore, domestic animals are not only a source of food for the wolf but also an object for training the young.     

Intrapopulation spatial segregation in bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Abramis brama</Emphasis>) and roach (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rutilus rutilus</Emphasis>) in the Rybinsk Reservoir

In the course of studies on mass fish species (bream and roach) in water bodies of the Upper Volga basin, intraspecific groups of individuals have been distinguished. Conditions and possible mechanisms of spatial differentiation of these groups are considered. The intrapopulation divergence of individuals by some adaptive characters, primarily behavioral, enables them to utilize alternative resources, which provides for more efficient use of the environment by populations.