The survival strategy of Crepis tectorum L. under conditions of chronic atmospheric pollution

The results of demographic studies on Crepis tectorum L. populations from polluted and clean habitats are presented. They show that these populations significantly differ from each other in a number of parameters, including the seasonal dynamics of seed germination, the number of generations, the time of plant transition to reproduction, and the rate of generation succession in general. These data provide evidence that populations of annual or biennial plants can employ different survival strategies when growing under conditions of pollution or its absence.     

Protective effect of weak pulsed magnetic fields on early ontogeny of tugun Coregonus tugun (Pallas) under conditions of chronic oil pollution

The state of internal organs in tugun larvae was analyzed histologically in the intact (control) group, the group treated with a water-soluble oil fraction (WSOF) in fivefold excess over the maximum allowable concentration, and the group exposed in a weak pulsed magnetic field at the stage of hatching, prior to treatment with WSOF. Larvae of the second group had severe pathologies of inner organs that caused 100% mortality before the age of 15 days, but no pathomorphological changes in the organs of larvae and juvenile fish of the third group were revealed for up to 40 days. Probable causes of high resistance to the toxic agent in fish of the experimental group are discussed.     

Analysis of meiotic chromosome aberrations in Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) under conditions of natural and technogenic stress

Meiotic abnormalities have been studied in Siberian spruce growing in the Southern Urals under different ecological conditions: in contrasting natural landscapes (high mountains, plains, river valleys and floodplains), in zones of natural geochemical anomalies, and in areas with different levels of industrial pollution. The results provide evidence for an adverse effect of technogenic pollution and extreme environmental factors on the process of microsporogenesis in the species studied.     

Spatiotemporal population structure of the bank vole in a gradient of technogenic environmental pollution

Between 1998 and 2005, specific features of spatiotemporal distribution of small mammals in transformed habitats were studied using the example of the bank vole living in a gradient of chemical environmental pollution (the Middle Urals). Technogenic degradation of spruce-fir forests proved to entail significant changes in the spatial structure and abundance of vole populations. Differences in colonization of disturbed and intact territories by bank voles at different stages of population dynamics were revealed.     

The ecosystem of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk under conditions of heavy anthropogenic pollution

Ecosystem structure and functioning have been studied in the polluted water area of the Novorossiysk port. It has been shown that communities of phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, and zoobenthos are inhibited because of chronic exposure to anthropogenic stress. The food web is disturbed, and microheterotrophs (bacteria and protists) are the main functional component of the ecosystem. Water eutrophication and sulfide pollution of bottom sediments are the main factors responsible for ecosystem degradation in the port of Novorossiysk.     

Temperature adaptation of the heart in the grass snake (Natrix natrix L.), common European viper (Vipera berus L.), and steppe viper (Vipera renardi Christoph) (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes)

Changes in the heart rate (HR) in more and less thermophilic reptiles (Natrix natrix L., Vipera berus L., and V. renardi Christoph) exposed to heating from 0 to 40°C under anesthesia have been found to depend on the previous adaptation of the animals to the temperature parameters characteristic of the natural habitats of their populations.     

Changes in the size structure of carabid communities in forest ecosystems under technogenic transformation

The body size structure of carabid communities has been analyzed based on the 2009 and 2013 collections (with the use of pitfall traps) performed at 10 sites of a spruce–fir forest along the gradient of pollution with emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter. A reduction in the unweighted mean body size of carabid individuals has been shown, as well as the heterogeneity of body sizes in the community (Gini coefficient) of the extremely polluted territory. It has been revealed that the weighted mean body size of individuals and the Lorentz asymmetry coefficient are not dependent on the level of pollution. Differences between the communities of carabids in the background and polluted territories are associated with the smaller number of large-sized species, while the similarity is explained by the dominance of medium- and small-sized species at all sites. The high interannual variability has been observed in the ratio of size groups of the analyzed communities at the background and moderate levels of pollution.     

Morphophysiological responses of Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea obovata Ledeb. to industrial pollution under conditions of Northwestern Russia

Morphophysiological parameters of needles have been studied in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) trees of different life states growing under conditions of industrial air pollution with sulfur and heavy metals. Three functional clusters (tentatively named the initial, transitional, and disastrous clusters), each characterized by a certain metabolic status, have been revealed, and their quantitative and qualitative structure has been evaluated. The morphophysiological responses of pine and spruce are shown to be qualitatively different, depending on differentiation of trees with respect to vitality under conditions of industrial pollution. Probable factors accounting for these differences are discussed.     

Seasonal changes in the spatial distribution of cellulolytic activity of soil microflora under conditions of atmospheric pollution

Spatial variation in the cellulolytic activity of the soil microflora during the growing season (from May to September) has been studied in spruce-fir forests exposed to emissions from the Middle Ural Copper-Smelting Plant. It has been shown that the average rate of decomposition of pure cellulose in polluted areas is significantly reduced, with its spatial variation being markedly increased. The spatial pattern of cellulolytic activity remains stable during the growing season, and the integrated parameters of frequency distributions in zones with different pollution levels change with time in the same direction.     

Seasonal replacement of populations and abundance dynamics of European robins, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erithacus rubecula</Emphasis> (L.), in the Highland Crimea

Complete seasonal replacement of European robin populations takes place in the Crimea: local birds of the subspecies E. r. valens depart from the peninsula to be replaced by birds of the nominative subspecies E. r. rubecula, which arrive for wintering. The overall population dynamics of the European robin in the Highland Crimea are determined by seasonal changes in the abundance of local birds, fluctuations in the abundance of birds from northern populations, or variation in the ratio between these groups of birds during their staying together in the Crimea during the periods of seasonal migrations.     

Reproductive ecology of the pond turtle (Emys orbicularis L.) in the Northeastern part of the species range

In Belarussian Polesye, characteristics of reproduction, population dynamics, and factors responsible for a decrease in the abundance of the pond turtle were studied. The main factors limiting pond turtle reproduction in Polesye include the focal distribution of its populations and limited areas of reproductive biotopes. The pond-turtle popuation itself is characterized by a high potential for reproductive growth; in the current situation, the population growth is mainly limited by a high pressure of oophagous predators and anthropogenic destruction of reproductive sites.     

Adaptive properties of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l.) under conditions of air pollution by motor vehicle exhausts

Microcalorimetric, gasometric, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods have been used to evaluate heat production, gas exchange, and root membrane permeability in dandelion of different morphological forms from populations exposed to different levels of air pollution. The results show that these forms differ in the level of energy metabolism and that the form with a higher metabolic level (T. off. f. dahlstedtii) is more tolerant of air pollution with motor vehicle exhausts.     

Determining the heavy metal pollution in Denizli (Turkey) by using Robinio pseudo-acacia L

The leaves of Robinia pseudo-acacia L. (Fabaceae) were evaluated as a biomonitors of heavy metal contamination in Denizli city, Turkey. Concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mn and Cd were determined in washed and unwashed leaves and soils collected from a wide range of sites with different degrees of metal pollution (industry, urban roadside, suburban) and from a rural (control) site by atomic absorption spectrometry. All the elements that measured were found to be at high levels in samples collected at industrial sites, except for lead and copper which were found at high levels in samples collected from urban roadsides that associated with the road traffic. The strong correlation between the degree of contamination and concentrations in all plant leaves assessed display that the leaves of R. pseudo-acacia reflect the environmental changes accurately, and that they seem as an effective biomonitor of environmental quality in areas subjected to industrial and traffic pollutions.     

Cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark as an indicator for heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman City,Jordan

Bio-monitoring of air quality in Amman City was investigated by analyzing 36 cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark samples from three sites of different anthropogenic activities at the end of summer season 2001. Cypress barks were found to be a good bio-indicator for air pollution in arid regions. Variation in Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Cu contents between sites was observed due to different types of activities. Traffic emissions were found to be the main source of heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman. Lead content was found to be the highest in highly traffic density areas. The industrial part of the city was characterized by high Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Co contents. No significance variations were found in pH values of the bark between the sites. This was attributed to buffering effect of carbonate in the atmosphere originated from soil of the area.     

Histopathology and Changes of Reproductive Parameters in Peled,Coregonus peled,from the Lower Ob Basin

Russian Journal of Ecology - Histopathological changes in the gills, liver, kidneys and gonads and heavy metal accumulation have been studied in peled (Coregonus peled) from the Lower Ob basin. It...     

Ecological Aspects of Dispersal of the Wild Boar,Sus scrofa L., 1758, in the Northeast of European Russia

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Characteristics of parasitic infection in the least cisco, Coregonus sardinella valenciennes, 1848, in the Ural tributaries of the lower Ob

Data on the parasite fauna of the least cisco, Coregonus sardinella Valenciennes, 1848 in Ural tributaries of the Ob downstream of the city of Salekhard have been obtained for the first time. The formation patterns of the parasite fauna in this species and the rate (prevalence and intensity) of infection by Ichthyocotylurus erraticus (Odening, 1969), a parasite specific to coregonids, have been revealed. Infection of the least cisco with six parasite species (out of the 12 species found) occurs as the fish feed on zooplankton and benthic organisms. The dominant parasites are trematode larvae of the genera Ichthyocotylurus and, in some years, Diplostomum; this composition of dominants is evidence that the least cisco fattens up mainly in shallow areas. All sexually mature fish of this species were found to be infected by I. erraticus, but the average intensity of infection was rather low: the abundance index of the parasite did not exceed 40 ind. per fish. Analysis of the distribution of I. erraticus metacercariae in the least cisco shows that the relationship in the host-parasite system is stable and the parasite has no pathogenic effect on individuals of older age classes.     

The economic,environmental and agricultural land use effects in the European Union of agricultural labour subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy

In this study, we assessed the economic, environmental and agricultural land use impacts in the EU of a 20% reduction in the Pillar I budget of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) and spending the saved money via a subsidy on labour in primary agriculture. The impact of such a policy has been assessed with a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and a partial equilibrium (PE) model. It is concluded that reallocation of Pillar I budgets to a coupled agricultural labour subsidy increased employment in agriculture, especially in agricultural sectors and regions that are relatively labour intensive. Average employment in agriculture in the EU increased with 1.6% in the CGE model and with 0.6% in the PE model. Agricultural production and environmental emissions from agriculture increased as well. At the same time, prices of agricultural outputs decreased. Value added including subsidies increased for agricultural labour, but total value added in agriculture decreased. The latter was especially explained by decreased land prices and land-related value added. Measured in terms of equivalent variation, total welfare in the EU decreased. Welfare costs equalled about 1400 € per full-time work equivalent in agriculture extra. These results show that policy makers should weigh carefully the pros and cons of the direct and indirect overall economic, environmental and land use impacts of a subsidy on agricultural labour at the expense of the Pillar I budget of the EU CAP.