At the beginning of December 2020, we received the first information about the stranding of the corpses of the Red Book Caspian seals on the Dagestan coast. Employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS) who have been studying this species within the framework of the international Kazakh-Russian Program of Caspian Seal Research in the Northern Caspian Sea (2019-2023), have left for the areas of stranding after the first reports. On-site studies were organized jointly with the staff of the Caspian Institute of Biological Resources of the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PIBR DNC RAS) and a veterinarian of the Moskvarium Center for Oceanography and Marine Biology. Later, when the number of dead animals rose to the hundreds, employees of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) joined the IEE RAS expedition, which contributed to the expansion of the range of work. For molecular-virological, toxicological, hormonal, genetic, histological and morphological studies, researchers from IEE RAS and a veterinarian of the Center for Oceanography and Marine Biology "Moskvarium" took samples of biological material from 13 dead seals. These were mainly adult females - five of them were pregnant. One of the animals showed signs of entangling, left over from being caught in the net.

The new FAO report "Current knowledge of soil biological diversity - state, changes and potentialities", in the creation of which the staff of the IEE RAS has taken part, is available for free download from the FAO website. In celebration of World Soil Day, established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and celebrated on 5 December, the report "Current knowledge of soil biological diversity - state, changes and potentialities" was finalized and presented. To prepare it, hundreds of specialists from more than 100 countries of the world united their efforts for a comprehensive analysis of the state of biological diversity of soils, the stability of ecosystem functions performed by soil biota, the most tangible threats to the stability of soils and their biological diversity, as well as the prospects for further soil-ecological research. This work was coordinated by experts from FAO and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI). Employees of the laboratory for studying the ecological functions of soils at the A.N.Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences co-authored this document from the Russian Federation. They took part in expert groups assessing the current state of soil biodiversity in the world, as well as studying threats to soil stability and functioning.

Specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS) for many years have been fruitfully cooperating with the staff of the Stepnoy Reserve located in the Limansky District of the Astrakhan Region, the information about the research can be found on the Institute's website. One of the areas of such joint work is related to the study and conservation of the saiga population in the North-Western Caspian region. On the territory of the Stepnoy Reserve, selected as a model site, for more than 15 years field data has been collected in a format developed by the Institute's staff, a comprehensive analysis of which made it possible to analyze the spatial distribution and ethological structure of this population, and also to establish that the main part of it throughout the year is kept within the Stepnoy Reserve and in the adjacent territories. The collected field materials, which are the basis for long-term monitoring, are extremely important for planning conservation measures aimed at the restoration of this saiga population both in the near future and in the long term. Previously, field data on the sightings of saigas and other animals, climatic indicators, any factors and phenomena that may affect the well-being of a small and completely isolated population of the North-Western Caspian Sea region were recorded by the staff of the Reserve in "paper forms" with their subsequent "transfer" to the electronic database, which significantly slowed down the process of preparing data for analysis.

The release of saigas into the wild from the Saigak nursery of the Astrakhansky state hunting property (ГООХ), carried out on December 4, 2020, is a multi-year project implemented as part of the regional project “Conservation of biological diversity and development of ecological tourism”, which is part of the federal project of the same name. At this stage, specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS), which, as already mentioned before (LINK), within the framework of the Russian-German project “ICARUS” IEE RAS collaborates with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (Germany) and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, implementing the project “Protected Areas for Saigas”. Two weeks ago, the saigas specially prepared in the nursery for their release into the wild in the territory of the Stepnoy Reserve were equipped with ultra-light ear tags that do not disturb the animals and represent a new type of satellite transmitter. Within two weeks, the animals underwent adaptation in the "Saigak" nursery, and now three males, delivered to the territory of the "Stepnoy" reserve in special transport boxes, were now released into the wild.

In the fall of 2020, the Institute continued the study of the Caspian seal as part of the Russian-Kazakh Program for the Study of the Caspian Seal in the Northern Caspian Sea for 2019-2023 and, with the financial support of NCOC, conducted an autumn expedition. Field work in the northeastern part of the Caspian Sea (water area of the Republic of Kazakhstan) took place from October 31 to November 14, 2020. Employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS) Maria Solovyova, Gleb Pilipenko, Dmitry Glazov, Natalia Shumeiko, as well as Kazakhstani colleagues - employees of the Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology of the Republic of Kazakhstan A.I. Kydyrmanov, K.O. Karamendin, E.T. Kasymbekov and employees of the Kazakhstan Agency of Applied Ecology (KAPE) RK F.V. Klimov, A.N. Mulyaev. The work was carried out from the research vessel "Alina", which on October 31 set sail from the port of Bautino and moved towards the north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea. Research vessel Alina While the vessel was sailing, the staff of the IPEE RAS carried out passing counts of the Caspian seal encounters. In good weather, 1-2 observers stood on the upper deck all daylight hours and recorded all encounters of seals. Although few animals were encountered, some were photographed.

The study was conducted jointly with American colleagues from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Members of the Scapholeberinae subfamily of the Daphniidae family were studied using genetic and morphological methods. Based on the results of the work, a species new to scientific study was identified, named after the outstanding researcher of cladocerans N.N. Smirnov - Scapholeberis smirnovi. Cladocerans ("water fleas") are one of the most common microscopic (most are 0.5-5 mm in size) animals of continental water bodies. They are traditional model objects for biologists of various specialties. It is on their example that the biogeography of freshwater fauna is currently being formed. If the biogeography of terrestrial and marine animals is relatively well studied, the biogeography of the inhabitants of continental water bodies is in its formative stage. Most scientific research on cladocerans has previously been focused on Daphnia, a planktonic crustacean belonging to the large Daphniidae family. At the same time, there are their closest relatives who lead a completely different way of life, attaching themselves from below to the surface film of water, although they are able to swim in water like daphnia. The group of organisms that are associated with the surface film of water is called a "neuston". Scientists of IEE RAS, together with their American colleagues from the State University of New York at Buffalo, studied the members of the Scapholeberinae subfamily of the Daphniidae family, as well as extremely common inhabitants of continental reservoirs of different latitudes using genetic and morphological methods, and an article on the results of these works was published in the journal PeerJ.

 

The K.I. Scriabin award of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2020 was presented to Doctor of Biological Sciences Terenina Nadezhda Borisovna (A.N.Severtsov Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences) for a series of scientific works "Neurotransmitters in helminths and neurobiological aspects of the relationship between the parasite and the host ". N.B. Terenina is one of the leading experts in the field of research in the neurophysiology of helminths. In the series of works submitted to the competition, she was the first to systematize fundamental analytical data on the presence, localization and content of neurotransmitters (biogenic amines, serotonin, etc.) in helminths of various taxonomic groups at different stages of their life cycle; providing information on the synthesis, metabolism, functional significance of neurotransmitters in parasitic flatworms and a comparative analysis of the morphofunctional organization of their nervous system. Data on the functional characteristics of neurotransmitter systems characteristic of parasitic worms, on neurochemical changes in organs and tissues of animals infested with helminths are presented in her work. The results of the author's many years of research are of great scientific and practical importance and make a significant contribution to the development of helminthology and parasitology in general. They are aimed at solving a fundamental scientific problem - the study of the mechanisms of the relationship between the parasite and the host, which is extremely important in the development of new effective antiparasitic drugs. Research by N.B. Terenina enriched biological science both in fundamental terms and in the field of applied research.

  The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has decided to bring forth the information about the unknown heroes of science - laboratory animals that saved millions of human lives. All photos and videos presented in the section about fish were taken in the IEE RAS aquarium. The project combines photo, video and text materials and tells about eight animals that helped scientists make breakthroughs in science and medicine. The project was created jointly with the grant recipients of the Foundation, filming took place in real scientific laboratories. You can learn about it from the following link: https://animals.rscf.ru/ (in order to appreciate all the functions of the site, we recommend viewing it from a computer).

At the end of September, the next field season of the team of specialists on marine mammals of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Sea of Okhotsk ended. The project for the study of the endangered Okhotsk population of the bowhead whale is headed by a researcher of the Institute, Ph.D. Olga Shpak, who has been researching cetacean populations in the Shantar region of the Sea of Okhotsk for over 10 years. This year the work is being carried out under a grant from the Ocean Park Conservation Fund Hong Kong (OPCFHK). In the field team of IEE RAS, wonderful people worked: a young scientist and photo-ID specialist Milena Morozova, paramotor pilot Alexander Bogdanov and his wife, pilot assistant and "Universal Helper" Alexandra Solovova, and professional drone operator Sergey Abarok. In addition to observing the behavior and distribution of whales, taking biopsies normally and replenishing the photo catalog, this time the team set itself ambitious tasks: to install satellite transmitters monitor the migratory routes and winter habitats of whales, and also to test a new way of taking biopsies - from a drone.

On October 26, 2020, the event took place in a series of events dedicated to the Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation between China and Russia in the field of innovation. The seminar was devoted to the assessment of the suitability of habitats in the territory of the Lesser Khingan mountain range (Heilongjiang province, China) for the Amur tiger. The fifth meeting of the joint Russia-China Environmental Innovation and Research Center was successfully held via remote video communication in Harbin, China, and Moscow, Russia. More than 20 Chinese and Russian experts took part in the meeting, including Academician V.V. Rozhnov, Director of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS; A.V. Tiunov, deputy director of the Institute, Wu Yuehui, vice president of the Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences; Liu Zhizhong, Director of the International Cooperation Department, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences; Zeng Zhaoven, Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences.

Within the Baikal seal research program, developed by the A.N.Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as a part of the Agreement on Scientific Cooperation between IEE RAS and VNIRO, from October 14 to October 22, an expedition was carried out for comprehensive research of the endemic seal of Lake Baikal. The base of the expedition was located in the village of Kurbulik, on the shore of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula in the Chivyrkuisky Bay. We were delivered here by a car allocated by V.A. Peterfeld, director of the Baikal branch of VNIRO. Of the two settlements located in the bay, this one is the largest. In the past, the village was engaged in fishing, mainly of Baikal omul, which has become problematic to the decrease in its number. Approximately 30 people live permanently in the village, there is no electricity, and Baikal itself is used as a source of water. But in summer, life and business in these places flourish due to the number of tourists. The thermal springs of the Zmeyova Bay are located 13 km from Kurbulik, fishing and boat excursions are organized on the lake. The coastline of the peninsula is rich in small bays, where the water warms in summer. The location in the Chivyrkuisky Bay protects from the harsh Baikal winds - southwestern Kultuk, northeastern Barguzin, northeastern Sarma and southeastern Shelonnik.

As a result of analyzing the data from a specially installed matrix of camera traps in the Caucasian Reserve, unique shots of leopards in nature were obtained. The happiest news was receiving footage of a leopard named Kodor - says Alim Pkhitikov, senior researcher at the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of RAS, a member of the leopard field monitoring group - after all, this confirms that he is alive, and throughout the period after his release he successfully hunted and adapted to the natural environment. Kodor’s tracking collar stopped working almost immediately, not even 10 days after release. All this time, absolutely nothing was known about him and about how he adapts to life in the wild, how he hunts – whether everything is alright with him. This is the only leopard out of the four released in 2020 about whom no information was received at all at the Center of Remote Methods for Monitoring Animals in Nature. Judging by the photographs, Kodor is faring well, has acquired a more athletic form, looks healthy, has no external damage. This is important and joyful news for all project participants. The camera also captured a female named Laba released with Kodor in the wild landscape. She is also in good shape and, judging by the photo, is adapting well to the conditions of the Caucasian Reserve.

A satellite collar previously belonging to the female leopard Volna who got rid of two years after release has been found. The self-resetting system has operated on the device. The collar is suitable for future use. However, for a start, the data from two years of the leopard's life will be documented and decrypted. Volna was released in North Ossetia on the territory of the Alania National Park in 2018 as part of the Leopard Restoration (Reintroduction) Program in the Caucasus, developed by experts from the World Fund for Nature and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS) in 2005. Thanks to the satellite collar, which is put on each leopard before being released into nature, scientists were able to observe the movement of the predator and record cases of successful hunting. According to the monitoring results, it can be said that the female has adapted to life in the wild perfectly.   The satellite collar was found on October 7, 2020 in the Urvan region of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic by the inspector of the Hunting Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the KBR Amirkhan Mazikhov and promptly transferred through the head of the Department, Marat Chechnov, to World Fund for Nature Russia.

Released animals are increasingly mastering the territory, and increasing the area of their habitat and hunting grounds. As such, in the Caucasian reserve, Laba has covered 138 km since the release, 56 km over the past month. However, she is very careful and since August 20 has never moved more than 6.5 km from the place where she was released. She has not claimed more territory than 25 square kilometers. The maximum height that the young leopardess conquered in the Caucasian Reserve is 2,761 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, the collar of the male Kodor released with her stopped transmitting information a month ago. There is a hope that everything is in order with the animal, either a malfunction of the collar or the data transmission unit being damaged in a fight with prey. In the near future, a specially equipped field team is moving out to search for the leopard or its collar in the region where the signal of its radio beacon was last heard. The animals released in North Ossetia spent most of the past month in the vast forest area where the Turmon reserve is located. Since the release, Agura has covered a distance of 168 km, of which 121 km over the past month. Like Laba, she is very careful and does not tend to move too far from the place of release - the maximum distance she moved away from it is 20.5 km. Agura made no attempts to conquer the peaks - she preferred to stay no higher than 1100 meters above sea level, mastering a vast area in the valley green zone, the area of which is currently 224 sq km. Baksan is much more active than Agura in his craving for knowledge of unknown lands, since the release he covered 263 km, 190 km of which in September. The area that Baksan mastered after release is 314.6 sq km.

State inspectors of the Russian Arctic National Park Vadim Zakharyin, Vladimir Alsufiev and Oleg Valkov spoke about the unusual story of the Umka polar bear cub, which they witnessed. Let us remind you that the inspectors of the Russian Arctic are now completing the field season in the southern cluster of the national park, at Cape Zhelaniya. It is planned that in the second half of October the polar explorers will return to the mainland. The story of a bear cub, who was lost and was looking for his family, was told by the head of the Cape Zhelaniya field base, senior state inspector Vadim Zakharyin. “It all started in early September, an adolescent bear started coming to our house. At that time, biologists of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution were still working with us on Novaya Zemlya - says Vadim Zakharyin, - Scientists immediately determined the age of the adolescent bear, and were sure that he was lost: at this age bears do not wander alone. The inspectors had seen this cub before, along with a female bear and another adolescent bear, much further south, at Cape Serebryanikov, while patrolling the area. Why Umka, as the polar explorers called the lost bear, left the family, they do not know. The inspectors went to take the cub under their protection, because adult males constantly tried to attack the young bear. “Not far from our base, a dead beluga whale was thrown ashore, and the bear cub was feeding on it,” says the head of the polar station. “However, several adult bears attempted to feed on it along with Umka. Once we even had to run to save the cub, to scare away the other bears from Umka, who began to attack him." Umka's story was concluded with a happy reunion with his mother.

IEE RAS In the summer of last year, employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS took part in a ten-day expedition to study the Baikal seal, organized by the Lake Baikal Foundation. 15 wild seals were tagged with satellite transmitters to observe what areas of the lake are used by seals during different seasons and calculate their migration routes. Additionally, scientists collected 174 samples of biological material from wild seals for further research. Toxicological and virological studies have already been completed, and at the moment, complex genetic analyzes are being conducted, which will make it possible to understand how the endemic adapts to changes in the ecological environment, and whether there are different subspecies of the same population of the Baikal seal. In total, the genetic research requires 1.5 million rubles. Now the Fund "Help is needed" helps to partially solve this problem. A fundraiser has been launched for the purchase of reagents and supplies required for conducting laboratory tests. If you, too, would like to help the Baikal seal, and help us learn more about it in order to properly approach its protection, you can contribute to this complex research by following the link: https://takiedela.ru/topics/pomoshh-izucheniyu-baykalskoy-nerpy/