Fig.1: Participants in field work on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia A collective monograph has been published, the basis of which is information on the diversity and structure of hydrobiont communities in artificial reservoirs of the semi-desert zone using the example of the reservoirs of Western Mongolia - Taishir and Durgun - in the first decade of their existence. Fig.2: Durgun reservoir Separate chapters present the results of studies of planktonic algae and cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria and nanophlegellates, invertebrates, benthic macroinvertebrates, as well as fish populations and fish parasitic fauna. A review of data on the biological regime of reservoirs in semiarid and arid territories of the world is presented. Fig.3: Morpho-ecological forms of the Altai Osman Potanin Oreoleuciscus potanini of the Durgun reservoir:1 - sharp-snouted form2 - herbivorous form3 - piscivorous form The chapters on the reservoirs of Western Mongolia were prepared on the basis of original materials obtained by the authors (including employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences) as part of the Joint Russian-Mongolian integrated biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia. Fig.4: Morpho-ecological forms of the Altai Ottoman Potanin Oreoleuciscus potanini of the Taishir reservoir, demonstrating rapid diversification from the river form, exhibiting similarity with the previously established cyclic formation of the Altai Ottomans in the periodically drying reservoirs of the Valley of Lakes of Mongolia The publication is the 8th monographic edition of the hydrobiological and ichthyological team of the expedition. Fig.5: Dzabkhan River below the Taishir Hydroelectric Power Station dam The book is intended for hydrobiologists, ichthyologists, parasitologists and ecologists, teachers and students of universities, as well as specialists involved in issues of rational environmental management and protection of aquatic ecosystems. Fig.6: Taishir Reservoir The publication is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 55th anniversary of the Joint Russian-Mongolian Complex Biological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Fig.7: Participants in field work on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia Reservoirs of the semi-desert zone: Western Mongolia / hole. ed. Krylov A.V. Moscow; Yaroslavl: Filigree, 2023. – 204 p.; ill. –‒ Biological resources and natural conditions of Mongolia: Proceedings of the Joint Russian-Mongolian complex biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences; v. 69). ISBN 978-5-6050859-8-0 Fig.8: Participants of research on reservoirs in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia Fig.9: The cover of the monograph

Drawing. In conditions of intensified use of meadows and pastures, ecosystems “accelerate” due to the predominance of individuals and species characterized by smaller sizes, greater mobility and speed of functional processes. Collage of photos and images: A.S. Zaitseva and M. Neiert. Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as part of a representative international consortium of researchers, have found that in the event of increased anthropogenic impact on herbaceous ecosystems, the organisms in them, regardless of the systematic group, become smaller and demonstrate an acceleration of functional processes. The problem of ensuring the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems while increasing the intensity of their use in agriculture is extremely relevant in the modern world. Employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as part of a representative international consortium of researchers from eight countries, conducted a large-scale study of 150 European meadows and pastures. The composition and functioning of their biota were studied at the level of individual organisms, species and their entire community. Scientists have made an interesting discovery that in the case of intensification of agricultural use of herbaceous ecosystems, species and individuals characterized by small sizes and accelerated functional processes become increasingly functional in the communities of above-ground and underground organisms inhabiting them. To prove this quantitatively, various morphological and functional parameters, which in the world literature are called traits, were measured for plants, bats, birds, flying insects and various terrestrial and soil invertebrates. Traits include, for example, body size, speed and type of reproduction, respiration rate and other functional characteristics of organisms. Undisturbed communities were found to be dominated by larger, slow-reproducing organisms characterized by relatively slow physiological processes (termed “slow” traits). In disturbed ecosystems, on the contrary, small, fast-moving, fertile species with intense physiological processes (called “fast” traits) prevail. Accordingly, ecosystems in poorly exploited meadows and pastures are “slow”, accumulating a large supply of biomass and characterized by a relative slowdown of processes, and in the case of intensive use - “fast” with reduced biomass, but accelerated functioning and response to stimuli. Due to this, intensively used meadows and pastures can effectively resist complete degradation, as they recover faster in the event of additional impact. “The discovered mechanisms for ensuring the sustainability of meadows and pastures during the intensification of their use by humans open up impressive prospects in the field of green economy and the cultivation of clean and healthy agricultural products,” noted Andrey Zaitsev, head of the work from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading researcher at the laboratory for studying the ecological functions of soils. The participation of the Russian group in the study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF grant 23-14-00201). The results were published in February 2024 in the leading prestigious international journal Nature Communications.

The Russian Wildlife portal contains recordings from camera traps installed in Russian nature reserves and national parks, photographic materials captured by scientists and professional photographers, as well as the most important news. The site also makes it possible to take a virtual trip to the most remote and unexplored corners of Russia, learn about the rich wildlife and protected areas, and observe the life of various animals and birds, including rare species. A special section reveals details of the implementation of programs for the conservation and study of endangered and particularly important species. Related materials: RAS: "The portal “Wildlife of Russia” has opened"

A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and North Ossetia will join forces to preserve and restore rare species of animals on the territory of the republic. This is one of the tasks of the national project “Ecology”. The corresponding agreement was signed at the Russia exhibition, reported the regional Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. “For our part, we will make every effort to achieve the goals of the agreement, to preserve the biodiversity of animals on the territory of North Ossetia. It is no coincidence that the Caucasian leopard and bison became the central theme of the North Ossetian site,” said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Republic Yulia Khludeeva. The Institute, together with scientists and ecologists from North Ossetia, is already successfully implementing a program for the restoration of the Caucasian leopard in the Caucasus, thanks to which 15 individuals have been released into the wild since 2016. The current agreement will contribute to the development of new environmental projects to restore the ecosystem and rare species of animals. The “Ecology” national project is aimed at increasing the efficiency of waste management, radically reducing the level of air pollution in large industrial centers, as well as preserving the unique flora and fauna of Russia. National projects have been implemented by decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2019.

Bones of wild and domestic animals from an archaeological site excavation In 2023, an article was published in the journal “Brief Communications of the Institute of Archeology” by employees of the Laboratory of Historical Ecology of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.B. Savinetsky and O.A. Krylovich in collaboration with archaeologists under the leadership of N.A. Krenke, dedicated to controversial issues related to the early history of the city of Smolensk. The debate among archaeologists and historians around the question of where the city of Smolensk, mentioned in the chronicle in 882, was located, has been going on for more than 100 years. A widespread version was that the initial Smolensk was located in Gnezdovo (a complex of archaeological monuments of the Kievan Rus era and an archaeological reserve in the Smolensk region of Russia), and only in the 11th century was moved to its present location. The results of excavations on the Cathedral Hill of Smolensk showed that the oldest settlement in Smolensk was located on the mountain, and not on the banks of the Dnieper. In the IV–VI (VII) centuries on the top of Cathedral Hill there was a small settlement of the Kolochin-Tushemlinsky (Demidov) cultural tradition. At the turn of the 7th–8th centuries a settlement of significant size was founded here, fortified with a defensive rampart in the first half of the 9th century. The area of the fortified part of the settlement was 2 hectares, and the total area of the settlement was about 4 hectares. Agriculture and cattle breeding formed the basis of the economy of the population living on Cathedral Hill. Most likely, it was this settlement that was mentioned in the chronicle as the city of Smolensk, which belonged to the Krivichi. In the 10th century the settlement on Cathedral Hill fell into decline, apparently due to the rise of the Scandinavian (Swedish) colony of Gnezdovo, and at the beginning of the 11th century an ancient Christian Russian city is being revived on the site of an old fortress, the ruins of which were still clearly visible. These works are extremely important for assessing the time and degree of anthropogenic influence on ecosystems and elucidating the history of management in this region. Krenke N.A., K.A. Ganichev I.N. Ershov A.V. Kovantsev O.A. Krylovich O.A. Lopatina G.O. Moiseenkov V.A. Raeva A.B. Savinetsky. Discussion about Smolensk - the city of the Krivichi. Brief Communications of the Institute of Archeology. 2023; 271:281-302. http://doi.org/10.25681/IARAS.0130-2620.271.281-302

Figure 1. Meetings of ringed cranes in the Ryazan region. Photos by Menitsky V. Studying the influence of weather conditions on animal behavior is important in a rapidly changing climate, allowing us to predict potential changes in behavior and adjust species conservation strategies. One aspect of behavior is daily activity, which is determined by internal (gender, age, life cycle) and external (length of day, weather conditions) factors. Gray cranes are long-distance migrants that reach sexual maturity in the third or fourth year of life. During the breeding season they are territorial; in the pre-migration period they form flocks consisting of non-breeding individuals and families with chicks. Daily movements during the pre-migration period mainly include flights between feeding and overnight sites. The daily movements of 24 gray cranes, tagged with GPS-GSM transmitters in the vicinity of the Oksky Nature Reserve, Ryazan region, were calculated. The connections between weather conditions (average daily temperature, total daily precipitation, wind speed), age, presence of chicks and their daily movements are considered. The study was conducted at the sites of autumn aggregations in the European part of Russia. Average daily movements did not differ statistically among individuals of different ages and amounted to 17.4 km for adults with chicks, 18.9 km for adults without chicks, and 19.3 km for immatures. On hot or rainy days, cranes moved less, and on days with strong winds, movements increased. The negative relationship between movement patterns and average daily temperature suggests possible consequences for the ability of cranes to accumulate enough energy to migrate successfully. Such changes may lead to increased mortality during migration or a longer pre-migration period, highlighting the need to monitor and effectively manage crane aggregations. A graduate student at the Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Use of Bioresources at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kristina Kondrakova, took part in the work. The study was published in the Journal of Ornithology. Figure 2. Examples of maximum (immature, left) and minimum (adult with chick, right) daily movement of the cranes

At the end of 2023, a series of popular science lectures “Real stories from the life of wild predators” was held in Vladikavkaz, dedicated to the work of scientists in the field of study and conservation of large predators. The National Scientific Library of North Ossetia-Alania has become a modern platform for performances held with the participation of invited specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Reserved Ossetia-Alania", Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, National Park "Land of the Leopard", Moscow Zoo. For the convenience of students, all lectures could be listened to both in person and online. “Leopards and human infrastructure”, “Illegal trafficking of animals”, “Wolves and leopards”, “Far Eastern leopards and tigers - how poachers are caught in the Far East” and others - a total of 8 topics covering various aspects of work in the field of biodiversity conservation in our country which were united under the banner of the project “Return of the Caucasian leopard to Ossetia.” “What do we and animals have in common? There are many things, but one of the main characteristics of our life is the common space of planet Earth, and here in Russia it is the space of our country, which we inhabit together and where our paths intersect: the paths of people and animals, the paths of animals among themselves,” noted Maria Chistopolova, specialist of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, before her speech. The Ministry of Natural Resources of North Ossetia also noted the contribution of scientists to the program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus and participation in environmental educational work in the region. On behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of North Ossetia-Alania Vadim Bazaev, the scientists were presented with certificates of honor for their great contribution to the creation of a scientific basis for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in North Ossetia and for their high professionalism. “For three months, we had lectures in Ossetia that were broadcast online to reach a wide audience. It was a wonderful immersion into the world of expeditions and how carefully and precisely science explores our nature. Maria Chistopolova, Anna Yachmennikova, Jose Antonio Hernandez-Blanco, Alim Pkhitikov and others visited us. All these specialists study and restore large predators: Central Asian and Far Eastern leopards, Amur tigers, snow leopards and wolves,” said lecture organizer Madina Slanova. Video recordings of the lectures are presented on the project’s YouTube channel.”

Fig.1: Updated boundary between the subarctic and arctic tundras of Western Siberia and average July land surface temperatures (MODIS data, 2000–2019). Geobotanical zoning, the delineation of zones and subzones of vegetation, is important for ecological and climate studies, facilitating the understanding of natural patterns and processes at different spatial scales, as well as allowing the comparison of ecosystems, the study of their dynamics and the assessment of their responses to environmental changes. The boundary of the subarctic and arctic tundras (High and Low Arctic) is recognized by Arctic researchers as fundamentally important. The widespread use of different regionalization schemes in research raises the following questions addressed in the article: (I) What general criteria define this boundary? (II) Can anthropogenic influences significantly change the distribution of these criteria? (III) Is the widely accepted temperature criterion still relevant given ongoing climate change? and (IV) Is it possible to determine the boundary of subarctic and arctic tundras by mapping these criteria based on modern open climate data and Earth remote sensing data? The analysis of scientific publications showed that researchers rely on general criteria when marking geobotanical boundaries in the Arctic. Circumpolar criteria are based on vegetation structure and climate, while regional characteristics are reflected by floristic criteria. Published designs vary widely, making it difficult to compare scientific results. Maintaining the general principles of geobotanical zoning, the authors drew the boundary between subarctic and arctic tundras using current field data and modern techniques: species distribution modeling (SDM), processing of radar, thermal and optical satellite sensing data, and analysis of climate data. The tundra zone of Western Siberia was chosen as a model in this study, where special studies had not previously been carried out to determine the exact location of geobotanical boundaries. Analysis of existing zoning schemes revealed four main criteria used to determine the geobotanical boundary under consideration: the distribution of key species, the northern limit of the distribution of shrubs and dwarf shrubs over 15 cm in height, the northern limit of the distribution of communities dominated by Betula nana on watersheds, and the July isotherm of +6° C. All these criteria can be mapped with high accuracy using modern data and methods. The developed zoning algorithm, based on a set of analytical methods, takes into account ongoing climate changes and anthropogenic impact. It represents a significant improvement over previous speculative approaches by allowing detailed mapping of this geobotanical boundary for the entire Northern Hemisphere. Given the irrelevance of the temperature criterion, previously widely used, revealed in this study, it is proposed to use three biotic criteria that have shown their relevance. The research emphasizes that local industrial impact does not change the distribution of criteria at the scale of the study, while activities that transform large areas do. as reindeer grazing may influence the distribution of criteria based on vegetation characteristics, with minimal impact on the distribution of key species. It has been shown that the boundary between the subarctic and arctic tundras on earth is about 60 km wide and is reflected in the distribution of vegetation species diversity by a characteristic peak, because in this transition zone, plants and lichens coexist with northern and southern habitat optima. Ermokhina, K.A., Terskaia, A.I., Ivleva, T.Yu., Dudov, S.V., Zemlianskii, V.A., Telyatnikov, M.Yu., Khitun, O.V., Troeva, E.I., Koroleva, N.E., Abdulmanova, S.Yu . (2023). The High–Low Arctic boundary: How is it determined and where is it located? Ecology and Evolution, 13, e10545. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10545 Ermokhina, K. A. – senior researcher laboratory of biogeocenology Ivleva, T. Y. – graduate student of the laboratory of biogeocenology Fig. 2: Species richness (vascular, mosses and lichens, excluding liverworts) depending on the distance from the border of the subarctic and arctic tundras. The numbers along the x-axis indicate the range of distances from the boundary for parcels within each rectangle, with negative numbers indicating parcels north of the boundary and positive numbers indicating parcels south of the boundary. All sites shown in the box (−30, 30) are within 30 km of the boundary and have the highest species richness.

The publishing house "Association of Scientific Publications KMK" published a collective monograph "The World of Small Reservoirs", written by specialists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (Moscow), I.D. Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters RAS (Yaroslavl Region), Zoological Institute RAS (St. Petersburg), Federal State Budgetary Institution Reserved Mordovia (Republic of Mordovia), State Nature Reserve "Volga Forest-Steppe" (Penza Region), All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (Saratov Branch), Tyumen State University (Tyumen). This popular science book consists of three parts. The first analyzes the key features of small bodies of water, offers an original definition of the term and its rationale, and also explains their significance for nature and humans, and describes the problems that threaten them. For the main types of small reservoirs, information is provided on the distribution, characteristics of flora and fauna, economic importance, modern threats and conservation problems. The third part of the book describes in detail the main groups of plants and animals that can be found in small bodies of water in the European part of Russia, as well as other regions. The book is illustrated with a large number of full color photographs, which gives an idea of the diversity of small bodies of water and their importance for nature and society. On almost every page you can see both the reservoirs themselves and various representatives of flora and fauna, from microscopic algae to large mammals. In addition, the book contains illustrations from old publications, reproductions of paintings, and even diagrams of the habitats of various organisms inside reservoirs. Professionals and students alike will find numerous references to contemporary scientific literature. At the end of the book there is a list of recommended materials for further study of small bodies of water, as well as a glossary of basic terms. The monograph was published in a limited edition, but it is possible to pre-order a copy at the portal. Imprint: Bashinsky I.V., Prokin A.A., Filippov D.A., Sazhnev A.S., Osipov V.V., Ershkova E.V., Svinin A.O., Zharov A.A. , Aibulatov S.V. The world of small reservoirs: a collective monograph. – M.: Partnership of Scientific Publications KMK, 2023. – 282 p. – ISBN 978-5-907747-32-6

In the Tunkinsky National Park of Buryatia, work will be carried out to count the number of snow leopards. According to the latest data from the Red Data Book of the Republic of Buryatia, published at the end of 2023, approximately five representatives of this species permanently reside in the territory of two districts of the republic. The presence of resident individuals, as well as individuals moving from one region to another, is noted. The region is constantly monitoring the population of these large cats. As part of the study in 2024, scientists and national park workers plan to check about 15 automatic cameras installed in places where predators are likely to live - in the territories of Tunkinskie Goltsy and the Munku-Sardyk ridge. A variety of methods are used to count snow leopards, including tracks, scrapes, urinary tracts, and camera traps. The found samples of the life activity of snow leopards are sent to the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS in Moscow for analysis.