© Photo: Shutterstock Science has long been concerned with the question of how aquatic animals acquire the ability to breathe air. One amazing example is the creeper fish, or persimmon. Russian scientists are studying it in its natural environment and at the same time helping to restore traditional crafts in Vietnam. The mystery of the “turtle fish” The first information about fish, which spend part of their lives on land, can be found in ancient Greek authors. The most famous example is the river eel, which can crawl on wet ground. Most amphibious fish live in the tropics, which is why European researchers have mentioned them since the beginning of the Age of Discovery. At the end of the 18th century, the German naturalist Markus Bloch compiled an encyclopedia on ichthyology. A collection of dozens of specimens was delivered to him from the south of India, in which he discovered an unusual fish with a head resembling a shell. The scientist named the new species “turtle fish.” In a drawing from that time it is depicted with blue eyes. Around the same years, the Holstein naturalist Dagobert Karl Daldorf, according to some sources, a native of Moscow, left for India. The Copenhagen Natural History Society commissioned him to assemble a collection of local fauna. In one of his scientific notes, he shared observations about a “perch” that climbed onto a palm tree growing near a pond, using spiny fins and gill covers. Fig.2. Book from 1861. In the picture, one climbing rope crawled out of the water, and the other already climbed onto a palm tree. Daldorf's message was translated into English, and many European publications reprinted it, embellishing it along the way. It was claimed, for example, that fish climb trees to drink sap or even palm wine. The famous naturalist Georges Cuvier combined these cases into an independent genus, which he named Anabas (from Greek - “ascent”). Later, a colonial official, Mitchell, wrote a note in a scientific journal based on the words of a servant who had allegedly seen persimmon climbing into trees many times. Already in the 19th century, some scientists doubted this evidence. At the same time, in the Dravidian language and some Malaysian dialects this fish is called “tree-climbing,” which was noticed by the American ichthyologist Hugh Smith in the mid-20th century. Since then, the persimmon has been observed alive many times; none of the scientists have seen it climbing trees. The reasons, even theoretical ones, that could prompt it to do this are unknown. And yet the issue has not yet been resolved, says Dmitry Zvorykin, candidate of biological sciences, senior researcher at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science). He worked for several years at the Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center, detailed the history of the discovery of the species in the Natural History Archives, and became the first author from Russia in this British journal. "Inaccurate data and errors sometimes play a positive role. Rumors accompanying reports of fish traveling on land and climbing trees prompted scientists to study these unusual creatures," says the biologist. Fig: © Photo: D. Zvorykin Anabas in an aquarium preparing to grab prey Where do the Anabas crawl? Now science knows of many air-breathing fish, and the most interesting ones live in the tropics. These include the climbing rope, or creeper fish, one of the most famous amphibious fish. Small, resembling a perch, it is widespread in fresh water bodies of Vietnam, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and India. During the rainy season, perches take refuge in small puddles along river banks. There they reproduce without any competition, laying many thousands of eggs. Within a day the larvae hatch. The grown juveniles climb onto land and spread out. Most die; at best a dozen individuals reach sexual maturity. “We don’t fully understand how they choose a direction,” continues Dmitry Zvorykin. “But this is the survival strategy of this species. They conquer with numbers”. © Illustration by RIA Novosti. iStock/tagenu Anabas native to South and Southeast Asia. From there it spread to India At the end of the 20th century, zoologist Eugene Balon argued that fish protect their eggs from predators for some time, that is, they demonstrate primitive parental care. This detail is included in many encyclopedias and textbooks. “Where did he get this from?” asks Zvorykin. “This behavior requires time and effort, there are fewer offspring, but they survive better. No one has seen parental care in the climbing rope. Most likely, this is a myth.” Just like blue eyes - in fact, in this species they are yellowish or reddish. Anabas crawl on land, relying on fins and gill covers. They do not have special adaptive features for “walking”. They usually move short distances, but sometimes they cover two hundred meters. In humid conditions outside the reservoir, they can stay for several days. But without air in the water they die in a matter of hours. The creeper fish (anabas) lives in the muddy water of local rivers and ponds © Photo: D.Zvorykin “This feature allows it to survive in bodies of water where other fish cannot exist. Thus, the species avoids competition, which is important for the tropics,” explains the biologist. The anabas breathe air thanks to a labyrinthine organ located under the gill covers. “It looks like a lump of thin winding plates. Due to its large surface, it has good gas exchange efficiency,” Zworykin clarifies. In addition to the climbing rope, for example, popular aquarium fish have a labyrinthine organ - bettas, macropods, gourami. Scientists have found that the ability to go onto land and breathe arose in fish many times throughout evolution, independently in different groups. Labyrinthids appeared approximately 50 million years ago and most likely originated from some small freshwater fish (they are not related to amphibians). The anabas have existed unchanged for ten million years. Photo of the labyrinthine organ © Photo: D.Zvorykin Return to tradition The anabas forms an important part of the diet of Southeast Asians. Archaeological evidence suggests that it has been consumed since at least the Stone Age. The fish is grilled, stewed in pots with other products, but most often boiled, since soups are eaten throughout the day. The anabas has been bred in ponds since ancient times, often combined with rice growing. Nowadays, due to the active use of fertilizers and pesticides, this tradition has begun to fade. Now it is being revived with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). “At the end of the 20th century, international programs focused on breeding the most effective aquaculture species, such as tilapia and large catfish,” says Dmitry Zvorykin. Over time, however, it became clear that these species were becoming invasive and threatening native fauna. Therefore, the breeding of small native fish species is now encouraged. “It’s much cheaper, simpler and safer for the environment. It’s accessible to many small farmers,” notes the biologist. True, there are nuances. If you breed persimmon in ponds, you must use hormonal injections and special feeding methods. This is where the help of scientists was needed. Being a widespread species, the persimmon helps solve environmental problems. If it is caught or bred uncontrollably, it is unknown what will happen to the local biological communities. Last but not least, this fish is an important object of fundamental research. It helps to reconstruct the exit of animals to land. By studying fish that can breathe air and move in a different environment, scientists are trying to understand how and why this happened to the ancestors of the first land creatures.

The family of bloodsucking flies Hippoboscidae Samouelle, 1819 has about 213 species. All its representatives are widespread blood-sucking ectoparasites of mammals and birds. Both sexes feed on the blood of their owners. Courtship and mating take place on the host. Representatives of the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 are full-winged parasites of 47 families of birds. Representatives of Ornithomia live mainly in the middle latitudes of the Old World. Before this work, 30 species of the genus Ornithomya were known. A new species, O. triselevae, was described from Iturup Island (Kuril Islands, Russia). According to the literature, 5 species of Ornithomya are found in the Russian Far East, and 4 on the northern Japanese islands. The new species differs from other Ornithomya species in the setae on the abdomen.O. triselevae was collected from Ocyris spodocephalus personatus, the most abundant passerine bird of the Kuril Islands, which occurs in many habitats and winters in China. The new species is named in honor of Tatyana Alekseevna Triseleva, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Soil Zoology and General Entomology of the IEE RAS. A. V. Matyukhin, A. A. Yatsuk,  Ya. A. Red’kin, P. A. Smirnov and E. P. NartshukA New Species of the Genus Ornithomya Latreille (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) from Iturup (Kuril Islands)Entomological Review, 2023, Vol. 103, No. 4, pp. 450–454. DOI: 10.1134/S0013873823040061 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0013873823040061

In the photo: Chechen Republic, “Carbon Farm” site, measuring mast for greenhouse gas flows using the turbulent pulsation method. Author of the photo: Mamadiev Nurdin. Human influence on natural ecosystems has increased significantly over recent decades, as a result of which their structure and functioning are changing. Changes in the structure of radiation, water and carbon balances affect regional weather and climate conditions. Forest restoration and land reclamation are important components of low-carbon development and decarbonization strategies in the Russian and global economies. Thus, studying the process of restoration of natural ecosystems after disturbances becomes extremely important in the context of climate change. Employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with colleagues from M.D. Millionshchikov Grozny State Oil Technical University collaborated on an experiment to monitor greenhouse gas flows in a reforestation zone in the Chechen Republic. New experimental data were obtained on their seasonal and daily variability, as well as on their sensitivity to environmental conditions. Observations of greenhouse gas fluxes using the turbulent pulsation method were carried out in a reclaimed area planted with tree seedlings. The first year of measurements showed that the absorption of CO2 by the reforestation area in a temperate continental climate is determined by moisture conditions during the growing season. CO2 absorption was observed during the active growth of tree seedlings during periods with optimal soil moisture conditions in the spring months. Periods of prolonged heat and drought in the summer led to the death of vegetation and the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Sensible and latent heat fluxes also depended on weather conditions, mainly on incoming solar radiation and humidification conditions. Thus, for the successful implementation of such forest-climatic projects aimed at creating and restoring forest ecosystems with a high absorption capacity of CO2, it is also necessary to develop appropriate irrigation and drainage measures that provide a sufficient amount of soil moisture. Link to article: Satosina, E.; Mamadiev, N.; Makhmudova, L.; Kurbatova, J. Carbon Dioxide and Heat Fluxes during Reforestation in the North Caucasus. Forests 2023, 14, 2368. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14122368

The world of Chukotka is wonderful and unique, but fat too distant and unreachable to many. What new and interesting things did scientists discover in a village with a wonderful Chukchi name - Meinypilgyno in 2023? Presented in the film "Chukotka. Science in Meinypilgyno." Sofya Borisovna Rosenfeld, candidate of biological sciences, ornithologist, senior researcher at Russian bird ringing, took part in the filming process.

Fig.1. Shells of C. fluminalis on the shores of the Caspian Sea (Republic of Dagestan). Photo by Olga Aksenova (FECIAR UrB RAS) Scientists from the N.P. Laverov Federal Research Center for Integrated Study of the Arctic of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Arkhangelsk) with the participation of colleagues from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (Moscow) selected and studied samples of invasive mollusks of the genus Corbicula, which are actively spreading in the European part of Russia. The study of nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes largely explains the reasons for the rapid development of populations of the species Corbicula fluminea and Corbicula fluminalis in Russian water bodies. Mollusks of the genus Corbicula (from the Latin corbis - basket), historically living in fresh and brackish waters of Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East, have significantly expanded their range in recent decades, settling in the rivers and canals of Europe, including the European part of the Russian Federation, and also South and North America. In Russia, invasions were first recorded in the Shura-Ozen River (Caspian Sea basin, Republic of Dagestan) in 2013, and then in other reservoirs of the Caspian basin (Yuzbash-Sulak and Prisulak canals, etc.). The first habitats of corbicula in the north of the European part of the Russian Federation were artificial reservoirs with heated water created by energy facilities. In 2015, corbicule was discovered in the area where heated waters from the Kostroma State District Power Plant are discharged into the river Volga and in the technological channel of the Arkhangelsk Thermal Power Plant (Northern Dvina River basin). Then “basket” mollusks were found in the warm canal of the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant and in the Don River. In 2022, scientists from the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted a high density of corbicula populations in some areas in the lower reaches of the Don (up to 50 individuals per square meter). With a high degree of probability, corbicula could have entered the water bodies of the Russian Federation on river vessels along with ballast water, as well as through their transfer by migratory birds and together with the introduction of aquaculture objects. As explained by the director of the Institute of Biogeography and Genetic Resources of the Laverovsky Center, Yulia Bespalaya, corbicula are heat-loving representatives of the animal world. To reproduce, they need a temperature of at least + 6 . Mollusks used the heated°C waters of power facilities as refugia (ecological shelters), gradually adapting and spreading to neighboring reservoirs. Global warming creates additional conditions for further large-scale invasions. Corbicula, like other bivalves, are active biofilters. Once in new bodies of water, they quickly multiply, reach large numbers and begin to compete for food resources with local species of mollusks, filtering out their larvae (glochidia) from the water column and thus reducing their numbers. The high density of “baskets” also contributes to the transformation of habitats. To fully understand the reproductive success of invasive species, scientists analyzed not only mitochondrial but also nuclear DNA. The nuclear DNA of invasive corbicula was studied for the first time in Russia. According to Alexander Kropotin, a junior researcher at the Laverovsky Center, research results have shown that individuals of C. fluminea and C. fluminalis may be hybrids. In other words, one living organism contains different versions of nuclear DNA in its chromosomes. Some hybrid corbicula individuals are polyploid, in which case the organism has more than one pair of chromosomes. – The rapid development of populations is due to the fact that corbicula can reproduce through androgenesis (“male parthenogenesis”). In such cases, one individual may be enough to give rise to a new population. For the first time, we examined the nuclear genes of corbicula in all discovered populations and found out that they contain both hybrid and non-hybrid individuals,” explained Yulia Bespalaya. Also during the study, the origin of the “invaders” was established. For example, individuals of Corbicula luminalis found in water bodies of Dagestan and the Stavropol Territory turned out to be genetically closest to mollusks living in the rivers of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Turkey. It should be noted that C. fluminalis from the Euphrates River was first described by the Danish naturalist Otto Frederik Müller back in 1774, i.e. almost 250 years ago. The study was carried out within the framework of the work under the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 21-14-00092 “Phylogeny, biogeography, integrative taxonomy and features of reproduction of bivalves of the genus Corbicula (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae).”

Energy and mass exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is significantly influenced by modern climate change. Long-term observations of carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes using eddy-covariance technology are an effective method for studying the impact of environmental variability on the processes of CO2 absorption and emission by various ecosystems. Typically, CO2 fluxes are measured by a sensor at one point above the ecosystem and reflect the integral contribution of all CO2 sources and sinks located upwind of the sensor. Correct interpretation of the received signal is impossible without determining the area from which the signal arrives at the sensor. Using modeling and experimental data, employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences analyzed this area of influence on CO2 fluxes for a measuring complex located in a sphagnum-blueberry spruce forest in the southwest of the Valdai Hills. The dependence of the area of influence (or area of signal formation) on the season and direction of the prevailing wind was studied. The area of influence in the analysis was characterized by two parameters: the distance from which the maximum influence on the measured flow is exerted, and the distance providing 80% contribution to the measured flow. Both parameters showed weak seasonal dynamics due to the predominance of coniferous trees on the territory (quasi-homogeneous forest). However, most of the models used in the analysis to assess the impact zone showed that in summer the area that has the maximum impact on the signal is located 10–15% of the distance typical for winter from the sensor, which is associated with seasonal changes in air flow dynamics. The analysis revealed that small remote areas of broadleaves forests in separate directions from the measuring complex are capable of influencing the impact zone. Areas with low or less dense vegetation also affect the impact area by transforming the air flow passing over them. The results of the analysis are important for the interpretation of measurements over a quasi-homogeneous forest, allowing for the separation of various sources and sinks that influence the measured CO2 flux depending on the season and prevailing wind direction. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 21-14-00209) and within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation FFER-2022-0002 (topic No. 1022031600002-1-1.6.19) Link to article:Sogachev, A.; Varlagin, A. Seasonal Dynamics of Flux Footprint for a Measuring Tower in Southern Taiga via Modeling and Experimental Data Analysis. Forests 2023, 14, 1968. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14101968

Six species of burrowing pikas (lagomorphs) inhabit the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas. The species are very similar in appearance, but each of them occupies a special ecological niche. The landscapes preferred by the species are distributed in such a way that one of the species, the black-lipped pika, inhabits the entire plateau itself, while the remaining species have small habitats adjacent to it on different sides. Currently, the ranges of the species almost do not overlap. In a work published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution by an international Chinese-Russian team of authors, including senior researcher at the Laboratory of Mammalian Microevolution, Ph.D. Lisovsky A.A., analyzed how the ranges of all six species could change during the climatic fluctuations of the Pleistocene. It turned out that these pikas are very sensitive to climate changes, and different phases of cooling and warming should have noticeably changed their ranges. Genomic studies showed that all six species were involved in a process of interspecific hybridization, with different species interbreeding at different times. The process of hybridization is still underway in the southwest of the Tibetan plateau. Analysis of demographic curves and hybridization times suggested that for three species, gene transfer was beneficial and interrupted population declines caused by habitat restructuring as a result of climate change. It is curious that the black-lipped pika, which has always maintained a central position in its range, was the main source of transferred genes. The very fact of interspecific hybridization was discovered in previous studies, based on the detection of foreign mitochondrial DNA in populations of several species. However, genomic studies have expanded the list of hybridizing species. Three more pairs of cases were found in which nuclear gene transfer was not accompanied by replacement of mitochondrial DNA. It is assumed that hybridization had adaptive significance for the species involved. For example, the Daurian pika, mainly distributed on the low Mongolian plateau, as a result of hybridization was able to populate significantly higher territories adjacent to northeastern Tibet. Ge D., Wen Z., Feijó A., Lissovsky A., Zhang W., Cheng J., Yan C., She H., Zhang D., Cheng Y., Lu L., Wu X., Mu D., Zhang Y., Xia L., Qu Y., Vogler A.P. & Yang Q. 2022. Genomic Consequences of and Demographic Response to Pervasive Hybridization over Time in Climate-sensitive Pikas // Molecular Biology and Evolution. Vol.40. No.1. P.msac274. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac274

Longhorned beetles Batocera horsfieldi (Hope, 1839) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are an important pest of woody plants in China. This beetle is mainly distributed in China, Vietnam, Japan and India, where its larvae infect almost 100 species of trees, including walnut (Juglons) and other important walnut trees, but it is thought to have the potential to become an invasive species because its larvae feed secretly under the bark and are easily transported in wood materials. Fig.1. The last author of the article, Jacob Wickham, a researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, holding an adult longhorned beetle Batocera horsfieldi These beetles have a sensitive olfactory system, which is necessary for finding a host tree and breeding pair. The development of specialized and complex olfactory systems has allowed these insects to become significantly more aware of their environment, as they are able to detect and distinguish volatile substances that play a key role in behaviors such as searching for food, finding a host, mating and laying eggs. In connection with this feature, special effective attractants are used to catch these insects, detect them in nature and study them. The availability of effective attractants for their mass collection may also reduce the use of insecticides to control this and other species. Fig.2. Batocera horsfieldi beetle larva inside wood The aim of our study was to investigate attractive compounds in plant hosts for the longhorned beetle Batocera horsfieldi. In a paper published in the journal Insects, we uncovered a potential olfactory mechanism underlying host selection in the Chinese pistachio (Pistacia chinensis). Using Chinese pistachio trees, we performed two bioassays using 10 adult pairs (indoor, darkroom, and cage) on adult feeding-damaged plants and intact control plants. Volatiles from these plants were then collected and identified, and the antennal responses of adult insects to these compounds were tested using electroantennography (EAG). Finally, the behavioral responses of B. horsfieldi to these compounds were assessed using a Y-tube olfactometer (maze). Fig.3. This graph shows that male and female longhorned beetles Batocera horsfieldi prefer to feed on damaged trees Electroantennography, a method that uses the antennae of living insects as a living detector, identified 15 electrophysiologically active compounds, many of which were also produced in abundance in the study of damaged plants. Host choice tests showed that B. horsfieldi prefers feed-damaged P. chinensis to healthy trees. Damaged plants release a lot of these volatiles, so beetles can use such emissions from damaged food plants to find them, as well as to find mates who are also attracted to these substances. We identified several terpenes, namely (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, β-ocimene, 3-carene and α-phellandrene, that attract already mated females, and two compounds, (Z)-3-hexen-1- ol and α-phellandrene, which attract males in olfactometric assays using the Y-maze. At the same time, the D-compound limonene-1, also produced by the plant, repelled both males and females, and adults of both sexes avoided its consumption. The response to volatile compounds increased in a dose-dependent manner. Biological feeding assays showed that (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol and β-ocimene can promote feeding in B. horsfieldi and that D-limonene inhibits this response. These results could provide a theoretical basis for the development of attractants or repellents for B. horsfieldi. Fan, J.; Zheng, K.; Xie, P.; Dong, Y.; Gu, Y.;Wickham, J.D. Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses of Batocera horsfieldi Hope to Volatiles from Pistacia chinensis Bunge. Insects 2023, 14, 911. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14120911

Left: Dolly Varden is a suitable host for the trematode D. pseudospathaceum. In the center: the lens of the eye of a fish infected with trematode metacercariae. Right: Metacercariae in all their splendor and awe-inspiring beauty. The phenomenon of parasitic manipulation—the ability of parasites to change the behavior of the host to their benefit—has long attracted the attention of scientists, science popularizers, and the general public. Unfortunately, despite the great interest in this phenomenon, little is known about the mechanisms of manipulation. The trematode Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, which lives in the lenses of fish eyes, suppresses their defensive behavior, making it more accessible prey for piscivorous birds—the definitive hosts of the parasite. This trematode makes the fish more active and forces the owner to stay closer to the water surface. For a long time it was believed that the reason for the change in the host's behavior was the deterioration of vision caused by the parasite. A group of researchers from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS and Timiryazev Academy questioned this hypothesis. They studied the behavior of Dolly Varden (a fish from the salmon family) infected with D. pseudospathaceum in the light and in the dark. The fish were raised and infected with trematodes under controlled laboratory conditions to minimize the influence of environmental factors on the parasite-host relationship. It was assumed that if the problem really was a deterioration in vision, then in the dark the differences in behavior between control and infected fish should disappear. The behavior of the fish was filmed using infrared-sensitive cameras and analyzed “blindly,” meaning the researchers did not know which fish, infected or control, they were testing or which fish’s behavior they were analyzing in the video recordings. Only the autopsy showed whether the fish was infected or not. It turned out that both in the dark and in the light, the infected fish were more active, swam closer to the surface of the water and were caught in the net earlier, i.e., manipulations of the host’s behavior persisted in all light conditions. The results of the study confirm the ability of the parasite to manipulate the behavior of fish, but call into question the assumption of deterioration of the host's vision as the main mechanism of manipulation and hint that the parasite uses more sophisticated mechanisms to control its “prey”. The work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science No. 075-15-2022-1134. The article was published in the International Journal for Parasitology. Gopko M., Tkachenko D., Shpagina A., Maximenko D., Mironova E. (2023) Is vision deterioration responsible for changes in the host’s behavior caused by eye flukes? International Journal for Parasitology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.06.001. A detailed synopsis of the article can be found on the popular science portal “Elements”.

November 28, 2023 Sberbank and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence as part of the implementation of the national project “Ecology” at the III Annual Congress of Young Scientists. The document was signed by Vice President - Director of the Department for the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Maxim Eremenko and Deputy Director of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS Konstantin Gongalsky. The subject of the agreement is the creation, implementation, application, use and development of artificial intelligence models and technological solutions on the study and conservation of biodiversity, as well as joint educational and business events aimed at increasing environmental literacy of the population. Maxim Eremenko, Vice President - Director of the Department for the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sberbank: “One of Sber’s priority areas of work in the ESG field is the development of new solutions based on artificial intelligence technology to regulate environmental risks. AI can be used to collect and analyze data on the state of ecosystems, predict climate change, study the population of rare species of animals and plants, and can make a significant contribution to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation projects.” Konstantin Gongalsky, Deputy Director of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences: “Despite the fact that the main activity of the Institute is fundamental research, one of the priorities of our development is participation in applied environmental research and providing a high-quality scientific foundation for the research carried out by our corporate partners. We hope that the partnership with Sber in the field of artificial intelligence will take our joint work on assessing biodiversity and predicting the state of ecosystems to a new level.”