The international journal DATA, under the leadership of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.A. Kotov, published the work of Russian and Chinese researchers summarizing the results of 20 years of monitoring of the ichthyofauna of the Volga and Kama rivers. The purpose of the study is to describe the diversity of alien and native fish of the Volga and Kama rivers (the largest water system in Europe). For the observation period from 2001 to 2021. a database of almost two thousand records (more than 36 thousand individual observations) was compiled for coastal and pelagic habitats of 143 locations, covering 52 species from 42 genera of 22 families of bony fishes. The dataset is in the standardized DarwinCore format and is publicly available on the International Biodiversity Database GBIF. As a result of the work, data on new findings are provided and the distribution of alien fish species in the Volga-Kama basin is clarified. For all alien species, genetic diversity data (DNA barcoding) is provided, which will allow our data to be used as a comparison material for the accurate identification of alien fish species in order to control their spread. The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project 23-14-00178). Related materials:RAS: "The results of 20-year monitoring of the ichthyofauna of the Volga and Kama rivers are summarized"

The National Agrarian University of Armenia has approved a scholarship for the most successful students. The scholarship will be named after Sergei Oganesovich Movsesyan. Sergey Oganesovich is Russian zoologist, parasitologist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Doctor of Biological Sciences, scientific director of the joint Russian-Armenian scientific and experimental center of zoology and parasitology. He has received a large number of awards and prizes, including the K. I. Scriabin Prize (2002) - for a series of works “Study of species diversity, taxonometry and systematics of cestodes of the suborder Davaineata Skrjbin, 1940.” Sergey Oganesovich is also an Honored Scientist of the Republic of Armenia (2013). Congratulations to Sergei Oganesovich and our Institute on such an important event!

Over the past month (the second half of October - the first half of November), the male Persian leopard named Chilmas, released in July 2023 on the territory of the Turmon Nature Reserve, explored and developed further territory, up to 568 km2. All this time he preferred to stay in the depths of the forest of the Ardon-Urukh interfluve; only in the last month has he become actively interested in the stone outcrops of the rocky ridge and rock massifs. These locations impress our field zoologists every time they examine the ground where Chilmas has hunted. According to data confirmed by them, he successfully feeds by catching deer and roe deer. His prey list also includes badgers and raccoon dogs. During the entire period after his release, Chilmas never crossed the borders of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania; and he is now staying close to the North Ossetian Nature Reserve. During this time, Chilmas traveled a distance of 479 km, of which 183 km in the last month. The maximum distance he has traveled from the release site to date is about 26 km. Compared to Baksan and Leo (leopards we released earlier, in 2020 and 2022), Chilmas’s spatial activity is on par with that of Leo, but less than that of Baksan. So, in approximately the same geographical area Chilmas now travels, over a similar time period Leo developed an area of 512 km2, and Baksan - 828 km2. The nature of the choice of routes by these males in the first 4 months after release also differs significantly. Moreover, during the entire period following the release, there were never any encounters between the released leopards. Chilmas is characterized by greater diversity in the choice of landscapes and greater efficiency when hunting large prey. Since his release, a total of 11 clusters of confirmed locations - places where he hunted successfully (of which 9 were verified on the spot). According to the information we have related to the monitoring of leopards released in 2022, females Laura and Khosta are doing well. Laura settled down on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria, near the border region with Ossetia. Khosta has now returned from Chechnya to Ossetia and is actively preparing for winter, intensively fattening up before the cold weather. We know nothing about the female Achipsa, released on July 15, 2023 in the Bolshoy Thach Natural Park, adjacent to the Caucasian Nature Reserve, whose collar had a Canadian-made transmitter on it - the transmitter stopped working 6 days after release. We want to believe that Achipse is in the reserve and is settling well, but unfortunately, at the moment we have no way of verifying this. The program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus is being implemented by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources with the participation of the Sochi National Park, the Caucasus Nature Reserve, the North Ossetian Nature Reserve, the Alania National Park, and the Moscow Zoo with the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Scientific support of the Program is provided by the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS) in collaboration with the A.K. Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories RAS (IEMT RAS), the Caspian Institute of Biological Resources of the Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences and zoologists of protected areas. In North Ossetia, financial support for the scientific efforts towards the population restoration program is provided by the RusHydro company.

Nordgold film “Soil”, created with the assistance of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, received first place in the category “Best Popular Science Film” at the V International Festival of Short Documentary Films about the Mining Industry MineMovie-2023, organized by the MINEX Mining Forum and the First Geological Channel. “Soil” is a short popular science film dedicated to protecting nature. The film tells about the thinnest, but most fertile layer of the earth - soil. Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences popularly explain why we owe the abundance of food to underground inhabitants, whether a mushroom can grow the size of a small country, why it is extremely important for people to take care of the soil and its inhabitants, how fragile this ecosystem is and how easy it is to disturb it. “If we compare the total mass of all vertebrate animals that live on one hectare of land, then they will be approximately 100 times less than the total mass of soil animals that live on the same hectare,” says Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Deputy Director in the film in science from the IEE RAS Konstantin Gongalsky. Candidate of Biological Sciences Daniil Korobushkin participated in the preparation and implementation of the film script. He talks about how 93% of our potential food comes from the soil. Therefore, if we pollute the soil, it directly affects our nutrition. At the same time, restoring the soil to 100% is very difficult, and sometimes even impossible. Nordgold places a high priority on environmental issues, striving to minimize the impact of production on surrounding ecosystems. The company is continuously improving its environmental management system (EMS), which implements a consistent and holistic approach to ensuring environmental safety in all areas where it operates. In particular, Nordgold actively and fruitfully cooperates with IEE RAS in the field of protection and conservation of biological diversity.

Fig. 1. Mating tournament of male Luskhan itilensis. Illustration by A.A. Atuchin from the book by Nelikhov A.E. When the Volga was a sea. Leviathans and pilgrims / A.E. Nelikhov, M.S. Arkhangelsky, A.V. Ivanov. – M.: University Book, 2018. – 140 p. At the end of March, paleontologists from Belgium, Great Britain and Russia published a detailed description of the Early Cretaceous pliosaur Luskhan itilensis. This taxon was named back in 2017, but then a short report was made in Current Biology to speed up the publication of the find. The detailed description was now published in the British Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. The remains of a pliosaur were discovered in 2002 on the banks of the Volga near the Slantsev mine (Ulyanovsk region) in the deposits of the Hauterivian stage of the Cretaceous period (about 130 million years old). It was possible to extract an almost complete skeleton of the animal from the enclosing clays. Painstaking work on the preparation and conservation of fossil remains continued for more than 10 years. And it’s not surprising - the skeleton reaches 6.5 m in length (the length of the skull alone is 1.6 m). The name Luskhan itilensis given to the pliosaur is based on Mongolian mythology and is associated with Lus, the master spirits of reservoirs, and their ruler Luskhan. Itil is the ancient Turkic-Mongolian name for the Volga. In general, the name of the fossil reptile can be interpreted as “lord of the Volga waters.” For a long time, almost nothing was known about Early Cretaceous pliosaurs; researchers called this period the “Early Cretaceous gap” in the history of pliosaurs. However, discoveries in recent years have made it possible to fill this gap. Luskhan's anatomy is unique among pliosaurs. Previously, paleontologists believed that all representatives of pliosaurs (both Jurassic and Cretaceous) were ferocious predators that hunted large prey. However, a study of the remains of Luskhan showed that its skull was similar in structure to representatives of another, unrelated group of short-necked plesiosaurs from the family Polycotylidae, which were small and fast fish-eating forms. Such convergent similarity with polycotylides demonstrates the unexpected ecomorphological diversity of pliosaurs and the more complex nature of their evolutionary history than previously thought, and also refutes the prevailing stereotype that all pliosaurs without exception belong to superpredators. Fig. 2. Comparative cranial anatomy of predatory marine amniotes with medially located teeth. High resolution 3D models. A, Luskhan itilensis (UKM 68344/1_262). B, Pervushovisaurus campylodon (CAMSM B20671). C, Prognathodon solvayi (IRSNB R33b). D, Ninoziphius platyrostris (MNHN SAS 941). E, Tasmacetus shepherdi (USNM 484878). F, Ziphius cavirostris (NHMUK 1915.7.20.1). G, Ankylorhiza tiedemanni (CCNHM 103). H, Prosqualodon davidis (USNM 467596). Silhouettes: Ziphius, Chris Huh, from Phylopic (http://phylopic.org/image/7c1d06fb-2d6e-454d-b57b-a859d5dbdb9f/); Squalodon, Craig Hylke, from Phylopic (http://phylopic.org/image/95a73c63-e7c7-4e81-8e6d-592f647b07bc/). One of the striking anatomical features of Luskhan is the forward-directed first pair of teeth of the upper jaw. Similar forward-protruding teeth at the tip of the upper or lower jaw are found in some ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, and a number of fossil and modern cetaceans. Thus, in some beaked whales (for example, Ziphius cavirostris), such protruding teeth are used during mating tournaments between males. Whether such complex behavior could also be characteristic of pliosaurs is a question that cannot yet be answered. In addition to the scientific examination of the bones, the authors of the work also created a complete three-dimensional reconstruction of this animal. Employee of the Institute of Economics and Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.E. Prilepskaya, using a high-precision metrological 3D scanner Artec Space Spider, scanned all the bones of the Luskhan skeleton, and then assembled their three-dimensional models, which were posted as an appendix to the article. Based on 3D models of bones, the famous Russian paleosculptor Vlad Konstantinov, who previously worked in the popular science paleontological projects of National Geographic, completely reconstructed the skeleton of Luskhan, virtually straightening the deformations in a 3D graphic editor and completing the missing bone fragments. Later, this skeleton was printed life-size for a new exhibition at the Undorovsky Paleontological Museum. Thanks to painstaking work carried out by an international team of paleontologists, Luskhan is now not only one of the most well-studied pliosaurs in the world, but also the only one with a complete virtual reconstruction. In the published article you can see recreated images of the ruler of the ancient seas. Fischer V., Benson R.B.J., Zverkov N.G., Arkhangelsky M.S., Stenshin I.M., Uspensky G.N., Prilepskaya N.E. Anatomy and relationships of the bizarre Early Cretaceous pliosaurid Luskhan itilensis // Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 2023. Volume 198, Issue 1, Pages 220–256. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac108

On November 13-14, the XVIII All-Russian Congress of Nutritionists and Dietetics “Nutriciology and Dietetics for the Health of the Russian Population” was held in Moscow, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences. At the Symposium “New and Alternative Food Sources: Domestic and World Experience”, the guest speaker, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Innovative Technologies N.A. Ushakova, gave a report “Insects as a source of food ingredients: production technologies and chemical composition”. The report aroused great interest among the audience in connection with the signing by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation M. Mishustin on October 10, 2023 of the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2761-r on the inclusion in the list of agricultural products, production, primary and subsequent (industrial) processing of flour from the black soldier fly, fat from black soldier fly, granules and puree from black soldier fly larvae. The report presented the world experience of a new branch of agriculture - industrial insect farming and the formation of domestic industrial cultivation of the black soldier fly. The composition of protein, fat, microelements, and antioxidants of black soldier fly larvae is presented, which determines the potential for their use not only in animal feed, but also as a potential food source for humans. The final conclusion is that the products of processing of black soldier fly larvae can be suitable for further use as an ingredient for fortifying food products with both nutrients and nutraceuticals.

On November 4, 2023, the IEE RAS, with the financial support of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held an international conference “Current directions and prospects for expeditionary research in Mongolia (within the framework of the Joint Russian-Mongolian complex biological expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences)” dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Purpose of the Conference: Providing a platform for scientific discussions and ensuring interaction between researchers from Russia and Mongolia on current issues of organizing and conducting field research within the framework of the scientific program of activities of the Joint Russian-Mongolian Integrated Biological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for future periods. The Conference was attended by scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, IBR RAS, IGeo ASM, IB ASM, Moscow State University, MIPT, who presented their reports in various fields of biological, chemical, geographical and other disciplines. The conference was chaired by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences Rozhnov Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, Scientific Director of the Russian part of the expedition. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences. Naidenko Sergey Valerievich, director of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, welcomed the participants. Oral reports were presented at the conference: Ecological and zoological research in Mongolia: accumulated experience and prospects - Rozhnov V.V., Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Monitoring the physiological state and infectious diseases of gazelle in groups in Russia and Mongolia - Naidenko S.V., corresponding member of RAS, IEE RAS.The study of bats is one of the current areas of zoological research - Vasenkov D.A., Ph.D., IEE RAS.The Gobi Desert is a refuge for vulnerable species of Central Asia - Battogtokh N., Institute of Biology of the MAS.Results and prospects for studying terrestrial squirrels of Mongolia - Brandler O.V., Ph.D., IBR RAS. Results and prospects of molecular genetic research on the example of Eversman's hamsters - Gureeva A.V., Ph.D. IEE RAS.Hypothermia and memory using the example of the Mongolian hamster: prospects for field research - Smagina M.Yu. IEE RAS.On the use of some animals of Mongolia in laboratory practice - Feoktistova N.Yu., Doctor of Biological Sciences, IEE RAS.Half a century of Russian-Mongolian research into the aquatic ecosystems of Mongolia: results and prospects - Dgebuadze Yu.Yu., acad. of RAS, IEE RAS, Moscow State University.Hydrochemical research: water quality problems in the area of Ulaanbaatar - Odsuren B., Ph.D. Institute of Geography and Geoecology of the MAS.Preliminary results of environmental monitoring of the Selenga drainage basin in Mongolia and Russia - Kolobov M.Yu., Ph.D., Moscow State University.Bacterial biosensors for ecotoxicological studies - Novoyatlova U.S., MIPT.Prospects for landscape-ecological research in Mongolia based on remote sensing information - Sandlersky R.B., Ph.D., IEE RAS.Ecosystem flows of greenhouse gases in environmental studies - Kurbatova Yu.A., Ph.D., IEE RAS.Some aspects of multidisciplinary and scientifically applied research - Bazha S.N., Ph.D., IEE RAS. During the discussion of reports and additional presentations, the conference participants outlined priority areas of activity within the framework of the Scientific Program of the Expedition. In general, promising areas of research for the Expedition can be combined in the form of the following provisions: Floristic-faunistic and biogeocenotic diversity in the ecotone zone of Southern Siberia and Central Asia.Environmental risks in natural and natural-anthropogenic ecosystems.Environmental problems of terrestrial, aquatic and wetland ecosystems in Mongolia and adjacent territories of the Russian part of the Lake Baikal basin.Current state of the network of protected areas in Inner Asia and prospects for its development.Desertification as an environmental and economic problem and ways to mitigate its impact on the natural environment of Mongolia.Ecological and social problems of environmental pollution.

Photo by: Evgeny Burgov Many ants have vision and hearing, but their main sensory system is the chemical senses. How do they distinguish “friends” from “strangers” by smell when they use rhythmic touching, chirping and pheromones in communication? How does the social life of ants work, when an individual begins to claim dominance, and what does it mean to curl up in a “suitcase”? Evgeniy Burgov, an employee of the robotics laboratory of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute and the IEE RAS, spoke about what a tactile code is and how ants use the “language of poses.” You can listen to the podcast using the link. Even more amazing facts about ants can be found in Evgeniy’s group “Formica Ants” (Telegram/VK). This is not the first time Evgeniy has participated in the RIA Novosti podcast: in the episode “Make love not work: polymorphism and ant castes” he talked about the structure of the ant family and castes; in the issue “Robbery, cannibalism, extermination: ant wars” he explained why experienced, authoritative ants play a special role at the beginning of the battle;and in the episode “Ants will be the first to get into cyberpunk. What roboticists learn from nature” Evgeniy shared how knowledge about ants is used in robotics.

Sea otter Photo: Alexander Tikhonov The second meeting of the expert group on sea otter conservation in 2023 took place on the base of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve Elena Linnik took part in the event. Her report presented a prognosis for an increase in the number of sea otters in the northwestern Pacific near the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, reports SakhalinMedia news agency, citing the press service of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve. 13 organizations took part in the meeting, of which 3 protected areas of federal significance and 6 institutes, as well as other organizations and public associations, which were represented by 37 specialists. Elena Linnik presented “The number of sea otters near the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge in 2022 and the prospects for its change.” Since the first meeting of the expert group in 2023, Russian scientists have carried out a large amount of work to study the state of sea otter groups in the waters of the Commander Islands, off the coast of Kamchatka, off the islands of the Greater and Lesser Kuril chains, as well as to study benthic communities, analyze animal invasions and causes of death of the sea otter in most of the Russian range. Most of the speakers noted the continuing downward trend in sea otter numbers in the main, northern part of its Russian range: off the coast of the Commander Islands, Kamchatka and the Northern Kuril Islands. Thus, according to the head of the laboratory of the KB TIG FEB RAS Sergei Kornev, the latest surveys in 2023 around Paramushir and Shumshu showed a decrease in the number of sea otters compared to 2003 by 96% - from 15 thousand to 541 individuals. The reports also presented the results of surveys near the southern Kuril Islands, which show that sea otter groups in this area tend to increase in number. Thus, on Iturup and Urup, the number of sea otters remains stable - 230 and 1299 individuals, respectively, and on the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge there has been a significant increase in the number of these animals. Work of the expert group on sea otter conservation. Photo: press service of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve According to censuses carried out by employees of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve in 2022, the total number of sea otters in the Lesser Kuril Islands was 471 individuals, of which 290 were females with puppies - 40.3%, which was 14 times higher than in 2001. In 2023, marine surveys were carried out by the Finval research center from a trimaran. According to the head of the center, Andrei Semenov, the number of sea otters on the Lesser Kuril Ridge was 516 individuals, of which 248 were females with pups. The main factors that attract the sea otter are the jagged coastline with numerous coves and islands, shallow depths (up to 50 meters), a diverse benthic community, including the animal’s main food resource - sea urchins, as well as fields of kelp algae, where the sea otter spends most of its time. According to research by the Sakhalin branch of VNIRO, it is near the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge that significant accumulations of sea urchins and vast fields of brown algae are noted, and the entire water area is located within the isobath of up to 50 meters of depth. Elena Linnik's report presented a forecast for an increase in the number of sea otters until they reach optimal density over the entire water area of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, based on its resource availability. This number may be at least 1,300 individuals in the future. — I would like to especially emphasize that an important factor in the conservation of the southernmost breeding group of sea otters in the northwestern Pacific near the MKG islands is that the border of the animals’ distribution is within the marine protected zones of the Kurilsky Nature Reserve and the Small Kuriles federal nature reserve, therefore sea otters and their habitats are under state protection. This allows us to regulate human presence and economic activity, thereby preserving these beautiful animals in our region,” Elena Linnik noted in her report. Participants in the expert group meeting came to a number of conclusions. It is necessary to: develop unified methods for conducting animal censuses and collecting biomaterial;continue studying the state of benthic communities using modern technologies and involving competent specialists;prepare and conduct a one-time synchronized census of the sea otter population in the territory of its Russian distribution area. The next meeting of the expert council is scheduled for February 2024. Related materials: Na rubeje: “The number of sea otters is growing only in the southern group of the North-West Pacific” Fishnews: “Sea otters continue to have problems” RAS: "The number of sea otters near the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge may increase"

Armored catfish Over the past decade, invasive catfish Pterygoplichthys spp. spread throughout most of the river systems of Vietnam. One of the possible reasons for their rapid settlement is associated with the transit movements of armoured catfish through river estuaries and desalinated coastal zones. Employees of the laboratory of behavior of lower vertebrates (Ganzha E.V., Pavlov E.D.) together with a Vietnamese colleague (Tran Duc Dien) assessed the likelihood of estuarine dispersal of armoured catfish, both in situ and in office conditions. Fig.1: Fishing areas in the estuary Using control fisheries, it was established for the first time that armoured catfish are found in the waters of the Darang River estuary with salinity up to 25‰ inclusive. Previously, armoured catfish in brackish waters (up to 8‰) were found only in the rivers of Southeast Mexico (Capps et al., 2011). Fig.2: Estimation of water salinity in the estuary The ability of armoured catfish to move and breathe in sea water (33‰) was experimentally assessed. Fish in the control group, placed in fresh water, were usually positioned motionless on the bottom. In seawater, on the contrary, fish more often moved both horizontally and vertically. The locomotor activity of fish in sea water began to decrease only at the 13–15th minute of the experiment. The presence of armoured catfish in sea water for the first 6 minutes led to disruption of respiratory movements (opening/closing of gill slits) in fish until they stopped, but did not have a significant effect on their motor activity. Fig.3: Preparing for catching armoured catfish The results of field and experimental studies indicate that invasive catfish can be found in river estuaries, move in them and at the same time are able to avoid water of high salinity due to directed movement into the surface, often desalinated layers of water. These facts are in good agreement with the hypothesis about the invasion of armoured catfish through river estuaries and sea coasts under concomitant favorable external conditions. The work was carried out within the framework of the Ecolan 3.2 project (Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center with financial support from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science) and the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 19-14-00015. The article was published in the journal Aquatic Invasions. Related materials: RAS: "Invasive armoured catfish are capable of spreading through estuaries and coastalareas"