Scientists from the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) with colleagues from the University of Tennessee (USA) for the first time predicted the consequences of the impact of global climate change in the next 80 years on the dynamics of the range of invasive species using the example of the field mouse (Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771) in Russia. The species is widespread in Eurasia and common in many regions, damages agricultural crops and is a carrier of zoonotic pathogens that are dangerous to humans. Among them is hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which is characterized by a high mortality rate in the Far East. Expansion of the species' range now and under future climate change may have negative impacts on the economy and public health. This study used an ensemble approach to generate robust models of the species' spatial distribution under current (1970–2000) and future climate conditions derived from sixth generation global climate change models (GMCM-6). To model the time-varying range of the field mouse, high-, moderate-, and low-sensitivity GMIC-6 were used under four scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). For the first time, it is shown that among the forty GMIC-6, there is a group of models that are more consistent with real field data for the period 1980–2020. For these models, moderate warming is expected over the next two decades of the 21st century, i.e. an increase in temperature (dT) for the periods 2021–2040 and 2041–2060 will be less than 2.0 °C (dT = 1.13 °C, dT = 1.89 °C, respectively) (Fig. 1). Warming for the period 2061–2080 may be 2.15 °C, but after CO2 emissions drop to zero (around 2075), the increase in average annual air temperature for the period 2081–2100 will increase to 1.93 °C. Fig.1: Increase in average annual air temperature (T , °C) in Russia in the 21st century, where A are average values for all climate models (CM) for various climate change scenarios SSPx-y (SSP1-2.6 - low greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), in which CO2 emissions fall to zero around 2075, SSP2-4.5 - intermediate GHG emissions, in which CO2 emissions increase at approximately the current rate until 2050, and then decline, but do not reach zero by 2100), SSP3 -7.0 (high GHG emissions, with CO2 emissions doubling by 2100) and SSP5-8.5 (very high GHG emissions, with CO2 emissions tripling by 2075); B – increase in T when implementing highly sensitive CMs (Hsens), C – increase in T when implementing moderately sensitive CMs (Msens); D – increase in T when implementing low-sensitivity CMs (Lsens). For each type of GMIC-6 and each of the four scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5), models of the geographical range of the field mouse were built for the periods 2021–2040, 2041–2060, 2061–2080 and 2081 –2100 and the positions of the centroids of the area were determined. It has been established that range changes depend on both the sensitivity of GMIC and climate change scenarios. It is shown that in the future the range of the field mouse is expected to expand with a major shift to the northeast and partial loss of habitats in the modern steppe zone. In addition, the models show the merging of the western and eastern parts of the mouse range, isolated for 12 thousand years until the present, i.e. the formation of a continuous range of the field mouse is expected from Western Europe to East Asia (Fig. 2). Fig. 2: The range of the field mouse (Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771)) in Russia under the current climate (A) and its predicted range by the end of 2100 for low-sensitivity climate models (Lsens) under different scenarios (SSPx- y) of climate change (B, C, D, D). The red arrows indicate the area of the current range gap, which existed for 12 thousand years. By the end of the 21st century, the merger of the western and eastern parts of the range and the implementation of low-sensitivity CM (Lsens) are expected. It is important to note that warming in the 20th century by 0.78 °C has already led to a shift in the range of many species (about 1,700 species from different taxa are documented) to the north at a rate of 6.1 km per decade, while warming in the 21st century by 2 °C will lead to a shift in the centroid of the species' range to the north at a rate of 32 to 36 km per decade. In general, the research carried out and the prediction of the spread of the field mouse under conditions of climate change can help to take timely measures to limit the invasion of the species and the possibility of introducing infectious diseases into new regions of Russia. At the moment, there are over 40 different climate change models in the world and 4 scenarios for each of them (i.e. 160 model implementations), which often give inaccurate predictions, and their data are published in highly rated scientific publications and are the basis for making decisions on measures combating global climate change in many countries. In this regard, comprehensive work was carried out to select the most realistic models of climate change in the 21st century to correctly assess its impact on the process of biological invasions of dangerous species at the global level and on Russian ecosystems. The research was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 21-14-00123). The results were published in the international journal Biology (JCR IF 4.2; Q1-General Agricultural and Biological Sciences) Petrosyan, V.; Dinets, V.; Osipov, F.; Dergunova, N.; Khlyap, L. Range Dynamics of Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) in Northern Eurasia under Global Climate Change Based on Ensemble Species Distribution Models. Biology 2023, 12, 1034. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12071034 Materials on the topic in the media: Press service of the Russian Science Foundation: "Climate warming will help harmfulrodents expand their range almost twice" Press Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences: “Climate warming will help harmfulrodents expand their range almost twice” GAZETA.RU: “It has been established how the habitat of field mice in Russia will increasedue to global warming” Vedomosti: "Global warming will lead to a large-scale spread of the field mouse" Snob: "Research: Global warming will lead to the spread of the field mouse" Sirius Magazine: "Nightmare for farmers: global warming will trigger mouse expansion" TASS Science: "The range of rodent pests may expand by 80% due to climate change" Internet portal "Rossiyskaya Gazeta": "Scientists have found that by the end of the centurythe range of the field mouse will increase by 80 percent" Russian popular science publication Naked Science: “Climate warming will help harmfulrodents almost double their range” Online publication "Pravda.Ru": "Due to global warming, there is a threat of the spread of thefield mouse" Neva.Today: “Global warming threatens a large-scale spread of harmful rodents” News Agency "Business Information Agency": "Due to warming, Russia is threatened by themigration of mice carrying a deadly disease" Information portal “Moscow is changing”: “Due to global warming, harmful mice will breed” Planet Today: "Global warming will provoke a large-scale resettlement of the field mouse" Greencity newspaper: "Climate change may expand the distribution area of rodents" Forpost-Sevastopol.ru: “Due to global warming, there is a threat of the spread of the fieldmouse” Agro-industrial portal AGROXXI: “Climate warming will help harmful rodents expand theirrange almost twice” Gazeta.Ru: “It has been established how the habitat of field mice in Russia will increase dueto warming” United Europe Publishing Group: “Global warming will provoke a large-scale resettlement ofthe field mouse” Scientific and business portal “Atomic Energy 2.0”: “Climate warming will help harmfulrodents expand their range almost twice” Polit.ru: "Field mice are advancing" Publishing house "Arguments of the Week": "Due to climate change, the range of rodentpests may expand by 80%" SCIENCE OF THE RF: “Global warming will help field mice expand their range almost twice” Central News Service: "Scientists have identified a connection between warming and thespread of rodents" Indicator.ru: "Climate warming will help harmful rodents expand their range almost twice" Scientific Russia: “Climate warming will help harmful rodents expand their range almosttwice” News Mail.RU: "Climate warming will help harmful rodents expand their range almost twice" News Rambler.Ru: "Climate warming will help harmful rodents expand their range almosttwice" Recyclemag: "Climate change could expand the range of rodent pests by 80%" MK: “Due to warming, Russia is threatened by the migration of mice carrying a deadlydisease” OSN: "MK: Due to the warming of the Russian Federation, the migration of mice carrying adeadly disease threatens" InScience: "Climate warming will help harmful rodents almost double their range"

Scientific research continues in specially protected natural areas of federal significance. But in some nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, interim results are already being drawn up. In the Bolshekhehtsirsky Nature Reserve in the Khabarovsk Territory, gastrodia elata has made its reappearance. This relict endemic of the Khabarovsk Territory, the Amur Region and the Primorsky Territory is extremely rare - it blooms once in its life at 8-9 years. Before the flowering period begins, the entire life cycle of the plant takes place underground. Several years ago, during a snowless winter in the Khabarovsk Territory, the plant suffered from frost and disappeared for a couple of years. “When I saw a small clump of gastrodia, I couldn’t bear the suspense and dug up the soil at the root to see if there were buds for next year. It turned out that there were. This means that the endemic species will not be lost next year,” said Yuri Kya, chief engineer for forest protection and forestry activities of the Bolshekhehtsirsky Nature Reserve. This summer, on the territory of the Frolikha Nature Reserve in the Republic of Buryatia in Ayaya Bay, we continued the monitoring of rare plant species, which has been carried out in protected areas for several years. The work was carried out under the “Save the Flowers of Baikal” program by schoolchildren from Severobaikalsk under the guidance of employees of the protected area. During the census of the almost-woolly cranium, which took place at three sites, it was concluded that the population was in a favorable state. The children counted all the plants they encountered, noted their phenological state, and collected material on morphology. Compared to last year, a lot of young plants were noted. In the Kenozersky National Park in the Arkhangelsk Region, a new species of butterfly for protected areas has been registered - the rosy footman (mitochrista miniata). The insect became the 63rd species of butterfly registered in the Kenozersky National Park. The discovery was made by a resident of the village of Vershinino, Anna Yuryeva. Last year, she recorded another butterfly in the national park - the herald (scoliopteryx libatrix). Field work on environmental monitoring of the White Sea Baikal seal took place in the Onezhskoye Pomorie National Park in the Arkhangelsk Region. The research was carried out on Konyukhovaya Bay of the Onega Peninsula by employees of the Marine Mammal Laboratory of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the support of protected areas. Scientists have developed a technique for catching seals using stationary floating traps, which are absolutely safe for mammals. Special satellite telemetry sensors were installed on eight individuals, thanks to which new data can be obtained on the distribution and seasonal migrations of seals in the White Sea throughout the year. The information obtained will also help to form a clearer idea of the ecology of animals, to understand how young seals behave in the summer in Onega Bay, in which directions they move in search of food. Scientists also observed the dynamics of the number of seals in the summer haulouts in Konyukhovaya Bay and obtained new biological data on the size, body weight, sex, and age of the seals. Based on the research results, it was noted that the activities of the Onega Pomorie National Park made it possible to preserve a unique habitat not only for the Baikal seal, but also for the bearded seal, which is regularly found on rocky shallows. In the Central Forest Reserve in the Tver region, work began in the summer on an inventory of European badger settlements. This is the first stage of research into the behavioral ecology of this species, which will be carried out in protected areas in the coming years together with the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS. Within the boundaries of its range, the European badger demonstrates a wide variety of family relationships - from a solitary lifestyle to the formation of families of up to 30 individuals. Therefore, the species is of great interest when studying the formation and development of a group lifestyle in predators. At the first stage of work, a detailed description of all known badger habitats is carried out. Camera traps are installed near the entrances to collect information on the daily and seasonal activity of animals. Moreover, both the badger itself and its “guests” - other species of predators and ungulates. This information is necessary to determine the composition of family groups and the number of badger cubs in litters, which will make it possible to calculate the number of badgers in the reserve. Related materials: Green Russia: "Count badgers and preserve endemic animals: The summer field seasoncontinues in nature reserves and national parks" Zoopicture: "Tver badgers will be counted" Tverskaya Vedomosti: “Badgers have begun to be counted in the Tver region” Bezformata: “In the reserve of the Tver region, they continue to count badgers and badgercubs” Izvestiya: “Badgers will be counted in the Tver region” TIA News: “The counting of badgers and badger cubs continues in the reserve of the Tverregion”

The discovery of several new species of stygobiotic crustaceans allowed scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences to suggest that a glacial refugium existed at the mouth of the Don River, along with the South Caucasus (Colchis) and the southern Caspian Sea (Hyrcania), where many species survived several periods of glaciation, starting in the late Miocene. The work was published in Diversity magazine. Unlike previous data, which were based on the analysis of endemic but free-living fish and shellfish, the new data are based on the findings of several stygobiont crustaceans that are not capable of dispersing over long distances. Like most underground/stygobiotic animals, the discovered crustaceans are well adapted to ecologically narrow stygobiontic/underground conditions, and are not able to survive beyond them, since they are very sensitive to environmental changes (stenobiontic). In a small spring on the bank of the Kiziterinka River within the city of Rostov-on-Don at the mouth of the Don River, scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences described a new species of stygobiotic crustaceans from the genus Niphargus Schiödte, 1849 (Amphipoda: Niphargidae). The closest related species lives in northern Greece and the island of Crete. According to the molecular genetic data obtained, these species separated from related forms in the late Miocene, more than 10 million years ago. And, most surprisingly, they were able to survive in these habitats to this day. Fig.1: Appearance of the new species from the genus Nymphargus. It is also interesting that the new Nifargus coexists in the surveyed spring with other stygobiotic amphipods, Diasynurella kiwi Marin & Palatov, 2023 and Pontonyx donensis (Marytnov, 1919) (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae). Two of the three species in the source examined, D. kiwi and the discovered nifargus, are microcrustaceans with a total body size of less than 3 mm and are among the smallest within their genera and families. The work presents a table of endemic species found in this area, as well as an analysis of previously published works, which also suggested the presence of a refugia here. The work emphasizes that such habitats require enhanced protection measures, since the organisms inhabiting them are unique. Fig.2: Molecular genetic reconstruction made it possible to determine related species and the time of their divergence. Related materials: RAS: "An ancient glacial refugium existed in the northern Black Sea region"

In the published review, scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences assessed the diversity, distribution, and ecological functions of terrestrial crustaceans. Of the approximately 70,000 known species of crustaceans, approximately 4,900 species live in terrestrial habitats. They can be divided into two ecological (but not phylogenetic) groups. Microcrustaceans (Cladocera, Ostracoda, Copepoda) are tiny organisms that live in water films or water-filled pores of soil, moss or plant litter. Macrocrustaceans (Amphipoda, Isopoda, Decapoda) are relatively large animals that spend the entirety or most of their life cycle independent of liquid water. Fig.1: the percentage of different taxonomic groups of crustaceans in the total diversity of terrestrial species. Terrestrial crustaceans are both the smallest (<1 mm in length) and most abundant, as well as the largest terrestrial arthropods. For example, the palm thief, the terrestrial hermit crab Birguslatro, reaches a weight of 3 kg, while many terrestrial crabs do not exceed 500 grams. Adaptations to a terrestrial lifestyle, including changes in morphology, physiology, and behavior, allow certain forms of terrestrial crustaceans to survive and thrive in virtually all geographic areas, including the Arctic and sub-Antarctic, mountain ecosystems above 4,500 m above sea level, and even extremely arid deserts . The most adapted species have acquired many of the characteristics of insects, including highly developed visual and olfactory systems. Unlike insects, crustaceans are capable of regenerating limbs and continuous growth throughout their lives. Reaching high abundance and biomass, crustaceans are often an important component of terrestrial food chains, sometimes occupying the highest trophic positions. The density of soil copepods in humid terrestrial ecosystems can reach tens of thousands per square meter, comparable to the density of soil mites and springtails, and the total biomass of land crabs on some islands exceeds the biomass of mammals in tropical forests. Together with other macroarthropods and earthworms, saprotrophic macrocrustaceans play an important role in nutrient cycling, recycling and consuming up to 50% of all forest litter. It is noteworthy that crustaceans are the only group among terrestrial saprotrophic animals that are widely used as food by humans. Massive annual migrations of hecarcinid crabs from the forest to the coast, as well as the reverse migration of young crabs, form powerful flows of matter and energy connecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Despite their great diversity, terrestrial crustaceans, with the exception of woodlice, are often ignored by terrestrial zoologists and ecologists. The information collected in the review will help draw attention to the functional role of crustaceans as one of the important components of soil ecosystems. The largest terrestrial crustaceans: A – one of the largest terrestrial crabs, Cardisoma guanhumi, and its burrow (below); B – male land crab Cardisoma guanhumi at the entrance to the burrow; C – land hermit crab Birgus latro; and migrations of numerous individuals of the land crab jd Gecarcoidea natalis on Christmas Island (D–F). A – Photo by Alison Copeland from Copeland, 2020: fig. 3; B – http://s15858.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/images/crab10.JPG ; C – https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgamboias/28725243916; D – https://www.elitereaders.com/50-million-red-crabs-to-migrate-from-land-o-sea-in-christmas-island; E – https://viralcola.com/unless-love-crabs-dont-want-island-december; F - htps://www.15min.lt/nuotrauka/4425980.

Fig. 1. The ratio of finds of cladoceran crustaceans of “southern” (ST) and “northern” (WE) origin in the benthos and littoral zone (A) and in plankton (B). 1-7 – individual regions of the Far East, ranked from north (1) to south (7). If the biogeography of terrestrial and marine animals is a well-developed branch of biological sciences, then researchers of continental bodies of water still have much to do to adequately understand the modern distribution of organisms and the history of their settlement on the planet. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding these processes using the example of microscopic crustaceans - water fleas (= Cladocera), which have become a model group of freshwater biogeography. A study of a large array of samples collected in different years in the Russian Far East and on the Korean Peninsula shows a different picture. The Far Eastern region is known as a zone of endemism for cladoceran crustaceans, and is of great interest from the point of view of studying the mechanisms of formation of local faunas as a result of the invasion of “southern” and “northern” species during climatic changes, primarily in the Pleistocene. Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences studied the distribution of finds of cladoceran crustaceans, differing in their place of origin, in freshwater reservoirs with different seasonal regimes (permanent and temporary) and belonging to planktonic (that is, living in the water column) or benthic-phytophilic (that is, living in bottom and in coastal thickets) faunas. In addition to the previously demonstrated latitudinal gradient in the proportion of “northern” (northern origin) and “southern” (southern, possibly tropical, origin) species in Cladocera faunas, it was found that in the region it is the planktonic community that includes the largest proportion of endemic species, which are relic from before Pleistocene times. The scientists have found that the proportion of representatives of the “southern” (tropical) fauna among benthic-phytophilic species drops sharply when moving from south to north, and approximately in the area of North Korea it is replaced by the “northern” (boreal) fauna. On the contrary, the proportion of representatives of the “southern” fauna in plankton is relatively small (maximum – 16% of the number of finds in each region) even in the extreme south of the studied zone and falls very smoothly when moving north; its complete replacement with the “northern” fauna does not occur. At the same time, many endemics of this region were noted in the plankton. It is known that these endemics are the remains of ancient, pre-Pleistocene fauna, while the spread of other cladoceran crustaceans to the south and north occurred in the late Pleistocene, and possibly in the Holocene. These results support the previously stated hypothesis that ancient endemics, having a serious “head start” in comparison with “southern” and “northern” species in time, quickly monopolized the water bodies of the Far East in the late Pleistocene and prevented the spread of “southern” species to the north, and “northern” species – to the south. Among representatives of the benthic-phytophilic fauna, their number is significantly lower than in plankton, and it is among their representatives that we can observe a mixture of “southern” and “northern” faunas, which resulted from settlement in the late Pleistocene to the north and south. In this case, the “southern” species prevented the “northern” ones from spreading to the south, and vice versa. On the contrary, relatively few representatives from the north and south were able to penetrate the plankton of this region, since it was already occupied by more successful competitors and more adapted to the conditions of the region - endemics of the Far East. At present, it is not entirely clear why the proportion of endemics in the Far East is so high in plankton and low in the coastal zone. Directly opposite situations are known, when, for example, in Lake Baikal, the plankton is represented by widespread species, while the benthos contains many endemic species. “However, in any case, we emphasize the importance of the role of biotic interactions and historical processes in determining modern biogeographic boundaries. If the ecological preferences of a species allow it to spread, for example, to the south during a period of climate warming, this does not mean at all that it will be allowed to do so. " – says Doctor of Biological Sciences, corresponding member of RAS A.A. Kotov, who is in charge of this research. Undoubtedly, such studies will be continued by the staff of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The research was carried out within the framework of the State assignment AAAA-A18-118042490059-5. The article was published in the magazine "Water". Ivan I. Krolenko, Petr G. Garibian and Alexey A. Kotov The Role of Old Relicts in Structuring the Boreal/Tropical Transitional Zone: The Case of East Asian Planktonic Cladocera (Crustacea) Diversity 2023, 15, 713. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15060713 Related materials: RAS: "The influence of relict planktonic crustaceans on the settlement of the Far East in thePleistocene"

The project to restore the historical symbol of Ossetia in nature - the reintroduction of Caucasian leopards - is 5 years old this year. The fourth release of a representative of the most striking indicator species of the well-being of the Caucasian mountain ecosystems successfully took place last week in the reserve on the territory of the Turmon forest. This is the third time the reserve has become a place where leopards are released into the wild. According to the scientific coordinator of the project in Ossetia - senior researcher, Ph.D. IEE RAS Yachmennikova Anna: “This time only one young male named Chermen was released, but, nevertheless, this event is remarkable. This is the eighth animal released in this region, it is quite large and weighed 61 kg when released, and it is only two years old. Its genetics are new for the region and for the Russian Caucasus as a whole; for the first time, a descendant of a pair received by Russia from Sweden 3 years ago was released with the assistance of the international community of IUCN and EAZA. In total, to date, 4 females and 4 males have been released in Ossetia, the sex ratio is balanced.” According to information received from senior researcher, Ph.D. IEE RAS Jose Antonio Hernandez-Blanco, responsible for installing transmitters on animals and the information coming from them: “Transmitters on the collars of a female named Achipse released earlier in the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve (Krasnodar Territory) and her brother Chermen released in North Ossetia Achipse) work properly. The animals began to settle into their new space, make their first short journeys, and recovered safely after transportation and release.” The head of the scientific part of the leopard restoration project in the Caucasus is Academician of RAS, Professor Vyacheslav Rozhnov, who takes part in each release of animals, commented on the event: “Such regular releases are necessary to restore the leopard group in the Central Caucasus and revive the biological information field along the distribution routes of these cats; this is a comprehensive and extensive work to restore the lost ecosystem link. The experience of monitoring previously released animals has proven the sufficiency of the natural food supply to ensure the successful settlement of leopards. Cats can successfully develop and form their own individual areas in the natural areas they like, passing along migratory routes that have existed since ancient times, even to other regions. Thus, the animals released last year have mastered the transition to Kabardino-Balkaria and Chechnya, where they successfully hunt wild boars and roe deer, the collars still work on them and we, of course, have a unique array of information on the spatial ecology of these cats.” The program for the restoration (reintroduction) 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 Ossetia-Alania Protected Natural Area, the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolutio RAS, A.K. Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories RAS, the Moscow Zoo, as well as with the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). Financing of monitoring and activities for the release of the Central Asian leopard in North Ossetia is carried out with the support of the business company RusHydro, as well as EcoEnergy Group and the Ecological Region of Alanya. Related materials: RAS: “As part of the project for the reintroduction of Caucasian leopards into the forests ofOssetia, the eighth leopard has been released”

The Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov and the Minister of Innovation and Technology of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Belete Molla signed an agreement on the creation of the Russian-Ethiopian Center for Biological Research. The ministerial meeting took place within the second summit of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. “It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia. I would like to remind you that the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, whose great-grandfather was from Ethiopia, dedicated many poems to this city. In February of this year, we celebrated 125 years since the establishment of official diplomatic relations, and today we will sign an intergovernmental agreement on the creation of a Russian-Ethiopian biological research center in your country,” noted Valery Falkov. According to the head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the creation of the Center is a long overdue decision. “We have had a joint biological expedition with you since 1978, we have accumulated significant experience and it is high time to institutionalize it. Today we look forward to expanding the program and deepening our cooperation on a completely new level. We hope that the infrastructure proposed by our Ethiopian colleagues in the form of a building or a complex of facilities will meet the criteria necessary for the implementation of the project,” the Minister said. It is planned that the creation of the Center will expand joint research and launch new areas of work in genomics, agrobiology and other areas. The research results will have fundamental and practical implications not only for Ethiopia but also for the world. Valery Falkov also made a proposal to develop the Charter of the new Center in accordance with the concept prepared by the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Belete Molla, in turn, expressed gratitude to the Russian side for many years of fruitful scientific cooperation. “Now is the time to begin a new chapter of our work together. We signed a document, the contents and main articles of which were worked out by us at the intergovernmental meeting in Addis Ababa. I am confident that within the framework of this agreement we will be able to achieve the desired result,” said the Minister of Innovation and Technology of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It should be noted that the main objectives of the Russian-Ethiopian expedition are to study biodiversity, the evolution of living organisms, biological resources of Ethiopia, identify promising animal species for use in the national economy, develop environmental recommendations and provide assistance in training national scientific personnel through the joint participation of scientists from the two countries in research programs.

On June 27, 2023, the Second Scientific Forum on Genetic Resources of Russia was held in St. Petersburg. A separate session was devoted to the topic: "Zoological collections as a source of genetic resources of the world fauna", and it was held at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Institute's unique stock collection is the 4th in the world by scientific rating. With the support of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Genetic Technologies, the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is undergoing a large-scale modernization of the premises in which animal collections are stored. The reconstruction of equipment for storing collections is largely provided by the domestic company Saturn (Perm). The conference program included both oral presentations and poster presentations. In addition, all participants were introduced to the new rooms for storing collections, which are much more spacious and more comfortable than the old, familiar to many ZIN cabinets and shelves. In the program of the Forum, employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS presented different areas of research (RIS). Reports were made on the cytogenetic collections of the Laboratory of Microevolution (Orlov et al. 2023), the molecular genetic collections of the Cabinet of Molecular Diagnostic Methods (Golosova et al. 2023; Matrosova et al. 2023), as well as the collections of the Laboratory of Historical Ecology on bone samples of Steller’s cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) collected on the territory of the Commander Islands (Charcot et al. 2023). Participation in the Forum this year, like a year ago at the First Forum, which was scheduled to be made an annual event, is becoming a regular event for IEE RAS. Abstracts Golosova O.S., Kholodova M.V., Trepet S.A., Muradov A.S. Genetic identity of the Caucasian red deer Cervus elaphus maral according to the polymorphism of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and microsatellite nuclear DNA loci. S. 18. Matrosova V.A., Simonov E.P., Golenishchev F.N., Ivanova A.D., Ermakov O.A. Mitochondrial genomeof the type specimen of the red-cheeked ground squirrel Spermophilus erythrogenys Brandt, P.39. Orlov V.N., Lyapunova E.A., Baskevich M.I., Kartavtseva I.V., Malygin V.M., Bulatova N.Sh. The contribution of domestic cytogenetics to the development of a system of mammalian species. P.43. Sharko F.S., Bulygina E.S., Slobodova N.S., Fomin S.V., Krylovich O.A., Savinetsky A.B., Mamaev E.G., Tikhonov A.N., Nedoluzhko A. IN. Genomics of the Steller's cow (Sirenia, Hydrodamalis gigas), population dynamics and causes of extinction. P.54.

Employees of the Laboratory of Population Ecology of the IEE RAS for the first time studied the patterns and causes of mortality in young yellow ground squirrels, a large species of ground squirrels with summer-winter hibernation lasting up to 9 months. For this, the analysis of “survival curves” was used, a quantitative method based on tracing the individual fates of young animals. It turned out that in the first days after the end of milk feeding, young ground squirrels die en masse: more than half of the cubs die even before the start of resettlement from the natal (native) site, and only about 17% survive until hibernation begins. In this case, first of all, cubs with a low body weight and those who left the nest to the surface later than others die, practically regardless of gender. Compared to other types of terrestrial squirrels, mothers of yellow ground squirrels feed their cubs with milk for a very short time and stop caring for their offspring early, which, perhaps, determines the mass death of ground squirrels. Apparently, female yellow ground squirrels do not have the ability to regulate the amount of parental investment in order to compensate for adverse environmental conditions - they do not have enough time for this. Under the conditions of an extremely short season of activity (3–4 months), the female is forced to cut off parental care to prepare for her own hibernation, while the cubs direct all their efforts towards rapid growth and weight gain, spending little time and energy on social contacts, and settle down. Thus, we can talk about the formation of the “fast and lonely life” syndrome in this desert herbivorous hibernator species, which depends on the availability of fresh food in a short period before the onset of a hot summer. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant 22-24-00610. Vasilieva NA, Savinetskaya LE, Tchabovsky AV (2022) Juvenile survival curves in a solitary ground squirrel with a prolonged hibernation: effects of individual characteristics, environment, and maternal investment. Current Zoology zoac097. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoac097 Related materials: Наука.рф: "Причину гибели половины детенышей сусликов выявили экологи" РНФ: "Экологи выявили закономерности и причины смертности детенышей желтого суслика"

The results of the competitions of the Presidential Program of Research Projects 2023 for obtaining grants for the events "Conducting initiative research by young scientists" and "Conducting research by scientific groups led by young scientists", as well as the competition for the extension of projects of scientific groups led by young scientists, supported in 2020, have been summed up. Based on the results of competitions, the RSF supported 431 initiative projects of young scientists with grants of up to 2 million rubles annually, 254 projects of youth research groups with funding of up to 6 million rubles annually, and also extended funding for 109 similar projects supported in 2020. From IEE RAS, the winners of the competition are: Melnik Nikolai Olegovich. Project "Universal genomic mechanisms of formation of discrete phenotypes of charrs in the example of Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma in the Kamchatka River and Lake Kronotskoye".Zemlemerova Elena Dmitrievna Project "Microevolutionary processes and genetic mechanisms of adaptations of shrews of the genus Crocidura of East Africa on a pronounced gradient of natural conditions".Dudova Xenia Vyacheslavovna Project "Functional diversity of flora and soil fauna under the influence of anthropogenic disturbance of forest ecosystems" Congratulations to the winners, we wish your projects success! News intro photo - Image by DCStudio on Freepik.