Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Polyakov In Taimyr, the first stage of the expedition was completed, during which the researchers collected data to study the possibility of restoring water quality and increasing the productivity of Arctic lakes using guanotrophication. Researcher at the Bird Ringing Center of Russia, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, candidate of biological sciences Sofia Rosenfeld spoke about the ornithological component of the expedition. According to her, scientists have caught, marked with transmitters and ringed 7 tundra bean geese and one white-fronted goose, all nesting local birds. “We have also marked 13 tundra swans. The transmitters, we hope, will give us information about the migration routes and wintering grounds of the main hunting mass species of geese and the tundra swan, which is actively increasing in numbers,” she added. According to the expert, the obtained materials can be used to calculate the percentage of breeding birds in the population, the average size of broods and other parameters that are important for monitoring anseriformes. The collected material will also be used for a popular science film about Taimyr. Next year, the expedition members plan to continue marking and aerial surveys of anseriform birds. The work was also carried out in the hydrobiological direction and was 100% completed. “Water samples were taken from 21 lakes for nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and phytoplankton analysis. All samples from Norilsk were sent to the laboratories of the Institute of Biophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where laboratory processing of phytoplankton samples and other analyzes will be carried out. Based on the results of these studies, a plan for further actions will be developed,” said Tatyana Anufrieva, a member of the expedition, candidate of biological sciences, senior researcher at the IBP SB RAS. In November 2021, Mikhail Gladyshev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Experimental Hydroecology of the Institute of Biophysical Physics SB RAS, Head of the Department of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Siberian Federal University, PORA expert on aquatic ecosystems, proposed to explore the possibility of using guanotrophication in Taimyr lakes. The essence of the method is the introduction of natural fertilizer obtained from near-water birds into the water. It leads to an increase in the abundance of beneficial microalgae that underlie the food chain of valuable fish species. An alternative way to artificially increase the productivity of water bodies - the introduction of mineral fertilizers into the water - is dangerous because it can cause "blooming" of cyanobacteria or "green tides" of filamentous algae. With such phenomena, many species of fish disappear, scientists say. Related materials: Northern City: "Birds that live in water bodies have a positive effect on their productivity" 24rus: "The first stage of the expedition on guanotrophication of lakes was completed in Taimyr" Ren-tv: "The first stage of the expedition on guanotrophication of lakes has been completed in Taimyr" Dela.ru: "The first stage of the expedition to study the restoration of Arctic lakes in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory has concluded" Taimyr telegraph: "Arctic birds can help "fertilize" the lakes of Taimyr"

Typical landscapes of Mongolia. Photo by A.A. Derkachev In July-August this year, employees of the IEE RAS and the HSE International Laboratory of Landscape Ecology took part in field studies of forest geosystems in Northwestern Mongolia as part of the Joint Russian-Mongolian Complex Biological Expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the MPR at the IEE RAS. The expedition was attended by Ksenia Ermokhina, Natalia Petrzhik, Anna Derkacheva and Robert Sandlersky. Mountain forests of Mongolia occupy only 6% of its territory and are located mainly in the north, where they play a key role in climate and runoff regulation and as a factor in permafrost conservation. Currently, these geosystems are under significant stress, primarily due to overgrazing and relatively high rates of temperature increase. At the same time, mountain forests are one of the most difficult objects of study due to the high variability of the relief, the variability of the species composition of communities, as well as the difficulties of a methodological and expeditionary nature. The key goal of research by the Laboratory staff was the climate-regulating functions of forest vegetation (regulating ecosystem services) in a sharply continental climate. During the expedition, profiles (transects) were laid in key areas, which made it possible to trace the change in the composition of plant communities with height, install recorders for monitoring the temperature in the soil, soil samples were taken at regular intervals on two transects to determine the physicochemical properties, and complex geobotanical surveys were carried out. In the future, all the results obtained "in the field" will be compared with the biophysical variables of geosystems, calculated on the basis of remote sensing data and characterizing the conversion of solar energy by landscape cover.

From July 10 to August 9, 2022, an expedition to Altai was conducted, its route passing through many regions of Central Russia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Kazakhstan. The research group included employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS from the Laboratory of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunications: Chief Researcher N.Yu. Feoktistova, Senior Researcher P.L. Bogomolov, researcher M.V. Kropotkina, graduate students - A.V. Gureeva and V.P. Kupriyanov, senior researcher of the Laboratory of Ecology of Aquatic Communities and Invasions E.A. Katsman and postgraduate student of the Laboratory of Behavior and Behavioral Ecology of Mammals S.I. Meshchersky, trainee student I.D. Davydov and volunteer E.S. Kiselev. The expedition was headed by the Laboratory of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication Correspondent of RAS A.V. Surov. The group traveled in a Ford Transit car - not a decisively "field" vehicle, but a roomy comfortable car, capable of withstanding long treks. The farthest point of the route was Gorno-Altaisk. The total length of the route was more than 9000 km. Route from Moscow to Altai The expedition had several goals, and they included not only the collection of samples of rodents and insectivores, although, of course, true hamsters and up to five other closely related species of rodents that could be encountered on the route were the priority (out of 17 living in Eurasia). Custom net traps, made by laboratory staff specifically for this trip, were used to capture the largest members of the Cricetinae subfamily. The assessment was carried out of the species diversity of mammals, the state of their generative system, and tissue samples were taken for molecular genetic analysis. In addition, at the request of the laboratory staff for studying the ecological functions of soils, soil samples were collected at predetermined points, and for the laboratory of the ecology of aquatic communities and invasions, water from reservoirs and streams to determine the content of small crustaceans and samples of ichthyofauna. Sample selection In addition to collecting biological material, the expedition members enriched their landscape outlook by sightseeing the most beautiful places in Central Russia and Siberia and species of animals they had no prior personal knowledge of. Any trip is also valuable by making new acquaintances, establishing friendly and scientific ties. A separate story could be written about each point of the route. But here we will focus on only five of them - two protected areas - the Buzuluksky Bor National Park and the Naurzum State Nature Reserve, the capital of Kazakhstan - Nur-Sultan, and an unusually beautiful wild place in the foothills of Altai - the village of Surtaike. The fifth, most interesting point of our route is Denisova Cave, which became a kind of bonus for the expedition, since we did not originally plan to visit it. The first working point of the expedition was the Buzuluksky Bor National Park, located 1200 km east of Moscow in the Orenburg region. Regular forest management in this place has been carried out since the end of the 18th century. In 1903, Borovoe experimental forestry was created, including a dendrological garden. Part of the territory of the forest area since 1917 became a reserve, which lasted about 17 years. Later, a state reserve operated on the territory of the pinery, which later received the status of the Federal State Institution of the National Park. The Buzuluk pine forest is remarkable in that it is the only large insular forest in the whole steppe of Eurasia. It plays a key role in the ecology of the Middle Trans-Volga and to the South-West of the Ural mountains, creating a milder microclimate and holding back southern dry winds. The pine forest that anchors the dunes appeared here about ten thousand years ago. In 1769, Peter Simon Pallas, Academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, visited this place and described the beauty of the Buzuluk pine forest. Unfortunately, only one of the pines that met Pallas has survived to this day, which is now surrounded by honor and respect. This pine tree could be seen not only by Pallas, but also by Emelyan Pugachev, who was hiding in these forests. It survived wars and revolutions and now astounds with her beauty and huge diameter. We arrived at this wonderful place at almost two in the morning. The head of the scientific department of the Buzuluk pine forest, Aleksey Gennadyevich Leonov, waited for us and placed us in the hospital of the Institute of the Steppe of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Already completely exhausted, we fell on our beds and fell asleep until morning. And at dawn we saw the magical garden in which our building stood, and a small river in which you could swim. Then there was an excursion around the territory of the Park and the Arboretum, which was conducted by Alexei Leonov. Excursion Buzuluk pine forest has a very interesting history. At the beginning of the last century, the remarkable botanists G.F. Morozov, V.N. Sukachev, P.A. Zemyatchinsky, E.P. Knorre, A.P. Tolsky, G.N. Vysotsky, who conducted botanical experiments - planted pines, watched their growth and development, created a dendrogarden. And now the work on environmental education is in full swing here. An ecological trail has been built, and there is a small museum. In it we found on display the carcass of a common hamster, the main object of our research, as well as a well-made stuffed muskrat. Now, it seems that these species are no longer in the Buzuluk forest, or they are very rare. Therefore, DNA samples are of great value, since they allow to establish their belonging to certain genetic lines. We will be able to answer the last question when we analyze these samples. In total, about 40 species of mammals, 144 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 23 species of fish and about 800 species of insects live in the Buzuluk forest. However, these statistics are very approximate and require clarification. We spent two days in the reserve, set live traps, caught interesting species of rodents. But, of course, we need to visit it for a longer period of time and conduct thorough research. The park is open to scientists, and we signed an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation with the director of the Buzuluksky Bor National Park, Andrey Aleksandrovich Latypov. Signing an agreement The next point of the route was the Naurzum State Nature Reserve. Unique, possibly relict groups of mammals, in particular, rodents, live here.The collection of Eversman's hamsters (Allocricetuluseversmanni) was created there, the morphological parameters of which differed significantly from the animals living in other territories. The situation is similar to that of the common stylodipus (Stylodipustelum), as well as with some other species of mammals. But genetic analysis has not been carried out before, and we needed to obtain tissue samples of these species in order to understand whether the Naurzum Reserve is a refugium. At the entrance to the reserve, we were met by the ornithologist Rishat, who spent all three days with us (literally from morning until late at night). Already on the day of arrival, we managed to set up all the trap gear we have. Checking the traps the next day did not please us too much - for 100 traps we caught only one steppe mouse. The whole day we explored the reserve in search of suitable biotopes for catching Eversman's hamsters and, in the end, we set traps 40 km outside the territory of the reserve on an old fallow. It turned out that the choice was absolutely correct, and in the morning a pleasant surprise awaited us - as many as 4 Eversman hamsters. We were absolutely happy, especially Anya Gureeva, who will soon defend her Ph.D. thesis, the main object of which is Eversman's hamster. The joy of catching a hamster At night, we organized a “safari” to catch jerboas and caught four of them almost with our bare hands. In the headlights, we also came across other species, for example, the great jerboa (Allactaga major), which we could not catch up with. However, the safari inspired all the participants of the expedition very much, for many it was the first experience of night hunting with a net. Already in the village we managed to catch two long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus) and also take samples from them. The most interesting thing is that our road to the traps was also very productive. Directly under the wheels, we found a downed great jerboa, which we failed to catch during the "safari". In addition, we saw roe deer, several groups of saigas (20-30 head each), a badger and a whole family of wild boars. Rishat also showed us the Imperial Eagle's nest with a chick. We got acquainted with the museum of the reserve, where we saw beautifully executed landscape dioramas, and checked out the library. As a gift to the library, we presented the latest edition of the Red Book of the Russian Federation (2022). Museum The next day we went to the capital of Kazakhstan, the city of Nur-Sultan, located 700 km from the Naurzum nature reserve. We arrived in the city at 21.00, but managed to go to the Presidential Park, set up traps there and take pictures of common hamsters, which had already begun night activity. In general, we worked productively in the Park and returned to the hotel only at two in the morning. In the capital of Kazakhstan, we met with ecologist Alyona Koshkina, an employee of the Kazakhstan Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity. In addition to the fact that Alyona provided us with invaluable assistance in organizing a trip around Kazakhstan, including obtaining permission to trap and work with animals, she gave us several dozen samples of rodent tissues that she had previously collected. On this day, we managed to map more than 150 burrows of the common hamster in the Presidential Park, and in the evening we were able to capture (with sampling) and make a video recording of the behavior of the common hamsters in the city. Nur-Sultan Work in the park We started this work in 2018. New data will allow us to investigate the level of leation between the hamsters living in the central part of the city. One of the main goals of our expedition was to work with the natural population of the common hamster in the foothills of Altai. The work with such a population was conducted in 1957-1959 by Evgenia Vasilievna Karaseva, the well-known Russian biologist, doctor of biological sciences, and an employee of our Institute. An article published by her in the Zoological Journal in 1962 and devoted to the spatial structure of this species is referred to by almost everyone who works with the common hamster. After E.V. Karaseva, no one worked here, and no one was involved in the studies of the spatial structure of the natural populations of this species. We decided to check what happened to the hamsters in this place, and, using modern methods, tried to repeat the experience of E.V. Karaseva. However, we did not know the exact place of work. For help, we turned to a member of the 1958 expedition, the well-known epidemiologist Eduard Isaevich Korenberg, who showed it on a satellite image and described it in detail. Thanks to this, we came to the exact place where the work was carried out 60 years ago. Surprisingly, during this time, almost nothing has changed in the vicinity of the village of Surtayka. Very beautiful meadows with many flowering plants, a river, an apiary. In general, everything is as before, when Evgenia Vasilievna's team worked in these places. Few people still live there. Small villages (Old and New Surtayka) are located in the same place where they were 70 years ago. But we did not find hamsters in the wild. Maybe there are just very few of them, and it is difficult to catch the animal in August, when their activity is already decreasing. Apiary Surtayka After the failure in Surtayka, we decided to use the saved time and somehow cheer up. We went to visit the wonderful paleontologist Alexander Karenovich Agadzhanyan, who at that time was working on excavations in the world-famous Denisova Cave. Interestingly, he was also a member of the expeditions of E.V. Karaseva in Altai, while still a schoolboy, but not on the river Surtayka, and in a different place. Denisova Cave is famous for the fact that a new species of man, Homo denisovensis, was found and described here, who 40 thousand years ago existed on the same territory as the Neanderthal and modern man. It was shown by molecular genetic method that Denisovans hybridized with Neanderthals. But our interest was also in the fact that teeth of ancient common hamsters were found in the same cave. Alexander Karenovich gave a wonderful tour of this world-famous cave. Denisova cave And we, in turn, studied the modern fauna of rodents and insectivores. Paleontologist Alexander Karenovich Agadzhanyan After visiting the cave, we turned back and were successful in catching common hamsters at almost all the camps that we had near the cities of Biysk, Tatarsk, Kurgan, Omsk, Chelyabinsk. Trapping hamsters Photo on the background of stone Hamsters Caught hamsters Success was a foregone conclusion thanks to the enormous work carried out by our employee P.L. Bogomolov, who developed a method for processing information using the analysis of search queries on the Internet about people's encounters with this species. The genetic material obtained from these animals will allow us to establish the placement of the border between the two largest phylogroups of this species, the European (E) and Altai (A). Our expedition ended where it started, in Moscow. Most of the planned scientific tasks were completed, and the rather difficult route, despite the intense heat, left the most pleasant memories. N.Yu. Feoktistova A.V. Surov

On behalf of all employees of the Institute, we congratulate Viktor Nikolayevich Orlov, a world-famous zoologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor, laureate of the State Prize, prizes named after V.I. V. E. Sokolov and Soros, vice-president of the Theriological Society, member of the presidium of VOGIS. Viktor Nikolaevich for many years was the head of one of the largest and most productive laboratories of the Institute (mammalian microevolution laboratory), co-chairman of the Scientific Council of the Institute. Scientific interests of Viktor Nikolayevich have always been with the study of the problems of variability of mammals in the process of evolution, with the search for new approaches to the development of the concepts of species and speciation. He is one of the founders and distributors of karyosystematics methods in theriology. It was Viktor Nikolaevich who discovered the first of the twin species of mammals and described new intraspecific chromosomal forms. The results of these works make a huge contribution to the study of the biological diversity of not only native, but also world fauna.

The staff of the Institute sincerely congratulate Yuri Stepanovich Reshetnikov, ichthyologist, doctor of biological sciences, professor, on his 85th birthday. Yuri Stepanovich's scientific interests lie in the study of the systematics, ecology and fauna of salmon and whitefish, as well as tropical fish. The results of his work make a huge contribution to the study of the biological diversity of not only native, but also the world's ichthyofauna. They are presented in 15 monographs and more than 200 articles.

A.N.Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS and the Arctic Research Center (part of the research and development unit of Rosneft), within the framework of the VII Eastern Economic Forum, signed an agreement to carry out research work aimed at developing a program for monitoring and preserving biological diversity in the regions of presence PJSC NK Rosneft. These studies will contribute to the formation of a unified science-based approach to biodiversity conservation. In the course of the work, a team of specialists from the Institute will determine a list of the most effective methods for preserving biodiversity in aquatic, terrestrial ecosystems and in soil. The main methods of monitoring biodiversity will be assessed and key species will be identified that will need to be given special attention in each of the regions where the company operates. As part of the national project "Ecology", smaller projects continue to study, monitor and develop conservation measures for animals and birds in the Arctic, which are indicators of the sustainable state of the region's ecosystems (wild reindeer, polar bear, Atlantic walrus, and white gull). In continuation of the expedition work in 2020, in 2021, spring and summer field studies of the polar bear and walrus were carried out on the island of Alexandra Land (Franz Josef Archipelago), the Orange Islands and Cape Zhelaniya of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. In the valleys of the Kheta and Khatanga rivers, studies were carried out on the habitat of wild reindeer, and the migration routes of animals on the territory of two municipal districts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory were studied. Field studies of bioindicator species of Arctic ecosystems continued in the summer-autumn of 2022. Related materials: Lenta.ru: "Rosneft will develop measures to preserve biodiversity in the regions of presence" Gazeta.ru: "Rosneft will develop a set of measures to preserve biodiversity in the regions of presence" Trud: "Rosneft will preserve the flora and fauna in the regions where it operates"

Climatic anomalies affect the carbon balance of forests, as well as their ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, state the scientists of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS. Climate change affects biogeochemical processes in the spruce forests of the southern taiga subzone of the European part of Russia. The amplitude and range of variability of carbon dioxide uptake and emissions in spruce forests depend on environmental conditions. “Long-term observations of ecosystem fluxes of carbon dioxide in different types of spruce forests have shown that these forests can be both a source and sink of carbon dioxide for the atmosphere, depending on the specific temperature and humidity conditions of the growing season and soil moisture regime. Thus, abnormally warm and dry weather conditions in the summer months can lead to an increase in the absorption of carbon dioxide in spruce forests of various types. At the same time, under conditions of rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation, there is an increase in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere only in waterlogged spruce forests, and a decrease in its release in spruce forests on well-drained mineral soils, ”said Vadim Mamkin, researcher at IEE RAS, candidate of biological sciences. As experts explained, the balance of CO2 between the forest ecosystem and the atmosphere depends on the amount of carbon dioxide absorption during photosynthesis and the amount of carbon dioxide emissions (emissions into the atmosphere) during the respiration of various organisms. Changes in environmental conditions as a result of climatic anomalies simultaneously affect both absorption and emission of CO2. The scientists analyzed the interannual variability of CO2 ecosystem fluxes in different types of spruce forests on the basis of the South Valdai Ecological Observatory of IEE RAS "Okovsky Les", located on the territory of the Central Forest State Natural Biosphere Reserve (Tver Region). With continuous year-round monitoring, the method of turbulent pulsations was used. Observations of turbulent flows in the surface layer of the atmosphere were carried out for five years. The method is based on the calculation of the intensity of heat and carbon dioxide transfer in the surface air layer by turbulent vortices. The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation. The results are published in MDPI. Related materials: TASS Nauka: "The taiga absorbs CO2 more strongly due to the hot summer months" +1: "Scientists: Russian taiga absorbed more carbon dioxide during heat wave" Ecosphere: "Heat caused intense CO2 uptake by spruce forests" First Sevastopolsky: "The southern taiga began to absorb more carbon dioxide"

A tripartite agreement on the joint conservation of the Far Eastern leopard was concluded by the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, FGBU "Land of the Leopard" and ANO "Far Eastern Leopards". Signed within the framework of the International Tiger Forum, the document will be an important milestone in the history of the conservation and future reintroduction of the rare cat. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the leading biological research institutions in Russia. Among other things, he deals with animal ecology and develops recommendations for nature conservation. The Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution preserves the only wild population of the Far Eastern leopard in the world with the support of ANO Far Eastern Leopards. Previously, organizations have repeatedly collaborated in the field of preserving the unique nature of southern Primorye, including the prevention of epizootics (epidemics in wild animals). According to experts, the document signed within the framework of the II International Tiger Forum has become a milestone for the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard, providing for joint research and development of programs, including those aimed at further restoration of the population. “Conservation of the Far Eastern leopard requires multifaceted efforts. Participation in this work of the Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, whose specialists have the best competences in the country in this field, will definitely bring the work on the study of a unique population to a new level,” says Elena Gangalo, Director General of ANO Far Eastern Leopards. An important area of ​​consolidated cooperation will be support for the planned work on the reintroduction of the Far Eastern leopard, including on the territory of the V.L. Komarov Ussuriysk State Nature Reserve (under the management of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Land of the Leopard"). In particular, it is expected that specialists from the Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences will prepare a program for the "settlement" ofnew territories by leopards and will provide assistance at all stages of future work in this area. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS has been cooperating with the Land of the Leopard National Park for many years, we also had successful joint projects with ANO Far Eastern Leopards. The signed agreement will significantly improve the coordination of the parties in the implementation of ongoing projects, such as studying the spread of pathogens dangerous for the Amur leopard and the Amur tiger in the national park; assessment of the level of well-being of these predators. In addition, such an agreement will become the basis for the implementation of larger projects aimed at the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard,” said Sergey Naidenko, director of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. “For 10 years of work, Land of the Leopard managed to save the Far Eastern leopard from extinction and achieve an increase in its numbers. The next stage is the gradual reintroduction of one of the rarest cats in the world to the places of its historical range. This is a very complex and fragile process that requires highly specialized knowledge and skills. We are very pleased that the experienced professionals of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences will help us in this difficult but necessary task,” said Viktor Bardyuk, Director of the Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution. The II International Tiger Forum was held on September 5 as the first day of the Eastern Economic Forum on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University. A number of events within the framework of the Forum were dedicated to the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard, the world's rarest big cat. Related materials: TASS Nauka: "The population of the Far Eastern leopard is planned to be restored in the Ussuriysky Reserve" +1: "The population of leopards and gyrfalcons will be restored in the Far East of Russia" Land of the Leopards: "Leading zoologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences will help to preserve the rarest leopard" Interfax Russia: "Scientists will develop a program for the reintroduction of the Far Eastern leopard to its historical range"

A female deer with a cub The study of the sleep-wake cycle of the mouse-deer showed that the parameters of sleep in these animals are unique and formed under the influence of a number of ecological factors of the rainforest. The work was carried out by the specialists of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS). These deer (Tragulus kanchil) live in the forests of South Asia and Africa. The weight of adult animals rarely exceeds two kg. These are the smallest of modern ungulates. They appeared on Earth approximately 40-50 million years ago, and are the only surviving of the known basal groups (organisms whose evolutionary line separated from the root before other groups) of artiodactyls. These deer, the so-called "living fossils", have a number of features that are considered "archaic" for artiodactyls. Given their evolutionary status (the historical development of the organism), deer are of interest for comparative eco-physiological studies of sleep, as well as for testing several hypotheses about the function of sleep. Characteristic posture of slow-wave (B) sleep in deer Employees of IEE RAS, together with foreign colleagues, studied the animals in Vietnam in the BuZyaMap National Park. Sleep was studied using the electrophysiological method. Indicators of brain activity (electroencephalogram, EEG), motor activity of muscles (electromyogram) and eyes (electrooculogram) were recorded, and the behavior of animals recorded on video was analyzed. During the experiments, the deer were in spacious enclosures, and physiological parameters were recorded using telemetry (wireless method of information transmission). According to the authors, immobility is one of the most important signs of deer sleep. At the same time, the state of sleep, as a rule, is difficult to distinguish from calm wakefulness without registration of electrophysiological parameters. The data obtained indicate that the features of the sleep-wake cycle in deer are determined primarily by environmental factors, such as high environmental temperatures, feeding habits, exposure to predators, as well as body size and physiology of deer. Typical posture of REM sleep in deer “Unlike most other animals studied, which sleep with their eyes closed, the eyes of the deer were open for the most part of the sleep cycle. Other important features of deer are the twilight (crepuscular) nature of activity, polyphasic sleep, reduced cyclicity of sleep stages,” said Oleg Lyamin, a researcher at the IEE RAS. Several previous studies have linked the low degree of differentiation (formation of a special phenotype) of sleep at its substage in animals with their "evolutionary age". As scientists have established, sleep in deer is differentiated into substages similarly to the higher placentals (that is, in most mammals). The total amount of sleep (and the duration of the slow-wave sleep stage) in the smallest of the ungulates was a record for the entire group (about half the time of the day), and paradoxical (REM) sleep was, like other wild ungulates, very short (less than 25 minutes on average). If the long duration of slow-wave sleep in deer is in good agreement with the idea of ​​sleep as a state of adaptive immobility, which reduces or excludes animal activity when it is inappropriate or even harmful, then a small amount of the deepest stage of sleep, namely REM sleep, with a negative correlation between the duration of REM sleep and the security of animals during sleep. The research results are published in one of the international scientific journals. Related materials: VC: "How do deer sleep?" Science and life: "Sleep is for the weak"

On August 21, the summer field school of the Institute of Biological Problems of the Permafrost of the Federal Research Center "Yakutsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences" completed its work. School participants studied greenhouse gases and their impact on the Earth's climate. The training was conducted at the Spasskaya Pad International Forest Research Station located in Central Yakutia. The summer field school "Greenhouse gases and climate - monitoring, manipulation, modeling and management" worked under the scientific supervision of Trofim Maksimov, Deputy General Director of the Federal Research Center "YaNC SB RAS", Chief Researcher of the IPC SB RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences. During the week, the participants of the summer field school gained new knowledge at the lectures of leading scientists from Russia, the USA, Japan and Taiwan, conducted short-term field studies at Spasskaya Pad, learned how to measure greenhouse gases and the main components of the carbon cycle, maintain scientific instruments and mathematical analysis of the received data. As part of the training, studies of greenhouse gases in the surface and boundary-planetary layers of the atmosphere were carried out - for this, the school participants flew around the territory on an An-2 aircraft. At the end of theis studies, the participants prepared reports on research carried out at the forest scientific station. The Spasskaya Pad scientific station is equipped with the most modern equipment for studying greenhouse gases. On its territory there are three aluminum micrometeorological towers with a height of 16, 24 and 34 meters, as well as three ecophysiological 20-meter towers for access to the trees. As part of the training, researchers working on the modern issue of greenhouse gas monitoring and transboundary carbon management gained a broad understanding and expanded their knowledge of the field of decarbonization. In the future, they will be able to use the acquired knowledge and skills in the practice of organizing a national system of carbon ranges and farms. Researcher of the V.N. Sukachev Laboratory of Biogeocenology at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (Moscow), Candidate of Biological Sciences Olga Kuricheva emphasized the hospitality of the Yakut specialists and the high level of research carried out at the Spasskaya Pad forest scientific station. “The breadth of research topics at the scientific station is remarkable, these are really complex studies from the troposphere to permafrost vertically and from the tundra to highly productive forests in the south of Yakutia horizontally. The experience of international cooperation is impressive. I really liked that in previous schools with the participation of foreign specialists, everyone at the station had to speak English - in particular, thanks to this, the team of Trofim Khristoforovich Maksimov knows English. And modern science cannot develop in one single country. Spasskaya Pad has a powerful instrument base, an extremely interesting object of study. It is important that the parameters of the investigated larch forests are close to the average values ​​in larch forests in Russia. The studies of greenhouse gas fluxes carried out at Spasskaya Pad are among the most serious in Russia,” said Olga Kuricheva. The researcher shared that she was very impressed with permafrost: “I have been reading about permafrost since the 6th grade of school geography, and here we dug a soil pit to zero isotherm, to the border of frozen rocks. It was very cold down in this pit. For the first time in my life, I touched permafrost. We took out several ice crystals from a depth of about 1.8 meters, they were like Yakut diamonds mined by us with our own hands! For a geographer from European Russia, this is an amazing experience.” Olga Alekseevna also expressed her gratitude for the sightseeing tour over the Lena River on the An-2 aircraft, on which studies of greenhouse gas concentrations at altitude are carried out. “I was also lucky enough to film a chipmunk and see the main pest of larch forests - a live silkworm. At Spasskaya Pad, I participated in the calibration of instruments, calculations and interpretation of greenhouse gas fluxes over the forest using the turbulent pulsation method, talked about data quality control, and also learned how to measure the level of photosynthesis in natural and laboratory conditions. My scientific interests are studying the flows of greenhouse gases, energy, moisture in natural ecosystems. On Spasskaya Pad, on a tower in a larch forest, the exact same research is being carried out, so it is very interesting to exchange experience on the methods and results of research. The school strengthens the cooperation of scientific teams. I hope to continue to work together with the team of Trofim Khristoforovich, to compare ecosystems along a latitudinal transect with a scale of almost a third of the globe,” said Olga Kuricheva. Work at the summer school was carried out in three areas - photosynthesis, soil respiration and Eddy Covariance (a modern system for continuous automatic registration of turbulent energy flows and greenhouse gases in the surface layer of the atmosphere). “I got only positive impressions from the summer school. Thank you very much to the moderators of the school for teaching and presenting material in an accessible language,” Rosa Bakhtiyarova, Associate Professor of the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (Ufa), Candidate of Technical Sciences, shared her impressions. “We really enjoyed the summer field school. The organizers were able to combine useful informative lectures and interesting practical exercises. It was very interesting to get acquainted in detail with the system of eddy-covariance, methods for determining soil respiration, to study the photosynthesis of various plants, and to take part in sociological surveys on global warming. We express our deep gratitude to the organizers and hope to visit the summer field school next year!” said laboratory research assistants of the Tyumen State University (Tyumen) Victoria Kolotygina and Ivan Milyaev. Researcher of the V.N. Sukachev Laboratory of Biogeocenology at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (Moscow) Vitaly Avilov noted that a very wide range of research is carried out at the Spasskaya Pad station, there is a well-equipped hospital for living and research work. “Most of all, I was impressed by the view of the endless forests from the top of the tower,” the scientist said. “Our laboratory conducts almost identical research in the European part of Russia. The most promising at the moment seems to be the integration of similar stations on the territory of Russia into a single network for monitoring climate and ecosystems, that is, the creation of a scientific megastructure throughout the country,” shared Vitaly Avilov. In total, 20 researchers from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Tyumen State University, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Yugorsk State University, Federal Research Center "Yakutsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Institute of Biological Problems of the Permafrost of the Federal Research Center "YaNTs of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Arctic State Agrotechnological University, Institute of Permafrost Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 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