Members of the expedition "Arctic Floating University - 2022" carried out a set of research works on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, including continued observations of Atlantic walruses. For the third year, employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences have been monitoring the grouping of the Atlantic walrus. One of their tasks is to assess the state and dynamics of the population, since it is an indicator of the sustainable state of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Russian Arctic. “It was important in such a short period of time to study several key points of the archipelago- the islands of Graham Bell, Trekhluchev, Heiss, Matilda and examine the rookeries with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles, conduct a census of sighted animals, collect samples using minimally invasive and non-invasive methods. We also managed to service 15 camera traps installed last year. This year, we were surprised by the location of the rookery at Cape Ostantsovy on Heiss Island: the walruses lay quite far from the water, among the sands, and not in their usual place,” said a researcher at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Svetlana Artemyeva, head of the team for the study of the Atlantic walrus within the framework of the Arctic Floating University program. According to scientists' preliminary assessment, the group of walruses looks well, no sick animals were registered. Last year, more than seven thousand animals were counted directly, which is an absolute record for these places. The results of this year will be known after the analysis of all collected data. “For the third year we have been conducting large complex expeditions that bring data on the study of marine mammals living in protected areas. The territory of the national park is optimal for research of this kind, since a large group of Atlantic walrus is regularly detected here. We finally learned about all the rookeries that are available in the "Russian Arctic" and their condition. Now we are assessing the condition of the animals,” said Alexander Kirilov, director of the Russian Arctic National Park. Related materials: Regnum: "Scientists were surprised by the Atlantic walrus rookery on Franz Josef Land" Iluki: "Scientists got more information about Arctic walruses" Naryana Vynder: "Our mustachioed neighbors" Go Arctic: "Arctic oil and gas: what's going on?"

Russian scientists from the I.D. Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS and Cherepovets State University discovered that one of the species of tropical fish, which previously ate only plant foods, at some point split into herbivores and predators. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF). The results are published in the journal Diversity. Living organisms in the process of evolution are forced to adapt to various living conditions. As a result, some of them acquire very specific features that help them occupy a narrow niche and avoid competition both with relatives and representatives of other species. Tropical fish of the genus Garra followed this path. Their jaws have expanded over time and developed into scrapers with a sharp cutting edge, which helps them scrape algae (periphyton) from stones. In the same way, they are able to scrape off dead particles from human skin, which alleviates the symptoms of psoriasis, which is why some fish from the genus Garra are also known as doctor fish. “When populations increase rapidly in size, intraspecific competition often occurs. The answer to it can be the so-called adaptive radiation, in which forms arise that occupy different ecological niches: someone acquires sustenance from the water column, and someone from the surface, and so on. The division of food resources during cohabitation is the initial stage of the so-called sympatric speciation. It is not often found in nature, but it provides valuable information about how new species appear,” says the first author of the article, Alexandra Komarova, junior researcher at the I.D. Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters RAS. Garra rufa fishes Gettyimages.ru © BSIP/Universal Images Group Earlier, in the Sor River in the Ethiopian Highlands (in the White Nile basin), six forms of a relative of the doctor fish were found, differing both in appearance and genetically. This is rather unusual: the conditions in mountain rivers are very changeable, and at first glance there are no prerequisites for the emergence of some new specialization. In their work, researchers from the I.D. Papanin RAS (Borok), A.N. Severtsov RAS (Moscow) and Cherepovets State University (Cherepovets) revealed the ecological component of this phenomenon. Since the externally studied fish differ in features that are somehow related to nutrition, the authors measured the length of their intestines, studied their contents, and analyzed the stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in white muscles, the ratio of which allows us to understand what the animals ate for a long period (approximately six months). This was necessary because the nutrition of fish can be changeable and assessment by intestinal contents does not provide sufficient information. The results of the study confirmed that in the past there was a division of the species into ecological forms in accordance with the type of food. Some fish continued to feed on algae, others became predators, and still others acquired mixed characteristics. The fish that ate the algae had more carbon-13 isotopes, predominantly accumulating in single-celled algae. The intestines of these animals developed to be 1.5–2 times longer than those of carnivorous relatives, since plant food is digested over longer periods of time and this is the only way to ensure its effective assimilation. Alexandra Komarova studying the composition of the food bolus of doctor fish under a binocular © Boris Levin The appearance of herbivores and predators also differed: in the latter, the mouth apparatus became more like a wide slot with a lock than a scraper - it is more convenient to capture and hold prey. The authors also discovered a completely new form that has never been seen among doctor fish, despite their wide distribution from Southeast Asia to West Africa. It has thick lips and appears to be the result of crossbreeding of other cohabiting forms; while the purpose of this modification of the oral apparatus is not entirely clear. “Although it is generally accepted that specialized forms arise from more generalized ones, that is, without any striking adaptations, our observations have shown that this is not always the case. The narrow scraping specialist of the genus Garra diversified his diet, and in some cases completely changed it. In a particular Ethiopian river, this can be explained by the fact that the doctor fish does not have many natural enemies, and there are not many competitors of other species either, and therefore you can “relax” and get out of your narrow niche,” sums up the head of the project, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, Boris Levin, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Leading Researcher in I.D. Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters RAS. As the researchers emphasize, the observed situation expands the list of examples of a rather rare Liem's ​​paradox, according to which the structure of the animal's mouth apparatus does not necessarily correspond to the type of its food. Outbreaks of diversification, that is, rapid separation into different ecological forms and species, apparently occur only in certain parts of the river network, where, on the one hand, there are not so many predators, and on the other hand, there is no competition with other highly specialized species, while there are available ecological niches. Related materials: RT: ""Intraspecific competition": how herbivorous fish turned into predators" Polit.ru: "Exploring new ecological niches, tropical fish have turned from algae eaters intopredators"

©Getty images Researchers from Tyumen State University together with scientists from the A.N. Severtsov, Penza State University, the Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as the Physiology and Genetics of Animals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, revealed the influence of the parasitic flatworm Strigea robusta on the normal development of toad tadpoles. The parasite enters the body of domestic ducks, and then is transmitted to humans, causing a serious illness - trematodosis. The scientists' article was published in the Q1 Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology. It turned out that the previously noted induction of morphological anomalies in green frog tadpoles under the influence of this parasite species is observed to a similar extent in Palearctic toads. The limbs of tadpoles are predominantly affected by abnormal changes: specific edema, inversion of the limbs, growth of additional parts of the legs in the femoral region, and an increase in the number of fingers (the so-called polydactyly). “These deformations in amphibians were noticed quite a long time ago, in the middle of the last century, by the famous French scientist Jean Rostand and named by him “Anomaly P”. We found that the anomalies are caused by a parasite, and in our study we show that they are not specific only to green frogs, but they are also found in toads,” says Anton Svinin, coordinator of the project to study the influence of the parasite on amphibians, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Ecological Genetics and Metagenomics. “They were able to show that the parasite does not lead to any abnormalities in the gonads, affecting only the limbs, which in itself is surprising.” The deformities often result in reduced locomotor activity, making frogs and toads easier prey for birds, which are the definitive hosts of the parasites. Among these are ducks, including domestic ducks, which in turn can become carriers of serious diseases - types of trematodosis. Living in the intestines of birds, parasites can lead to diverticulosis, the formation of boils and ulcers in the intestines. Further study of the spread of the parasite, as well as its impact on different groups of animals, and identification of the nature of the impact is of considerable interest to scientists, and will serve as new tasks for future research.

Ornithologists in Taimyr have tagged and ringed 21 birds for further study. This was pronounced in the joint directorate of the reserves of Taimyr. Sofya Rosenfeld, an employee of the Bird Ringing Center of Russia, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that during the summer expedition, scientists were able to catch, mark with transmitters and ring 7 tundra bean geese, one white-fronted goose and 13 young 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” Sofia Rosenfeld The scientist spoke about the aerial survey of moulting geese in the Pyasina delta and in the area of the mouth of the Tarei. The data obtained will allow biologists to calculate the percentage of breeding birds in the population, the average brood size and other parameters that are important for monitoring anseriformes. Next year, the specialists plan to continue the work.

A recently released special issue of Cat News No. 15, 2022 was dedicated to the problem of preserving the Persian leopard in the world. Cat News ISSN 1027-2992 is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group, a sub-organization of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC). The special issue of Cat News includes 12 chapters that cover different issues of the conservation of the Persian leopard: a system of international cooperation across the entire range of the species initiated by the IUCN for the conservation of the Persian leopard; questions of biology, ecology and taxonomy of the subspecies; the results of modeling the modern area of ​​the Near East; characterization of the status of the leopard in the territory of the Caucasian ecoregion, northern Iran and Central Asia, in the western and eastern parts of the range of the subspecies; the issues of predator-human conflict were also considered and an analysis of possible solutions was given; description of ecological corridors and transboundary territories, priority for the conservation of the subspecies; aspects of the system for effective monitoring of the leopard and its prey base were discussed; thepossibilities of the system of keeping predators in captivity for the restoration of populations are analyzed, the experience of Russia in restoring the subspecies in the northern part of the range - in the mountains of the Russian Caucasus through the reintroduction of individuals born and specially bred in captivity was given in this issue as well. The special issue that has just been released most fully covers the current problems of the conservation of the Persian leopard in the world and sets the tasks that need to be solved in the near future. Employees of IEE RAS took part in all discussions of chapters and the concept in preparing the issue, prepared a chapter on the implementation of the Program for the restoration of the leopard in the Caucasus (on the territory of the Russian Federation), and are also co-authors of chapters on monitoring and modeling of subspecies habitats. The release can be found at this link.

The form of the gallop that the animal uses determines the range of motion at the lumbosacral joint. There are two ways to increase your running speed: increase the frequency or length of your strides. In both cases, artiodactyls are capable of reaching an impressive top speed of 70-90 km/h. According to zoologists, mobility in the lumbosacral joint differs significantly in ungulates of the same size class, depending on the form of the canter used. In species adapted to the hopping-speed form of running, mobility in the lumbosacral joint is on average one and a half times higher than in species adapted to the speed form. Thus, a more amplitude hopping-speed form of running demands from ungulates not only increased mobility in the limb joints compared to the high-speed form, but also higher mobility of the lower back and lumbosacral joint. Joint extension of the limbs and lower back allows species adapted to this form of running to cover a distance of up to 10 meters for each jump. Scientists also found that the largest ungulates are characterized by a decrease in joint mobility throughout the spine. This also applies to the lumbosacral joint. Interestingly, its amplitude in large ungulates practically does not differ from the amplitude in the joints of the lumbar proper. Thus, its mobility is reduced more than in other joints. Scientists have suggested that the special role of the lumbosacral joint, which it plays in the use of jumping gaits by ungulates, is completely lost with an increase in size and transition to other forms of canter. With an extreme increase in size, ungulates may completely refuse to gallop, as hippos do, which use trotting as their main ground gait, or even lose the ability to move without constant support on the ground, as happens with elephants. The work was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation. The results are published in the Journal of Anatomy. In the photo: Artiodactyls with the most mobile and least mobile lumbosacral joint in the sagittal plane

A team of biologists from the IEE RAS and the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University studied the common tropical nudibranch mollusc Coryphellina rubrolineata. Molecular genetic analyzes, as well as a study of the external and internal structure of animals, showed that this is not one species, but at least five. As a result, the authors described four new species of nudibranch mollusks that differ in mitochondrial and nuclear genes, as well as body stripes. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), the results were published in the journal Diversity. Molecular genetic methods have allowed scientists to better identify cryptic (similar in appearance, but genetically different) and pseudocryptic (different in appearance, but this becomes clear only after applying genetic methods) species and species complexes. With their spread in taxonomy, the hypothesis of the leading role of geographical barriers and spatial isolation in speciation began to dominate. Often, remote populations of the same species with a wide range began to be divided into several species, based solely on genetic comparison data, which is not always justified. Recent studies in the field of evolution and phylogeny emphasize the great role of the ecological factor in speciation: organisms can diverge into different ecological niches within the same geographical area, acquiring new characters and isolating according to their "way of life." In modern taxonomy, an integrative approach to the study of species becomes important, when not only individual aspects (morphology, anatomy, ecology, DNA sequences) are evaluated, but also a number of characters in the aggregate. This approach makes it possible not only to describe a new species, but also to understand its evolution, and sometimes even the history of the development of the fauna of an entire region. The species Coryphellina rubrolineata, which interested Russian scientists, was first described from samples from the Red Sea in 1929, even before the spread of molecular methods. This nudibranch mollusk was later registered in the Mediterranean Sea, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The main identification feature of the species was three bright stripes running along the entire body. However, their color, discontinuity, width, proximity to each other, as well as other features, varied in different individuals. Employees of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow) together with colleagues from the A.N. Severtsov IEE, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), as part of the work of the Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center, studied individuals of C. rubrolineata from Vietnam. To understand whether this is really one species or still a complex of cryptic or pseudocryptic species, the authors turned to molecular genetic methods. In total, 28 individuals of Coryphellina were selected in the waters of Vietnam, each of them was photographed, and then cataloged for further research. Based on DNA sequencing data, the authors constructed phylogenetic trees reflecting evolutionary relationships and assessed the degree of differences between the samples. The animals were also studied by microscopic methods, with special attention paid to the reproductive and digestive systems. As a result, it turned out that the objects did not belong to one species, C. rubrolineata, but to five, of which four were first described in this work: Coryphellina pseudolotos, Coryphellina pannae, Coryphellina flamma, and Coryphellina aurora. “Most of the species we have identified show extremely high divergence, that is, divergence, in mitochondrial genes and, more unusually, in nuclear ones. This may indirectly indicate a level of ancientry. The most significant differences were the signs of coloration and, in particular, the type of red stripes: in some species they are intermittent, in others they are extended along the entire length of the body, in others they are completely absent,” explains Irina Ekimova, project manager under the RSF grant and the first author of the study, Ph.D. Biological Sciences, Senior Researcher, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University. - Their general coloration is also different, although it can vary quite a lot within the same species. At the same time, the signs of the internal structure of the new species are very conservative, which is probably due to similar food preferences and breeding strategies.” From such revisions — discoveries of new species within a group or, conversely, combinations of several into one — evolutionary trees of small and then large groups of organisms are built. If we look at these data through the prism of space and time - that is, where, when and how new species “budded off”, scientists will be able to reconstruct the entire history of the fauna of the regions, going beyond the objects they study. Nudibranch mollusks, due to different reproductive strategies and dispersal abilities, are a convenient model object in this respect. Information and photos provided by the press service of Moscow State University. In the photo: Collage with photographs of Coryphellina lotos (left) and four new described species: (left to right) C. pseudolotos, C. pannae, C. flamma, C. aurora / Source: Irina Ekimova, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University Related materials: MK.ru: "Metropolitan zoologists have found four new species of mollusks in one" ИА Красная весна: "Biologists of Moscow State University and the Russian Academy ofSciences have identified new species of tropical mollusks" Planet today: "Zoologists took a closer look at tropical molluscs and described four newspecies"

Existing methods of combating pathogenic species of Fusarium fungi are not effective enough due to the high variability and specificity of the biology of these phytopathogenic microorganisms. The aim of our work was to reconstruct the kinetic mechanisms that determine the biomass of Fusarium species in the agroecosystem to minimize the risk of the spread of Fusarium. Using dynamic modeling, a system consisting of three components was studied: soil fungieating nematodes, Fusarium fungi and winter wheat seedlings. Based on the results of the parameter estimation and global sensitivity analysis, scientists identified three model parameters that have the strongest impact on the biomass of Fusarium species: (1) the rate of reproduction of mushroom-eating nematodes due to feeding on Fusarium fungi, (2) the rate of natural death of fungi-eating nematodes, and (3) tank size media for Fusarium fungi. According to the results of stochastic modeling, the internal variability of the dynamics of the biomass of Fusarium species was two orders of magnitude higher than the internal variability of the dynamics of the abundance of fungi-eating nematodes. The developed model made it possible to obtain fundamentally new information about the main mechanisms of interaction between Fusarium species, fungi-eating nematodes, and winter wheat plants, as well as to identify the most promising mechanisms that can reduce the biomass of Fusarium species in the soil. The study was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Tyumen Region under project No. 20–41–720005. Goncharov A.A., Gorbatova A.S., Sidorova A.S., Tiunov A.V., Bocharov G.A. (2022) Mathematical modeling of the interaction of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Fusarium species (Fusarium spp.). Ecological Modeling, 465: 109856. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109856. Link to article: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1eKF-_6wxcJOYg

On June 2, 2022, a meeting of the section of experts on the Persian leopard was held at the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. The issue of releasing young leopards that were born in the Sochi "Leopard Recovery Center in the Caucasus" in 2020, which is fundamentally important for the restoration of this species in the Caucasus, was discussed. In the Central Caucasus, in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania and the adjacent territories of Kabardino-Balkaria, through the efforts of the participants in the Program for the restoration of the Caucasian leopard in the Caucasus, a small, but stable group of this rare species has already been created, which is beginning to attract leopards from neighboring regions of Transcaucasia. In places where leopards were released on camera traps, not only released, but also wild leopards began to be recorded. An increase in this group due to the release of two-year-old leopards Leo, Khosta and Laura into these places in 2022, whose readiness for life in nature was confirmed by a group of experts from the IEE RAS, IEGT RAS, the Moscow Zoo and WWF-Russia, would increase the viability of the created group of leopards. Despite the problems with the delivery of Canadian satellite collars to Russia, the IEE RAS staff prepared domestic transmitters for leopards, which have proven themselves well when working with other species of predatory mammals. They are not inferior to Canadian ones in their characteristics and do not interfere with animals’ hunting. Considering that Leo, Khosta and Laura have reached the age at which they leave their mothers, wild leopards settle and master their hunting grounds in nature (usually this happens at the age of one and a half years), the best feline specialists from the IEE RAS, the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories RAS, the Caspian Institute biological resources of the Dagestan FRC RAS, as well as the Caucasian and North Ossetian reserves, providing scientific support for the Program, expressed a unanimous opinion on the need and expediency of releasing young leopards this year. Against this background, the strange position of the Sochi Center employees who oppose the release of animals sounds dissonant: "… despite the high level of training of individuals, the excellent ability to independently hunt large ungulates, the persistent reaction of avoiding humans and domestic animals, at this stage, the Center's specialists believe inappropriate release of kittens due to their age”. Scientists are looking forward to what decision the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation will make about the fate of young leopards and, in fact, about the future of the Program for the restoration of the Caucasian leopard in the Caucasus.

In the specially protected water area of ​​the Olga Bay of Kronotsky Bay, scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute for Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences have begun the next stage of research on the most ancient baleen whales listed in the Red Books of all levels. Olga Bay in the Kronotsky Reserve has been serving gray whales native to the waters of California and Mexico for many years as a kind of summer restaurant. Here, after wintering off the coast of North America and the birth of offspring, they “halt” during a long migration to feed in shallow water off benthos - organisms that live at the bottom of the coastal zone or above its surface. These are bottom fish species, crustaceans and various mollusks. In the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, where fishing is not carried out and there is no intensive navigation, the whales feel completely safe. Gray whales are one of the main objects of observation for participants in sea excursions and scientific expeditions in the protected bay. In July, here you can see about fifty individuals in one day, watch their fountains. IEE RAS expedition to study gray whales started in early June. Marine biologists conduct photo-ID of animals. This is necessary in order to trace the migration path of "old acquaintances" and to add new encountered individuals to the existing catalogs of gray whales. The data will allow us to learn more about the migration routes and lifestyle of ancient marine mammals and develop recommendations for the conservation of the population. The expedition members shared their first results. "So far, according to photo-identification data, we have 40 whales. And about 10 of them were seen in the summer on Sakhalin in previous years. Many of these whales will also go to Sakhalin. We try to photograph the left and right sides, we also capture the upper back from the drone. Photos allow not only to count all the whales encountered, but also to assess their fatness and the condition of the skin. This work will take a lot of time. If we evaluate the current state of the animals, we see a lot of thin whales. Which, in fact, is normal after a long migration, "said Matvey Mamaev , leader of the expedition, leading engineer of IEE RAS. The researchers noted that while the unpredictable weather in Kamchatka allows them to observe the sea for several hours almost every day, the work is proceeding according to plan. Additional Information: The gray whale is the only species of the gray whale family. Listed in the Red Books of the IUCN, the Russian Federation and the Kamchatka Territory. Gray whales are indigenous to the eastern Pacific. Animals winter in warm lagoons off the coast of the southern United States (California) and Mexico, and possibly Japan and Korea, where mating takes place and offspring are born. In early spring, they go on a long journey to summer feeding grounds - the cold territorial waters of Alaska, Chukotka, Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, where they feed on benthos in shallow water (organisms living in the bottom part of the sea or burrowing into the ground). At the end of autumn, they go in the opposite direction alone or in small groups. Thus, gray whales cover from 12 to 19 thousand kilometers per year. Every year, scientists study marine mammals in the waters of the Kronotsky Reserve and the South Kamchatka Reserve. The largest accumulation of animals there is observed from the beginning of June to the end of July and in November on the way back.