At the end of 2021, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB), which played a major role in popularizing the concept of sustainable development, including the creation of optimal relations between society and nature, which is largely facilitated by the international network of biosphere reserves - areas representing important ecosystems of the planet, celebrates its half-century anniversary. To date, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves includes 727 protected areas (including 22 transboundary ones) in 131 countries. The network of biosphere reserves of Russia is represented by 48 protected areas of various levels, illustrated information about which is contained in a special issue of the Bulletin of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO (ComUNESCO), prepared in Russian and English with the support of PJSC "Phosagro" and published in December 2021 by Oleg Pakhmutov Publishing House for distribution in 193 UNESCO Member States and posted here.

It has long been assumed that interspecific hybridization and introgression (the transfer of genes from one species to the gene pool of another by backcrossing), in other words, reticular processes, play a very limited role in evolution and the acquisition of adaptations in mammals. Using the example of rodents endemic and inhabiting various mountainous habitats of the Ethiopian Highlands, the staff of the Laboratory of Mammal Microevolution of the IEE RAS, together with colleagues from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, managed to obtain evidence that interspecific hybridization and introgression between closely related mammalian species can lead to significant evolutionary consequences. Phylogenetic relationships of all nine Ethiopian species of speckled rough-haired mice Lophuromys flavopunctatus s.l. from geographic localities covering most of their distribution areas were studied using genomic methods. The results of the study revealed a significant discrepancy between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies resulting from ancient and recent interspecific hybridization events. Based on the data obtained, a scenario of the evolutionary history of this group is proposed, according to which modern species and their genetic diversity were formed as a result of a complex combination of divergent and reticular processes. It has been suggested that the introgression of the mitochondrial genome of a species inhabiting low altitudes (L.

The Praomyini tribe is one of the most numerous and diverse groups of African rodents. The species of this group are reservoirs of many pathogenic microorganisms, as well as agricultural pests. An international team of researchers, including the head of the laboratory of microevolution of mammals, IEE RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences Lavrenchenko L.A., carried out the phylogenomic analysis of Praomyini. For the first time, a fully resolved phylogenetic tree of this tribe has been obtained. Numerous taxonomic changes have been proposed, and four new genera have been identified (Montemys, Congomys, Ochromyscus, Serengetimys). A deeply divergent lineage found in southwestern Ethiopia is described from the only known specimen as a new genus and species, Chingawaemys rarus (Lavrenchenko, Mikula & Bryja, 2021). Divergence dating results suggest that the radiation of the Praomyini tribe began during the Messinian Crisis salinity (~ 7 million years ago) and was probably associated with the fragmentation of African forests in the Miocene. It is shown that some of its lines, like their common ancestor, continued to live in evergreen rainforests, while many others adapted to open and mountainous habitats that arose at the beginning of the Pliocene. Figure 1. Chingawa forest (southwestern Ethiopia) - type locality of Chingawaemys rarus.

In the first half of January 2022, the work of a complex expedition continued on the territory of RNO-Alania and Kabardino-Balkaria, which included employees of IEE RAS, IEGT RAS, the North Ossetian State Reserve and the Elbrus National Park. The next (winter) stage of the expedition was devoted to the search for leopards and traces of their activity in this region. Even though the collars stopped transmitting GPS coordinates in 2021, the VHF transmitters on them are still operational. Therefore, specialists held a session of trips along the passes in order to find the location of animals released in 2020 by radio signal. Unfortunately, at this stage, the search has not yielded any results. However, in the Central Caucasus active collection of information coming from the population is being undertaken. The project participants have already appealed to the inhabitants of the Caucasus and reminded them once again: if you find a footprint of a large cat, and you assume that this is a footprint of a leopard, then it must be photographed from above with a scale (a box of matches, a lighter, a ballpoint pen, a telephone), as well as a footprint (as in the photo example) and send us these photos for examination. This is very important for the project.

Caspian seal puppy. International expedition. Northern Caspian, Kazakhstan, 2019 Photo by Shumeiko N. Endangered Caspian Seal Habitat Identified in Three Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) Status. Caspian seals (Pusa caspica) live only in the Caspian Sea — located at the junction of Europe and Asia, the largest landlocked waterbody in the world. Caspian seals have been listed as Endangered since 2008 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), having declined by more than 70 % in the 20th Century, primarily as a result of unsustainable hunting for their fur and blubber. Caspian seal puppy. International expedition. Northern Caspian, Kazakhstan, 2019 Photo by Shumeiko N. The female of the Caspian seal. International expedition. Northern Caspian, Kazakhstan, 2019 Photo by Shumeiko N.

О.А. Крылович и А.Б. Савинецкий на отборе торфяника The Aleutian Islands constitute a region that attracts the attention of researchers of various specialties. In recent years, interest in the Aleutian Islands has increased further, a large number of articles have been published devoted to the study of the dynamics of climate, their flora and fauna and the history of human settlement of the islands. The article, recently published in the journal Water (MPDI), highlights the results of the work of scientists from three structural divisions of the IEE RAS (laboratory of ecology of aquatic communities and invasions, laboratory of historical ecology and laboratory of population ecology) on the study of the past ecosystems of this region. For the first time to analyze the peat deposits of one of the islands of the ridge, a new approach was applied, combining the results of classical diatom analysis and modern methods of statistical analysis. The purpose of this work was to describe the dynamics during the Holocene of the diatom community of a small reservoir located on Shemya Island and to identify the main global and local factors that determine these changes. Diatoms, whose silicon valves are perfectly preserved in millennial sediments, are good indicators of the environment and objects for paleoreconstruction. According to the results of radiocarbon dating, the formation of the deposit began at 9300 cal. years ago. The analysis of the main components made it possible to link the dynamics of the diatom community with certain ecological conditions and factors that influenced coastal ecosystems during the period of its formation.

Elsivier has published a fresh list of the world's most cited scientists, which was first presented two years ago. The rating is based on the analysis of the number of citations of articles (taking into account the order of authors and other indicators) by more than 8 million scientists on the basis of scientific publications SCOPUS. For each of the selected areas of knowledge (chemistry, economics, mathematics, biology, biomedicine, etc., 22 areas in total), 2% of the most cited scientists were included in the list of "top scientists in the world" (a total of about 190,000 thousand in all regions). One rating is presented by scientists with the highest citation rates of their articles in the last 25 years, from 1996 to 2020, the second - with indicators only for the last 2020. From Russia, the list (in all areas of knowledge) included 847 and 959 scientists, respectively, which is only 0.45% and 0.50% of the total number of "top scientists in the world." In the biology ranking for 25 years (1996-2020), there are only 9 Russians among the 7483 most cited scientists in the world (0.12%). Among them, the largest representation is by IEE RAS and M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University - three scientists, three more organizations are represented by one scientist each. In the rating for 2020, there are three times more Russian biologists (which indicates a positive trend), although still very few: 28 out of 7800 (0.36%). They are the leaders among scientific institutions: Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov (6 people), IEE RAS (5 people) and the Zoological Institute RAS (3 people). Link to the list 

At the UN International Conference on Climate Change, a film about the project for the conservation and restoration of Russian swamps and a virtual tour of the “Staroselsky moss” (Старосельский мох) bog, which is located in the Central Forest Biosphere Reserve (Nelidovsky District, Tver Region), was presented. Scientists have been closely observing the “Staroselsky moss” bog for several years: they study the emission and absorption of greenhouse gases, and simulate the dynamics under conditions of climatic changes. The photographs were presented In a virtual pavilion "Peatland", as well as videos and a 3D panorama of the Central Forest Reserve, made by a researcher at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of RAS Dmitry Ivanov. These materials were highly appreciated by foreign experts. Related materials: KP: "The ecology will be saved by the swamp: the reserved swamp in the Tver region was estimated by the experts of Europe" 

Sofya Borisovna Rosenfeld, Ph.D., Researcher, Center for Bird Ringing of Russia, IEE RAS, took part in counting geese and brants in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The survey takes place within the international project “Life for the safe flight” of the European Union for the preservation of the red-breasted goose. On the part of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the project partner is the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK). For two weeks in the Kostanay region, we have been developing a popular science film with the working title "Autumn migration of geese on Lake Taldykol". The film will describe the migration of geese and brants, including more detail about the red-breasted goose, as well as the measures taken in the Republic of Kazakhstan to protect and minimize the hunting pressure on rare and hunted species of geese and brants.

The aerial stage of the "Soul of the Caspian" expedition with the purposes of research and preservation of the Caspian seal was completed on October 31 in the Astrakhan region. These are the first aerial observations of the smallest seal on earth after it was entered into the Red Book of Russia. Aviation monitoring was carried out by the Clean Seas Ecological Foundation and scientists from the IEE RAS. At the helm of the La-8 amphibious aircraft was a Hero of Russia, cosmonaut, test pilot Valery Tokarev. Takeoff and landing, and between them - an average of five hours of flight over the Caspian in search of animals. The expeditionary group of the Soul of the Caspian project spent 6 days in Astrakhan, completed 4 air routes with a total length of about 2,600 thousand kilometers, exploring an area of more than 12 thousand square kilometers. On three routes, the observers detected approximately 400 animals. Some of the seals were in the water, and most of them were on Maly Zhemchuzhny Island and in the shallows next to it. Accurate data will be obtained after computer processing of photographic materials from the monitoring complex, which is specially designed for aerial observations of marine mammals. In addition to seals, scientists detected and recorded many birds, schools of fish and, regrettably, abandoned fishing nets and numerous boats in the Dagestan part of the Caspian Sea during their flights. The research aircraft also flew over the oil platform of the Lukoil company. The area around it was clear of industrial influence.

A group of scientists from the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University, the Koltsov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the Russian Science Foundation and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, studied how global climate change affects marine invertebrates. The appearance of marine ecosystems in recent years has undergone significant changes under the influence of global climate change and human activity. Scientists are currently studying how these factors affect biodiversity. Samples from the Barents, White and Japan Seas were taken and studied for this purpose. The research results are published in the scientific journal Invertebrate Zoology. The leading engineer of the Laboratory of Morphology and Ecology of Marine Invertebrates, Tatyana Igorevna Antokhina, took part in the research on behalf of IEE RAS.

On October 26, 2021 at 12.30 a press conference will be held at the B.M. Kustodiev Astrakhan International Airport, dedicated to the launch of the ecological project for the study and conservation of the Caspian seal "Soul of the Caspian Sea". The project was developed by the Clean Seas Foundation in cooperation with leading experts on marine mammals from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. The first expedition begins this autumn. On the La-8 amphibious aircraft, the scientific and film crew will fly along the Russian coast of the Caspian Sea along preset routes. At the helm is the main pilot of all air expeditions of the Clean Seas Foundation - Hero of Russia Valery Tokarev, cosmonaut, 1st class test pilot. At the second stage, the expedition team, together with the inspectors of the Astrakhan State Nature Reserve, will go out to sea in speedboats to the island of Maliy Zhemchuzhny to install satellite transmitters on animals and take bio-samples. All these are just the first steps of the Soul of the Caspian project. There is still a lot of work ahead to study the current state of the Caspian seal population and develop a strategy for its conservation. The Caspian seal (Pusa Caspica) is one of the smallest seals on the planet. It is not only the only mammalian inhabitant of the salt lake called the Caspian Sea, but also an indicator of its ecosystem.

The classical theory of gender conflict says that in animals with sexual reproduction and traditional sex roles, males compete for females, and in females, competition for partners is weak, since males are always in abundance. This inference follows from the fact that one male can fertilize many females. Accordingly, males are in abundance in the population, and their reproductive success (the number of offspring) increases with the number of partners. For females, this should not be the case: the number of partners does not increase their reproductive success, so they are not chasing the number of partners, but their quality. However, in recent years, both theory and practice show that not only males, but also females can compete for partners, especially in situations where there are many females and few males. Daphnia alternate parthenogenesis with sexual reproduction. During the period of sexual reproduction, the sex ratio in natural populations can be strongly shifted towards females. Accordingly, questions arise about how many females a male can fertilize and whether females experience a shortage of males, which can lead to reproductive failure and competition of females for males.

In the scientific literature, as well as in the media, there are more and more reports of the appearance in various regions of the globe of animals and plants that were not previously characteristic of them. Many organisms have been accidentally transported thousands of kilometers by humans, for example, transported by sea vessels. In a number of cases, they were deliberately introduced for economic purposes, but then they settled uncontrollably and began to harm nature and humans (rabbits in Australia, hogweed in European Russia, etc.). We can say that at the present time, thanks to rash human activities, there is a general mixing of the faunas and flora of the globe. Most of the efforts of scientists are focused on the study of large invaders, as well as species the introduction of which had devastating consequences for ecosystems. Many people know the history of the appearance in the European part of Russia of the Colorado potato beetle, elodea and rotan fish. Materials on this topic can be found in the "Russian Journal of Biological Invasions", which has become a very famous publication on this topic. The most dangerous species for nature are listed in the book “The Most Dangerous Invasive Species of Russia (TOP-100) (ed. By Yu.Yu. Dgebuadze, V.G. Petrosyan, L.A. Khlyap).

A brief report on the expedition to the Ciscaucasia to study the phylogeography of Palaearctic species of hamsters within the framework of the RFBR grant 20-04-00102a (headed by Doctor of Biological Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.V.Surov). It is rather widely known that the Caucasus is a refugium for many animal species, including three species of hamsters: the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), the Raddey hamster (Mesocricetus raddei), and the Brandt hamster (M. brandti), which are the objects of research by the IEE RAS staff. Previously, the DNA of animals from many localities has already been analyzed, but significant territories of the Caucasus have remained unexplored. The main goal of the 2021 expedition was to collect material on hamsters from new regions of Dagestan, Ossetia, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. The ciscaucasian hamster (M. raddei nigriculus) was of particular interest as its taxonomic status requires revision. Visit to the Voroninsky State Nature Reserve. Director of the reserve, Ph.D. Burkanova Olga Anatolyevna

The theory says that inbreeding, despite its negative effects on offspring, should be more common in nature than is observed. In particular, closely related crosses are facilitated by a limited choice of partners and strict time constraints on the implementation of the life cycle: there is not enough time to choose a suitable, unrelated partner. Scientists from IEE RAS and Penza State University investigated the system of marital relations and ways to avoid inbreeding in the natural population of the yellow ground squirrel, Spermophillus fulvus. In yellow ground squirrels, like other hibernating mammals, a short period of terrestrial activity sets a strict time frame for the implementation of the entire sequence of the annual cycle - they live under time pressure conditions. In particular, a female yellow gopher within 3-3.5 months of ground activity must have time to meet the father of future children, carry them out and feed them, and also gain fat mass before the next hibernation. If we add to this that they have estrus once a year, it lasts several hours, and females live for three years, it becomes clear that there is no time left to choose a suitable unrelated partner and a high frequency of inbred crosses can be expected.

From 12 to 15 October 2021 the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the II International Working Meeting dedicated to the rehabilitation and reintroduction of predatory mammals. The first such meeting was held in 2015 and aroused great interest among colleagues. The current Working Meeting was dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian zoologist Valentin Sergeevich Pazhetnov (1936-2021), an excellent specialist who developed a system for returning orphaned bears to nature. Valentin Sergeevich created a whole dynasty, continuing the work of his life at the biological station "Clean Forest" - the return to nature of bear cubs that lost their mothers. Some of the representatives of this dynasty were able to attend the conference in person, while their other colleagues continued to work with animals at the biological station.

Marina Yakovlevna Orlova-Benkovskaya, senior researcher at IEE RAS, and Andrei Olegovich Benkovsky, senior researcher at IEE RAS, revealed a new pest in the Russian Caucasus a year ago - the Asian fruit fly Drosophila suzukii. It is an invasive species native to East Asia. First, it was transported through fruit to Europe, and in 2014 - to Crimea. Spotted wing drosophila can cause great damage to fruit farms. Drosophila females use their ovipositor to lay eggs under the skin of the fruit. More than 60 types of berries and fruits are under threat, as well as wineries - these flies also damage grapes. The scientific community has been detecting the Drosophila suzukii in Russia since the beginning of the 21st century. “The Asian fruit fly Drosophila suzukii, a quarantine pest of fruit growing, was previously recorded in two regions of Russia: in the Primorsky Territory in 2001 and in the Crimea in 2014–2015. These findings are included in the database of the European and Mediterranean Organization for Plant Quarantine (EPPO),” says Marina Yakovlevna Orlova-Benkovskaya.