scholarly journals The Gmelin’s wagtail Motacilla lutea: breeding range, migratory movements and wintering range

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio Ferlini ◽  
Elena Alexandrovna Artemyeva
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
European Russia ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
Wintering Range

The breeding range, the migratory movements, and the wintering range of the yellow-headed wagtail, called Parus luteus from Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin (now Motacilla flava lutea, or Motacilla lutea for some authors), has always been described in very general terms. Some authors pointed out that a modern and detailed map with the real distribution of the lutea is lacking, especially for evaluating the overlap of breeding ranges with other subspecies of Motacilla flava. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap in information by drawing up an updated map of the breeding range, as well as the wintering range and the migratory movements followed by this wagtail. These same aspects are also considered in perspective terms from 1851 to 2018 in order to assess any changes that have occurred over time. This study is based on data obtained from the consultation of 672 bibliographic sources, 40 travel reports, databases (including 6 relating to museum collections), and some websites. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the breeding range of the lutea is located within the area of the Eurasian steppe and forest-steppe with the greatest abundance occurring in two areas in European Russia: the southern one in the floodplain of the Volga River and the northern one in the floodplain of the Kama River. Similarly to what is happening for the subspecies cinereocapilla and feldegg, from the end of the 20th century the lutea is extending its breeding range west and north. The advancement of the lutea to the western and northern regions of the European portion of Russia became possible due to the westward and northern advancement of key plant communities and food supply facilities of this bird. The lutea mainly uses two migratory routes: the Great Rift Valley Flyway and the Central Asian Flyway. The first is used by birds that nest in European Russia and western Kazakhstan to reach Africa, while the second is probably only used by the minority portion of the population that is present in the central and eastern part of Kazakhstan and in the Asian portion of Russia to reach India and Sri Lanka. Starting from the 21st century, the passage of birds towards north of the Black Sea seems to intensify. East Africa is the main wintering area of the lutea, but starting from the last decades of the 20th century, a small part of the birds traveling towards Africa interrupt their migratory journey and wintering in the Arabian Peninsula.

scholarly journals Alien leaf beetles of European Russia: native ranges, invasion history, biology and vectors of dispersal

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej O. Bieńkowski ◽  
Marina J. Orlova-Bienkowskaja
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Leaf Beetle ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Leaf Beetles ◽  
Economic Significance

AbstractInvasions of leaf beetles are of great ecological and economic significance, but poorly studied. The rate of these invasions in Europe is dramatically increasing. Some established species spread quickly occupying almost the whole continent within several decades. We present the first inventory of alien leaf beetles of European Russia. For each species the map of distribution is provided and the history of invasion in the world is discussed. Two species native to Mediterranean Region: Chrysolina americana (pest of Rosmarinus and Lavandula) and Leptomona erythrocephala feeding on Lotus corniculatus are recorded in European Russia for the first time. A polyphagous pest of floriculture Luperomorpha xanthodera native to China and Korea and pest of soybeans Medythia nigrobilineata native to East Asia were recorded in 2016. A pest of tobacco Epitrix hirtipennis native to North America was recorded in 2013. A pest of corn Diabrotica virgifera was intercepted at the border of Russia in 2011, but is not established. Three alien species were recorded in the 20th century: Zygogramma suturalis introduced from North America for control of Ambrosia, Phyllotreta reitteri native to Afghanistan and Tajikistan and feeding on Lepidium latifolium, and the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. The Black Sea region is more prone to leaf beetle invasions than other regions of European Russia. Leaf beetles usually occur only on alien or cultivated plants. Some species feed on native plants in native communities. So it is difficult to distinguish species established before the 20th century from native ones.

scholarly journals Occurrence of the insectivores and rodents in the Samarskaya Luka (European Russia)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Kirillova ◽  
Alexander Kirillov ◽  
Victoria Vekhnik ◽  
Anastasia Klenina
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Volga River ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Samarskaya Luka

In this paper, we present our dataset containing up-to-date information about occurrences of small mammals (Erinaceomorpha, Soricomorpha and Rodentia) on the territory of Samarskaya Luka. It is a bend of the Volga River in the southern part of the forest-steppe zone of the Russian Plain (European Russia). This unique territory is surrounded on almost all sides by water. The dataset summarises small mammal occurrences noted in long-term studies in Samarskaya Luka from 2000 to 2020. A major part of the dataset was obtained during our helminthological study of small mammals. Besides, some data were attained when studying the ecology of tree-dwelling rodents. Our studies of small mammals were conducted by trap lines and direct observations in the wild. The dataset includes 8147 records of erinaceomorphs, soricomorphs and rodents of 26 species (of total 28) belonging to three orders, nine families and 21 genera. It is based on the research of the staff of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve. The distribution of erinaceomorphs, soricomorphs and rodents in Samarskaya Luka has not been completely studied and further investigation may well discover new small mammal habitats. Our dataset contains new information on occurrences of erinaceomorphs, soricomorphs and rodents in Samarskaya Luka (European Russia). All occurrence records of 26 mammal species with georeferencing are published in GBIF for the first time. The occurrence data are stored in our field journals and we would like to make them available to all researchers.

scholarly journals Isotope Signs (234U/238U, 2H, 18O) of Groundwater: An Investigation of the Existence of Paleo-Permafrost in European Russia (Pre-Volga Region)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1838
Author(s):  
Evgeny Yakovlev ◽  
Igor Tokarev ◽  
Sergey Zykov ◽  
Stanislav Iglovsky ◽  
Nikolay Ivanchenko
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Zero Temperature ◽  
Middle Reach ◽  
Component Mixture ◽  
Volga River ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Right ◽  
Permafrost Thawing ◽  
Small Excess

The isotopic (234U/238U, 2H, 18O) and chemical composition of groundwater on the right bank of the Volga River along the middle reach (European Russia) was studied down to a depth of 400 m. These data allow diagnosis of the presence of a three-component mixture. The first component is modern/young fresh recharge water of the Holocene age. It has the isotopic composition of water δ18O → −12.9 ‰ and δ2H → −90 ‰, close to modern precipitations, and the equilibrium isotopic composition of uranium 234U/238U → 1 (by activity). The second component is slightly salted water of the late or postglacial period with δ18O → −17.0 ‰ and δ2H → −119 ‰, and a small excess of uranium-234 234U/238U ≈ 4. The third component is meltwater formed as result of permafrost thawing. It is brackish water with δ18O ≈ −15.0 ‰ and δ2H ≈ −110 ‰, and a maximum excess of uranium-234 234U/238U ≈ 15.7. The salinity of this water is associated with an increase of the SO42−, Ca2+ and Na+ content, and this may be due to the presence of gypsum in water-bearing sediments, because the solubility of sulfates increases at near-zero temperature. We explain the huge excess of uranium-234 by its accumulation in the mineral lattice during the glacial age and quick leaching after thawing of permafrost.

scholarly journals Land-Use/-Cover Changes and Their Effect on Soil Erosion and River Suspended Sediment Load in Different Landscape Zones of European Russia during 1970–2017

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1631
Author(s):  
Artyom V. Gusarov
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Suspended Sediment Load ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Study Region

Contemporary trends in cultivated land and their influence on soil/gully erosion and river suspended sediment load were analyzed by various landscape zones within the most populated and agriculturally developed part of European Russia, covering 2,222,390 km2. Based on official statistics from the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union, this study showed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was a steady downward trend in cultivated land throughout the study region. From 1970–1987 to 2005–2017, the region lost about 39% of its croplands. Moreover, the most significant relative reduction in cultivated land was noted in the forest zone (south taiga, mixed and broadleaf forests) and the dry steppes and the semi-desert of the Caspian Lowland—about 53% and 65%, respectively. These territories are with climatically risky agriculture and less fertile soils. There was also a widespread reduction in agricultural machinery on croplands and livestock on pastures of the region. A decrease in soil/gully erosion rates over the past decades was also revealed based on state hydrological monitoring data on river suspended sediment load as one of the indicators of the temporal variability of erosion intensity in river basins and the published results of some field research in various parts of the studied landscape zones. The most significant reduction in the intensity of erosion and the load of river suspended sediment was found in European Russia’s forest-steppe zone. This was presumably due to a favorable combination of the above changes in land cover/use and climate change.

Trapezountian Pontic Greek in Etoloakarnania

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Spyros Armostis ◽  
Louiza Voniati ◽  
Konstantinos Drosos ◽  
Dionysios Tafiadis
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Historical Reconstruction ◽  
Standard Term ◽  
The One

The variety described here is Pontic Greek (ISO 639 name: pnt), and specifically the variety that originates from Trapezounta in Asia Minor (present-day Trabzon in Turkey) as spoken today in Etoloakarnania, Greece by second-generation refugees. The term ‘Pontic Greek’ (in Greek: ) was originally an etic term, while Pontians called their language by other names, mainly [ɾoˈmeika] ‘Romeika’ (Sitaridou 2016) but also [laziˈka] ‘Laz language’ (Drettas 1997: 19, 620), even though Pontians and Laz people do not share the same language, the latter being Caucasian. Nowadays, is the standard term used not only by researchers, but also by native speakers of Pontic Greek born in Greece to refer to their variety (but see Sitaridou 2013 for Romeyka in the Black Sea). Pontic Greek belongs to the Asia Minor Greek group along with other varieties, such as Cappadocian Greek (e.g. Horrocks 2010: 398–404; Sitaridou 2014: 31). According to Sitaridou (2014, 2016), on the basis of historical reconstruction, the Pontic branch of Asia Minor Greek is claimed to have been divided into two major dialectal groups: Pontic Greek as spoken by Christians until the 20th century in Turkey and Romeyka as spoken by Muslims to date in Turkey. Triantafyllidis (1938/1981: 288) divides Pontic varieties, as were spoken in Asia Minor, into three dialectal groups, namely Oinountian, Chaldiot, and Trapezountian, the latter consisting of the varieties that were spoken at Trapezounta, Kerasounta, Rizounta, Sourmena, Ofis, Livera, Tripolis, and Matsouka in Asia Minor (Trabzon, Giresun, Sürmene, Of, Yazlık, Tirebolu, and Maçka respectively in present-day Turkey). However, Triantafyllidis does not explain his criteria for this classification (Chatzissavidis 2012). According to one other classification (Papadopoulos 1955: 17–18; Papadopoulos 1958: $\upzeta$ ), the variety that was used in Trapezounta belongs to the dialectal group in which post-stressed /i/ and /u/ delete along other varieties, such as e.g. the ones that were spoken in Chaldia (present-day Gümüşhane), Sourmena, and Ofis (as opposed to the rest of Pontic varieties, such as the one of Kerasounta, in which those vowels are retained). Trapezountian Pontic Greek can also be classified with the group of varieties that retain word-final /n/, such as the varieties of Kerasounta and Chaldia, as opposed to the varieties that do not retain it, such as the ones of Oinoe (present-day Ünye) and (partially) Ofis (Papadopoulos 1958: θ).

Mid- and late-Holocene vegetation history, climate and human impact in the forest-steppe ecotone of European Russia: new data and a regional synthesis

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2453-2472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Y. Novenko ◽  
Andrey N. Tsyganov ◽  
Olga V. Rudenko ◽  
Elena V. Volkova ◽  
Inna S. Zuyganova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Forest Steppe

scholarly journals Quantification of DOC concentrations in relation with soil properties of soils in tundra and taiga of Northern European Russia

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3189-3226 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Oosterwoud ◽  
E. J. M. Temminghoff ◽  
S. E. A. T. M. van der Zee
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Mineral Solubility ◽  
Northern European ◽  
Carbon Compounds ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Doc Concentration ◽  
Chemical Modelling ◽  
Northern European Russia

Abstract. Potential mobilization and transport of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in subarctic river basins towards the oceans is enormous, because 23–48% of the worlds Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is stored in northern regions. As climate changes, the amount and composition of DOC exported from these basins are expected to change. The transfer of organic carbon between soils and rivers results in fractionation of organic carbon compounds. The aim of this research is to determine the DOC concentrations, its fractions, i.e. humic (HA), fulvic (FA), and hydrophilic (HY) acids, and soil characteristics that influence the DOC sorptive properties of different soil types within a tundra and taiga catchment of Northern European Russia. DOC in taiga and tundra soil profiles (soil solution) consisted only of HY and FA, where HY became more abundant with increasing depth. Adsorption of DOC on mineral phases is the key geochemical process for release and removal of DOC from potentially soluble carbon pool. We found that adsorbed organic carbon may desorb easily and can release DOC quickly, without being dependent on mineralization and degradation. Although Extractable Organic Carbon (EOC) comprise only a small part of SOC, it is a significant buffering pool for DOC. We found that about 80–90% of released EOC was previously adsorbed. Fractionation of EOC is also influenced by the fact that predominantly HA and FA adsorbed to soil and therefore also are the main compounds released when desorbed. Flowpaths vary between taiga and tundra and through seasons, which likely affects DOC concentration found in streams. As climate changes, also flowpaths of water through soils may change, especially in tundra caused by thawing soils. Therefore, adsorptive properties of thawing soils exert a major control on DOC leaching to rivers. To better understand the process of DOC ad- and de-sorption in soils, process based soil chemical modelling, which could bring more insight in solution speciation, mineral solubility, and adsorption reactions, is appropriate.

Soil microbial biomass and functional diversity in urban forest parks and suburban forests of various biomes in European Russia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Ananyeva ◽  
Ruslan Khatit ◽  
Sofia Sushko ◽  
Anna Buyvolova ◽  
Andrey Dolgikh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Bioclimatic Conditions ◽  
Forest Parks ◽  
Suburban Forests

<p>Forest parks play an important role in the sustainable functioning of urban ecosystems. In contrast to natural forests, urban forests are under continuous anthropogenic pressure, affecting the soil microbial community functioning and its capacity to provide many ecosystem services. Moreover, another significant factor determining such functioning is bioclimatic conditions, i.e., city geographic location. Our study aims to examine the effect of urbanization on soil microbial biomass and functional diversity along a latitudinal gradient of European Russia. Urban forest parks (UFP) were chosen in Moscow, Tula, and Belgorod cities located in mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests, deciduous forests, and forest-steppe biomes of European Russia, respectively (17 sites). Outside of the cities the reference suburban forests (SUF) were selected (12 sites). When selecting sites, we considered the following criteria: i) same soil reference group within the biome (Retisols, Luvisols, Phaeozems in mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests, deciduous forests, and forest-steppe, respectively), ii) loam parent materials, and iii) forest aged ≥60 years. In each UFP and SUF, five spatially distributed plots were chosen, in which soil samples were taken from the upper 10 cm layer without litter (totally 85 and 60 for UFP and SUF). For freshly collected soil samples, microbial biomass carbon content (MBC, substrate-induced respiration method) and basal respiration (BR; rate of CO<sub>2</sub> release) were measured, then the ratio BR / MBC = <em>q</em>CO<sub>2</sub> was calculated. The community level physiological profile of soil microorganisms (CLPP, MicroResp<sup>TM</sup> technique) indicating the microbial ability to utilize different organic substrates (carbohydrates, acids: amino, carboxylic, phenolic, 14 totally) was tested. CLPP data were used to calculate the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H<sub>CLPP</sub>).</p><p>It was found that soil BR decreased on average from SUF to USP in all studied biomes, while the MBC content did not change significantly. A significant increase of MBC in USP and SUF soils was observed from north to south (from mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests to forest-steppe), and for <em>q</em>CO<sub>2</sub> – decreasing. The CLPP of the studied soils were dominated by microorganisms consuming carboxylic acids (ascorbic and citric) and carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, galactose). Cluster analysis identified two groups that differed by soil CLPP: i) mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests and deciduous forests (Moscow, Tula) and ii) forest-steppe (Belgorod). Soil H<sub>CLPP</sub> index didn’t significantly differ between SUF and UFP in all studied biomes. Two-way ANOVA showed that soil MBC, <em>q</em>CO<sub>2</sub>, and H<sub>CLPP</sub> changes were more associated with bioclimatic conditions (18-47% of explained variance, P <0.05) than urbanization (P> 0.05). On contrary, soil BR was more sensitive to urbanization (4% of explained variance, P <0.05) than to the change of bioclimatic conditions (P> 0.05). Notably, driving factors of spatial variation for the studied soil microbial properties within each city (53-92% unexplained variance) have yet to be identified.</p><p> </p><p>This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 20-04-00148.</p>

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