Distribution Patterns of Benthic Foraminifera in Fish Farming Areas (Corsica, France): Implications for the Implementation of Biotic Indices in Biomonitoring Studies

Corsican marine aquaculture is one of the highest contributors of fish production in France, which may result in environmental perturbations caused by organic matter (OM) accumulation under fish farms and impacting natural communities. This study aimed to (1) characterise the environmental conditions at two different fish farms, (2) monitor the response of benthic foraminiferal species to this activity, and (3) assess the accuracy of existing foraminiferal biotic indices. In 2017, sea floor sediment was sampled in transects from two Corsican fish farms for living foraminiferal and sedimentary analyses. Four indices were calculated and compared: exp(H′bc), Foram-AMBI, Foram Stress Index and TSI-Med. A significant increase in total organic carbon (TOC) has been shown, mainly below the fish cages. Communities were characterized by a shift from high density, opportunistic and tolerant species under the cages to lower densities and more sensitive species further away. According to their distribution patterns along the TOC gradient, we propose to update the ecological group classification of seven species to improve Foram-AMBI’s accuracy and sensitivity: Triloculina oblonga and Quinqueloculina lamarckiana to Ecological Group (EG) I; Rosalina bradyi to EGIII; and Bolivina dilatata, Bulimina aculeata and Quinqueloculina stalkeri to EGIV. We recommend prioritising the use of TSI-Med and Foram-AMBI with the updated list to assess ecological quality in coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Collection of rare plant species of Kazakhstan in the conditions of the botanical garden of Almaty

The collection of rare species in the botanical garden of Almaty (Kazakhstan) consists of 36 species of rareplants. The Botanical garden is located in the foothill zone of the Zailiysky Alatau ridge, which is part of the Northern TienShan mountain system. A collection of rare and endemic species from the mountainous regions of the Northern, Western Tien Shan, and the Kazakh Altai was created, but most of their work was carried out in the mountains of the NorthernTien Shan. The largest species composition of the collection are groups of plants of the genera Tulipa – 25 %, Iris –14 %,Allium – 8.3 %. The largest ecological group in the collection of rare species is represented by ephemeroid geophytes. Introduction tests have shown that ephemeroid drought-resistant plants adapt best to the conditions of the foothill zone of theTrans-Ili Alatau. Xerophyte plants are short-lived, often suffer from the accumulation of snow in winter and the abundance of spring precipitation. Mesophytic plants are prone to drying out from lack of humidity and high air temperaturesin the summer.

Nematodofauna of potato tubers in the Republic of Moldova

According to the multiannual researches, it was observed that, in the conditions of the Republic of Moldova, the Nematodofauna of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum) of different varieties, collected from deposits, is specific, with the dominance of saprophytes due to the spread of bacteriosis and fungal infections. In the potato tubers, sick with dithylenchosis (phases 4, 5), the presence of 30 spec8es of nematoodes was identified, belonging to 24 genera, 14 families, 5 orders, 2 classes: 1. Class Secernentea, Orders Aphelenchida, Rhabditida and Tylenchida; 2. Class Adenophorea, Orders Dorylaimida and Plectida. Most species (19 species) are saprophytes of the Class Secernentea, Order Rhabditida with the dominance of the Superfamilies Cephaloboidea and Diplogasteroidea. According to the trophic-ecological group, the species detected in the potatoes tubers are included in all 5 groups: plant feeding, hiphal feeding, bacterial feeding, animal predation, omnivorous. In all researched varieties, both in frequency (100%) and density (thousands of individuals/gram of infested tissue) distinguished species Ditylenchus destructor Thorne 1945, Order Tylenchida, Family Anguinidae, which is also the main parasite in the culture of Solanum tuberosum in the Republic of Moldova, capable of causing dithylenhosis, as well as epiphytotics – mass infestation of potatoes in deposits

Gene Flow and Diversification in Himalopsyche martynovi Species Complex (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) in the Hengduan Mountains

The Hengduan Mountains are one of the most species-rich mountainous areas in the world. The origin and evolution of such a remarkable biodiversity are likely to be associated with geological or climatic dynamics, as well as taxon-specific biotic processes (e.g., hybridization, polyploidization, etc.). Here, we investigate the mechanisms fostering the diversification of the endemic Himalopsyche martynovi complex, a poorly known group of aquatic insects. We used multiple allelic datasets generated from 691 AHE loci to reconstruct species and RaxML phylogenetic trees. We selected the most reliable phylogenetic tree to perform network and gene flow analyses. The phylogenetic reconstructions and network analysis identified three clades, including H. epikur, H. martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi. Himalopsyche martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi present an intermediate morphology between H. epikur and H. viteceki, the closest known relative to the H. martynovi-complex. The gene flow analysis revealed extensive gene flow among these lineages. Our results suggest that H. viteceki and H. epikur are likely to have contributed to the evolution of H. martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi via gene flow, and thus, our study provides insights in the diversification process of a lesser-known ecological group, and hints at the potential role of gene flow in the emergence of biological novelty in the Hengduan Mountains.

The issue of assessment of efficiency of works on land reclamation fisheries in inland waters of Russia

The article considers the issue of assessing the long-term results of work on fisheries reclamation in inland waters of fisheries significance in Russia, carried out by the branches of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Glavrybvod” on the state task in terms of their effectiveness. The relationship between dredging and clearing of watercourse beds and the dynamics of the number of producers of semi-navigable and non-aquatic fish in these rivers during spawning migrations has not been established. With long-term mowing of wetland vegetation in the shallow waters of reservoirs, deltas of large rivers and estuaries, there is no increase in their commercial fish productivity. A number of examples show the opposite effect of this type of work, which leads to a local deterioration of the ecological state of these reservoirs. At the same time, the repeatedly proven method of combating higher aquatic vegetation in the reservoirs of the south of Russia in low water conditions as biomelioration, based on the introduction of fish, consumers of autotrophic products by regional branches of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Glavrybvod” is practically not used. When installing artificial spawning grounds in the littoral zone of reservoirs, regular ichthyological monitoring of the effectiveness of spawning on them is not carried out. There are no reliable data confirming the significant positive impact of artificial spawning grounds on the population dynamics of commercial fish species of the limnophilic ecological group under conditions of significant spring water level depletion in Russian reservoirs. When catching predatory and low-value fish species in water bodies, legal obstacles arise due to the fact that the volume of seizure of predatory fish includes commercial objects for which the ODE is established annually and their catch is already carried out according to industrial quotas.

Gene Flow and Diversification in Himalopsyche Martynovi Species Complex (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) In the Hengduan Mountains

Background: The Hengduan Mountains are one of the most species–rich mountainous areas in the world. The origin and evolution of such a remarkable biodiversity are likely to be associated with geological or climatic dynamics, as well as taxon-specific biotic processes (e.g., hybridization, polyploidization, etc.). Here, we investigate the mechanisms fostering the diversification of the endemic Himalopsyche martynovi complex, a poorly known group of aquatic insects. Methods: We used multiple allelic datasets generated from 691 AHE loci to reconstruct species and RaxML phylogenetic trees. We selected the most reliable phylogenetic tree to perform network and gene flow analyses. Results: Phylogenetic reconstructions and network analysis identified three clades, including H. epikur, H. martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi. Himalopsyche martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi present an intermediate morphology between H. epikur and H. viteceki, the closest known relative to the H. martynovi–complex. The gene flow analysis revealed extensive gene flow among these lineages. Conclusion: Our results suggest that H. viteceki and H. epikur are likely to have contributed to the evolution of H. martynovi sensu stricto and H. cf. martynovi via gene flow, and thus, our study provides insights in the diversification process of a lesser–known ecological group, and hints at the potential role of gene flow in the emergence of biological novelty in the Hengduan Mountains.

Developing Bioprospecting Strategies for Bioplastics Through the Large-Scale Mining of Microbial Genomes

The accumulation of petroleum-based plastic waste has become a major issue for the environment. A sustainable and biodegradable solution can be found in Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a microbially produced biopolymer. An analysis of the global phylogenetic and ecological distribution of potential PHA producing bacteria and archaea was carried out by mining a global genome repository for PHA synthase (PhaC), a key enzyme involved in PHA biosynthesis. Bacteria from the phylum Actinobacteria were found to contain the PhaC Class II genotype which produces medium-chain length PHAs, a physiology until now only found within a few Pseudomonas species. Further, several PhaC genotypes were discovered within Thaumarchaeota, an archaeal phylum with poly-extremophiles and the ability to efficiently use CO2 as a carbon source, a significant ecological group which have thus far been little studied for PHA production. Bacterial and archaeal PhaC genotypes were also observed in high salinity and alkalinity conditions, as well as high-temperature geothermal ecosystems. These genome mining efforts uncovered previously unknown candidate taxa for biopolymer production, as well as microbes from environmental niches with properties that could potentially improve PHA production. This in silico study provides valuable insights into unique PHA producing candidates, supporting future bioprospecting efforts toward better targeted and relevant taxa to further enhance the diversity of exploitable PHA production systems.

APPROACHES TO ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPLEX GREEN ZONE OF THE CITY

In the article the system of indicators for assessing the balanced functioning of the complex green zone of the city are suggested and substantiated in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. There are distinguished three groups of criteria: ecological, social, and economical. In accordance with each group of criteria there are criteria categories suggested: bioecological, geoecological, landscape and climate-regulating - ecological group; recreational, educational-cultural, and quality of life - social group; market-based and planning - economical group. Each category corresponds to the system of indicators: 27 indicators for the ecological group criteria, 20 for social and 9 for the economical group. The suggested approach to differentiating the criteria for the assessment of the sustainable functioning of the complex green zone of the city allows to summarize and integrate the data about the green zone of the city, define its strong and weak points, and develop a plan for the management of its territories and increase resilience to human induced pressures. The assessment of the balanced functioning of the complex green zone of Ternopil city was carried out in accordance with the functional-territorial approach. The main geospatial parameters have been defined: deficit of green planting of the forest-park area of CGZC is 614.5 ha, forestry - 2889.5 ha., the deficit of green planting of restricted use is 12 ha, green planting of special-purpose - 62.5 ha., the level of the greening of the city neighborhoods is 4.5 m2/person (at a standard of 6 m2/person). Based on the results of the functional parameters calculations it has been established that to «provide oxygen» to the residents of Ternopil it needs to increase the area of forests in the forest-part district of CGZC by 83.5 ha to ensure the optimal indicators of recreational capacity of this area, it is essential to increase the area of parks by 90 ha and forests by 965 ha. In Ternopil, the speed of the maximum flow is 6 million m3/hour with the rainfall intensity of 55 mm/hour, while the sewerage network of the city can only handle the flow of 30 thousand m3/hour . Therefore, it could be argued that the complex green zone of Ternopil city is characterized by the imbalance of the main functional-territorial parameters and requires the implementation of the optimization measures.. Key words: sustainable development, complex green zone of the city, indicators, normative parameters, city of Ternopil.

Quantifying earthworm community structures as indicators of soil health

Earthworms are a symbol that farmers use to indicate soil health, but is this an intuitive observation that will lead to sustainable soils? This chapter describes the co-development of an assessment method to the ecological group level (epigeic, endogeic and anecic earthworms) in the UK. The process resulted in a Twitter based #WorldWormWeek initiative, a connective network of organic and conventional farmers and the Rothamsted Research experimental farm between 23 – 31st March 2019. There was an unexplained absence of epigeic (28 % fields) and anecic (18 % fields) earthworms in fields surveyed by UK farmers.