Mallomonas voloshkoae sp. nov. (Synurales, Chrysophyceae) and distribution of M. pechlaneri in mountain lakes of Siberia

Mallomonas voloshkoae sp. nov. was described from Russia based on silica-scale morphology studied by means of transmission and scanning electron microscopy. This species belongs to the section Striatae and is characterised by scales with wide anterior flanges, forming wing-like extensions. This species is most similar in scale ultrastructure to M. pechlaneri. Mallomonas voloshkoae was reported in four mountain lakes of the Transbaikal area and was found in acidic to slightly acidic conditions with very low values of specific conductance. Mallomonas pechlaneri was reported in Russia for the first time. This is the first record of this species after the description of this taxon in Europe. Mallomonas pechlaneri was found in three oligotrophic habitats in the Altay and Sayan Mountain areas.

To the hoverflies fauna (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the high mountains of Eastern Sayan in Siberia

A list of 101 species of hoverflies recorded from three high altitudinal belts in the Eastern Sayan mountain region is given. Most species belong to the subfamilies Syrphinae (60 species) and Eristalinae (38 species), while Pipizinae and Microdontinae are presented by two and one species, respectively. Totally, 96 species were found in the forest zone, 37 species were found in the mountain tundra and only Platycheirus chilosia has been caught in the golsty belt. New synonymy is established: Melangyna arctica (Zetterstedt, 1838) = Melangyna soszynskii Mielczarek, 2013 syn. n., = Melangyna tsherepanovi (Violovitsh, 1965) syn. n.

Agrolandscapes of the East Sayan Mountain Province of Eastern Siberia and the Far East of Russian

According to the data of the agro-landscape and ecological zoning of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, conducted by the authors, the spatial distribution of biological and ecological patterns in the East Sayan Mountain province was established. The province is located in the Eastern Sayan mountain system within the Southern Taiga zone. Its area is 17022.5 thousand hectares. Mountains occupy 76% of the province’s territory, plains – 24%. In the structure of land forests occupy more than 68% of the area of the province . Other land (mainly rocks and glaciers) occupies 20%. Under water is 3.4% of the area, swamps occupy 2.8%. Shrubs occupy less than 1%, mountain deer pastures – 0.8% of the area of the province. Agricultural land occupies 4.5% of the total area of the province. Including arable land – 0.9%, pastures – 2.6%, hayfields – 1%. The structure of natural forage lands (NFL) is dominated by mountain pastures on mountain soils (76%). The plains and foothills of the province are dominated by dry southern taiga meadows (13%). Floodplain meadows (5%) and swampy meadows (5%) are also represented. The ecological state of the province’s landscapes is good and satisfactory. In particular, NFL – good and satisfactory, forests – good and satisfactory, mountain deer pastures – good. The ecological state of arable land is tense. The established patterns are the necessary information basis for the development and implementation of innovative technologies for sustainable agricultural development, rational nature management and environmental protection in the East Sayan Mountain Province of Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

Use of organic biostimulant for growing Siberian spruce seedlings

This study aims to assess the possibility of using a biostimulant Verva-spruce based on spruce’s natural phenolic compounds to reduce the time of growing planting material with improved features. The targets were seeds and 1-4-year-old seedlings of Siberian spruce, untreated and treated with the biostimulant. The effect of the biostimulant on seed germination, seedlings growth, and the pigment’s content in needles were studied. Results shown that soaking seeds in biostimulant at a concentration of 0.00025% increased the germination energy and accelerated hypocotyl growth. Moreover, using the biostimulant significantly increased the growth rate of experimental seedlings and heightened the amount of green pigment chlorophyll a up to 2.5 times. In 2020, in order to study the dynamics of the qualitative characteristics of the plants grown using biostimulant, experimental forest plantations of 4-year-old Siberian spruce seedlings were planted in the Altai-Sayan mountain taiga area. The experimental plantation will be monitored at least until the closure of the canopy.

Moss occurrences in Salair-Kuznetsk Region (Altai-Sayan mountain country)

In the flora of large regions, mosses comprise about a quarter of the total diversity of higher plants. However, now mosses are the least studied group of higher plants. Data on moss species distribution are fragmentary, especially in Russia with its vast expanse and low density of botanists. The author for many years has been studying the bryoflora of various areas of the Salair-Kuznetsk Region. In addition to the herbarium collection, the author's bryological relevés were organised as a Database. It stores all the assembled information for the years about the locations of the species, including when the specimens were not placed in the herbarium. The article describes three datasets that were arranged from the author's databases for three geomorphological units in the northwest of Altai-Sayan mountain country (South Siberia). Together, these three units are combined into the Salair-Kuznetsk Region. The datasets are: 1. Moss occurrences in the Kuznetsk upland. The dataset consists of 3940 occurrence records and includes both preserved specimens (1135) and ‘human observations’ of the author (2805). The material was collected mainly from 1992-2011; some samples collected by A. N. Vasiliev in 1970-1971 (165) were also taken into account. A total of 312 moss taxa belonging to 135 genera and 41 families are reported for the region. 2. Moss occurrences in Salair Ridge. The dataset consists of 2442 occurrence records and includes both preserved specimens (553) and ‘human observations’ of the author (1889). The material was collected mainly from 1992-1996; a total of 231 moss taxa belonging to 119 genera and 35 families are reported for the region. 3. Moss occurrences in Kuznetsk Depression. The dataset consists of 1690 occurrence records and includes both preserved specimens (281) and ‘human observations’ of the author (1409). The material was collected mainly from 2007-2014; a total of 155 moss taxa belonging to 85 genera and 30 families are reported for the region. All the records are geo-linked. The uncertainty of coordinates in metres varies from 500.0-10000.0 m for the earliest records that are geo-linked by topo-map, to 10.0-100.0 m for records after 2003 that are geo-linked by GPS. The article summarises the results of the author's long-term bryological investigations in the Salair-Kuznetsk Region (northwest of Altai-Sayan mountain country, South Siberia). In total, 8072 occurrence records for 366 moss species from 148 genera and 41 families are published for the territory. The datasets contribute to filling gaps in the moss species distribution and ecology.

Electromagnetic research in the Altai-Sayan mountain region

A new software-measuring complex has been developed for recording non-stationary electromagnetic soundings based on mobile modules created on the basis of 24-bit ADCs, with built-in GPS receivers, with recorders located directly at the field sensors, arithmetic sampling step and recording of all signal realizations. The deep structure of the Uimon depression in Gorny Altai has been studied based on the time-domain electromagnetic sounding. Research is relevant due to the high seismic hazard of the area, and is also in demand for prospecting and exploration of predicted minerals here. To construct geoelectric models, data from several years of measurements were used, during which more than 60 soundings were performed. At this stage, the interpretation was performed using computer systems within the framework of a horizontally layered model. The interpretation results are presented in the form of sections and threedimensional visualizations, which clearly reflect the structure of the depression. Further, three-dimensional modeling and additional measurements are planned to verify and refine the results obtained.

Seismological studies in the Altai-Sayan mountain region

The paper provides a brief overview of seismological studies in the Altai-Sayan mountain region. The de-velopment of a network of seismological stations and experiments with temporary stations in the epicen-tral zones of large earthquakes is described. It is shown that the background seismicity of the region is or-dered over time into structures with a hierarchy in the rate of occurrence. Large earthquakes in some cases occur in places that do not match with the areas of increased background seismicity. Major earthquakes in Eastern Tuva (Busingol, Belin-Biy-Khem, etc.) occur as shifts and rotations of blocks near rift depressions. Large earthquakes of the Western Sayan Ridge and the Academician Obruchev Ridge (Tuvan First and Second earthquakes, Sayan earthquake) are associated with faults transverse to these structures and are the result of the uneven extension of blocks of the Tuva hollow and the Tuva highlands to the north. Stud-ies in the Altai Mountains found that after a long period (about 10 years) of the aftershock process of the Chui earthquake dominating the seismicity, a period of seismic activation of adjacent (60-80 km) and dis-tant (within a radius of approximately 260-280 km) structures occurred. The center of seismic activity shifted from the epicenter of the 2003 Chui earthquake to the epicenter of the 2019 Aigulak earthquake. Experimental work with powerful vibrators has determined the capabilities of a network of seismological stations in vibroseismic monitoring of the Earth's crust.