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Nº 4 (2025)
Articles
Pharmaceuticals in the environment: Current state of research and overcoming collective problems
Resumo
Environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals is a new global environmental problem that threatens human health and biota. The active ingredients of drugs are found in trace concentrations in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and are considered dangerous emergent pollutants. Their continuous emission into open ecosystems is uncontrolled, and detection has become possible due to the development of highly sensitive analytical methods. The review systematizes data on the occurrence of pharmaceutical micro-pollutants, their ecotoxicity, detoxification strategies, and modern methods of wastewater treatment and pharmaceutical waste disposal. Critical risk assessment requires constant updating of scientific information in order to develop effective measures to reduce the negative effects of pharmaceutical pollution. Specific steps are proposed to solve the problem in practice and minimize environmental damage.
Ecology. 2025;(4):253-280
253-280
ADAPTATION OF JUVENILE PLANTS HERACLEUM MANTEGAZZIANUM SOMMIER & LEVIER TO LIGHT REGIME IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS
Resumo
Structural and functional parameters of juvenile plantsHeracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier were studied in laboratory conditions. The plant illumination intensity was modeled based on observations of the light regime in the ground layer of natural populations of the species. Growing H. mantegazzianum under illumination of 250 μmol/m2s PAR(simulating the spring period) showed that at the initial stage of juvenile growth, the contribution of the main phytomass to the leaves and a high rate of net photosynthesis maintained a relative growth rate of 80 mg/g·dry weight day. The plants adapted to a decrease in illumination to 20 μmol/m2s PAR (simulating the summer period) by lengthening the petioles, decreasing the leaf density, and increasing the size of the light-harvesting complex of leaf pigments. Limitation of light resources caused a decrease in the relative growth rate to 14 mg/g dry weight day. Restoring the illumination level to 250 μmol/m2s PAR (simulating the autumn period) activated growth and contributed to the storage of plastic substances, mainly in the underground organs of plants. The structural and functional changes in juvenile H. mantegazzianum revealed in the experiment indicate high efficiency of light resource use in spring and autumn, as well as a significant decrease in metabolic activity during summer shading. This strategy promotes effective growth during a long growing season and the preservation of the number of juvenileH. mantegazzianum under conditions of intraspecific competition.
Ecology. 2025;(4):281-292
281-292
DYNAMICS OF THE SEASONAL RHYTHM OF DEVELOPMENT HOLLY MAPLE (ACER PLATANOIDES L.) IN THE BASHKIR CIS-URALS DUE TO LONG-TERM CHANGES
Resumo
The seasonal rhythm of Acer platanoides development in the South Ural Botanical Garden of Ufa was analyzed for the period 1956‒1967 and 2013‒2024 for 7 phenological phases. The average long-term dates of the onset of the seasonal development phases, the earliest and latest dates for the observation periods, the sums of positive and effective temperatures, and the sums of precipitation falling on the date of the onset of the development phase were determined. It has been established that the dates of the onset of the initial phenological phases of the Norway maple have a positive relationship, while the autumn phases of development have a negative relationship with climatic parameters, such as the sum of effective temperatures and the sum of precipitation. Most of the phases of seasonal development of Norway maple have shifted to earlier dates in recent years compared to the mid-20th century. Vegetation now begins 9 days earlier, and flowering – 5 days earlier, ripening of fruits according to average dates occurs 4 days later. The average annual temperature in the study region in the 21st century increased from 3 to 4.7 °C, and precipitation in the summer and early autumn periods became significantly less. Climate warming is confirmed by a change in the climatic zone: in the mid-20th century was zone 2 (absolute minimum from ‒40.0 to ‒45.6 °С), now – zone 3 (from ‒34.4 to ‒40.0 °С). The shift in vegetation periods under climate change conditions indicates high phenological plasticity of Acer platanoides.
Ecology. 2025;(4):293-304
293-304
WING LENGTH VARIATION IN PIED FLYCATCHERS FICEDULA HYPOLEUCA (PALL.) BREEDING IN THE VICINITY OF THE MIDDLE URAL COPPER SMELTER
Resumo
The spatiotemporal variation in the wing length of pied flycatchers breeding near the Middle Ural copper smelter (MUCS) and in the background area were analyzed in 1996–2023, a period of significant reduction in industrial emissions. Females and males were on average smaller near MUCS than in the background area probably due to the forcing the low-quality individuals into suboptimal (polluted) habitats. Yearlings had shorter wings than older birds. WL of males increased with increasing melanization of the upper body. Mean WL and proportion of old individuals among breeding birds increased over the study period. The body size of partners in breeding pairs did not correlate. The larger breeding birds, the earlier they started egglaying and the more eggs and fledglings produced.
Ecology. 2025;(4):305-317
305-317
Total Mercury and Stable Nitrogen and Carbon Isotope Content in Polar Bear Hair in the Russian Arctic
Resumo
The results of studies of the mercury concentrations and stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) in the hair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) inhabiting the islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, as well as the Yamal and Taymyr peninsulas are presented. It is shown that the levels of mercury accumulation in the hair of polar bears from the Franz Josef Land archipelago are characterized by values lower (about 2.0 mg/kg) than those in polar bears from the Canadian sector of the Arctic and commensurate with those of animals from Spitsbergen. A significant positive correlation was found between the mercury concentration and stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) values. The minimum concentrations of mercury and isotope values (δ15N and δ13C) in the hair of bears from Yuzhny Island (Novaya Zemlya) may be a consequence of increased content of non-marine food in their diet rather than a result of climate change. The recorded mercury concentrations in the hair of bears indicate the absence of a threat to animal health.
Ecology. 2025;(4):318-326
318-326