Izvestiâ Akademii nauk. Rossijskaâ akademiâ nauk. Seriâ biologičeskaâ

It was studied the effect of a lipid extract isolated from the marine green algae Codium fragile (Suringar) Hariot on the liver and blood biochemical indicators in mice under impact of acute stress (vertical fixation by the dorsal neck fold). The pharmacological effect of the C. fragile lipid extract was manifested in the restoration of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as in the normalization of the indicators of the endogenous antioxidant defense system under stress effect. The biological activity of the lipid extract of C. fragile, probably, is due to the action of its constituent polyunsaturated fatty acids of the ω-3 and ω-6 families. The lipid extract of C. fragile was not inferior to the reference Omega-3 preparation in restoring the body’s metabolic reactions caused by the impact of the stress, however, it showed higher antioxidant activity.

We used plastid ndhC-trnV intergenic spacer to reconstruct genealogy of haplotypes and phylogenetic relationships of major taxonomic groups of the genus Rosa. We analyzed the data using statistical parsimony, Maximum Likelyhood and NeighborNet approaches. According to our results, the majority of species may be subdivided into three groups roughly corresponding to taxonomic sections Pimpinellifoliae, Rosa (former Cinnamomeae) and Synstylae + Chinenses + Gallicanae + Caninae. We assess their relationships as broadly paraphyletic, since the first group appears to be ancestral to the second and the third. The fourth group distanced from these three by many mutational steps consists of R. persica (subgenus Hulthemia) sequences. We argue that R. persica together with North American R. minutifolia and R. stellata (section Minutifoliae) probably represent the only remnants of an ancient group of roses widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere in Olygocene. Two major lineages of the section Caninae arose independently from different ancestors belonging to Synstylae.

The effect of ultrasound (5, 10 and 20 min, intensity 25 kW/m2, frequency 26.1 kHz) on the dynamics of the activity of the main antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and the expression of the genes encoding them (SOD-1, CAT, POD) was studied in germinating seeds and wheat sprouts. Ultrasound after 1 hour predominantly suppressed the activity of antioxidant enzymes, with subsequent restoration and increase (after 1 and 6 days) of activity. The content of mRNA transcripts of the studied genes predominantly increased 1 hour after exposure, and subsequently (after 1 and 6 days) it was either higher or remained equal to the control. The results obtained apparently indicate that ultrasound triggers eustress mechanisms, i. e. the stimulating effect led to the mobilization of protective processes of cells – hormesis.

Quinqueserialis quinqueserialis (Trematoda: Notocotilidae) is a widespread species in the Holarctic that parasitizes the cecum of the muskrat. The paper presents for the first time the results of micromorphological studies of parenchymal organs of the muskrat at a high intensity of invasion by Q. quinqueserialis. In infected muskrats, activation of the B-cell and macrophage components of the immune system was established against the background of inhibition of granulocytic reactions in the spleen, various types of dystrophies were detected in the liver, with the formation of functional maladjustment of the organ, inflammatory changes were recorded in the kidneys with signs of alterative, necrobiotic processes. The development of destructive pathomorphological processes indicates the participation of trematodes in the pathogenesis of this parasitosis. The obtained data provide new information for understanding the functions of lymphoid and parenchymal organs in wild rodents with trematodosis.

The effect of the synthetic analogue of leu-enkephalin (dalargin) on the level of corticosterone in the blood and the mass of the adrenal glands in rats with various typological features of behavior in the model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was studied. Groups were formed: active low-anxiety (ALA) and high-anxiety (AHA), as well as passive low-anxiety (PLA) and high-anxiety (PHA) rats. Each of the 4 groups of rats was divided into 3 subgroups, where subgroup 1 is an intact control. 20 days after the first stressful exposure, rats from subgroup 3 were injected intramuscularly with the dalargin for 7 days, and rats from subgroup 2 were injected with the saline solution. It was found that the course of injections of dalargin into rats in the PTSD model had a positive effect on the studied indicators only in the group of active highly-anxiety animals.

Variations of the surface chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a) measured during 25 cruises conducted from 1984 to 2020 were investigated in the Barents Sea and adjacent Svalbard waters. Seasonal maps of the mean annual Chl-a estimations were created for the Barents Sea. Significant seasonal and temporal variations of Chl-a were found in different water masses. Surface Chl-a content reached a maximum in the spring (46% of the annual estimation). In the summer, it tended to decrease accounting for 28% of the total annual value while in the autumn and winter Chl-a was found to be 21% and 5% of the total annual stock, respectively. Atlantic Water and Arctic Water had the highest contribution to the total annual Chl-a biomass. In Arctic Water, peaks of Chl-a concentrations were registered in spring and these decreased in summer and autumn. Summer season was the most productive period in Atlantic Water. Chl-a dynamics and distribution in relation to climatic factors were investigated. Application of generalized linear and non-linear models to predict Chl-a variations showed high significance of the indices associated with global atmospheric circulation, mean annual temperature and salinity anomalies as well as ice extent in the Barents Sea.

Ecosystem change is the everyday reality and assessment of its ability to provide men with ecosystem products and services (fresh water, climate, soil fertility, etc.), whch are nesessory for humans’ welfare is an urgent applied issue. The question “if changes in the loss of biological diversity affect the functioning of local ecosystems” is attracting increasing attention. In the first communication, we consider modern approaches to ecosystem monitoring. The concept of historical and novel ecosystems, ecosystem resilience, threshold effects, theory-driven restoration, and social-ecological considerations are reviewed. The principles of indication, requirements for indicators, possibilities and perspectives for the use of small mammals as indicators of the dynamics of local ecosystems are considered.

Long-term monitoring abundance of the steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii) in the Chelyabinsk region are considered. The analysis of the abundance dynamics of Mustelidae was carried out on the basis of monitoring data using the method of winter accounting (WA) conducted annually. Over the past few years, the steppe polecat has not been registered during accounting work in the mountain taiga, i. e. its number is either extremely low, or it has completely disappeared. In forest-steppe territories for 12 years, from 2008 to 2020, the abundance of polecats decreased almost 90 times, from 3058. to 34 ind. The data on the number of the main prey species of the steppe polecat – ground squirrel (Spermophilus major) and gray ground squirrel (Spermophilus pygmaeus) and the groundhog (Marmota bobak) are presented. The hypothesis of the influence of the American mink on the number of the steppe polecat is considered.

Data on the status of two natural populations of the rare, endemic medicinal species Alangium platanifolium known from the Russian Federation is provided in the article. Information about one of them is reported for the first time. Geobotanical descriptions of phytocenoses are presented. In the south of Primorsky Krai, A. platanifolium has been noted to grow in the shrub layer of coniferous/broad-leaved forest with Pinus koraiensis and Abies holophylla. It has also been found that the area of the population discovered 20 years ago has expanded 10-fold and now amounts to 10 ha. The new locality A. platanifolium covers an area of 0.25 ha. The total number of A. platanifolium is more than 700 of various-aged plants. The data obtained extends the current knowledge of the distribution and life state of A. platanifolium and indicates the fact of the growth of subtropical elements in phytocenoses of the Russian Federation.