Vol 46, No 6 (2019)

It has been shown for the first time that 10^–9 M melafen boosted the plant tolerance of the marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) to salt stress and accelerated plant recovery occurring after removal of the excess salt from the growing medium. During both salt stress and its recovery, melafen attenuated the inhibitory effect of salt on biomass accumulation and the leaf assimilating area, stabilized the water status, and lowered the concentrations of malondialdehyde and stress-induced proline but did not affect the contents of the main photosynthetic pigments.

Using the rat hypoxia model, the imbalanced work of antiradical defense enzymes with insufficient dismutase activity in blood leading to the development of oxidative stress, which was more pronounced in animals receiving a natural drinking diet, has been confirmed on the basis of the comparative analysis of the antiradical defense enzyme functioning index. It has been observed that acute hypoxia in the brain tissues is characterized by the development of catalase deficiency and the risk of excessive hydrogen peroxide production. It has been demonstrated that a decrease in the D/H (deuterium/protium) ratio in the blood and brain reduces the severity of the impairment of antioxidant enzyme work in hypoxia.

An analysis of the literature on the cryopreservation of Drosophila melanogaster, the collections of which include hundreds of thousands of lines, was conducted. It was noted that the cryopreservation of D. melanogaster embryos is possible only at the 14th stage of development after permeabilization of the chorion, which prevents the penetration of cryoprotectants, and succeeds in 3% of cases. The successful cryopreservation of Drosophila larvae and imago was carried out so far only for the Chymomyza costata species. It was established that it is possible to save the cost of maintaining the collection of D. melanogaster by extending ontogenesis due to reducing the feed calorie content and the temperature, as well as due to shortening of the light period.

Nucleotide sequences of the prion protein gene PRNP have been obtained in order to assess potential genetic predisposition to the deadly prion chronic wasting disease (CWD) in three regional groups of wild reindeer and two regional groups of domesticated reindeer Rangifer tarandus in the northern European part of Russia. We report identification of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms corresponding to the substitutions in six codons of the prion protein PrP, namely 2(V/M), 129(G/S), 138(S/N), 169(V/M), 176(N/D), and 225(S/Y). Six alleles of the PrP protein have been described. The genotypes with asparagine (N) in codon 138 (138NN and 138SN), which are associated with higher resistance to CWD, were detected in 8.7, 14.3, and 18.2% of animals in the wild reindeer groups from Novaya Zemlya, Kola Peninsula, and the forest regions of Arkhangelsk oblast and the Komi Republic. It has been found that the frequency of these genotypes in domesticated reindeers from the Komi Republic and Kolguev Island was higher, 37.5 and 42.1%, respectively. It has been noted that due to the predominance of PrP genotypes with serine in codon 138 (138SS), which are associated with increased susceptibility to CWD, and the detection of this disease in reindeer, moose, and red deer in Scandinavia, there exists a real danger that CWD will spread among the reindeer inhabiting the European part of Russia.

The role of dormant buds in the formation and transformation of herbaceous life forms of plants was determined by the example of a number of species of the genus Nepeta. Different variants of shoot formation and mechanisms reorganization of biomorphs with the participation of dormant buds are described. It has been established that regular and irregular development of dormant buds may lead to the formation of shortened, remote-nodal, and elongated residue, which are the basis for the construction of new shoot structures (shoot systems and rooting partial formations) typical for long-rhizome biomorphs.

This paper reveals the complexes of structural signs of body feathers in Charadriiformes bird species that have a taxonomical value. The complexes of structural signs are united in a system of diagnostic signs, which is used to identify bird taxa by one body feather, a part of a feather, and/or feather fragments. It is noted that the successful definition of a taxon requires the use of signs within the system.

The results of modeling intoxication in rats using lead acetate against the background of metabolic changes in the body and prenatal stress are presented. The motor activity and cognitive abilities, serum total cholesterol and lipid fractions, and bioelectric activity of the brain have been identified by testing the animals. It was found that intoxication with lead acetate against hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia compared with the individual effects of lead acetate resulted in impaired cognitive abilities of animals and pronounced atherogenic changes, which included an increase in the concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and an atherogenic coefficient. It was recorded that lead intoxication complicated by metabolic disorders caused more prominent pathological changes in ECG parameters, such as tachycardia and a change in the duration of intraventricular conduction.

The expansion of the range of Kalopanaxseptemlobus and Phellodendronamurense var. sachalinense on Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands as a result of global climate changes is studied. Climate envelope models were performed using the maximum entropy method (MaxEnt v. 3.3.3) and WorldClim v. 1.4 data. It is noted that these models predict an increase in the area of habitats with suitable climate conditions for K. septemlobus and P. amurense var. sachalinense by 9.55 and 14.65% of the total area of the region, respectively, by 2050 as a result of the increase in the average annual temperature by 3.9°C in this region (RCP2.6 scenario); according to the radical scenario, the total projected area with suitable conditions will increase by 45.86% for K. septemlobus and 66.24% for P. amurense with a temperature increase by 5.2°C (RCP8.5 scenario).

The ecology of the Amur leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) has not been studied enough, especially in the Russian Far East. This study presents the food habits of the Amur leopard cat, based on the analysis of scat samples collected in the Primorsky Region of Russia. Mammals and birds had the highest contribution in the diet (89.3 and 30.6% frequency of occurrence, respectively). Rodents had an important role in the diet of the leopard cat throughout the year. The proportion of birds and poikilothermic animals increased during the snow-free season. The total list of animals recorded to be consumed by the leopard cat is presented, consisting of 63 species (seven fishes, eight amphibians, one reptile, 21 birds, and 26 mammals).