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The first data on the breeding biology of the Pacific Eider (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) in the Asia were obtained using the example of the nesting population in the Apapelgin River (Western Chukotka). From 2018 to 2024, research was conducted to assess nesting density, phenology, and reproductive parameters of the eider. A total of 1,291 nests of this species were examined. The study presents data on the key parameters of the investigated nesting population: eiders predominantly nested in coastal lowlands rich in lakes, known as “laida.” The average nesting density was 26.8 ± 2.3 nests/kmІ, showing a declining trend over the years (RІ = 0.7). The average clutch size was 4.7 ± 0.1 eggs. The onset of egg-laying was influenced by the rate of snowmelt and the average temperatures during the last decade of May. The apparent nesting success across all years was 33.4 %, and the cumulative Mayfield Nest Success (MNS) estimate during the egg-laying and incubation periods was 0.37 ± 0.14. The egg volume in clutches decreased over the study period and was influenced by weather conditions at the beginning of the nesting season, the date of egg-laying, and clutch size. The obtained data were analyzed in comparison with similar data on nesting populations from the American continent.

The ecological and geographical differentiation and dynamics of the spring migration of passerine birds of the Putorana Plateau are analyzed. In 1988-2007, 8 points were surveyed on an area of 250 000 km². The route census method was used. There are 58 species in the fauna of the spring migration period. Birds fly along the coastal-edge strip along rivers or lakes in the northern, western, and eastern directions. The bird population density is 179-332, on average (n = 4) - 231 individuals/km². Significant amplitude of daily abundance indicators of species, asynchrony between phenological phenomena in different species and in individuals of the same species are characteristic. The time interval during which the first individuals usually appear is 4-12 days for different species, 6-9 days for most species, and 8 days on average. Early migrants, such as the horned lark, white wagtail, and brown thrush, usually appear on May 25 - June 4, May 22 - June 1, and May 27-June 2, respectively. Late migrants, such as the sand martin, funnel, common chiffchaff, and arctic warbler, usually appear on June 7-16, June 7-16, June 5-11, and June 10-18, respectively. For most species, the average duration of the entire spring migration is 9-12 days, and the main migration is 4-6 days. The configuration of the spring migration course is a combination of 2-3 waves of varying power, but always with one distinct maximum. Significant bursts of migratory activity of birds occur on days with the lowest air temperature and precipitation in the form of snow or rain. The comparative nature of the spring migration of closely related species in different seasons varies from complete synchronization of the waves of maximum migration to their absolute discrepancy.

The variability in the body shape of perch Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Perciformes: Percidae) and roach Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in syntopic populations with different relative abundance from two lakes and two reservoirs has been studied by geometric morphometrics methods. Along with the characteristic interspecific features, general and specific patterns of intergroup differences in two types of water bodies have been detected for populations of phylogenetically distant species. The range of species-specific multidirectional shape variability was 2.3 times less than parallel differences. It is likely that the specific interpopulation shape variability in perch and roach is associated with the relative abundance of these species, which differed in lakes and reservoirs. In adjacent water bodies of each type, the small range of interpopulation differences was found in species with high relative abundance in fish communities, while, on the contrary, the large range of interpopulation differences was found in species with lower abundance. Significant differences in body shape was identified for the populations of both species, which have lived relatively isolated for 13-17 generations in two adjacent reservoirs recently built (about half a century ago) on the river.

The altitude influence on the pigment composition of plants has been little studied in arid climate. In this work, we studied pigment content along the altitudinal gradient in Gobi, Mongolia. The altitude negatively correlated with climate aridity, which affected the leaf traits. Along the gradient, the thickness and density of photosynthetic organs decreased and the content of chlorophylls (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) increased, while the maximum nett-assimilation and the ratio of Chl a/b and Chl/Car did not change. A decrease in the nitrogen to chlorophyll (N/Chl) ratio with altitude was also revealed, which indicates a change in the ratio between RuBP carboxylase and pigment-protein complexes of thylakoid in the leaf. Despite the simultaneous changes in chlorophyll content and leaf thickness with altitude, the analysis of partial correlations showed that these parameters changed independently of each other. The path analysis confirmed that pigment content and leaf thickness are two independent ways of plant adaptation to habitat. We concluded that changes in the pigment complex of plants with altitude are required to maintain the photosynthetic capacity under changing climate aridity.

Based on a comparative analysis of 711 relevés and field observations, the authors compiled a scale of dynamic states of psammophylous grass vegetation in the Southern Nechernozemye of Russia. The following were chosen as the main criteria for their selection: the size of the total projective cover in communities, the presence of renewal of tree species (Pinus sylvestris and Betula pendula) and their age stage, life forms of pioneer species colonizing the primary substrate or substrate after disturbance. In habitats of 6 types, in which successions of 6 variants are realized (A - xerophylous cereal, B - moss-lichen xerophylous, C - undershrub xerophylous, D - forb-cereal xero-mesophylous, E - forb-cereal mesophylous, F - forb fallow xerophylous), 5 stages of succession were identified, ending with the restoration of forest communities. At each of the stages, certain dynamic states of vegetation are formed in the listed habitats. The associations of the floristic classification of the vegetation are represented by different dynamic states. According to the results of the study, psammophylous grass vegetation belongs to 3 stages of succession. Coenofloras of the samples of communities at the identified stages have statistically significant differences in total projective cover, floristic saturation, abundance evenness, and habitats - by individual environmental factors. General patterns of changes in the spectra of life forms according to I. G. Serebryakov were revealed in samples of relevés at different stages of succession: species of different life forms can act as pioneer species forming communities at the initial stage of succession; during the implementation of succession from stage 1 to 3, the proportion of monocarpic annuals decreases in community samples of all variants; the total diversity of life form types increases from stage 1 to 3. Considering the high commonality of the coenofloras of psammophylous grass vegetation of different syntaxa due to the wide representation of psammophilic oligotrophic species in their communities, as they invade and take root in the communities, the differences in the coenofloras are leveled. During the implementation of succession, a convergence of dynamic states occurs, leading to a decrease in their number over time as the oligotrophic pine or birch-pine forest is restored in the studied climatically homogeneous region.

The analysis of long-term data (2005-2020) from phenological observations of 5 species of the genus Viburnum from the collection of the South Ural Botanical Garden-Institute of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Viburnum opulus L., V. lantana L., V. dentatum L., V. veitchii C. H. Wreight (V. glomeratum Maxim) and V. sargentii Koehne. It has been established that for the beginning of vegetation, these taxa need a sum of positive temperatures above 0 °C (175-182 °C), while the local species V. opulus begins to vegetate first. The sum of positive temperatures from 235 to 278 C is required for the start of shoot growth, and 436-691 C for the beginning of flowering. The North American species V. dentatum blooms later than all other species in the Bashkir Urals. Complete lignification of shoots occurs earliest in V. dentatum at a total of positive temperatures of 2078 °C, later than in V. lantana (2601 °C), which can be explained by the geographical origin of these species. The Far Eastern species V. sargentii ends its vegetation earlier than all of the studied species, and the european V. sargentii ends its vegetation later V. lantana, and this is most likely due to the genetic characteristics of the species. The onset of the initial phases of seasonal development of Viburnum species (bud opening, the beginning of shoot growth, the beginning and end of flowering, the beginning of lignification of shoots) is greatly influenced by the sum of positive temperatures above 0 and +5 °C. At the beginning of the remaining phenophases (the end of shoot growth, complete lignification, fruit ripening and leaf fall), the influence of these temperature parameters, as well as the sum of temperatures above + 10 °C and the amount of precipitation, weakens. The duration of the growing season of species of the genus Viburnum in Ufa is 158-171 days. Over 16 years of observations, it was found that the timing of the beginning of vegetation, the beginning of flowering and the end of vegetation in the local species V. opulus became later by 5-8 days, the process of shoot growth in this species became longer by almost a month, and the lignification of shoots - by 2 months. Such dynamics indicates a change in climatic conditions in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Improving the effectiveness of public administration in the field of environmental protection in the regions depends on the quality of implementation of environmental programs. An analysis of the development and implementation of these documents raises numerous questions regarding the low quality of implementation, which is due to a number of reasons of various origins. Based on the analysis of the results of our own research and conclusions reflected in the publications on the issue under consideration, a summаry of individual shortcomings in the development, implementation, and evaluation parameters of the effectiveness of programs is provided. The article presents a set of reasons for the low effectiveness of environmental programs; the use of content analysis made it possible to identify the most obvious of them. Fifty categories of reasons were identified. The latter were differentiated according to their content by 181 codes and analyzed in order to determine the share of the most significant reasons. It is shown that the lack of a unified methodology for assessing the effectiveness of programs does not provide an opportunity to objectively assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the set tasks to improve the environmental state of a territory. In 2025, environmental programs will be extended in most regions of Russia. It is pointed out that solving problems that affect the success of regional environmental programs creates the potential for improving environmental management systems and the ecological situation. The results obtained are important for improving regional environmental policies and developing appropriate programs.

The species diversity of geomorphological processes involved in reshaping the topography of tidal river mouth areas has been identified. The geodynamic situation in the lower reaches of almost two hundred rivers flowing into the seas and having tidal heights of 2 meters or more at their mouths has been analyzed. It is shown that the river mouth areas of the estuarine-delta type are distinguished by the greatest diversity in the succession of river sections with different morphodynamic river channel types. The study was conducted at various levels, focusing both on identifying general patterns of channel formation in delta and estuarine areas and on determining the leading processes that carry out modelling of coastal geosystems with the direct participation of marine processes. At the macrolevel, the main types of morphodynamic processes involved in the morpholithogenesis of river mouth areas at all stages of their formation were identified. At the mesolevel, the varieties of morphodynamic channel types identified within the areas themselves were determined. It is shown that the leading processes influencing the development of valley geosystems of tidal rivers are water-logging, slope slumping, suffusion, and sheet erosion on channel scarps and sides of erosion forms. A special group of processes not encountered outside the tidal river mouth areas consists of wave erosion from the developing tidal bore and sediment accumulation at the upper limit of the spread of tidal processes. In terms of the nature of manifestations and geomorphological processes that determine the modeling of tidal river banks, their reshaping is largely consistent with the development of banks in the lower reaches of reservoirs and, to a much lesser extent, with the formation of lowland river channels.

Sustainable development of the Baikal region requires a detailed analysis of the types of hazards and risks that can disrupt the unique ecological system of Lake Baikal and the natural landscapes of its water protection zone. This study focuses on analyzing social, natural, and technogenic hazards based on a risk-oriented approach. A general description of the territory and the main causes of natural, technogenic and biosocial emergencies in the Baikal region are provided. Each municipality within the territory under consideration is represented as a socio-natural-technogenic system characterized by a set of basic territorial risks, the analysis of which was performed taking into account statistical data on the number of hazardous events that occurred and the damage caused. The obtained basic risk assessments are the basis for determining the complex territorial risk, represented as a radius vector in a three-dimensional space of the socio-, eco-, and technosphere. The approach allows for a quantitative assessment of the contribution of each sphere of the socio-natural-technogenic system to the complex risk indicator and simplifies the graphical representation of the system under consideration. The highest complex risk values were obtained for the cities of the Baikal region (Bratsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Chita), where the primary hazard is associated with technogenic incidents. The elevated complex risk indicators for municipal districts are due to the high frequency of natural fires and floods, as well as seismic hazard. The assessment of complex territorial risks is the basis for predicting the sustainable development of territories under intense anthropogenic impact. The obtained results can be used in developing disaster risk reduction measures and socioeconomic development programs for the Baikal region.

Currently, the Russian Federation is experiencing a decline in attention to the scientifically based formation of regional networks of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) on a landscape-geographical basis. Despite the fact that state regulation of territorial nature conservation has existed in the country, and government bodies in the field of environmental protection have begun to form since 1989, systems of regional and federal SPNAs, differing from each other qualitatively and quantitatively, have developed in the Russian Federation subjects. The experience of creating SPNA networks in the steppe subjects of the Russian Federation is examined using the example of one of the key steppe regions of the Russian Federation, namely, Rostov oblast. The ideas for territorial nature protection in this region emerged in the early 20^th century, and there are still great possibilities to modernize and optimize the nature reserve fund. It is shown that the nature reserve fund of any region should encompass all the natural diversity of the territory and meet such characteristics as continuity and representativeness of the SPNA network. The article presents a brief history of environmental protection in the region. The main disadvantages of the current network of SPNAs in the region include the lack of landscape ordination of protected areas, almost complete absence of geological and geomorphological features, and the lack of toponymic indications of SPNAs with reference to the geographical names of settlements and locations. Based on well-known schemes for physical-geographical and geobotanical zoning, eight environmental protection districts have been identified, where technologies for designing SPNA networks are proposed, both as independent territorial nature conservation objects and as part of nature parks and landscape reserves of a cluster type. The need for regular landscape-ecological monitoring of the state of SPNAs, as well as limitation and regulation of recreational and tourism loads, is substantiated.