Arid Ecosystems最新文献

{"title":"Environmental Health Standards of Arid Soils in Southern Russia under Pollution by Oil and Oil Products","authors":"T. V. Minnikova,&nbsp;S. I. Kolesnikov,&nbsp;A. V. Kutasova,&nbsp;N. S. Minin,&nbsp;V. G. Gaivoronsky","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700483","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700483","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Under the influence of pollution by petroleum hydrocarbons, soils from different natural zones have different physical, chemical, and biological indicators of the soil condition. Biological indicators are the most sensitive to soil pollution and changes in the ecological state. Arid zone soils, compared to other types of soils, due to the soil formation conditions and the physical and biological properties, are very unstable to pollution by petroleum hydrocarbons. In this regard, it is important to standardize the content of petroleum hydrocarbons taking into account the response of enzyme activity and microbiological indicators, and an assessment of soil phytotoxicity. Such standards serve as parameters for the health of soils in a region when contaminated with oil and oil products. The aim of this study is to assess the environmental health standards of arid soils in southern Russia when contaminated with oil and oil products. It has been established that, with an increase in the concentration of oil and oil products, the biological indicators of soils are suppressed. The ecological standard for oil in brown semi-desert soil (0.1%) is the lowest compared to solonchak (1.0%) and chestnut soil (0.2%). The permissible content of fuel oil in chestnut soil (0.4%) is less than in solonchak (1.0%) and brown semi-desert soil (0.5%). The content of diesel fuel in chestnut and brown semi-desert soils is the same (0.2%), and in solonchak it is three times higher (0.6%). The maximum difference in standards among the studied soil types was established for oil: between solonchak and chestnut and brown semi-desert soils, it is five and ten times. Chestnut and brown semi-desert soils are more sensitive to oil pollution than saline soils. Among the biological indicators, the greatest sensitivity to pollution by oil and oil products is the abundance of bacteria of the genus <i>Azotobacter</i> and the total number of bacteria, and the lowest, the activity of catalase and dehydrogenases and the length of roots. The most informative indicators for contamination of arid soils with oil and oil products are the activity of catalase and dehydrogenases and the length of roots, while the least informative indicators are the total number of bacteria and the activity of urease. The most resistant soil to pollution by petroleum hydrocarbons is the salt marsh, and the least resistant are brown semi-desert (oil and diesel fuel) and chestnut (fuel oil and gasoline) soils. The results of this study can be used in the development of environmental standards for the health of arid soils contaminated with oil and oil products.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"507 - 522"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Features of the Method of Iteration of Means in Studying Populations","authors":"Yu. I. Sukhorukikh,&nbsp;S. G. Biganova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700380","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700380","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article considers the features of the mean iteration method when studying populations the quantitative indicators of which have different statistical distributions. The studies were conducted in the central part of the Northwest Caucasus. The published and field data used by the authors came from eight sample plots laid out in the lower mountain, forest–steppe, and steppe zones of the central part of the region, where various indicators were studied for seven plant species. The sample size in the sample plots was 122–485 individuals. Statistical data processing was carried out using the Stadia8.0 and Microsoft Excel for Windows programs. The values of inter-iteration means and gradations were established using known and original methods. It was revealed that, with a normal statistical distribution, the inter-iteration means have close values (difference of 0–4.23%) with the values of the means increased by 0.5–2 standard deviations. To correct extreme inter-iteration values, where the sample is insignificant (1–4 observations), it is recommended to use forecast models, which should be calculated separately for each option. The allocation of gradations of quantitative traits in populations by the iteration of means method ensures an adequate distribution of indicators in three or five gradations compared to methods focused on the average increased by the value of the standard deviation or dividing the indicators into equal values.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"423 - 429"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropogenic Impact on Solonetz Soils Development in the Desert–Steppe Zone","authors":"A. V. Borisov,&nbsp;M. V. Eltsov,&nbsp;I. A. Idrisov,&nbsp;V. N. Pinskoy,&nbsp;A. K. Khodjaeva","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700422","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700422","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A study of soils of winter pastures with different intensities of grazing in the north of the Terek-Kuma Lowland was conducted. Based on the results of a survey of the soil cover of three key areas located at different distances from the watering hole, it was established that, in the zone of intensive cattle traffic, the proportion of solonetz soils increases in the structure of the soil cover. The largest proportion of solonetz soils is found in the 200-meter zone. Solonetz soils are associated with cattle trails and elongated micro-depressions of erosional origin. No salt licks were found at a distance of 500 m from the watering place. It has been shown that the development of the solonetz process under the influence of cattle grazing is a consequence of the reduction of vegetation cover and soil compaction. This leads to a decrease in desiccation and intense heating of open areas, resulting in an increase in the salt content in the middle part of the profile. Subsequently, with periodic moistening and drying of the upper horizons, sodium salts enter them with capillary-suspended solutions and the share of exchangeable sodium increases to 20–30% of the cation exchange capacity. Subsequent evolutionary transformations of solonetz soils are associated with a reduction in the thickness of the SEL horizon up to its complete loss as a result of erosion and deflation and the complete destruction of the vegetation cover. The desiccative–exudative water regime is replaced periodically by an exudative one; degradation of solonetzic features occurs due to surface salinization. Thus, there is a pasture evolution of chestnut soils into solonetz and then into <i>post-solonetz</i> salt marsh abrazems, which form large areas of “badlands” near farms and watering places.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"456 - 462"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of Electric Fields of a Fish Protection Device on Fish of the Dagestan Coast of the Caspian Sea","authors":"I. A. Stolbunov,&nbsp;S. N. Salienko,&nbsp;R. M. Barkhalov,&nbsp;N. I. Rabazanov,&nbsp;M. A. Mammaev,&nbsp;I. S. Salienko,&nbsp;A. A. Kuptsov,&nbsp;Ya. A. Kulikova,&nbsp;E. A. Zabotkina,&nbsp;E. I. Izvekov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700513","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700513","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Electric fish barriers of various systems have long been successfully used to protect fish from entering water intake structures, especially under conditions that make it difficult to use other types of fish protection devices and structures. Strong electric fields created by electric fish barriers can affect the survival, physiological state and injury rate of juvenile and adult fish. At the same time, the sensitivity of fish to such impacts is largely determined by their size. In this regard, we have carried out a complex study to examine the biological safety of electric fields generated by the electronic programmable complex fish-protecting facility of electrical action (EPS IFPEI) on mass fish species from the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea and separate estuaries of its tributary rivers. Behavior and distribution of fish of different size groups (juveniles and adults) at different levels of electric impact from the fish barrier were tested. Survival and injury rates of fish at prolonged maximum voltage of electric fish barrier were evaluated. As a result of the experiments, the modes and parameters of the electric fish barrier (EPS IFPEI) effectively causing behavioral avoidance response in fish were established. Significant differences in survival of individuals from the intact (control) and electrically exposed (experimental) groups of fish were not revealed.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"540 - 546"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstruction of Paleoecological Conditions of the Middle Bronze Bazed on the Study of Buried Soils of Kamensk Area, Rostov Region","authors":"G. V. Nesteruk,&nbsp;K. V. Dyuzhova,&nbsp;A. Yu. Danilchenko,&nbsp;A. G. Shchipanova,&nbsp;E. V. Larina","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700410","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700410","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reconstruction of paleoecological conditions on the territory of the Kamensky district of Rostov region, in the Middle Bronze Age yamnaya–catacomb culture border, has been carried out. The work based on results of soil investigations of kurgan 1, archaeological object “Malaya Kamenka VI” group. It was set up that paleochernozems and modern surface soils are clay loam and loamy, thin and having medium humus content and formed on loess-like loams. Values of pH in upper soil horizons are almost neutral. Increasing of pH in humus horizons of paleosols are of smooth character (from 7.0 to 7.3), which indicates carbonate formations surface upliftment. The content of Cl^–-ions in the genetic horizons of paleosols are in the values 0.15–0.30%, <span>({text{SO}}_{4}^{{2 - }})</span>—0.04–0.09%, and Mg²⁺—0.007–0.020%, that higher comparing to modern surface soil. It can be an indicator of more arid paleoecological conditions. Short soil profile of paleosol, the footmarks of huge soil animals activity, traces of phytomass burned, a higher soil mass boiling point in paleosols are indicators of the arid climatic phase. In paleosol the low content of pollen from woody and shrubby plants in pollen spectra (up to 6.5%) and a large proportion of pollen from xerophilic species: wormwood (up to 17%), other the Asteraceae family plants (up to 20%), Ephedra pollen finds (up to 2%), indicates an increase of arid conditions. Vegetation was similar a dry steppe with the part of xerophilic grasses. The modern surface soil characteristics (traces of leaching of carbonates from the topsoil, the absence of salinity in the profile) and significant part of motley grass in pollen spectra reflect more humid and favorable conditions at present.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"448 - 455"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regularities of Seasonal Changes in the Water Regime Soils of Arid Territories","authors":"Z. G. Zalibekov,&nbsp;R. A. Magomedov,&nbsp;M. A. Musaev,&nbsp;A. B. Biarslanov,&nbsp;A. M. Akhmedov,&nbsp;P. D. Musalaeva","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700409","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700409","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Under the conditions of modern natural processes in the arid zone, the leading role belongs to the formation of the water regime of soils and water resources and the implementation of measures to eliminate the deficiency of soil moisture and high air temperature. The development of natural cyclic activity and changes in the ratio of heat and moisture in individual seasons become significant forces capable of forming combinations in conditions of desertification and aridization. The parameters of the created combination of soils and water regime correspond to the requirements for the growth and development of individual groups of ephemeral vegetation, which determines the possibilities for using the biological potential. The study of the water regime of soils subject to desertification and arid degradation is an important problem of fundamental and applied significance. The stable state of the water regime of soils in desert and desert–steppe types of soil formation is accompanied by certain changes in the functioning of soils in different seasons of the year. Insufficient attention has been paid to the study of seasonal processes and functions of the soil cover. When studying different types of soils and aridization processes, it is necessary to know the role of combinations in water regime indicators that are formed in the shortest periods of time and represent their continuous changeability. To clarify this process, it is necessary to conduct studies of periodically occurring properties that help to reveal patterns of changes in the ratio of heat and moisture during periods of different duration and different amounts of precipitation. The results of studies of the regime of soil water properties provide the basis for determining the degree of aridization based on the genetic characteristics of the soil profile. The main factors in the manifestation of aridization are moisture deficiency and the increasing role of climate warming (Vinogradov et al., 1975). The research conducted in this direction is mainly related to the development of patterns of influence of soil formation factors (climate, parent rock, vegetation, anthropogenic factor) on the water regime of soils of arid ecosystems. In studies of arid degradation processes, considerable attention is paid to improving the water balance, planting protective forest belts, carrying out phytomeliorations, identifying the potential of forage vegetation and optimizing the anthropogenic impact (Laptev, 1997). The humification process is a factor determining the fertility of soils in arid regions and combating desertification, so studies of arid land problems are often limited to determining signs of desertification, decomposition dynamics, reduction of organic matter, loss of soil structure, elements of soil fertility, etc. This is a generally accepted approach that studies and evaluates degradation processes and transition stages from zonal soils to lithogenic organomineral formations characteri","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"438 - 447"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Possibilities of Studying the Fauna and Population of Terrestrial Vertebrates of Mountain Wastelands Using Camera Traps from the Example of the Eastern Part of Tukuringa Ridge","authors":"S. A. Podolsky,&nbsp;D. S. Chemirskaya,&nbsp;V. Savochka","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700458","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700458","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The application of camera traps to study the fauna and population of terrestrial vertebrates of the mountain wastelands of the Zeiskii State Nature Reserve, which occupies the eastern part of the Tukuringra Ridge, is described. An original method of counting mammals using camera traps was used, where the final indicator is the load on the area of the photo–video recording zone per unit of time, expressed as the number of individuals per unit area (Podolsky et al., 2020). Extreme habitat conditions (lack of moisture during the growing season, frequent storm winds, etc.), along with seasonal migrations and periodic food concentrations, determine the characteristics of the animal population of mountain wastelands and the difficulties of studying it; the use of standard observation methods is insufficient. Nine cameras were installed: eight in mountain tundra with clumps of dwarf pine, and one in the subalpine Ayan spruce forest, at the intersection of animal trails. For mammals, population densities estimated from camera trap data were compared with multi-day censuses and other standard methods to assess the feasibility of using the method for censuses of different species. It has been shown that, in mountain wasteland conditions, it is optimal for recording the main parameters (population density, timing) of summer–autumn food concentrations of brown bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>) and is also applicable for recording several other species of animals: the white hare (<i>Lepus timidus</i>), lynxes, and probably wolverines. The proposed method of accounting on bare mountains is not applicable to sable (<i>Martes zibellina</i>), the red squirrel (<i>Sciurus vulgaris</i>), and the Asian chipmunk (<i>Eutamias sibiricus</i>). The population density of the mentioned species, calculated using camera trap data, turned out to be several orders of magnitude lower than that obtained using standard methods. The described method is also not suitable for determining the number of birds. At the same time, the analysis of the footage from the installed cameras allowed us to expand the list of bird species regularly visiting the mountain wastelands, as well as to supplement the list of the avifauna of the Zeiskii Reserve: the Eurasian whimbrel (<i>Numenius phaeopus</i>) and the Asian rosy finch (<i>Leucosticte arctoa</i>) were noted for the first time. The natural features of the upper altitude zones of the Tukringra ridge, the specifics of organizing research in extreme conditions, the technical capabilities of modern automatic cameras, and the developed census methodology determine the significant prospects for using camera traps to study the fauna and population of animals and birds of the mountain wastelands of the Zeiskii State Nature Reserve.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"480 - 489"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial–Temporal Analysis of the Air Temperature, Precipitation, and Aridity Index on the Territory of the Lake Baikal Basin","authors":"E. A. Bogdanov,&nbsp;S. Hadbaatar,&nbsp;S. N. Bazha","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700367","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700367","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The territory of the basin of Lake Baikal is a complex mosaic of oroecosystems, in which anthropogenic and natural processes lead to significant and often difficult-to-predict changes in the structure of both individual ecosystems and the entire complex. The aim of this work was a spatiotemporal analysis of some climatic parameters as the primary link in energy and mass exchange, which sets the general trend in the development of ecosystems: average values of the air temperature, precipitation, and aridity index. For the period from 1975 to 2019, climate data were obtained on the average daily air temperature from 84 weather stations and on the amount of precipitation from 72 weather stations. The obtained climate data were divided into five-year periods and processed in ArcMap 10.7 and Qgis 3.16 GIS; statistical preparation was carried out in the Python 3.10 programming environment. The construction of precipitation and temperature distribution rasters was carried out using the Spline interpolation method. We have constructed a series of maps of the distribution of the average air temperature values, total precipitation, and the Morton aridity index, as well as a series of large-scale maps of the distribution of average air temperature values, taking into account the morphometric features of the Earth’s surface. It is noted that the most stable directional changes in annual air temperature are observed in the Russian part of the basin, and the highest rate of transformation of the temperature field in annual values is characteristic of the mountainous regions of the Mongolian part (the spurs of Khangai and Khentii). The main share of the increase in the annual air temperature values occurs during the warm period, and it is formed due to the Mongolian part of the basin. The greatest variability in the amount of precipitation during the warm period corresponds to the mountainous regions of Khangai (the southwestern part of the basin, the Zavkhan aimag, and the southwestern part of the Khuvsgol aimag), as well as the valley complex of the Orkhon–Selenga interfluve. There are strong differences in the temporal dynamics of precipitation of the cold period between the northern and southern parts of the basin. Thus, for the period 1975–2019, the increase in precipitation in the Russian part was only 4%, while in the Mongolian part, it was about 40% of the average value of precipitation during the cold period of 1975–2019. The territory is characterized by multidirectional changes in the values of the aridity index. Two large areas of increasing aridity have been identified: the southern and central parts of the Bulgan aimag, together with the eastern end of the Arkhangai aimag, represent the Mongolian area of increasing aridity, and the central part of the Republic of Buryatia is the Russian area of aridity. Details of the methodology for constructing rasters and for processing the initial data are located in the database GIS Ecosystems of the Lake ","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"397 - 412"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ancient Agrolandscapes of the Darkhat Basin (Northern Mongolia)","authors":"T. N. Prudnikova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700471","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700471","url":null,"abstract":"<p>According to remote sensing (space image decoding), the Darkhat Basin of Northern Mongolia is a sparsely populated cattle-breeding territory, which was an area of developed agriculture in the past. Quite numerous land plots are recognized at the end spills of rivers flowing from its mountainous frame, lake and river terraces, floodplains, and deluvial–proluvial slopes, at absolute elevations from 1535 to 1700 meters a.s.l. or more. Among the wide soil range, here are fertile chernozems, chestnut, and dark chestnut soils. The geological position of the region and its confinement to the southwestern periphery of the Baikal rift contributed to both the formation of the basin and its modern seismic activity, manifestations of basaltoid volcanism, as well as the emergence of a “regional thermal anomaly” (Vilor et al., 2019). The basin also belongs to the Khubsugul Upper Riphean–Cambrian phosphorite-bearing basin, where deposits and numerous manifestations of phosphorites, the basis of mineral fertilizers, are known (Il’in, 1973). The long history of the formation of the relief of the Darkhat Basin led to the enrichment to a greater or lesser extent of its Quaternary deposits with phosphorus compounds useful for agricultural practices. Modern volcanism and continental rifting processes contributed to the emergence of thermal springs in this area; nitrogen baths, which are a kind of liquid nitrogen fertilizer, are known here (<i>Mongol’skaya...</i>, 1990). The combination of the following features: fertile soils, the thermal anomaly of the Baikal rift, and the presence of nitrogen thermal springs, as well as deposits and manifestations of phosphorites, products of their destruction, enriching the soil, contributed to the development of agriculture here. Manifestations of Cenozoic basaltoid volcanism, causing the presence of fertile volcanic ash, as well as processes of medieval volcanic activation (Arzhannikov et al., 2017), played a possible role in the development of agricultural practices on this territory. Social and political events are also important reasons. According to an earlier analysis of ancient agriculture in the arid territories of Central Asia (Prudnikova, 2020), its maximum development in the Darkhat Basin occurred in the early Middle Ages, a time attributed to the small climatic optimum.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"496 - 506"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Features of Radial Growth of Trees in Shelterbelts of the Dry Steppe","authors":"A. A. Shigimaga,&nbsp;N. I. Bykov,&nbsp;N. V. Rygalova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700434","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700434","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dendrochronological and dendroclimatic analyses of radial growth of trees in shelterbelts of the dry-steppe subzone are presented. In dry steppe conditions, trees of shelterbelts are very sensitive to climate change and are forced to adapt to extreme conditions, which directly affects their annual increment. The radial growth of trees and their response to climatic factors are determined by their species composition and geographical location within the dry steppe. The rates of radial growth vary significantly among species. Poplars show the highest increment. Larch chronologies are characterized by the lowest rates of radial growth. Birch chronologies are the most sensitive to climatic fluctuations, and pine chronologies are the least sensitive. A statistically significant relationship with precipitation, temperature, area moisture index (with the Selyaninov hydrothermal coefficient), and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI) is noted. A deficiency of precipitation and increased air temperature most often cause a decrease in the wood increment. A large number of narrow, wedging, and missing reference rings were noted. The analysis of the age structure of the studied trees of shelterbelts showed that they are moving into the senile stage of development. Further increase in climate aridization will inevitably affect the growth of trees of shelterbelts and create additional risks for their existence.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"14 4","pages":"463 - 472"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}