Arid Ecosystems最新文献

{"title":"Quality Assessment of Groundwater Used for Irrigation in the Steppe Crimea","authors":"O. E. Klimenko,&nbsp;S. V. Podovalova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700368","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700368","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The aim of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition of underground irrigation waters of water intakes in different parts of the Crimean steppe and its dynamics with time and to demonstrate the suitability of waters for irrigating agricultural crops with different salt tolerance. The research was performed in 2022–2025 in pilot areas located in the steppe Crimea (Pervomaiskii and Sakskii districts). We determined pH, specific electrical conductivity (EC), main anions and cations, mineralization, and a number of microelements in irrigation waters by conventional methods. It was established that the mineralization of waters in the Pervomaiskii district was 2.3–3.1 g/L, and they were neutral of sulfate-chloride composition with high chloride content (1.0–1.4 g/L). With respect to mineralization and chloride content, the waters pose a risk of salinization and alkalization for dark chestnut soils with a heavy granulometric composition, and, according to existing criteria, are characterized as poor. The waters of the Sakskii region are characterized by the mineralization of 1.2–1.4 g/L of chloride-sulfate type. The waters are classified as moderately dangerous for salinization and alkalization of micellar-carbonate southern chernozem. The waters of the Pervomaiskii district tended to become salinized with time due to an increase in chloride content by 100–300 mg/L. In the Sakskii district, a decrease in water mineralization with time from 1.4 to 1.2 g/L with a decrease in sulfate content and stable chloride concentrations was seen. The iron and heavy metal content in groundwater was low, varied significantly by sampling dates, and was below the maximal permissible concentration (MPC) for irrigation water. The cadmium content in the water regularly exceeded the MPC for drinking water by two–five times. The studied waters are not useful for irrigating slightly salt-tolerant crops and are of limited suitability for moderately and highly salt-tolerant crops, the reduction in productivity of which may reach 25–100%. In this regard, it is recommended to change the structure of crop areas, depending on the mineralization of irrigation water.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"291 - 299"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098027","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":"Geoecological Consequences of Aral Sea Regression at the Mesoscale Level","authors":"P. V. Skrob,&nbsp;A. A. Medvedkov,&nbsp;T. N. Alekseeva,&nbsp;G. V. Stulina","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700265","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700265","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The article shows that the most important result of the Aral crisis consists in the formation of the Aralkum desert on the territory of the dried seabed, which determines the development of a complex of geoecological problems. The key ones include the formation of constant center of dust storms in the Central Asian region and the source of silt aerosols for long-distance transfer. Therefore, the problem of atmospheric and ecological influence of Aralkum is assigned to priority ones. The transport of tiny particles is the least studied, making their monitoring difficult. It is known that aeolian dust, consisting of pelitic particles less than 0.01 mm in size, can travel significant distances in a suspended state due to the ability to migrate by air. These tiny particles, which are formed on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, are a potential source of pollutants, entering the natural environment of other regions. In this regard, in order to identify the main soil-lithological patterns, we studied the results of research of the transformation of solonchaks and sands of the Aralkum. The granulometric analysis of surface sediments sampled in the western part of the Aralkum desert (Uzbekistan) was performed. Based on the results of the granulometric analysis of the samples taken, it has been established that the concentration of pelite in dried bottom sediments consistently decreases with the distance from modern areas to those that previously entered the continental phase of development. Surface deposits that existed for about 35 years as continental ones contain less than 30% of pelite, whereas in areas that have been in the subaerial regime for a shorter period of time, its concentration is maximal (≈45–65%).The decrease in the concentration of pelitic particles in surface sediments with time may be considered as one of the most important features of the desertification process of this territory. Using the NOAA HYSPLIT model for 2024, direct trajectories of air masses from the surface of the Aralkum Desert were simulated, which enabled us to identify areas of their potential effect related to their ability to transport pelitic material, to determine the area of expected dust transport to Russia in particular. The area that became drained after 1989 was identified as the main source of pelitic particles in the Aralkum desert, the center of long-distance transport. To identify the supposed source of the removal of the smallest particles from the drained surface, space imagery data from two systems (Terra MODIS and Landsat-5) and index images created on their basis were used. The area of this source of long-range transport in 2024 is almost 35 000 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; (or about 60% of the surface of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, including the eastern part of the Big Sea). To reduce the atmospheric and ecological impact of the Aralkum desert, it is necessary to more widely implement phytomeliorative measures on the drained surface and increase their ","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"201 - 214"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098094","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":"Plankton Communities of Floodplain Lakes of Samarskaya Luka National Park (Rozhdestvensko-Shelekhmetskaya Floodplain, Samara Oblast)","authors":"N. G. Tarasova,&nbsp;S. V. Bykova,&nbsp;O. V. Mukhortova","doi":"10.1134/S207909612670037X","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S207909612670037X","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The changes that have occurred in Lake Shelekhmetskoe have affected abiotic indicators and its plankton community. As compared to 1999, water temperature and pH increased; the transparency decreased; and the chlorophyll <i>a</i> content and phytoplankton abundance and biomass became greater. Based on the water transparency and chlorophyll <i>a</i> content, it may be concluded that the lake is transformed from the eutrophic to the hypertrophic state, and from an oligoalkaline to a mesoalkaline type based on the active reaction of the environment. The number of phytoplankton has increased tenfold. The composition of the dominant complex of species of all components of the plankton community has changed: there has been a transition from a polydominant complex of phytoplankton to a monodominant one with the predominance of <i>Planktothrix agardhii</i> (Gomont 1892) Anagnostidis and Komarek 1988. Changes in the quantitative development of ciliates are less significant: their numbers increased by 1.2 times over a 25-year period. Changes in the composition of the dominant complex of ciliates, whose organisms attach to planktonic algae (ciliates of the genus <i>Vorticella</i>), began to play the leading role, and the role of tintinnids became much smaller. Changes also occurred in the trophic structure of ciliates, which were manifested in a decrease in the contribution of non-selective omnivorous ciliates to their total number and in an increase in the contribution of bacteriodetrirovorous. Differences in the plankton communities of the two lakes highlight the influence of morphometric features and hydrological regime on the structure of ecosystems. The high abundance and biomass of plankton in Lake B. Ostrovnoe are likely related to its smaller depth and more intensive water warming, which promotes the development of algae. Harsh dominance of <i>P. agardhii</i> in this reservoir is possibly related to higher nutrient concentrations and smaller competition by other species. The appearance of invasive species in both lakes indicates the ongoing invasion of alien species into the aquatic ecosystems of Samara Luka.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"300 - 307"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098137","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":"New Alien Hydrobiont Species in Coastal Zone of the Caspian Sea (Dagestan Sector)","authors":"N. A. Milchakova,&nbsp;F. V. Sapozhnikov,&nbsp;S. V. Statkevich,&nbsp;E. B. Chernysheva,&nbsp;E. N. Lobachev,&nbsp;N. I. Rabazanov,&nbsp;M. V. Khlopkova,&nbsp;R. M. Barkhalov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700381","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700381","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper is the first to analyze and generalize data on 17 alien hydrobiont species found in the coastal zone of Dagestan sector of the Caspian Sea from 2018 to 2025. It is shown that the majority of the new species belong to cyanobacteria (seven species) and macroalgae (five species); diversity of the other groups (mollusks, gelatinous organisms, crustaceans, and fishes) is insignificant and does not exceed one or two taxa. The detected species are characterized in terms of their ecology and biology; their biotopic characteristics and distribution are described, as well as likelihood of formation of the stable populations in the Caspian Sea. Data on the alien species finds allow scientifically-grounded measures on mitigation of their impact on species, representing indigenous biota, and on conducting a regular monitoring of the Caspian Sea coastal ecosystems for conservation of their diversity in the conditions of the negative global and regional ecological changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"308 - 318"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098093","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":"Water Management Impacts on Don River Annual Runoff under Modern Water Scarcity","authors":"S. V. Dolgov,&nbsp;N. I. Koronkevich,&nbsp;E. A. Kashutina","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700253","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700253","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the Don River’s behavior from 2014 to 2023, a period marked by exceptionally low annual water flow, with an annual runoff exceedance probability of 80% or greater. Runoff levels dropped considerably compared to the average observed between 1930 and 1980. This decline amounted to 24–29% in the upper basin, and a more substantial reduction of 42–52% occurred in the lower basin. The findings reveal that water scarcity is caused by a combination of climate change and human activities, with the magnitude of water management challenges being a particularly significant contributor. The strain on water management becomes even more significant during periods of low water availability. This is due to the ongoing but unmeasured effects of indirect factors such as changes in irrigation methods and urban expansion, which have been partially compensated for in recent times. We offer a quantitative evaluation of the runoff’s effects, taking into consideration groundwater and surface water withdrawals, water movements in and out of the basin, as well as extra evaporation from the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. Our research demonstrates that the cumulative impact of water management practices substantially contributes to periods of low water flow. Downstream of the Tsimlyansk HPP on the Don River, water flow has decreased by 23–26% compared to the average flow observed between 2014 and 2023. This decline is mainly attributed to the withdrawal and use of surface water, as well as an 11% loss due to evaporation from the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. This research evaluates groundwater extraction impact on runoff losses, differentiating between aquifers that are hydraulically connected to surface water and those that are not. While groundwater extraction and usage within the Don River’s basin contribute to a decrease in its annual water flow, this reduction is relatively minor, estimated at only 2 to 4%. Conversely, the groundwater contribution to river runoff bears a significantly heavier burden, representing 48% of its typical yearly volume.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"195 - 200"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098012","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":"Post-Pasture Restoration of Biological Activity of Soils in the Dry-Steppe Zone","authors":"T. E. Khomutova,&nbsp;E. V. Chernysheva,&nbsp;N. N. Kashirskaya,&nbsp;K. S. Duschanova,&nbsp;D. A. Yurshenas,&nbsp;A. V. Borisov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700290","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700290","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The biological activity of soils of solonetz associations in the dry steppe zone of the western part of the Yergeni Upland has been studied. The biomass, trophic structure, and metabolic profiles of microbial communities, as well as the enzymatic activity of soils, have been studied in areas with intensive grazing and in areas, where species not consumed by livestock became dominant and grazing is now absent as a result of plant community succession under overgrazing. It is found that the content of microbial biomass in the upper layers of chestnut soil and solonetz in the area without grazing is practically the same. The microbial biomass under grazing is maximal in the solonetz and exceeds the values in other soils by 40–63%. The total enzymatic activity, in particular the activity of carbon cycle enzymes, positively and significantly correlates with microbial biomass. The activity of leucine aminopeptidase and arylsulfatase correlates with the content of exchangeable Na⁺, which indicates a relationship with the solonetz process. The metabolic diversity of microbial communities is the highest in chestnut soil of an ungrazed plot 200 m from the farm. Microorganisms in the upper layer of this soil are characterized by high-amplitude respiration respond to almost all proposed inducers of the groups of amino acids, salts of carboxylic acids, carbohydrates, and alcohols/ethers. The metabolic diversity is significantly lower at a distance of 800 m from the farm, in the intensively grazed zone.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 2","pages":"231 - 240"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098152","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":"Dependance of Field Phytomass from Condition of Forest Belt and Erosional Dissection: Dynamic Aspect","authors":"A. V. Khoroshev,&nbsp;N. V. Ilinova,&nbsp;O. G. Kalmykova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700150","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700150","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In-field variation of environmental conditions, including driven by positional factors leads to fluctuations in agricultural production costs. We investigated the dependence of intra-field Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) variation—an indicator of green phytomass—on the area and condition of adjacent forest belts and erosional landforms. A total of 39 Landsat satellite images were used to calculate Spearman correlation coefficients to link the NDVI with neighborhood indicators. These indicators included the area of forest shelterbelts and erosional landforms within a 150 m radius. Seasonal correlations and their variation depending on hydrothermal conditions were revealed. The positive impact of forest belts on the green phytomass is observed at a distance of 90–150 m. Erosional dissection affects intra-field soil variation in spring and early summer. In the summer, proximity to living forests was a critical factor. In spring, waterlogged ravines and delayed snowmelt near forest belts restrained phytomass development in field areas. From May onward, proximity to or position within erosional forms favored phytomass growth. The strength of the influence of adjacent forest plantations on the phytomass of agricultural fields depended on the total hydrothermal effect over a period of about two months. NDVI shows increased dependence on forest belts during hot and dry periods, and on erosional landforms during wet and cold periods.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 1","pages":"142 - 150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285415","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":"Is There a Chance for Endemics to Survive? Calophaca wolgarica (Lf) Pall. Ex Fisch. in the Era of Global Climate Change","authors":"A. S. Kashin,&nbsp;A. O. Kondratieva,&nbsp;Yu. I. Kuliseva,&nbsp;R. A. Murtazaliev,&nbsp;I. V. Shilova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700101","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700101","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research into the patterns of morphological variability by 17 parameters were carried out in 2013, 2014, and 2025 in 19 populations of a paleoendemic of the arid territories of the Russian Plain, the “Maykaragan of the Volga” <i>Calophaca wolgarica</i> (Lf) Pall. Ex Fisch. (Fabaceae) throughout its local range. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) was used to identify the nature of variability and its relationship with environmental factors. It was shown that this relict species is characterized by ecological and morphological conservatism. In this regard, on the basis of the predictive models of global climate change created using the maximum entropy method, the suitability of habitats for a species based on the SSP126 (soft climate change scenario) and SSP585 (hard climate change scenario) models has been determined. Both scenarios were considered in accordance with the GFDL-ESM4 climate model (Dunne et al., 2020) until 2070 and 2100. A significant shift in the potential range of the species has been identified to the north and northeast. As a consequence, given the narrow ecological niche of the species, its low mobility in terms of dispersal, and low competitiveness, without taking urgent measures to restore numbers and create new populations in the direction of the main trend of change in the natural and climatic conditions, complete disappearance of <i>C. wolgarica</i> according to the “soft” scenario was predicted by 2100, and according to the “hard” scenario, already by 2070.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 1","pages":"85 - 100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285412","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":"Assessment of Vegetation Dynamics along the Transect in the Middle Part of the Volga–Akhtuba Floodplain (1954–2025)","authors":"A. V. Chuvashov,&nbsp;V. M. Vasyukov,&nbsp;V. B. Golub","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700046","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700046","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article presents the results of observations of vegetation dynamics along the transect located in the middle part of the Volga–Akhtuba floodplain. The transect was established in 1954 by the Caspian Expedition of the Geography Department of Moscow State University. Its total length is 14.7 km. Ninety-six sample plots were located along the transect, at which phytosociological relevés were made. These plots were resurveyed in 1982 and 2025. Using cluster analysis, five groups of plant communities were identified. A comparison of the representation of these groups along the transect revealed that aquatic, marsh, and meadow phytocenoses remain in the middle part of the Volga–Akhtuba floodplain. However, from 1954 to 1982 and again to 2025, processes of xerophytization and ruderalization of the vegetation cover have occurred. Thus, there were five sites where plant communities of meadow-steppe wetlands were found in 1954, nine in 1982, and 22 in 2025. The main cause of vegetation xerophytization is the reduction in flood volumes under regulated water flow conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 1","pages":"36 - 40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285417","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":"Arid Landscapes of Southern Russia: Spatial Structure and Climate Variability","authors":"Z. V. Atayev","doi":"10.1134/S2079096126700022","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096126700022","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The results of a research of the spatial organization and climatic variability of arid landscapes in the southern part of Russia within the semi-desert and desert zones from the Lower Volga region to Northern Dagestan are presented. Long-term data from meteorological stations (1960–2025) and remote sensing (Landsat, Sentinel, ERA5) were used. The trends in solar radiation, air temperature, precipitation and hydrothermal indicators, as well as the dynamics of vegetation cover using the NDVI index, were analyzed. It has been established that, over the past 60 years, sunshine hours have increased by 400–500 hours per year and that the average air temperatures have risen by 1.8–2.3°C. While the annual precipitation shows no clear trend, it has become more uneven and summers have become drier. The hydrothermal coefficient decreased to 0.35–0.45, which corresponds to conditions of severe moisture deficiency. The spatial structure of arid complexes is characterized by high mosaicism and uneven stability, and the anthropogenic impact has intensified degradation processes. A shift in the steppe–semi-desert boundary by 30–50 km to the north and west was revealed. The results are important for assessing aridity, forecasting changes in natural complexes and planning sustainable nature management.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"16 1","pages":"9 - 21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285460","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}