Arid Ecosystems最新文献

{"title":"DNA Analysis as a Promising Tool for Research of Aquatic Organisms in Modern Russia","authors":"A. M. Orlov,&nbsp;N. I. Rabazamov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700350","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700350","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A brief review of the current status and prospects of aquatic research using various DNA analysis techniques (aDNA—ancient DNA, eDNA—environmental DNA, hDNA—historical DNA) in the post-Soviet space, with the emphasis on modern Russia, is presented. It is shown that, despite the rapid development of the use of DNA analysis to investigate fundamental and applied problems in various aquatic studies worldwide, research in this area in Russia is at an initial stage. Similar situations exist in countries that were part of the former USSR, as well as in other developing countries. The information presented on the Russian Federation may be relevant to other countries where aquatic research using DNA analysis is at an early stage.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"429 - 433"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027178","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":"Structure of Diatom Assemblages in the Surface Layer of Bottom Sediments in Modern Water Courses of the Volga Delta","authors":"E. I. Lysenko","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700349","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700349","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Volga River Delta, as one of the largest deltas in the world, has a wide variety of hydrological features, which creates a wide range of conditions for the development of diatoms. The aim of this work is to study the species composition of diatom assemblages of the surface layer of bottom sediments in modern watercourses of the delta of the Volga River and to identify the characteristics of the distribution of species depending on the habitat and the main indicator species of these habitats. This work will serve as a basis for the creation of a diatom database and its further application in paleoecological reconstructions. The diatom analysis method was used to study 24 samples of the surface layer of bottom sediments collected using a bottom grab from water bodies of various hydrological characteristics on the territory of the Damchik section of the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve. The most common species in the studied objects are: <i>Aulacoseira granulata</i>, <i>Aulacoseira ambigua</i>, <i>Stephanodiscus minutulus</i>, typical for the phytoplankton of the Volga River. One object, the Gryaznukha channel, is distinguished by the composition of dominant species—<i>Cocconeis placentula</i>, <i>Cocconeis pediculus</i>—and a high proportion of the benthos (77–99%). Analysis of samples collected in watercourses along the profiles showed a difference in the ratio of plankton and the benthos depending on the depth: in deeper areas, an increase in the proportion of planktonic species was found. The results of diatom analysis were also studied using the principal component method. The most significant factor in the formation of diatom complexes in the studied samples is the depth of the watercourses. The principal component method reliably identifies a cluster of samples from the deepest sections of the Bystraya River and one sample from Sazanii Bay, collected near the Bystraya River, as the characteristic species <i>Aulacoseira ambigua</i> and <i>Stephanodiscus minutulus</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"418 - 428"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027273","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 Security of Grain Agroecosystems in the Steppe and Forest–Steppe Regions of Russia: 1. Historical Period, Standard Technologies of Rainfed Arable Farming","authors":"E. M. Gusev,&nbsp;O. N. Nasonova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700209","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700209","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A number of physically justified and complementary characteristics of agrocenoses are proposed, allowing for a quantitative assessment of their condition from the point of view of water resource availability and including the indicator of security of the agroecosystem, the risk of a deficit in its moisture supply, and the risk of crop failure caused by deviation of the dynamics of the water regime from the optimal, as well as the efficiency of the consumption of natural water resources by the ecosystem. A methodology for assessing the specified characteristics has been developed based on the use of the land surface model SWAP, standard meteorological information, and data on the hydrophysical parameters of the soil. This method was tested using the example of winter wheat crops under rainfed conditions at nine agrometeorological stations located in the steppe and forest–steppe regions within the grain belt of the European territory of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia. The results of the assessment of the above characteristics for the historical period are presented, demonstrating the varying degrees of tension in the situation with water security of crops in the specified regions and the existing potential for increasing their water supply.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"290 - 302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027278","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":"Establishing Storage Reservoirs Using Composite Bentonite Material for Effective Irrigation under Conditions of Land Desertification","authors":"B. D. Toturbiev,&nbsp;S. A. Mamaev,&nbsp;A. B. Toturbiev,&nbsp;N. B. Butaeva","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700301","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700301","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Thanks to theoretical works on the use of low-pressure underground fresh water, it has become advisable to build artificial storage reservoirs for efficient use of water resources in the irrigation of arid lands. Problems arise in the construction of reservoirs with regard to the external and internal waterproofing of the structures. The most widely recognized materials for this purpose are the waterproofing materials based on bitumen, synthetic resin polymers, and mineral binders. They are distinguished by their water impermeability, water resistance, durability, and mechanical strength due to their chemical composition. Today, there is a particular need for new, more durable materials that meet these requirements and are affordable. With these features in mind, we conducted studies on a highly effective composite waterproofing material made from bentonite clays. We present the results of laboratory tests on the chemical and mineralogical composition and thermal analysis of bentonite clay from the Levashi deposit in the mountains of Dagestan. Experimental studies have established the optimal compositions based on bentonite clay and Portland cement clinker with the addition of a modifier, nanodispersed sodium polysilicate, ground together in a ball mill to a specific surface area of 2500–3000 g/cm². The technological and physicomechanical properties of the composite paste and the composition as a whole after hardening have been determined both under natural conditions and under optimal heat and moisture conditions of the arid regions in southern Russia.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"387 - 391"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027282","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":"Changes in the Size Structure of Algal Communities in Rivers of the Basin of Elton Lake under Salinity Gradient Conditions","authors":"O. G. Gorokhova,&nbsp;T. D. Zinchenko","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700337","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700337","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The size diversity of algal communities in the plankton of saline tributaries of the hyperhaline Elton Lake was studied based on the volume and linear parameters of alga cells. The size structure of these communities includes nanoplankton (51–68%), microplankton (16–41%), and picoplankton (7–16%). The ratio of size groups in the phytoplankton was characterized by temporal and spatial heterogeneity. Long-term observations revealed an increase in the picoplankton fraction in polyhaline rivers compared to mesohaline ones, as well as the same increase along the longitudinal river profile: from the upstream water to the mouth reach (“river–lake” contact). In spite of differences in the species composition of algal communities in different rivers, the average coenotic cell volume represents a stable and sensitive morphological parameter of these communities. A significant reduction in the coenotic volume was observed in the lower reaches and mouths of the studied rivers during periods of extreme salinity caused by the inflow of saline water from the lake. An association between the size characteristics and the content of biogenic nutrients was observed for certain species. Correlation coefficients between the size diversity indices and mineralization were higher for polyhaline rivers (0.59–0.78, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) compared to mesohaline ones (0.50–0.58, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Thus, in the saline rivers of the basin of Elton Lake, the average coenotic volume and the ratio of size fractions can serve as informative morphological indicators of how phytoplankton communities respond to changes in mineralization.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"411 - 417"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027177","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":"Application of Geoinformation Technologies to Assess the Impact of Grazing and Fires on the Vegetation Cover of the North-Western Caspian Region","authors":"T. Yu. Karimova,&nbsp;S. S. Shinkarenko,&nbsp;I. N. Safronova,&nbsp;N. Yu. Stepanova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700222","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700222","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;In the 1980s, the increase of livestock population in the North-Western Caspian region (up to 3.78 million heads) and non-compliance with pasture rotation regulations led to changes not only in the composition of plant communities but also in their spatial distribution. At the turn of the century, an economic crisis, coupled with a reduction in arable land, the number of farms, and livestock population, resulted in increased in the fire intensity (frequency and burned area), which also affected the state of the vegetation. Currently, pastoral livestock farming is developing in the region. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of grazing and fires on the current vegetation cover of the North-Western Caspian region. The novelty lies in the application of an integrated approach, where the analysis of combined data including ground-based geobotanical studies and characteristics of grazing pressure and fire regime derived from geoinformation processing of remote sensing data, has revealed patterns of vegetation response to pyrogenic impacts and livestock grazing. For this purpose, descriptions of plant communities (240 in the steppe zone and 498 in the desert zone), characteristics of grazing pressure and fire conditions obtained by processing satellite images using geoinformatics methods were used. In the steppe zone, the vegetation cover is dwarf semishrub-grass (&lt;i&gt;Stipa&lt;/i&gt; spp., &lt;i&gt;Agropyron&lt;/i&gt; spp., &lt;i&gt;Festuca&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;valesiaca&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Poa&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;bulbosa&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Artemisia&lt;/i&gt; spp., &lt;i&gt;Tanacetum&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;achilleifolium&lt;/i&gt;) and grass-dwarf semishrub, in the desert zone – bluegrass-wormwood (&lt;i&gt;Artemisia&lt;/i&gt; spp., &lt;i&gt;Poa&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;bulbosa&lt;/i&gt;) and wormwood-bluegrass. At the final stages of pasture digression, bluegrass (&lt;i&gt;P. bulbosa&lt;/i&gt;) and annuals (&lt;i&gt;Anisantha tectorum, Ceratocarpus arenarius, Eremopyrum&lt;/i&gt; spp., &lt;i&gt;Salsola tragus&lt;/i&gt;) predominate in this area. In our study, the proportion of such communities was 19.6% in the steppe zone and 51.8% in the desert zone, although the load on pastures is practically the same – 0.92 ± 0.10 conventional sheep units/ha in the steppe and 1.02 ± 0.12 conventional heads of sheep units/ha in the desert. The recovery of natural vegetation extends decades and depends on a number of natural (edaphic and hydrothermal conditions) and anthropogenic (grazing and plowing) factors. This process is also slowed by fires, which occur in this region primarily due to human activity. Some years are characterized by a significant amount of dead grass rags, which, when fires occur, facilitates their spread over large areas. Over the past 30 years, the study area has been affected by fires of varying intensity almost annually. For example, 37% of the area in the steppe zone was burned, while in the desert zone, 50.4%. The peak of fire activity occurred between 1998 and 2011. In recent years, the frequency of fires has decreased due to farmers monitoring their pastures more carefully and preventing fires. With the al","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"314 - 324"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027279","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":"Similarities and Differences in Long-Term Dynamics of Air Temperature, Precipitation, and Runoff in Don and Ural River Basins","authors":"S. V. Dolgov,&nbsp;N. I. Koronkevich,&nbsp;Zh. T. Sivokhip,&nbsp;V. M. Pavleichik","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700179","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700179","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The paper presents the results of a comparative geographical and hydrological analysis of long-term fluctuations in air temperature, atmospheric precipitation, annual river runoff, and maximum and minimum monthly runoff in the Don and Ural river basins. It has been shown that, with relatively little change in precipitation, the main factor in hydrological variations over the last few decades (since the 1990s) has been the rise in air temperature during the cold season leading to reduced surface runoff and flood flow. As a result, despite increased runoff during the winter and summer-autumn low water periods, annual river flow in the basins of these rivers decreased significantly between 1992 and 2021, by 31 and 27% relative to the norm at the beginning of the 1960s and by 30 and 15% relative to the 1980 norm, respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"269 - 275"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027336","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":"Indo-Asian Collision as a Key Factor in the Formation of Arid Ecosystems in Tibet at Subtropical Latitudes","authors":"A. A. Nikol’skii,&nbsp;E. A. Vanisova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096125700234","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096125700234","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The paper examines the influence of the Indo-Asian collision on the formation of arid ecosystems covering a vast territory in the subtropics. It has been shown that the rise of the Tibetan Plateau to more than 4000 m above sea level and the rain shadow produced by the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush are the main reason for the lack of moisture over most of Tibet. To characterize the natural zonation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we used the classification of vegetation zones proposed by D.H.S. Chang (1981). The Indo-Asian collision is seen as an ecological factor (megafactor) primary to the factors generated by collision processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 3","pages":"325 - 328"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027295","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":"Food Preferences of Three Species of Woodlouse and Their Rate of Consumption of Plant Residue","authors":"F. A. Demin,&nbsp;D. I. Korobushkin,&nbsp;K. B. Gongalsky","doi":"10.1134/S2079096124700628","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096124700628","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rice and wheat straw are among the most common types of field residues. Earlier studies have shown that some soil detritophages, such as enchytraeids and woodlice, are able to utilize these residues at varying efficiency rates even under arid conditions, in which organic matter degradation is very slow. We have evaluated the decomposition of oak, birch, raspberry, linden, willow, wheat, rice, and corn residues by the <i>Porcellio scaber</i>, <i>Porcellionides pruinosus</i>, and <i>Porcellio laevis</i> woodlice. Ten woodlice belonging to each of the studied species were placed in containers, where they could choose from 1 g of each type of plant feed, for 21 days. The woodlice preferred linden, willow, birch, and corn residues, these being mostly feeds with a low silicon concentration. <i>Porcellio laevis</i> showed a wide range of food preferences and high survival rates on different feeds. Thus, when the structure of plant food resources in southern Russia changes, the studied species of woodlice are able to change their diet and switch to more accessible food sources. From the industrial point of view, <i>P. laevis</i> may be efficiently used for processing corn stover, including because of the low silicon content in its leaves.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 1","pages":"96 - 102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144927070","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":"Taxonomic Analysis of Flora on the Sands of the Don River Valley and Clarification of the List of Rare Species","authors":"M. V. Vlasenko","doi":"10.1134/S207909612570012X","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S207909612570012X","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The taxonomic structure of the flora of the Archedinsko-Donskoi sandy massif is analyzed and rare species are identified. The novelty of this research lies in obtaining new data for adjusting schemes of botanical–geographical zoning of steppe territories in the southern part of Russia as a whole and the distribution area of sandy massifs in particular. The formation of the floristic list was based on data obtained during field surveys conducted between 2016 and 2024, as well as from the flora list available in the Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF) of the INaturalist platform, which contains information on plant findings for the period from 1990 to 2024. It has been established that the current floristic list of the sandy massif comprises 677 species from 324 genera and 95 families, belonging to eight classes and seven divisions. The division Magnoliophyta is the most represented, accounting for 79% of the flora of the territory. The overall generic coefficient is 2.09. The highest generic coefficients are observed in the families Amaryllidaceae (11.0), Plantaginaceae (8.25), Cyperaceae (6.8), Juncaceae (6.0), Salicaceae (5.0), and Violaceae (5.0). The leading position in the flora is held by the family Asteraceae, represented by 103 species (15.2%), and the family Poaceae, which includes 68 species (10.0%). A large number of taxa are also characteristic of the families Cyperaceae (34), Plantaginaceae (33), Caryophyllaceae (32), Fabaceae (31), Lamiaceae (29), Brassicaceae (22), Rosaceae (20), and Amaranthaceae (17). The sandy landscapes of the Archedinsko-Donskoi massif with elements of boreal flora, confined to reservoirs, floodplain areas, and areas with an atypical water regime, are a unique object for the conservation and maintenance of the biological diversity of steppe territories. Here 30 species listed in the <i>Red Book of Volgograd Oblast</i> (2017) and 12 species listed in the <i>Red Book of the Russian Federation</i> (2008) were identified. They are under threat of extinction: <i>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</i> L., <i>Lycopodiella inundata</i> (L.) Holub., <i>Lycopodium clavatum</i> L., <i>Climacium dendroides</i> (Hedw.) Web. et Mohr., and <i>Clematis orientalis</i> L. The largest list of Red Book representatives is represented by the families <i>Asteraceae</i> (three types) and <i>Orchidaceae</i> (four types). The research results can be useful in studying the ecology of plant communities and the species in them, for the restoration and preservation of lost biological diversity of the vegetation cover of sandy ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":"15 2","pages":"216 - 224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144927052","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}