Reproductive Phenology of the Brown Alga Analipus japonicus in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

The alga Analipus japonicus (Harv.) Wynne displays a distinct seasonal pattern in its development in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan). In winter and spring, it occurs only in the form of basal crusts, and vertical axes develop in the summer–autumn period. It reproduces mostly asexually from July to November. Algae with unilocular sporangia occur very seldom, only in June and July.     

Bottom and near-bottom fishes of the upper continental slope of the eastern Sea of Okhotsk

Biomass of bottom and near-bottom fishes in the eastern Sea of Okhotsk has been calculated using results of a bottom trawl survey performed in the summer 2010 through depths of 200?C1000 m. Obtained data are compared with the results of investigations performed in compatible water areas during the same season of 1989 and 1997. Biomass variability patterns of major species have been revealed for the period of more than two recent decades. The bathymetric and spatial distribution of major fish species has been revealed using the modern information. Species are listed whose commercial catches could be enlarged.     

Butterflies (Lepidoptera,Diurna) in boreal forests of southeastern Russia: 1. Light coniferous forests

Species groups formed in light coniferous forests prevailing in southeastern Russia are considered using the example of butterflies. Problems concerning the formation of species composition and its originality in some insects groups are discussed. A classification analysis of species checklists for twelve local faunas of Transbaikalia and the southern Far East of Russia is performed. It is shown that the faunas of areas occupied by light coniferous forests have a common background.     

Dynamics of macrozoobenthos productivity characteristics on shelves of the Far Eastern seas in the 2000s

The trophic structure of benthic communities in the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea was analyzed based on the results of macrobenthic survey catches conducted in the Far Eastern seas in the 2000s. The production of trophic levels and entire communities was determined. It was shown that production of benthic communities is still at a high level and has almost not changed since the 1980s. The arrangement of the communities of some shelf areas by productivity characteristics was made.     

Identification of Phytopathogenic Virus Strains by their Luminescent Properties

A quick test has been developed to identify phytopathogenic virus strains by variations in their photoluminescence parameters. When heated, the virus suspension shows a jumpwise drop or rise in fluorescence intensity caused by conformational changes in the macromolecules of the virion protein capsules. The relative value of the jump in fluorescence intensity and the temperature value at which the jump occurs are essentially strain-specific. The minimum time needed for one test is from 15 to 20 minutes.     

Meeusella and the origin of stamens

Meeusella gen. nov. is a strobilate pollen organ from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalie (east of the Lake Baikal); the branched lateral branches (paracladia), if fully developed, bear a subterminal pair of stalked synangial heads. In some cases the latter are reduced to a pair of sessile heads or the paracladia are sterile. It is suggested that the synangial heads might be further reduced to a pair of bisporangiate thecae, while the paracladium apex between them might form a prominent connective of a typical stamen. ▭ Androecium, androclade, angiosperms, proangiesperms, stamen, evolutionary morphology.     

Vertical distribution and cellular heat resistance of bottom animals from the Possyet Bay (Japan Sea)

Summary 1. Investigations on 15 mass species of bottom animals (Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Asteroidea, Ascidia), performed by means of aqualungs in semi-enclosed bays of the Possyet Bay (Peter the Great Bay of the Japan Sea), have revealed a clear zonality in their vertical distribution. This finding is in contrast to the situation found near islands and capes of Peter the Great Bay, where species distributions are weakly connected with depth, but to a considerable degree determined by the nature of substrate, degree of tides and presence of predators.2. These differences may be explained by differences in summer temperature conditions, considerable decrease of the temperature gradient with increase of depth in semi-enclosed bays, insignificant surface temperature differences and, in depths of about 20–30 m, by intensive water mixing near islands and capes.3. Comparison of the vertical distribution of species from the Possyet Bay with their cellular heat resistance (species-specific feature, used for characterizing genetic heat adaptation) reveals conformity between these indices.4. These results and literature data suggest that the differences in vertical distribution of the bottom invertebrates living in coastal waters are the result of the species-specific adaptation of their cells to environmental temperature; differences in protein structure of different animals are considered to provide the basis of this phenomenon.

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Vertikalverbreitung und zelluläre Hitzeresistenz von Bodentieren aus der Possjet-Bucht (Japanisches Meer)

Kurzfassung Die vertikale Zonierung verschiedener benthonischer Tiere, die in halbgeschlossenen Buchten des Japanischen Meeres untersucht wurden, weicht von den im gleichen Gebiet an Inseln und Steilabhängen festgestellten Tiefenverbreitungen ab. Diese Unterschiede können von der Art des Substrats, der Gezeitenwirkung, den Strömungsverhältnissen und insbesondere von den Temperaturbedingungen abhängen. Ein experimenteller Vergleich der zellulären Hitzeresistenz von Cilienepithelien verschiedener Muschel- und Ascidien-Arten und deren Vertikalverbreitung konnte vor allem den Einfluß der Temperatur deutlich machen. Es wird die Schlußfolgerung gezogen, daß artspezifische Anpassungen an die Umgebungstemperatur, die offensichtlich auf Unterschieden in der Proteinstruktur beruhen, die Vertikalverbreitung von Bodentieren entscheidend mitbestimmen.