Spatial-typological differentiation of ecosystems of the west siberian plain. Communication III: Terrestrial invertebrates

The spatial distribution of the terrestrial invertebrate population of the West Siberian Plain is analyzed at the level of large functional groups (soil nematodes, annelids, microarthropods, mesoarthropods, snails, grass layer arthropods). Their air-dry biomass and roles in local ecosystems are estimated. The invertebrate population was classified in two ways: after averaging over units of the vegetation map of West Siberian Plain and after averaging over groups of units of this map. A digital thematic map of the invertebrate population is produced. Special features of the spatial heterogeneity of invertebrates were identified in correlation with the vegetation and humus distribution patterns. The biomass distribution of invertebrate groups is found to be less heterogeneous but more consistent with the distribution of natural zones.     

Lichen biota of West Siberia

The author has surveyed the diversity of lichen biota of West Siberia and distribution of lichens over its two geographic parts: the West Siberian Plain and the mountain frame in the south of West Siberia. The diversity of lichen biota in entire West Siberia is currently estimated at 1845 species in 325 genera and 95 families. The diversity of the West Siberian Plain is estimated at 1421 species in 271 genera and 86 families, and that of the southern mountains of West Siberia, at 1682 species in 312 genera and 94 families.     

Spatial-typological differentiation of ecosystems of the West Siberian Plain. Communication V: Terrestrial ecosystems

Results of classification of terrestrial ecosystems using an average similarity matrix are reported for the West Siberian Plain. Initial indices are first calculated separately for four components of an ecosystem. These components (blocks) include the underground block (soil humus, mortmass, and underground phytomass), above-ground vegetation, and invertebrates and vertebrates. Mismatch of boundaries in separate blocks of ecosystems and in comparison with the inhomogeneity of ecosystems in general was demonstrated. These differences are observed in both the typological and typological-chorological analysis. The indicated features of spatial succession within the blocks generate continuity of ecosystems and the conventional character of all the classifications and drawn boundaries.     

Host-parasite relationships in gamasid mites of the genus Hirstionyssus (Acari:Parasitiformes:Gamasina) in the south of the West Siberian Plain

The paper reports data on host-parasite relationships in gamasid mites of the genus Hirstionyssus Fonseca and small mammals in the south of the West Siberian Plain.     

Classification of meadows of the South Siberian uplands and mountains

The classification of South Siberian meadows using the Braun-Blanquet approach was carried out on the basis of a geographically wide-ranging data set from the West Siberian Plain and the Altai-Sayanian mountain systems. Two main phytosociological types of meadows were distinguished within the classMolinio-Arrhenatheretea. The natural Siberian forest meadows were included in the orderCarici macrourae-Crepidetalia sibiricae comprising two alliances (Crepidion sibiricae, Aconito barbati-Vicion unijugae) and 7 associations. The anthropogenic types of dry meadows were included in the European-West Siberian orderArrhenatheretalia, comprising one alliance (Festucion pratensis) and 5 associations. DCA ordination revealed clear differences in the floristic composition of the higher units and in the diagnostic importance of the main ecological and phytosociological species groups.     

Spatial-typological organization of animal assemblages (results and conclusions)

The results of studies in factor zoogeography performed by the Laboratory of Zoological Monitoring (Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS) over 50 years are briefly reported. The review deals with the distribution and abundance of terrestrial animals, changes in the shape of their assemblages in the West Siberian Plain, Altai, and adjacent areas, and faunal zonation of Northern Eurasia.     

The spatial diversity of bird communities in the middle taiga of the Central Siberian Plateau

The basic tendencies of territorial changes in bird communities of the middle taiga on the Central Siberian Plateau are interrelated with the differences in forestation, productivity, swampiness, bushiness, watering, and buildup of habitats and are on the whole similar to those on the West Siberian and Central Yakutsk plains, although there are also some differences. Thus, the community types of upland swamps and low-inundated meadows in combination with lowland swamps are characteristic only of West Siberia. In Central Siberia, forest ornithocomplexes are the most diverse, which is largely due to the presence of communities of woodlands and glades at different stages of overgrowing. The ecotone type of ornithocomplexes was distinguished only for Central Yakutia. In the North Urals, the formation of ornithocomplexes is significantly influenced by forestation and tree species composition but starts to be noticeably affected by altitudinal zonality as well as productivity of biocenoses and development of shrubs in habitats interrelated with this factor.     

Spatial and typological inhomogeneity of small mammal communities in plains and mountains of West Siberia

The paper reports results of analysis of spatial and typological inhomogeneity in small mammal communities of the West Siberian Plain and Altai as compared with that in amphibian, reptile, and bird communities.     

Variability in the content of biologically active substances in the leaves of Nitraria sibirica Pall. (Nitrariaceae)

This article presents the results of an analysis of seasonal, intra-, and inter-population variability in relation to the content of biologically active substances in the leaves of Nitraria sibirica Pall. in various regions of the south of the West Siberian Plain and the Altai-Sayan region.     

Phytoplankton of the Karasuk River (West Siberia) as an indicator of water quality

The authors discuss the indicator value of taxonomic structure, abundance, and biomass of phytoplankton and use of the indicators to characterize water quality by example of the Karasuk River, West Siberian Plain.     

Fleas (Siphonaptera) infesting birds of West Siberian plain

The four species of fleas associated with birds in West Siberian Plain have been recorded. Ceratophyllus styx is a specific parasite of Riparia riparia. Ceratophyllus garei, C. gallinae, and C. tribulis parasitize various setting of birds.     

A phytogeographic analysis of birch woodlands in the southern part of West Siberia

A minimum variance cluster analysis of 87 species of vascular plants occurring in south Siberian birch woodlands, based on their total distribution ranges, grouped them into 9 phytogeographic elements. The main distribution patterns of each element are illustrated by means of maps obtained by automatic mapping programs, showing the joint occurrence of the species of each element on a world scale. The results indicate a predominance of Eurasiatic-temperate taxa. The south Siberian birch woodlands can be considered as the easternmost extensions of the European deciduous forest belt, which in Siberia is compressed between the taiga biome in the north and the steppe biome in the south. The marginal position of Siberian Betula stands is reflected by the persistence of plants which are ecologically marginal with respect to true forest vegetation; most of the Eurasiatic species are typical, in Europe, of forest-meadows and forest-margins.     

Ice age distributions of European small mammals: insights from species distribution modelling

Aim In addition to the traditionally recognized Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 ka) refuge areas in the Mediterranean region, more northerly LGM distributions for temperate and boreal taxa in central and eastern Europe are increasingly being discussed based on palaeoecological and phylogeographical evidence. Our aim was to investigate the potential refuge locations using species distribution modelling to estimate the geographical distribution of suitable climatic conditions for selected rodent species during the LGM. Location Eurasia. Methods Presence/absence data for seven rodent species with range limits corresponding to the limits of temperate or boreal forest or arctic tundra were used in the analysis. We developed predictive distribution models based on the species present‐day European distributions and validated these against their present‐day Siberian ranges. The models with the best predictors of the species distributions across Siberia were projected onto LGM climate simulations to assess the distribution of climatically suitable areas. Results The best distribution models provided good predictions of the present‐day Siberian ranges of the study species. Their LGM projections showed that areas with a suitable LGM climate for the three temperate species (Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus and Microtus arvalis) were largely restricted to the traditionally recognized southern refuge areas, i.e. mainly in the Mediterranean region, but also southernmost France and southern parts of the Russian Plain. In contrast, suitable climatic conditions for the two boreal species (Clethrionomys glareous and Microtus agrestis) were predicted as far north as southern England and across southern parts of central and eastern Europe eastwards into the Russian Plain. For the two arctic species (Lemmus lemmus and Microtus oeconomus), suitable climate was predicted from the Atlantic coast eastward across central Europe and into Russia. Main conclusions Our results support the idea of more northerly refuge areas in Europe, indicating that boreal species would have found suitable living conditions over much of southern central and eastern Europe and the Russian Plain. Temperate species would have primarily found suitable conditions in the traditional southern refuge areas, but interestingly also in much of the southern Russian Plain.     

Space-time impact of fire events on swamp-forest ecosystems of the west Siberian Plain

An analysis of information on the groundwater dynamics, frequency of fire events, and postfire progressive-age stages of vegetation in the swamp-forest ecosystems of the southern taiga and forest-steppe zone of the West Siberian Plain has shown that fire events are a permanent factor that controls the scales and dynamics of the forest and swamp formation processes under these specific conditions in the modern era. The greatest influence on the dynamics of ecosystems is exerted by the frequency of fires. The scope and depth of the transformation of swamp ecosystems affected by the pyrogenic factor are due to their environmental regimes and have their own properties in different landscapes.     

MtDNA Haplogroup A10 Lineages in Bronze Age Samples Suggest That Ancient Autochthonous Human Groups Contributed to the Specificity of the Indigenous West Siberian Population

BackgroundThe craniometric specificity of the indigenous West Siberian human populations cannot be completely explained by the genetic interactions of the western and eastern Eurasian groups recorded in the archaeology of the area from the beginning of the 2^nd millennium BC. Anthropologists have proposed another probable explanation: contribution to the genetic structure of West Siberian indigenous populations by ancient human groups, which separated from western and eastern Eurasian populations before the final formation of their phenotypic and genetic features and evolved independently in the region over a long period of time. This hypothesis remains untested. From the genetic point of view, it could be confirmed by the presence in the gene pool of indigenous populations of autochthonous components that evolved in the region over long time periods. The detection of such components, particularly in the mtDNA gene pool, is crucial for further clarification of early regional genetic history.

Results and Conclusion

We present the results of analysis of mtDNA samples (n = 10) belonging to the A10 haplogroup, from Bronze Age populations of West Siberian forest-steppe (V—I millennium BC), that were identified in a screening study of a large diachronic sample (n = 96). A10 lineages, which are very rare in modern Eurasian populations, were found in all the Bronze Age groups under study. Data on the A10 lineages’ phylogeny and phylogeography in ancient West Siberian and modern Eurasian populations suggest that A10 haplogroup underwent a long-term evolution in West Siberia or arose there autochthonously; thus, the presence of A10 lineages indicates the possible contribution of early autochthonous human groups to the genetic specificity of modern populations, in addition to contributions of later interactions of western and eastern Eurasian populations.     

Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from the Lower Cretaceous of Huolinhe, eastern Inner Mongolia, China

Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in the Huolinhe coal–mining area, eastern Inner Mongolia, China, is identified, described and figured. Comparison with the type material of Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from West Greenland confirms its identity. About 20 Chinese leaf specimens are known with well preserved cuticle which is closely similar to the Greenland leaves but more papillate. The palaeoclimatic and phytogeographic significance of the occurrence of this species is discussed in relation to the suggestion that West Greenland, north–east China and eastern Siberia were in the same phytogeographic region during the Lower Cretaceous.     

Centric diatoms (Centrophyceae,Bacillariophyta) in watercourses and bodies of water in southeast of West Siberian Plain and Polar Ural

The study of phytoplankton from rivers and lakes in the southeastern part of the West Siberian Plain and the eastern macrosclope of the Polar Ural by scanning electron microscopy has revealed 25 taxa of Bacillariophyta from the class Centrophyceae (seven Aulacoseira, one Cyclostephanos, four Cyclotella, two Discostella, one Melosira, one Puncticulata, seven Stephanodiscus, and two Thalassiosira), including new species for the flora of the investigated bodies of water. The revision of the species composition of Centrophyceae in bodies of water and watercourses in the southeast part of the West Siberian Plain has allowed more exact identifying the taxonomic spectrum of this class. At present, the list includes 55 species, varieties and forms. During first studies conducted in rivers and lakes of the Lyapin River basin (Polar Ural) 16 species of centric diatoms that belong to the genera Aulacoseira, Cyclostephanos, Cyclotella, Discostella, Puncticulata, and Stephanodiscus have been recorded.     

Food selection by the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) along an altitudinal gradient in the Southern Andean Precordillera (Argentina)

Wild ungulates like the guanaco are exposed to important changes in climate and plant diversity along altitudinal gradients in the Andes Mountains, such as in the Southern Andean Precordillera where three phytogeographic provinces are present in altitudinal belts. The guanaco’s diet and food availability were seasonally analyzed using microhistological analysis and point-quadrat transects at six sampling sites, representative of the phytogeographic belts along the altitudinal gradient. Plant cover and diversity decreased with growing altitude. Richness of plant species was poorer at the summit than in the lower altitudes, whereas the proportion of species eaten by guanacos increased with altitude. The diet included 77 species. Grasses were preferred and shrubs were avoided all year round. The grass Poa spp. occupied more than 50 % of the diet at all altitudes. Grasses were the main dietary item even at low altitudes, where shrubs constituted the main food available. Decreasing generalism with descending phytogeographic belts agrees with the prediction for altitudinal gradients. The increase of diversity in the diet during the winter decline of plant cover at high and middle altitudes follows that expected from the optimal foraging theory. The winter decline of vegetation and the dietary shift from grazing to browsing proved to be stronger as altitude increases and the climate become more rigorous. Plant species richness, food scarcity, and climate severity are relevant variables to explain altitudinal and seasonal changes in the diet of adaptive ungulates in mountain environments, such as the guanaco in the Southern Andean Precordillera.     

Spatial Distribution of Species Diversity of Clavarioid Mycobiota in West Siberia

The results of a 20-year study of the spatial distribution of clavarioid mycobiota in the West Siberian Plain (WSP) are discussed. The species structure has been studied on two scales: regional (an area of 100000 km²) and local (100 km²). In the studied area, 121 species of clavarioid fungi are found. The patterns of spatial variability of species diversity on the plain are revealed. On the regional scale, the maximum species richness of fungi is observed in hemiboreal forests (104 species); on the local scale it ranges from the middle boreal to hemiboreal (54.3–54.5 species). With the increasing pessimality of the hydrothermal regime, the number of species decreases sharply on both scales in the direction of the tundra and steppes. The study of the distribution of diversity among the localities reveals changes not only along the latitudinal gradient, but also in the longitude sectors: in the forest zone, the richest localities are located on the western and eastern edges of the plain, while in the extensive marshy areas in the center the number of species is lower (p < 0.05). A map of the spatial distribution of species diversity for the local scale is constructed. The correspondence of the spatial distribution of the studied fungi group to a global latitudinal gradient is discussed. The main abiotic factors forming a variety of the studied group of fungi in the region are revealed.     

New and little-known ostracode species from the Middle Neopleistocene to Holocene of the southeastern West Siberian Plain

New data are provided on the ostracode fauna of the Middle Neopleistocene to Holocene of the southeastern West Siberian Plain. Several species are recorded for the first time in the West Siberian Plain: Fabaeformiscandona aff. hyalina (Brady et Robertson), F. harmsworthi Scott, F. holzkampfi Hartwig, Pseudocandona insculpta Müller, Candona weltneri Hartwig, C. inaequivalvis Sars, and C. muelleri jacutica Pietrzeniuk. New evidence is presented on the distribution of the species Pseudocandona stagnalis Sars, Eucypris pigra (Fischer), Dolerocypris fasciata Fischer, Cyclocypris ovum Müller, and C. triangula Negadaev. New species, Candona kazminae sp. nov. and Ilyocypris pustulata sp. nov., are described. The study resulted in establishing the Late Karginian ostracode association.