Journal articles on the topic 'Sea grass meadows'

This study investigates the status and anthropogenic pressures on seagrass ecosystem. Urbanization and tourism in the coastal areas of Bintan, Indonesia were increasing in the recent years. They have become new pressures to intertidal ecosystem and habitats, particularly seagrass ecosystem. Seagrass meadows are the important ecosystem and habitats in Bintan region. They provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including for small-scale fisheries and have being Dugongs (Dugong dugon) habitats for food. Currently, the sea grass status is less healthy or damaged with 11 species. The anthropogenic disturbance processes have affected the spatial distribution, percent coverage, biodiversity, and community structure of sea grass. Moreover, several species are hard to find. Directly, sea grass meadows are impacted by introduced coastal development (i.e. settlement area, tourism accommodation, port, etc.), land-based pollution, reclamation, boating traffic, dredging activities and tourism activities. Sea grass conservation area and marine spatial planning based on the land- and seascape connectivity is important for conservation efforts and sustainable management of sea grass.

Although the anthropogenic impact on Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Mediterranean Sea has been studied over the last few decades, the data about the status of this endemic magnoliophyte are scarcer from the Adriatic Sea. Samples of P. oceanica meadows were collected in June and July 2004 using SCUBA diving at 8 sites in the area of the Dugi Otok Island, all at depths of 10 m. The meadow's shoot density was measured, and shoots were collected to be examined and compared through number of leaves per shoot, leaf surface per shoot, leaf area index, number and biomass of taxa of epiphytic flora. Significant differences in P. oceanica meadow structure were found among investigated sites, especially between sites in the vicinity of the fish farm and the other sites. Meadow density decreased at sites in the Dugi Otok channel and the main impact factors seem to be the input of organic matter, originating from the fish cages and sewage input. These human activities are a source of nutrient pollution and stimulate blooms of phytoplankton and higher algae. The sea grass meadow vitality seems to be more negatively affected in the channel. The highest values of shoot density were recorded at investigated sites VR and ME at the outer part of the Dugi Otok Island. The shoot density was very low at site FU, situated in the channel. Biomass of the epiphytic algae exhibited the highest values at the site FU, while at the other investigated sites the values were significantly lower. Concerning the epiphytic macroflora, a total of 55 taxa of epiphytic macroalgae were identified and the class Rhodophyta dominated in all samples. The present study shows the high differences in morphological and structural characteristics of Posidonia oceanica meadows among various sites with and without anthropogenic influence.

The effects of polychaete (Lysidice ninetta, L. collaris, Nematonereis unicornis (Annelida: Polychaeta)) and limnoriid isopod (Limnoria tuberculata (Crustacea: Isopoda)) borers in the Mediterranean sea grass Posidonia oceanica (Potamogetonaceae) were assessed in the meadows of Olbia and Genoa (western Mediterranean Sea). Borer invertebrates were mainly found into the old leaf sheaths of the sea grass. At Olbia, a mean density of borers (202.6±34.8 ind m−2) significantly higher than at Genoa (23.2±7.3 ind m−2) was observed. In 3.3% of samples from Olbia, large polychaetes and isopods were also observed boring into living plant tissues. Only fractions from 0.8—3.9% of the sheath production was actually removed by borers at the two studied meadows. The fact that sheath weight loss with time was higher at Genoa than at Olbia regardless of the presence of borers suggests that other factors than the activity of such organisms are important in the sheath decay process.

The presence of suctorian ciliates attached to the cuticle of heavily ornamented free-living marine nematodes, especially the family Desmodoridae, has been reported. Observations of nematode hosts and their attached ciliates were made from samples extracted from very fine muddy sands of tropical Australian sea grass meadows. Measurements of the point of attachment of the ciliates revealed that they tend to position themselves near the anus/cloaca of the nematode host.

Cymodoceaceae is a family of flowering plants, sometimes known as the “manatee-grass family,” the family Cymodoceaceae includes only marine species. The angiosperm phylogeny II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), does recognize Cymodoceaceae and places it in the order Alismatales, in the clade monocots. They are marine hydrophytes that grow and complete their life cycle in a submerged condition, in a saline environment. Like terrestrial plant they obtain their energy from light through photosynthesis thus, they grow only in clear and shallow water, and at the suitable condition, they form beds or meadows. The family includes five genera, totalling 16 species of marine plants occurring in tropical seas and oceans (so-called seagrasses). Cymodoceaceae consist of five genera such as Amphibolis, Cymodocea, Halodule, Syringodium, and Thalassodendron. In this genera Cymodocea rotundata Ehrenb. and Hempr. Ex Asch. Cymodocea serrulata, (R.Br.) Asch. and Magnus, Halodule pinifolia (Miki) Hartog, Halodule uninervis (Forssk.) Asch and Syringodium isoetifolium (Asch.) are the species mostly adopted in Indian coastal region. These seagrass species have unique nature and wide application to the environment including human being. In this article botanical aspects, phytochemistry and ethnopharmacology of these five seagrass species belong to Cymodoceaceae family will be discussed.

Stable carbon isotope measurements (δ13C) were used to assess the sources of carbon assimilated by the fan mussel Pinna nobilis, in sea grass Posidonia oceanica meadows, and an associated shrimp Pontonia pinnophylax which occurs within this bivalve's mantle cavity. The primary carbon sources available to both animals displayed a wide range of δ13C values, from −12·3 to −22·3‰. The δ13C and δ15N of Pinna nobilis and Pontonia pinnophylax suggest that they assimilate carbon from similar sources, occupy comparable trophic levels and that their association is commensal.

Abstract. Evolution of vegetation in the Utinoe Lake basin was studied. Periodicity of vegetation changes in its basin were reconstructed by the palynological data. The Middle Holocene stage of the vegetation evolution proceeded in the conditions of general planetary increase in average annual temperatures, accompanied by flooding of lowland plains by the Sea of Japan. Composition of the polydominant forests on the ridges during the Middle-Late Holocene was more rich what the present time were formed. Vegetation of the foothill plains was represented with sedge and mixed meadows. The Late Holocene stage was characterized by a decrease in average annual temperatures and series of climatic changes. Its beginning was marked by the cooling, during which the coastal lowlands were freed from sea waters. Climate deterioration caused expansion of dark coniferous and small-leaved plants in the Utinoe Lake basin, as well as reduction of polydominant forests. On the foothills near the coast of the Peter the Great Bay sedge meadows were developed, sometimes there were thickets of Betula sect. Nanae and sphagnum swamps. At the end of the Late Holocene the warming occurred again. On the mountain frame of the Utinoe Lake basin, the vegetation formations with the dominance Q. mongolica, Q. dentata, A. holophylla, P.koraiensis with the presence of birches began to dominate. The dissemination of Pinus densiflora, Ulmus, Carpinus cordata and Acer has increased. On the lowlands the sedge-reed meadows with different grass dominated.

The diversity of coastal vegetation (salt marsh) that includes halophytic herb communities on marine deposits forming under active seawater influence on the White Sea western coast is discussed. The great diversity of coast habitats is responsible for the great variety of vegetation. The vegetation prodromus contains 18 associations (with 3 variants) and 1 community type, belonging to 7 alliances, 5 orders and 5 classes. Classes Zosteretea marinae (sublitoral sea grass vegetation), Potametea pectinati (aquatic meso- and olygotrophic vegetation), Thero-Salicornietea (pioneer annual succulents littoral com­munities) and Honckenyo-Elymetea arenariae (vegeta­tion of sandy, pebbly or gravely beaches, coastal banks and dunes) are represented by in one association for each. Juncetea maritimi (sea shore meadows on weakly and moderate saline substrates), the largest class, provides the main vegetation variety. The characteristics of syntaxa ecology, and global and regional distributions are made. The widespread and rare associations that need an addi­tional study of composition, distribution and synecology are defined. The area of syntaxa distribution are widened to the east. New variant (ass. Festucetum rubrae var. Alopecurus arundinaceus var. nov.) is suggested.

Abstract The interest in underwater resources is the reason for the development of modern hydroacoustic systems, including side sonars, which find numerous applications such as: research of seabed morphology and sediment characteristics, preparation of sea sediment maps, and even in special cases of biocenoses such as sea grass meadows, detection of specific targets at the bottom such as shipwrecks, mines, identification of suitable sites for maritime infrastructure. Such applications require precise information about the position of the objects to be observed. Errors affecting the depiction of the bottom using hydroacoustic systems can be divided into errors associated with improper operation of measuring and support devices, systematic errors and random errors. Systematic errors result from the changing conditions prevailing in the analyzed environment affecting the measurement system. The errors affecting the correct operation of hydroacoustic systems can include: changing angle of inclination of the beam caused by the vessel’s movement on the wave or refraction connected to changes in the sound speed as the depth function.

Prohibition of both beach and boat seines and trawl fishery along the İzmir Bay coasts in the Aegean Sea signifies intensive usage of gillnets and trammel nets, for catching red mullet (Mullus spp.) species in particular. Trials were realized between March 2009 and February 2010 with trammel nets in the areas on the boundaries of the sea grass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows in the Bay. Guarding net (selvedge) was attached to the lead line of experimental nets (Exp1-Exp2) - 36 and 40 mm inner panel. Differences for discard amounts between control group nets (C1-C2) (having the same inner panel as the experimental nets), used by commercial fishermen, and experimental nets are 54.7% for C1-Exp1 and 62.8% for C2-Exp2 (p<0.05). Use of nets with selvedge not only reduced regularly discarded invertebrates (Hexaplex trunculus, Bolinus brandaris, Maja spp.) in the region, but also avoided net damage caused by these species.

Four species of sea horses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus) were found in Peninsular Malaysia during a survey conducted between April and August 2001. These were Hippocampus trimaculatus, H. spinosissimus, H. kuda and H. kelloggi. All four species were found in the Straits of Malacca; two species (H. trimaculatus and H. spinosissimus) in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea; and three species: H. trimaculatus, H. spinosissimus and H. kuda in the south coast, Straits of Johor. There were habitat and depth separations by species. Hippocampus trimaculatus, which was found throughout the coastal waters of the Peninsular, were reported to inhabit chiefly among gorgonians at approximately 20–40 m depth. The habitat and depth in H. spinosissimus were rather similar to that of H. trimaculatus; but the former species was less widespread in the west coast. Hippocampus kuda was confined to shallow water between 1 to 3 m, and was found in seaweeds and sea grass meadows in a few estuaries; whereas H. kelloggi inhabited gorgonians and sea whips in deep-water below 65 m. Mean standard lengths are given. No sexual size dimorphism was detected in any of the species.

The results of biostratigraphic analysis of bottom sediments of the Karas’e, Utinoe, Krugloe lakes as well as loose sediments of accumulative plains at the mouths of the Tumannaya and Poima rivers in the south of the Far East are presented. Natural conditions were recovered and periodicity of vegetation changes in the foothills of the East Manchurian Mountains and in the coastal plains of the Peter the Great Bay in the Middle and Late Holocene were reconstructed by the complex of data. The synchronicity of both the development of vegetation formations and changes of sedimentation conditions with global climatic variations were revealed. The first, Middle Holocene stage proceeded in the conditions of general planetary increase of average annual temperatures, accompanied by flooding of lowland plains of the coast of the Sea of Japan by sea waters. The distribution and species diversity of broad-leaved plants in spurs of the East Manchurian Mountains increased. In the Holocene Optimum, the polydominant forests with richer composition of species than that of the present time were formed and vegetation on the foothill accumulative plains was represented with sedge and mixed meadows. The second, Late Holocene stage was characterized by a decrease in average annual temperatures and series of climatic changes. Its beginning was marked by the cooling, during which the coastal lowlands were freed from sea waters. Climate deterioration caused expansion of dark coniferous and small-leaved plants in the East Manchurian Mountains, as well as reduction of polydominant forests. On the foothills near the coast of the Peter the Great Bay sedge meadows were developed, sometimes there were thickets of shrubby birch (Betula sect. Nanae) and sphagnum swamps. At the end of the Late Holocene the warming occurred again. On the slopes of the East Manchurian Mountains, the vegetation formations with the dominance of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb.) and dentate oak (Quercus dentataThunb.), needle fir (Abies holophylla Maxim.), Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siеbold et Zucc.) and with the presence of birches began to dominate. The dissemination of pine (Pinus densiflora Siebold et Zucc.), elm (Ulmus sp.), hornbeam (Carpinus cordata Blume) and maple (Acer sp.) has increased. On the foothill lowlands the sedge-reed meadows with different grass dominated.

The phytosociological database as a tool for synthetic and comprehensive study of semi-natural meadows in the Polish part of the Carpathians is presented. It has been developed in the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2007. All accessible phytosociological relevés were digitalized and stored in a TURBOVEG database. As of January 2013, 4620 relevés have been collected in the database, chiefly from mesic meadows of <em>Arrhenatherion</em> alliance (76%) and mat-grass swards of <em>Nardo-Callunetea</em> class (18%). They were recorded between 1923 and 2012 at an altitude range of 195–2000 m above sea level. For improving territorial coverage of the region by vegetation sampling, since 2009 an extensive field survey has been carried out to collect data from previously unexplored areas and record the actual stage of semi-natural grasslands. As a result 1146 recent unpublished relevés were collected. The statistics of available resources, discussion on the data quality and the application prospects of the database are outlined. The database “Grasslands in the Polish Carpathians” is an intrinsic part of the research on the diversity of vegetation in the Polish Carpathian grasslands, as well as a record of the changes it undergoes.

Abstract. The article presents the results of R&D and new units for the restoration of degraded mountain areas. The purpose of the study is the accelerated restoration of the natural phytocenosis and the implementation of measures to improve meadows using these aggregates. The object of the study is the technologies and units developed by the authors for the following operations: cutting bumps, raking stones, sowing grass mixtures with the simultaneous application of mineral fertilizers. The research objectives included: determining the initial floristic composition of a degraded mountain meadow; assessment of the impact of events and agricultural practices on the change in the floristic composition of the grass stand, its productivity and energy intensity; identification of the effectiveness of the application of the developed units when sowing herbs in turf and targeted application of mineral fertilizers. The novelty of the technical solution lies in the fact that new resource-saving methods have been developed to improve mountain fodder land using small-sized universal units. . The tests were carried out at a mountain hospital located on the southeastern exposition of the Dargavskiy depression of the North Ossetia-Alania, at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level with a slope of 10°, in six plots, with a recorded area of 360 m2. Three options in triplicate. The first option is natural seeding, and the second is grass seeding by the aggregate, the third option is grass seeding and low doses of N60P45K20 fertilizers. The plots are located across the slope randomized. It was found that at a concentration of 17.2 MJ of energy in 1 kg of dry matter of feed, the total collection in the control plot was 29.7 GJ, and in the seeded experimental field – 85.3 GJ; the crop of the aboveground fodder mass, when sowing grasses, in the first year of observations amounted to 21.8 c/ha of dry weight, which is 3 times higher than in the control. During the growing season of the third year of observations, the yield in the sown area was 39.2 c/ha of dry weight against 19.3 c/ha in the control.

In this study, Holothuria tubulosa Gmelin 1791 was investigated from April 2013 to March 2014 in the Dardanelles Strait, to outline the morphological characteristics, reproductive patterns and the relationship between population characteristics and environmental parameters. Between 15 and 30 individuals of this species were sampled monthly from three stations. There was a negative allometry between length and weight, being gutted weight the most reliable measurement for this species. Reproductive patterns of the species were identified the first time for Turkish coasts. By macroscopic examination of the gonads, smallest sizes (gutted length) were measured as 8.4 and 8.1 cm for female and male, respectively. Sex ratio was calculated as 1: 1.1 with differences between seasons. The reproduction of sea cucumbers occurred between August and September after Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) values reached their maximum in July. The species was found down to 10 m depth with a population density of 0.21 / m2, which was rather low compared to previously reported values for Mediterranean populations of this species. There was a high positive correlation between population density and GSI of the species. The highest population density was observed where the largest sea grass meadows are found.

Abstract. The evolution of environmental changes during the last decades and the impact on the living biomass in the western part of Amvrakikos Gulf was investigated using abundances of benthic foraminifera and lipid biomarker concentrations. These proxies indicated that the gulf has dramatically changed due to eutrophication. Eutrophication has led to a higher productivity, a higher bacterial biomass, shifts towards opportunistic and tolerant benthic foraminifera species (e.g. B. elongata, N. turgida, T. agglutinans, A. tepida) and a lower benthic species density. Close to the Preveza Straits (connection between the gulf and the Ionian Sea), the benthic assemblages appeared to be less productive and more diversified under more oxygenated conditions. Sea grass meadows largely contributed to the organic matter at this sampling site. Isorenieratane, chlorobactane and lycopane together with oxygen monitoring data indicated that anoxic (and partly euxinic) conditions prevailed seasonally throughout the western part of the gulf with more severe hypoxia towards the east. Increased surface water temperatures have led to a higher stratification, which reduced oxygen resupply to bottom waters. These developments are reasons for mass mortality events and ecosystem decline observed in Amvrakikos Gulf.

Abstract. The evolution of environmental changes during the last decades and the impact on the living biomass in the western part of Amvrakikos Gulf was investigated using abundances and species distributions of benthic foraminifera and lipid biomarker concentrations. These proxies indicated that the gulf has markedly changed due to eutrophication. Eutrophication has led to a higher productivity, a higher bacterial biomass, shifts towards opportunistic and tolerant benthic foraminifera species (e.g. Bulimina elongata, Nonionella turgida, Textularia agglutinans, Ammonia tepida) and a lower benthic species density. Close to the Preveza Strait (connection between the gulf and the Ionian Sea), the benthic assemblages were more diversified under more oxygenated conditions. Sea grass meadows largely contributed to the organic matter at this sampling site. The occurrence of isorenieratane, chlorobactane and lycopane supported by oxygen monitoring data indicated that anoxic (and partly euxinic) conditions prevailed seasonally throughout the western part of the gulf with more severe oxygen depletion towards the east. Increased surface water temperatures have led to a higher stratification, which reduced oxygen resupply to bottom waters. Altogether, these developments led to mass mortality events and ecosystem decline in Amvrakikos Gulf.

In the paper the legend for 8 vegetation maps of key polygons s. 1 : 200 000, compiled by unified method, is given. The maps characterize the state of vegetation cover in different parts of the Lower Volga River (Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain and delta) in the late 90th. The Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain is well-divided into 2 morphogenetic types: the river-side flood-plain and the inner (central) one. Delta consists of numerous islands separated by channels and is subdivided into 3 parts: upper, middle and lower ones. At the mapping of flood-plain vegetation it is important to reveal the spatial variations in vegetation cover connected with regime of inundation, topography elevation, structure of surface, ground water table. The generalized legend to all maps is constructed according to ecological-dynamic principle reflecting the composition and structure of vegetation cover. Large divisions correspond to differentiation of vegetation at the level of main topographic types of territory: A. Vegetation of flood-plain, Б. Vegetation of delta. The divisions of the next rank are: I. Vegetation of river-side flood-plain and II. Vegetation of the inner flood- plain. Within the delta the following division are distinguished: 1. Forest-shrub- meadow and riparian-aquatic vegetation; 2. Desert vegetation. Mapping units proper (marked by numerical indices) characterize the phytocoenotical and floristic composition of vegetation as well as different patterns of its spatial structure and dynamics among the different elevation levels and forms of relief. Construction of Data Bases (DB) at mapping process has its specific features. Map organizes and differentiates the process of collecting information itself. The main instrument in this process is the map legend and the contents of mapping units. The botanical-cartographical DB suggests storing already synthesized and classified information, presented in form of mapping types of geobotanical polygons along with indices of environmental factors. The flood-plain vegetation of the Lower Volga River is represented by forests, shrub thickets, meadows, and aquatic-riparian Herbaceous communities. The forests are restricted mainly to the inner gentle ridges flood-plain. Oak forests (Quercus robur) are characteristic of only northern part of the Lower Volga River occuring between city of Volgograd and Kapustin Yar settlement. Willow forests (Salix alba) are spread throughout the all Lower Volga River (from Volgograd down to the Caspian Sea). They predominate in delta. In the middle part of delta the groves of Elaeagnus angustifolia appear. The channel-side natural levers of the lower seaward part of delta are occupied by forests of Salix alba. Shrubs thickets are less characteristic of these habitats; Tamarix ramosissima should be mentioned which appears south of 48°N in Volga- Akhtuba flood-plain in the limits of the Northern desert subzone. Forests of Populus nigra are wide-spread in the Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain from city of Volgograd southward up to Selitrennoye village. However they occupy habitats of middle topographical level. The same level in the river-side flood-plain and delta shrub thickets occupy. They are formed mainly by willows — Salix triandra, S. viminalis, S. acutifolia. Meadow vegetation predominate in the Lower Volga valley. Vegetation of high topographic level is formed by meadows of Calamagrostis epigeios, Bromopsis inermis, Elytrigia repens. Meadows of the middle topographic level are represented by grass-sedge communities. Meadows of the low topographic level are formed by communities of Carex acuta, Eleocharis spp., Elytrigia repens, Phragmites australis, Butomus umbellatus. The riparian-aquatic vegetation is formed by the communities of Phragmites australis, Typha spp., Scirpus lacustris, Phalaroiodes arundinacea, Butomus umbellatus, Sagittaria sagittifolia, Sparganium ramosum along the shores of water bodies and on the bottoms of depressions. Communities-indicators of soils with high salt content are characteristic of delta vegetation. On the overmoistened islands, free of water for a short time, with the surface salinification, the communities of Aeluropus spp., Crypsis aculeata, Bolboshoenus maritimus, Suaeda confusa, Salicornia europaea, Cynodon dactylon are spread.

Abstract This paper presents the first record of fire in Pacific coast salt marshes; the 1993 Green Meadows Fire and the 2013 Camarillo Springs Fire burned an area of Salicornia-dominated salt marsh at Point Mugu, CA. These fires inspire concern about resiliency of ecosystems not adapted to fire, already threatened by sea-level rise (SLR), and under stress from extreme drought. We monitored vegetation percent cover, diversity, and soil organic carbon (SOC) in burned and unburned areas of the salt marsh following the 2013 Camarillo Springs Fire and used remotely sensed Normalized Vegetation Difference Index (NDVI) analysis to verify the in situ data. Two years following the fire, vegetation percent cover in burned areas was significantly lower than in unburned areas, with dominant-species change in recovered areas, and NDVI was lower than pre-fire conditions. Multi-year disturbance, such as fire, presents challenges for salt marsh resilience and dependent species, especially in sites facing multiple stressors. With anticipated higher temperatures, increased aridity, extreme drought, and higher frequency fires becoming a reality for much of the Pacific coast, this study indicates that fire in Salicornia-dominated marshes is a vulnerability that will need to be addressed differently from other grass- or reed-dominated marsh systems.

Until recently, the study of spiders in the mountainous conditions of the Primorsky Region of Russian Far East was carried out only with the example of ground dwelling spiders. The purpose of this work is to reveal the species composition and features of the biotopic distribution of orb-weaver spiders (Aranei: Araneidae) in the ridge-top zone of the Southern Sikhote-Alin mountains (Primorsky Region). The field material was collected from may to october in 2016 and 2017 at key sites located on different mountain ranges and their spurs in the altitude range from 1000 to 1560 m above sea level. Within each key sites, transect-sites with a size of 3 x 25 m were laid. The spider's collections were by the hands collecting and sweeping method. A total of 305 specimens of spiders belonging to 10 species from 7 genera were caught. Comparison of species lists of spiders was carried out by cluster analysis methods (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, UPGMA) using the Jacquard coefficient. For automatic calculations data processing program Past v. 2.17 is used. The maximum diversity of spiders is observed among the herbage-reed meadows, which do not form a continuous belt of vegetation at altitudes of 1000–1400 m above sea level. seas. Seven species belonging to 6 genera were caught here. The minimal diversity is noted among the continuous open stony debris, devoid of vegetation. Here is the only species caught – Aculepeira matsudae. The species Plebs sachalinensis and Araniella yaginumai are most numerous and widespread in the ridge-top zone of the Southern Sikhote-Alin. The high abundance of Araniella yaginumai is achieved due to favorable conditions for this species in the herbage-reed grass lands. In all the studied biotopes in the ridge-top zone of the mountains the density of the orbweaver spiders is low and does not exceed 2.04 specimens per 10 m2.

The Congrogadinae consists of 19 species of elongate fishes which reach a maximum length of about 40 cm. They occur primarily in the coral reefs and sea-grass meadows of the Indo-West Pacific. Mature ovarian eggs were found to possess hooked, multi-armed projections distributed equidistantly over their surfaces. Each projection has a central pedicel perpendicular to the chorion which raises it above the egg surface. A few of these hooks give rise to long filaments. The numbers of hooks, arms per hook, and filaments vary among taxa. Hook size and shape changes with egg size. On eggs 70 μm in diameter, hooks begin as small, button-shaped knobs about 2 μm across, gradually becoming stalked and composed of four V-shaped subunits. These eventually form a cruciform structure, about 200 μm across, which bears recurved hooks; these occur on eggs over 3000 μm in diameter. Hooks stop increasing in size before the egg attains its maximum diameter. Filaments increase in length as the hooks grow, reaching a final length of at least 7500 μm. In extruded eggs, the filaments (but not the hooks) come loose from the chorion to tangle with the hooks and filaments of adjacent eggs. This forms an egg mass which is probably guarded by the male. Although the data are prone to homoplasy, two alternative cladograms based on egg surface morphology were constructed. Changes to cladograms existing in the literature involved the genera Halimuraena, Haliophis, Halidesmus, and Blennodesmus. These genera might be monophyletic, based on the occurrence of the hooks in deep pits. The monophyly of the subgenus Congrogadoides is further corroborated by the predominance of three-armed hooks on their egg surfaces.

Northern domestic reindeer breeding in the Arctic zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a traditional and ethnos-preserving industry of the indigenous peoples of the North living there. Anabarsky national (Dolgan-Evenki) district is a place of compact residence of one of the small peoples of the North – the Dolgans. They have preserved their unique traditional method of keeping and breeding of domestic reindeer. Northern vegetation, especially Arctic vegetation is very vulnerable and tender. The problem of ecological and floristic researches of pasture plants in the North-East of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is one of the most important tasks. Domestic reindeer are kept on natural pasture feed, so the urgent task is the rational exploitation of reindeer pastures, which is based on the study of productivity, changes in plant diversity under the influence of grazing and man-made impacts. These factors of influence on the state of deer pastures (degradation and loss of the main feed of deer-lichens) remain poorly studied at present. The purpose of the researches was to provide scientific justification for the rational use and protection of reindeer pastures, to study the feed supply of natural reindeer pastures in the Arctic tundra subzone of the Anabarsky national (Dolgan-Evenki) district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The results of researches have shown that the maximum yield has been observed in the camp #2: willow-grass meadow – 38 centner/ha DM and grass meadow – 41,3 centner/ha DM. Herbages 5 camps (herb-cotton-grass meadow, mixed grass-meadow of mossy plants, willow-grass meadow, grass meadow, forb-grass meadow, sedge meadow of mossy plants) reindeer pastures have been characterized by a high nutritional value feed, allowing to develop and strengthen the feed base for the development of reindeer breeding in the subzone of the Arctic tundra of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

Grasslandsandmeadowsoccur on seasonally moist and fresh soils, nearsnowfields, temporaryand permanent streams, springs and brooks, in the low and middle mountain ranges in Murmansk Region (Fig. 1). They occupy relatively small areas, but support high diversity of species and represent “lieblichsten Erscheinungen“, as R. Nordhagen (1928: 353) wrote. Syntaxonomy of this vegetation is still not clear and far from unambiguous explanation. From literature, these communities in Fennoscandiаn mountain tundra are related to several classes: Juncetea trifidi, Saliceteaherbaceae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii and Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, which differ greatly both to habitats and vegetation. In Russian phytocoenology, some researchers include tundra grasslands with dominance of Nardus stricta and Avenella flexuosa in general typology (Ramenskaya, 1958), along with floodplain and dry grasslands and meadows, but other consider such vegetation in mountain tundra as independent type, related to grasslands and meadows in alpine belt (Gorodkov, 1938; Aleksandrova, 1977). Classification of mountain tundra grasslands and meadows in Murmansk Region based on 103 field descriptions and published relevés, with Braun-Blanquet approach applied. Prodromus of syntaxa is provided. Six vegetation associations were related to 4 alliances and 2 classes, three associations were described as new (Table 1). Ass. Carici bigelowii–Nardetum strictae (Zlatník 1928) Jeník 1961 (Table 2), withdiagnostic species Diphasiastrum alpinum and Nardus stricta, includes early snow-bed, poor of species vegetation with dominance of matgrass N. stricta. Аss. Anthoxantho alpini–Deschampsietum flexuosae Nordh. 1943 (Table 3; Fig. 2), with diagnostic species Anthoxanthum alpinum, Avenella flexuosa, includes early snow-bed grasslands, with dominance of Carex bigelowii, Avenella flexuosa, Anthoxanthum alpinum, and presence of diagnostic species of alliance Phyllodoco–Vaccinion myrtilli (Phyllodoce caerulea, Vaccinium myrtillus). Ass. Salici herbaceae–Caricetum bigelowii Koroleva et Kopeina ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 4, holotypus — relevé 8 (84/93)), with diagnostic species Alchemilla alpina, Cardaminebellidifolia, Carex bigelowii (dominant), Diplophyllum taxifolium, Lophozia wenzelii, represents rich of species early snow-bed, with dwarf-shrub- and-grass and moss layers. Ass. Hieracio alpini–Caricetum bigelowii Koroleva et Kopeina ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 5, holotypus — relevé 10 (46/01)), with diagnostic species Antennaria dioica, Carex bigelowii (dominant), Hieracium alpinum,includes communities rich of grasses and herbs on south-exposed gentle slopes, near springs and brooks. Аss. Potentillo crantzii–Polygonetum vivipari Nordh. 1928 (Nordhagen, 1928: 356–357: «Potentilla crantzii–Polygonum viviparum Ass.»; Kalliola, 1939: 132–135: «Polygonum viviparum–Thalictrum alpinum-Soz.». Table 6, lectotypus hoc loco — relevé 16), diagnostic species Carex atrata, Cerastium alpinum, Erigeron uniflorus, Festuca vivipara, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Potentilla crantzii, Rhodiola rosea, Saussurea alpina, Thalictrum alpinum, Viola biflora.The association is the holotype of the alliance Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari Nordh. 1937 and includes rich of species low-herb meadows in mountain tundra. Association includes three variants: Oxyria digyna (Table 6, № 1–10; Nordhagen, 1928: 356–357, Table, Bestanden I, II), typica (Table 6, № 11–20; Nordhagen, 1928: 356–357, Table, Bestanden III, IV) and Agrostis borealis (Table 6, № 21–29; Kalliola, 1939: 132–135, Table 19, № 3–11). Ass. Salici reticulatae–Trollietum europaei Koroleva et Kopeina ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 7, holotypus — relevé 10 ( m1/16); Fig. 3) with diagnostic species Geranium sylvaticum, Juncus trifidus, Nardus stricta, Salix reticulata,represents species-rich meadows near springs and on gentle slopes, sometimes with patches of low willows and dwarf birch. The association is transitional to the tall-herb shrubs and forests of alliance Mulgedion alpini, class Mulgedio-Aconitetea. To arrange the syntaxa described in Murmansk Region in higher units correctly, we used the first descriptions of following alliances in Fennoscandia: alliance Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari, incl. Potentilla crantzii–Polygonum viviparum Ass. (Nordhagen, 1928: 356–357, Table, Bestanden I–IV) and Polygonum vivparum–Thalictrum alpinum-Soz. (Kalliola, 1939: 132–133, Table 19, № 3–11); alliance Ranunculo–Poion alpinae, incl. Trollius europaeus-soc. (Gjaerevoll, 1950: 420–421, Table XIII, № 1–10); alliance Deschampsio-Anthoxanthion, incl. ass. Deschampsietum flexuosae and ass. Caricetum bigelowii (ibid.: 393–394, Table I, Stands I–V; 396–397, Table II, Stands I, II); alliance Saxifrago stellaris–Oxyrion digynae, incl. ass. Oxyrietum digynae (ibid.: 406–407, Table VI, Stands I–III); alliance Kobresio-Dryadion, incl. Carex rupestris–Encalypta rhabdocarpa sos. (Nordhagen, 1943: 576–577, Table 99, Serie I–III) and аss. Dryadetum octopetalae (Nordhagen, 1955: 76–81, Table III, no. 17–33), as well as descriptions of ass. Polygono vivpari–Thalictretum alpini (Kalliola 1939) Koroleva 2006 from the Barents Sea shore. In total 113 relevés were analyzed with use of Program ExStatR (Novakovskiy, 2016) based on the Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS), and hierarchical clustering with grouping by arithmetic means UPGMA. In both methods, the Sjørensen-Chekanovsky coefficient was used as a measure of similarity/distance. All relevés represent rather distinctive groups in ordination space (Fig. 4), with few transitional ones. Two well-expressed gradients explain the variation in grasslands and meadows: (1) snow-depth and calcium-availability and (2) height above the sea level, together with steepness of the slope and coarseness of substrata. On the one end of the axis 2 there are communities of the ass. Carici bigelowii–Nardetum strictae (Table 2; Fig. 4, group 3) with diagnostic species Nardus stricta and Diphasiastrum alpinum. They represent closed and species-poor (39 species in syntaxon, 11 species per relevé in average) mono-dominant vegetation in snow-bed depressions, which are water-inundated in the beginning of the growing season, but dry up quickly. Rather compact group of communities of Kobresio-Dryadion (Fig. 4, groups 14 and 15), described by Nordhagen in Ca-rich habitats in Scandinavian mountains, with constant species Dryas octopetala, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Carexrupestris, Alectoria nigricans, A. ochroleuca, Flavocetraria cucullata and F. nivalis occupies an opposite end. Second gradient (axis 1) starts with meadows associated with the moderate snow and moisture conditions in zonal tundra in Murmansk Region (Fig. 4, group 4: Polygono vivpari–Thalictretum alpini; Koroleva, 2006). It finishes with relevés of Gjaerevoll’s (1950) ass. Oxyrietumdigynae (all. Saxifrago stellaris–Oxyrion digynae), which occurs on stony and moist substrata on steep slopes of high Scandinavian ranges (Fig. 4, group 13). Among constant species there are mosses and liverworts Andreaea rupestris, Anthelia juratzkana, Hymenoloma crispulum,hygro-, and mesophytic herbs Epilobium anagallidifolium and Saxifraga stellaris. In close position on the ordination diagram are early snow-beds in Murmansk Region, ass. Salici herbaceae–Caricetum bigelowii, with diagnostic species Alchemilla alpina, Carex bigelowii, Cardaminebellidifolia, Diplophyllum taxifolium, Lophozia wenzelii (Table 4; Fig. 4, group 1). Ass. Anthoxantho alpini–Deschampsietum flexuosae with diagnostic species Anthoxanthum alpinum, Avenella flexuosa (Table 3; Fig. 4, group 2) comprises vegetation in transitional habitats from late snow-beds to moss-blueberry tundra and has large portion of dwarf shrubs of Phyllodoco–Vaccinion myrtilli. On the ordination diagram, these communities differ from Gjaerevoll’s (1950) relevés of Deschampsio-Anthoxanthion (Fig. 4, group 12); they are ecologically similar with snow-bed communities. Central parts of the both gradients are occupied by the meadows of following associations: Hieracio alpini–Caricetum bigelowii (Table 5; Fig. 4, group 8), Potentillo crantzii–Polygonetum vivipari (Fig. 4, group 6) and Salici reticulatae–Trollietum europaei (Table 7; Fig. 4, group 7). All of them belong to alliance Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari (diagnostic species: Anthoxanthum alpinum, Bartsia alpina, Bistorta vivipara, Distichium capillaceum, Luzula spicata, Poa alpina, Potentilla crantzii, Ranunculus acris, Salix reticulata, Sanionia uncinata, Saussurea alpina, Selaginella selaginoides, Silene acaulis, Taraxacum croceum, Trollius europaeus, Veronica alpina, Viola biflora). They represent the richest tundra meadows (to 134 species in association and 41 species in community), with dominance of mesophytic herbs, high number of dwarf-shrubs, presence of mosses and liverworts. The alliance is well presented on the cluster dendrogram (Fig. 5). The first reference to alliance Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari was published by Nordhagen (1937: 37–43) and contained synoptical table and direct reference to Potentilla crantzii–Polygonum viviparum Ass. (Nordhagen, 1928: 356–357) as the most characteristic type of the alliance. So the alliance could be considered effectively and validly published (ICPN: Art. 1, 2b). Since Potentilla crantzii–Polygonum viviparum Ass. represents the only element published with the valid name with direct reference in the original diagnosis of the alliance, it must therefore be accepted as the holotype (ICPN: Art. 18a), and the name should be corrected to Potentillo crantzii–Polygonetum vivipari Nordh. 1928 (ICPN: Art. 41b). Later on, R. Kalliola (1939) and N. Koroleva (2006) also published one syntaxon in this alliance: publication of holotype by Koroleva (2006) is superfluous, because original diagnoses of Nordhagen (1937) is accompanied by clear reference to type association in the paper by Nordhagen (1928) (ICPN: Art. 21). The original diagnosis of Gjaerevoll’s (1950) alliance Ranunculo–Poion alpinae, ass. Ranunculo acris–Poetum alpinae Daniёls 2016 (based on Trollius europaeus-soc., Gjaerevoll, 1950: 420–421, Table XIII) (Fig. 4, groups 9, 10) coincides with the original diagnosis of Nordhagen’s alliance (Table 1), so Nordhagen’s name would have the priority over the Ranunculo–Poion alpinae which is a syntaxonomic synonym (ICPN: Art. 29с). T. Ohba (1974) considered Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari as synonym of Kobresio-Dryadion (Fig. 4, groups 14 and 15). Both alliances share some of the species pool, and ecologically and floristically are separated from each other (Fig. 4 and 5; Table 1). Kobresio-Dryadion comprises mainly xero-, mesophytic dwarf shrubs- and sedges-dominated communities on calcium-rich substrata. Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari includes species-rich tundra meadows with prevalence of mesophytic herbs. Alliances are clearly distinguished from each other in species composition, in habitats and in geographic distribution: Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari is likely restricted to Fennoscandia, whilst Kobresio-Dryadion has Eurasian distribution (Koroleva, 2015). Original diagnoses and nomenclatural types of alliances are different, so they cannot be considered as synonyms. Alliance Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari is not yet disposed in some higher units — order and class.

Coastal, reef-associated and deepwater (> 15 m) seagrass habitats form a large and ecologically important community on the Queensland continental shelf. Broad-scale resource inventories of coastal seagrasses were completed in the 1980s and were used in marine park and fisheries zoning to protect some seagrasses. At least eleven of the fifteen known species in the region reach their latitudinal limits of distribution in Queensland and at least two Halophila species may be endemic to Queensland or northeastern Australia. The importance of seagrasses to Dugongs Dugong dugon, Green Turtles Chelonia mydas and commercially valuable prawn fisheries, will continue to strongly influence directions in seagrass research and conservation management in Queensland. Widespread loss of seagrasses following natural cyclone and flood events in some locations has had serious consequences to regional populations of Dugong. However, the impacts to Queensland fisheries are little studied. Agricultural land use practices may exacerbate the effects of natural catastrophic events, but the long-term impacts of nutrients, pesticides and sediment loads on Queensland seagrasses are also unknown. Most areas studied are nutrient limited and human impacts on seagrasses in Queensland are low to moderate, and could include increases in habitat since modern settlement. Most impacts are in southern, populated localities where shelter and water conditions ideal for productive seagrass habitat are often targets for port development, and are at the downstream end of heavily modified catchments. For Queensland to avoid losses experienced by other states, incremental increases in impacts associated with population and development pressure must be managed. Seagrass areas receive priority consideration in oil spill management within the Great Barrier Reef and coastal ports. Present fisheries legislation for marine plant protection, marine parks and area closures to trawl fishing help protect inshore seagrass prawn nursery and Dugong feeding habitat, but seagrasses in deep water do not yet receive any special zoning protection. Efficacy of the various Local, State and Commonwealth Acts and planning programmes for seagrass conservation is limited by the expanse and remoteness of Queensland's northern coast, but is improving through broad-based education programmes. Institutional support is sought to enable community groups to augment limited research and monitoring programmes with local "habitat watch" programmes. Research is helping to describe the responses of seagrass to natural and human impacts and to determine acceptable levels of changes in seagrass meadows and water quality conditions that may cause those changes. The management of loss and regeneration of sea grass is benefiting from new information collected on life histories and mechanisms of natural recovery in Queensland species. Maintenance of Queensland's seagrasses systems will depend on improved community awareness, regional and long-term planning and active changes in coastal land use to contain overall downstream impacts and stresses.

A new species of Galumna (Galumna) (Oribatida, Galumnidae) are described from a sample of grass rhizosphere, from a meadow of the Tam Dao National Park, Northern Vietnam. Galumna (Galumna) dkrivolutskyi sp. nov. differs from G. pseudotriquetra Ermilov, 2015(b) by the larger body size, bothridial heads slightly developed unilaterally and by the absence of sejugal suture medially. A supplementary description of G. discifera Balogh, 1960 is present based on Vietnamese specimens. Morphological additions to description of the Vietnamese species, G. acutirostrum Ermilov & Anichkin, 2010, are given. An identification key to known species of Galumna (Galumna) from the Oriental region is provided.

The Skole District that is nowadays a part of newly established Stryy District (Lviv Region) is entirely situated within the range of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Its area encompasses the Skolivsli Beskydy and the Stryy-San Highland physiographic regions featuring a dominance of considerably high altitudes above sea level, terrain disarticulation, and afforestation. Establishing new villages alongside rural population’s natural increase and land reforms (the capitalist stage of land use (after the abolition of serfdom in 1848) and Soviet stage of land use) called for respective increase in agricultural lands. Forested lands in the Ukrainian Carpathians were the source for such an increase therefore cropland and pasture lands were emerging from deforestation. Harsh weather conditions and low soil fertility significantly impacted the further agricultural land uses in the mountainous region. However, wide-scale decline of agricultural lands occurred in the period of the collapse of the former USSR due to decline of collective and state farms. As a result of denationalization with subsequent privatization of agricultural lands there are nowadays 31 303 land owners and land users in the study area, 97,54 % of which are physical persons. At the same time, despite such remarkable figures citizens share less than a half of total lands for agriculture, residential and construction purposes, whilst the state forestry enterprises are using 51,11 % (75 173,50 ha) in total. In contrast to lowlands, animal farming and husbandry in the Skole District is held exclusively by households. In recent years local animal husbandry is experiencing the livestock decline that leads to certain reduction in the share of both hay meadows and pasturelands. Thus, from 2009 to 2016 the total area of fodder lands in the district decreased by 65 ha (ca. 0,2 % of total privately owned agricultural lands). I assume that ongoing land reform will cause further increase in fallows in the Skole District. In order to better comprehend the processes of spontaneous reforestation (sylvatisation) in a mountain region (the Pohartsi boundary, Koziova village, Stryi district, Lviv regionthe ) four study plots were selected representing the successional sequence: forest → pasture → hay meadow → arable lands. The study showed that areas that were previously used for pasture and were not plowed, are restored to their natural state much faster. These areas are characterized by satisfactory physical, physico-chemical and biotic properties. The decrease in acidity towards the neutral side is explained by an increase in the activity of catalase and urease by approximately 1.5 times. In connection with the developed grass cover, slightly higher nitrogen values were recorded in the upper soil horizon. Due to the absence of a regular annual supply to the base and replenishment of its nutrient reserves due to precipitation and waste of dead phytomass, the content of humus in the upper horizon of the base is half as much as under forest biogeocenoses. Plowing (overturning the lower horizons to the mountain, and vice versa) is a very strong anthropogenic factor, which leads to the almost complete destruction of natural vegetation on the cultivated area and a radical change in the main properties of the soil cover. According to some indicators: physical (total sparability), physico-chemical (nitrogen nitrate and ammonia), biotic (urease, catalase, biomass of microorganisms) in the upper humus horizons were even somewhat close to anthropogenically unaltered ecosystems. However, the changes in the indicators of the density of the soil structure and its solid phase corresponded to the depth of plowing. And the humus content was several times lower than under forest biogeocenoses. Areas that were not plowed in the past are restored due to the main rock of the region Picea abies (L.) Karst.. Areas that were devastated in the past are recovering much more slowly. Such areas begin to overgrow with Alnus incana (L.) Moench., Rosa canina L., Bеtula and others Key words: land use; land owners and land users; fallows; agricultural lands; mountainous region; Skolivski Beskydy.

The classifications of the grouping of the birds reflect the faunistic or the ecological position of the species in certain habitats and landscapes. Most of them consider the species diversity of the birds of the studied regions in general, including synanthropic, invasive and widespread species. This approach prevents singling out the habitats which are important for supporting the existence of native (or autochtonous) species and their groupings. Native groupings of the birds in the dry steppe zone of Ukraine are almost not studied despite the rapid contraction in the range and population of most component species, especially Anthropoides virgo, Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax and Burhinus oedicnemus. The definition of the taxonomic and the ecological composition of these grouping will help in understanding the strategy of the reproduction and the protection of native avifauna. In connection with this, the faunistic-topomorphic classification of native birds in the dry steppes zone of Ukraine according to the following scheme is proposed: ornithofaunistic complex (by priority landscapes and habitats) – the place of the feeding (by priority substrate on/in which a species’ diet is extracted) – the nesting place (by the priority substrate of the location of the nest for nesting individuals) – the place of rest (the priority substrate where non-nesting individuals rest). The classification is aimed at the definition of the general requirements of native birds and their groupings in terms of the landscapes and the habitats which provide the conditions for their preservation and the protection in the researched region. It has been determined that in the south of Ukraine 33 nesting species are dry-steppe autochthons (18.3% of nesting species of the region), of which 18 species form the ornithofaunistic complex of dry steppes (Buteo rufinus, Perdix perdix, Anthropoides virgo, Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax, Burhinus oedicnemus, Glareola nordmanni, Galerida cristata, Calandrella cinerea, C. rufescens, Melanocorypha calandra, Anthus campestris, Motacilla feldegg, Saxicola rubetra, S. torquata, Oenanthe oenanthe, Oe. isabellina, Emberiza melanocephala), and 15 species form the complex of the sea coast (Phalacrocoraх aristotelis, Phoenicopterus roseus, Tadorna ferruginea, T. tadorna, Mergus serrator, Charadrius alexandrinus, Recurvirostra avosetta, Larus ichthyaetus, L. melanocephalus, L. genei, L. cachinnans, L. michahellis, Gelochelidon nilotica, Hydroprogne caspia, Thalasseus sandvicensis). The above-mentioned species are mainly xerophiles (54.6% of species) and hygrophils (24.2% of species), and they are in the most threatened position because they feed, nest and rest mainly or exclusively on the soil surface. According to the proposed classification, native birds of dry steppes require: for xerophiles – areas of soil without vegetation or with rarefied low grass, which does not prevent birds from moving freely, searching and obtaining food, leading their chicks, looking over their territories; for hygrophiles – shallow water bodies with islands, surface vegetation, shallows, adjacent meadows and salt-marshes; for dendrophiles – single shrubs and trees or small groves; for most xerophiles and dendrophiles – fresh or slightly saline water bodies for drinking. Unfortunately, in the protected natural territories of the researched region, most native birds do not have this combination of the above-mentioned habitats, which are simultaneously suitable for feeding, nesting and resting.

A well-preserved skeleton of a leopard frog (Rana pipiens) was recovered from a calcareous nodule collected near Eardley, Quebec. Such nodules from the Ottawa area evidently date to the Ottawa Delta phase of the Champlain Sea, ca. 10 000 BP, and may contain remains of fishes, birds, mammals, marine mollusc shells and other invertebrates, and plants. Palynological analysis of matrix from the specimen suggests either (1) that forest communities were prominent in the area where the frog lived, or (2) that, presuming the specimen was from a large body of water, the environment supported herb and shrub tundra communities with only a few trees. This is the first record of an amphibian from Champlain Sea deposits. The specimen indicates the presence of grassy meadows near the seacoast.

The article presents the results of research work on the assessment of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) in 14 varieties of meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L.) of various ecological and geographical origin (Russia, Belarus). The study was aimed at identifying the best varieties according to productivity indicators for inclusion into the breeding process in the conditions of the Volga-Vyatka region. The study of initial cultivars and their hybrid forms F1 was carried out in the field experiment of 2009 with two-year use of grass stand (2010, 2011). The characteristics of cultivars according to the main morphological and biological characteristics (winter hardiness, length of the vegetative period, plant height, grass stand vigour) and economically significant indicators (collection of raw and dry phytomass, seed yield) in comparison with the zoned Dymkovsky variety are given. All varieties showed high winter hardiness in the conditions of the Kirov region (more than 79 %). By productivity of green mass the varieties Karmin, Trio, Stodolich (Russia) were selected. They provided significantly high productivity for 2 years of grass stand use (5.52-5.81 kg/m2, +2.01-2.30 kg/m2 to standard) and were characterized by medium value of GCA (104.2-109.6 %) and very high SCA (123.7-139.3 %). According to the total collection of dry phytomass, the best varieties were Karmin and Gefest (Russia) with a significantly high level of productivity (1.28; 1.29 kg/m2, +0.49; 0.50 kg/m2 to standard), medium GCA (102.4; 103.2 %) and very high SCA (133.3; 134.4 %). By seed yield, the most productive Russian varieties are Stodolishchensky, Trio and Svetlyachok (74.2-82.6 g/m2, +8.8-17.2 g/m2 to standard) with very high GCA (125.5-139.8 %) and SCA value of medium and high level (106.6-118.7 %). According to the results of the study, for further breeding work the following meadow clover cultivars of Russian research institutes breeding were included as components of new polycross populations: early-matured Karmin and Trio, late-matured Gefest and Svetlyachok.

Most harmful algal blooms are relatively short, violent paroxysms to aquatic systems. The Texas brown tide was unique in its 7-year domination of upper Laguna Madre wherein it reduced light penetrating 1 m from 31 to 63% on an annual basis between June 1990 and May 1997. In response, seagrasses declined in biomass in deep areas for two years. Over the next three years, bare areas opened up in the deepest areas of the seagrass meadow and the outer seagrass boundary retreated landward. In the last two years of the brown tide, regression of the dominant species, Halodule wrightii, slowed and stopped, and Halophila engelmanni, a previously minor species, revegetated some areas. Subsequent to cessation of meadow retreat, water clarity improved to pre-brown tide levels, consistent with the hypothesis that regeneration of nutrients from retreating sea grass meadow may have been the source of the nutrient subsidy required to sustain the brown tide at high concentration. However, after a short interlude of clear water and Halodule recovery, a resurgence of the bloom occurred and areas of regrowth succumbed. Although human activities did not seem to be involved in initiation or persistence of the brown tide, nutrients brought in by runoff from agricultural lands may have contributed to the return of bloom conditions.

Seagrasses are sentinel species whose sensitivity to changing water conditions makes them an indicator for sea level rise and climate change. The biological processes and physical characteristics associated with seagrass are known to affect acoustic propagation due to gas bodies contained within the seagrass tissue as well as photosynthesis-driven bubble production that results in free gas bubbles in the water. In this work, acoustical methods are applied to monitor seagrass biomass and gas ebullition with an autonomous field-deployed system using broadband acoustic measurements. Supporting environmental measurements including water temperature and salinity, dissolved oxygen, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were also collected and used to interpret the acoustic data. A ray-based propagation model that includes losses due to the dispersion, absorption, and scattering of sound is applied to relate the measured acoustic signals to the gas bodies in the seagrass tissue and free bubbles in the water. This talk will present preliminary results from the first six months of a year-long deployment of the acoustic system in a dense seagrass meadow dominated by Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas (Gulf of Mexico). [Work supported by NSF.]

Mountain steppes play important role in vegetation cover of East Transcaucasus. They have some similar floristic and phytocoenotic features with North Caucasus and Black Sea plain steppes, but by origin they related to the South-West Asian steppes. The characteristic feature of these steppe communities (especially the middle-height mountain ones) is the participation of xerophytic cushion-like thorn-dwarf semishrubs and shrubs (species of gg. Acantholimon, Astragalus). The main subdivisions of the legend show altitudinal subtypes of steppe vegetation: piedmont and lowmountain sagebrush-bunchgrass desert steppes; piedmont and low-mountain herb-bunchgrass and bunchgrass true steppes; low– and middle–height mountain xerophytic dwarf semishrub and shrub and shrub-bunchgrass (tragacanth, thyme) steppes; middle-height and high-mountain herb-grass and grass-herb meadow steppes. The main mapping units are associations or groups of ecologically similar associations. The most wide-spread dominants of Transcaucasus steppes are Bothriochloa ischaemum, Stipa tirsa, S. pennata, S. pontica, S. capillata, Festuca valesiaca, etc. This map is of considerable significance as the areas of natural steppe vegetation are the models for ecological monitoring and the objects of study and protection.

The results of research on the improvement of old-age hayfi elds in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia carried out in 2016–2020 were presented. A grass mixture of perennial leguminose grasses was sown, consisting of alfalfa (Medicago varia Mart.) of the Siberian variety 8, meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L.) of SibNIIK variety 10 and sandy esparcet (Onobrychis arenaria D.S.) of SibNIIK variety 41. The largest number of cereal plants (77,3 %) was in the variant with disking in 1 trace without sowing. The largest number of perennial leguminose grasses (86,5 %) was observed in the variant with a radical improvement of old-age hayfi elds and ordinary sowing of a mixture of perennial leguminose grasses. In the botanical composition of the herbage of old–age hayfi elds, the proportion of diff erent grasses with various turf treatments and sowing of perennial leguminose grasses decreased from 19,4 to 9,4–12,9 %. The highest yield of green and dry mass was obtained in a variant with a radical improvement and ordinary sowing of the grass mixture of perennial leguminose grasses. The yield of green mass was 12,09 and dry one 3,51 t/ ha. The amount of digestible protein per 1 feed unit was 111 g. Slightly inferior in yield was the option with a strip sowing of the grass mixture of perennial leguminose grasses. The yield of green and dry mass was 10,02 and 2,91 t/ha, respectively. The amount of digestible protein per 1 feed unit was 106 g. The lowest yield was obtained in the control version of the fi eld experiment (old-age hayfi eld). The yield of green and dry mass was 3,28 and 1,02 t/ha, respectively. The amount of digestible protein per 1 feed unit was 85 g. There was no butyric acid in the haylage of perennial grasses of improved old-age hayfi eld. The sum of lactic and acetic acids was small and amounted to 1,01–2,35 %, which indicates the high quality of the haylage mass obtained. It has been established that the most energetically advantageous option among the methods of improving old–age hayfi elds is strip sowing of the grass mixture of perennial leguminose grasses. Thus, among the considered methods of improving old-age hayfi elds, strip sowing of perennial leguminose grasses turned out to be the most energetically advantageous.

Seagrasses are sentinel species whose structures are sensitive to variations in environmental conditions and thus reliable indicators of long-term changes in sea level and regional climate. The biological and physical characteristics of seagrasses are known to affect acoustic propagation. Gas bodies contained within the seagrass tissue as well as photosynthetic-driven bubble production result in free gas bubbles attached to the plants and in the water. The detachment of gas bubbles from the plants is also a source of ambient sound. In this work, we deployed a measurement system in a shallow (1.3 m deep) seagrass meadow that included an acoustic projector, a set of receiving hydrophones, an instrumentation pressure vessel that housed the electronics controlling the acoustic data acquisition and data storage, and a suite of environmental sensor loggers. Acoustic propagation and ambient sound were collected every ten minutes for a period of one year. Coincident measurements of water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and photosynthetically active radiation were also collected and used to interpret the acoustic data. We present preliminary results from the yearlong deployment of the acoustic system in a moderately dense seagrass bed dominated by Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. [Work supported by NSF.]

Heavy metal pollution is one of serious problem for tropical mangrove ecosystem. Heavy metals can decrease the quality of a waters. The decreasing in water quality can caused by pollutants such as heavy metals with high concentrations greatly affects the aquatic environment, especially living organisms. The aimed of study is to determine the accumulation level of heavy metals such as Al, Cu, Pb, As, Ni, Cr, Ti, Mn, dan Fe, in root, leaves and stem of E. acoroides. The sampling was carried out in the northern and southern parts of Tunda Island, in March 2015. The method used for seagrass destruction is 6 mL 65% HNO3 and mL H2O2 30%, sediment destruction using Milestone Start D microwave labstation. and using ICP-OES (Inductive Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry) Thermo Scientific iCAP 700 Series. The result show that, the Al, was the dominant heavy metals observed both in sea water and sediment surrounding the observed sea grass areas. Similar result was also observed for seagrass. The dominant sediment grain size absorbing heavy metals is silt-clay because it has more organic matter to control the binding of heavy metals. Heavy metal bioaccumulation is predominant in seagrass leaves and stems due to heavy metal entry into seagrass, substance storage tissue, and seagrass characteristics that are completely submerged in water. Seagrass meadow ecosystem in Tunda Island has been contaminated by several heavy metals.

The behaviour of two groups of two bulls, lactating cows and calves from the Hereford and Limousin breeds was studied in the artificial pasture/meadow complex "Boyadzhievo" owned by the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture on the outskirts of the town of Troyan. The complex is situated at 610 m above sea level, on a flat terrain with traditional grass. The meteorological characteristics of the late spring were studied, behavioural reactions were studied: grazing, rest, movement and acts of aggression. Natural grassland, which is also the main source of food for the animals surveyed in the pasture complex, was rich in plant species, of which the largest share belonged to the group of forbs (55%), followed by the group of cereals (38%) and leguminous (7%) grasses. Atmospheric conditions and the botanical composition of the pasture had an influence on the ethological reactions of the studied animals. It was found that Index for functional activity (IFA) grazing of Hereford bulls was 0.45455 on pastures, cows – 0.46934 at the time of the experiment and those of the Limousin breed - 0.45448, cows 0.47846. The index of functional activity rest in bulls of both breeds on averages 0.50360 and cows 0.48144.The acts of aggression for the research period were comparatively short: for Hereford bulls and cows 40 and 35 minutes respectively, and for the Limousin breed – 39 and 35 min. The most prolonged acts of aggression were those to motor vehicles, cars passing through and birds, and less pronounced were those to humans, dogs and wild game (foxes).

The article says that the main increase in the productivity of animal husbandry is to increase the production of feed and improve their quality. This is primarily due to the cultivation in each soil and climate zone of such crops that would provide high-quality and stable yields of forage crops. An alternative to traditional silage crops, such as corn, can be sugar sorghum. This is due to the versatility of its use, drought resistance, heat resistance and high productivity. Sorghum cultivation allows to increase the productivity of arable land and significantly improve the quality of feed in terms of sugar content. Therefore, the relevance of the full-scale study of the elements of the technology of forage crop cultivation, for the conditions of the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea region, is obvious. In the arsenal of the world’s plant resources, sorghum is characterized by the greatest heat and drought resistance, salt tolerance and high yield. To create a unit of dry matter, sorghum consumes almost half of its water. First of all, sorghum has a minimum transpiration coefficient, i.e. the water consumption is a unit of dry matter. For example, sorghum consumes 300 parts of water, and Sudanese grass – 340, corn – 388, wheat – 515, sunflower – 895. The yield of dry matter from sorghum is 30 % higher compared to corn. Sorghum grain contains more than 70-91 % starch and 10.5 % protein, and corn, respectively, 60-75 and 7-15 %. With an intensive type of root system development, sorghum belongs to the xerophytic (drought-resistant) type of plants. Sorghum is the leading crop among most crops due to its ability to tolerate prolonged harsh hydrothermal conditions.

An in situ laser particle size analyzer (LISST-100, Sequoia Scientific, Inc.) has been used to study the particle size distribution and concentration of biological and non biological particles in the water column of a Mediterranean coastal system. Two field campaigns have been carried out during low and high energy conditions of the flow, caused by the passage of a storm front. For the low energy period, the water column remained stratified, whereas for the high energetic period the water column was warmer and well mixed. The first study dealt with the distribution of particles near the bottom of the coastal area. Here, two regions were taken into account. The first region was a sea-grass meadow of Posidonia oceanica and the second region was a barren sand area. The second study dealt with the determination of the vertical distribution of suspended particles in the whole water column of the system. The results showed a decrease in the vertical concentration of suspended particles in the water column with the passage of the storm front, which was associated with advection of warm water mass rather than by vertical mixing. In contrast, vertical resuspension determined the fate of suspended particles at the bottom of the water column and an increase of their concentration was found.

In many regions of our country, silage and haylage from herbs in the rations of cattle occupy more than 50 % in nutritional value. They are characterized by an optimal concentration of dry matter, crude protein and energy. These feeds are well eaten and digested by animals and have a long storage life, which allows them to be used throughout the year. Alfalfa, meadow clover and other perennial legumes have a high nutritional value when harvesting in the early phases of vegetation, the content of crude protein in which reaches 18,4-26,7 %, and the metabolic energy exceeds 10,4 MJ in the dry matter of the herbage. The purpose of the research was to compare the eff ectiveness of biological drugs used in silage and haylage making of the main types of high-protein legumes and grass mixtures based on them, to identify the most promising in terms of preserving effect, effect on feed digestibility and animal productivity. Comparative tests have been carried out to assess the effectiveness of using a number of modern biological products for canning diff erent types of unsilable and diffi cult silable legumes. Experimental data have been obtained on the eff ect on the safety, quality, digestibility and productive eff ect of the obtained feed when fed in the rations of highly productive lactating cows. The preservative eff ect of a new domestic enzyme-bacterial drug in the silage of perennial legumes has been studied, the optimal dose of application and conditions for eff ective use have been established. In order to increase the volume and increase the profitability of milk production, it is advisable to include in the rations of lactating cows silage prepared from air-dried alfalfa with the addition of a domestic biological drug Biotrof-111 in the dose recommended by the manufacturer.

AlrumBurnt houses at an Early Iron Age tell site in Western JutlandThe Alrum settlement is renowned in particular for producing one of the largest prehistoric finds of charred grain and seeds ever discovered in Denmark.The site was excavated in 1939 under the direction of Gudmund Hatt, but it was Hans Helbæk who carried out a detailed analysis of the plant remains. The latter were subjected to re-examination in 1994, whereas the extensive finds assemblage, stored at Ringkøbing Museum, has only now been fully investigated and analysed. The reason for this is that the excavation records, thought for many years to have been lost, turned up by chance at the National Museum of Denmark in 2000.The Alrum site is located on a slight elevation, about 1 km from Stadil Fjord and 10 km north of the town of Ringkøbing (fig. 1).The settlementThe excavation trench exposed an area of about 300 m2, within which there were sequences of six to seven house sites lying one on top of the other, resulting in cultural deposits with a vertical stratigraphy of 1.5 m, in other words a tell site (fig. 2). Two of the houses (house I and house II) had been destroyed by fire and had been abandoned in such great haste that everything remained within the burnt-out remains of the buildings. House II was the better preserved of the two, containing building timbers, c. 50 pottery vessels, straw ropes, some stone tools, a ball of wool etc. The house was 14.5 m long and 4.5 m wide (c. 60 m2), with living quarters at the western end and a presumed byre to the east. Relative to contemporary houses in Eastern Jutland, those in Western Jutland were small. The roof was borne by five pairs of posts arranged along the length of the house and was probably comprised of heather turf. The post-built walls had an inner cladding of thick oak planks, whereas the outer surface is presumed to have been covered with a layer of straw or grass. The living quarters were fitted out with a clay bench or platform at the gable, an ornamented hearth in the middle and, between the two, a stone mortar set firmly into the clay floor (fig. 3). No traces were seen in the byre of the usual stall dividers, so perhaps the house had not been fully completed when the fire broke out! Most of the pottery lay close to the clay bench, together with several bodies of untempered clay; these weighed c. 9 kg. Up against the north wall there were two impressive solid andirons, 27-28 cm in height and weighing more than 3 kg (figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). The pottery dates the house to the late Pre-Roman Iron Age.Beneath house II lay the successive remains of six to seven other houses. The pottery reveals that this small village was founded around 500 BC, whereas the latest examples are from the century around the birth of Christ (figs. 6 and 13). Only parts of house I could be excavated, but here too a great deal of pottery was encountered, together with a few stone artefacts (figs. 9 and 11).Building timberVirtually all the woodwork in the burnt houses was of oak, supplemented by a little willow and alder which are well suited to making the wattle of the walls. In each house there was a large number of roof and wall postholes, with the charred post ends still in situ; along the walls lay large pieces of so-called wattle panels. As a consequence, it was possible to measure the dimensions of the timbers. Charring leads to a reduction in size of the timber, but by how much? Information received from the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology states that, as a rule of thumb, there is a reduction of 0.5-0.6 mm for every minute the fire burns. Figure 10 gives the timber dimensions alongside a column showing measurements after 20 minutes of burning, to which 1 cm has been added. In spite of the latter, the timber dimensions were still markedly less than those of unburnt posts seen at for example Feddersen Wierde in the North German salt marshes. As oak is totally dominant as the building timber, this begs the question as to where it was obtained? A pollen diagram from a site located 4-5 km from Alrum shows that the landscape was open and unlikely to have had large areas of oak woodland. One possibility is that the oak wood was obtained from Eastern Jutland, perhaps being exchanged for fish and other marine resources?Agriculture and fishingThe large quantities of charred grain and seeds recovered from the site constitute an excellent basis on which to gain a detailed insight into the subsistence. The most important cereals were barley and oats, accompanied by a little wheat, flax and gold of pleasure. In addition to these, seeds had been gathered from a range of weedy species, with corn spurrey, goosefoot, and persicaria being the commonest (fig. 14). These weeds show that the arable fields were sandy and only lightly manured and this conclusion is supported by the size of the cereal grains which is also very modest. It seems likely that the low-lying fields were flooded with salt water from time to time, but barley, flax and gold of pleasure are all salt tolerant.In historical times seeds of the above weed species were used in bread, porridge and gruel by farmers living on the Jutland heath. Tubers of false oat grass were also found at Alrum; these are rich in starch and therefore represent a good food supplement. The heaps of crop plant remains can be classified as threshed and unthreshed (fig. 15). This can perhaps give an indication of the time of year at which the fire took place; it was most probably in the autumn. On the other hand, the bone material from the site is very limited due to the well-drained acid sandy soil. Mention can, however, be made of a perforated ox astragalus (fig. 11a-b). Even so, it can safely be presumed that the many good grazing areas were extensively exploited.On the basis of the site’s location and finds of stone net sinkers, it seems justified to refer to Alrum’s inhabitants as fisher-farmers.Settlement and landscapeToday, the Jutland west coast has a harsh climate with sand drift and storms as significant factors in the lives of the inhabitants. But this was not always the case and in the Early Iron Age the situation must have been quite different: Sand drift was less extensive, the coastline had a different appearance and the sea level fluctuated, as can be seen for example at Højbjerg just south of Ringkøbing Fjord and in several other locations (fig. 1). A rise in sea level of just 0.5 m would reduce the area of shore meadow considerably (fig. 16). The woodland picture was also different.The most important indicator of this very different landscape and environment is the sustained habitation which characterises many settlements, and is exemplified by Alrum with more than 500 years of activity at the same location, and even a further couple of centuries close by, as suggested by recent aerial photographs. People lived at Nørre Fjand for 300-400 years and Klegod, now located directly on the present-day coastline, was probably occupied for at least a century. Such extended occupation of the same site must also be presumed to have resulted in social and family-related changes.There was of course some sand drift in the Early Iron Age. This is apparent from sand layers between the individual house phases and on the arable fields. However, it was apparently not so extensive that it prompted people to move; the sand layers are modest in their thickness. A good example of the stubbornness of these Iron Age people is seen at the small village of Klegod where the inhabitants ploughed through a layer of sandy soil of no less than 40 cm in thickness.The course of the coastline must also have been quite different back then as remains of Iron Age settlements are revealed now and then by today’s fierce winter storms which can cut deep into the sand dunes. Klegod, which dates from c. 500 BC, is just such a locality and provides secure proof that the coast must have lain a good way out to the west at the time, perhaps as much as several kilometres.In this dynamic and changeable landscape, the fisher-farmers of the Early Iron Age managed to maintain their existence over many generations and they were perhaps not as isolated as one could easily imagine. However, one main question remains: What led these people to settle in these near-coastal areas? The numerous Iron Age sites show that many families must have been involved. Was it marine resources or the good grazing along the shore meadows which attracted them? Another factor should also be pointed out: The coastline also hosted an archipelago, with a protective row of islands located offshore as seen today in the Netherlands and Northern Germany and these provided opportunities for closer contacts with the latter areas.Jørgen Lund & Poul NissenMoesgård Museum

Institute of Radiation Hygiene carried out series of field studies because of possible dissemination of radioactive contamination in the territories of Far East regions of Russian Federation after the accident on “Fukushima-1” NPP. The aim of investigations was to clarify radiation situation in the territories of Sakhalin region. We carried out investigations during May-October of 2011 in the Sought-Eastern part of Sakhalin region including the territories of Korsakov district of Sakhalin Island and Kunashir and Shikotan Islands, which are located close to “Fukushima-1” NPP. In autumn of 2012, we carried additional investigation in the Islands Sakhalin, Iturup and Kunashir. In the frames of expedition investigations of 2011 – 2012, we carried out gamma-irradiation dose rate measurements, gamma-spectrometric investigations, sampling of soil, foodstuffs, environmental samples, and as well local population questionnaire survey with the aim of clarification of the food rations. We sampled 132 foodstuffs samples, which local population use to consume and implemented their gamma-spectrometric and radiochemical analysis. We carried out 99 questionnaire surveys of population to estimate the volume of consumption of different foodstuffs, clarification of food ration and its peculiarities. Carried survives revealed that practically all respondents consume milk, fish, mainly sea fish, seafood and/or edible algae. Local population consume freshly cooked, salt and pickled forest herbs: wild garlic, fern, and burdock. The consumption of cow milk, produced mainly in private farms, could reach 200 l/year, sea fish – 170 kg/year, seafood – 100 kg/year, edible algae – 50 kg/year. More than 50% of respondents rather actively consume forest mushrooms – up to 90 kg/year, 3% of respondents consume meat of game – up to 6 kg/year and feathered game – up to 15 kg/year. Carried survives revealed peculiarities of cattle ration: the cows gaze unorganized, feed meadow and forest grass and herbs, algae from a coast. Forestlands of the investigated region are located in the territories with prevailing of sandy, sandy loam and loamy soils. The values of caesium isotopes transfer factors from such soils to foodstuffs and environmental objects are much higher than the values of transfer factors from fertile black soils. Thus, the population of investigated territory actively consume the foodstuffs transfer of caesium isotopes to which is rather high.

В статье обобщены результаты исследований ассимиляционной поверхности и содержания фотосинтетических пигментов в листьях растений основных луговых групп юго-западного склона горы Арагац (1300-1900 м н.у.м.). Данные территории находятся под сильным воздействием экологических и антропогенных факторов, отличаются низкой продуктивностью, следовательно, нуждаются в коренном улучшении. В рамках настоящей работы была поставлена задача создать базу экспериментальных данных по биологическим параметрам, ответственным за формирование урожая. Объектами исследований были следующие виды злаковых – Коленница (Aegilops cylindrica), Костер (Bromus tectorium), Мятлик (Poa bulbosa), Пырей (Agropyron repens), Ячмень (Hordeum bulbosum), бобовых – Эспарцет (Onobrychis radiata), Клевер (Trifolium pratense), Вика (Vicia variabilis), Люцерна (Medicago sativa) и разнотравных растений – Молочай (Euphorbia virgata), Пижма (Tanacetum vulgare), Скабиоза (Scabiosa bipinnata), Котовник (Nepeta Мussini), Тысячелистник (Achillea millefolium), Полынь (Artemisia absinthium). Площадь листьев определялась весовым методом, экстракция пигментов проводилась с помощью диметилсульфоксида, а измерение их содержания – на спектрофотометре СФ-16. Выявлен широкий диапазон колебаний площади листьев у индивидуальных видов (0,9-11,5), тогда как разница между луговыми группами была незначительной (4,0-5,9 дм2/растение). Сумма пигментов в листьях разнотравных растений на 22 % была меньше, чем у злаковых и бобовых, а соотношение хлорофиллов А и Б колебалось в пределах 1,8-3,5. Таким образом, на исследуемых кормовых угодьях максимальные размеры площади листьев обнаружены у многолетних злаковых, сумма пигментов и хлорофилл А – бобовых, а хлорофилл Б – разнотравных растений. The article summarizes the scientific results on the assimilation surface and the content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of plants in the main meadow groups of the southwestern slope of Mount Aragats (1300-1900 m above sea level). Under the strong influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors these territories are characterized by low productivity, therefore, they need efficient improvement. Within the framework of this scientific article, the task was set to create a database of experimental data on biological parameters responsible for the yield farming. The objects of the current research were the following types of cereals – Goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica), Cheat grass (Bromus tectorium), Bluegrass (Poa bulbosa), Wheatgrass (Agropyron repens), Barley (Hordeum bulbosum), legumes – Sainfoins (Onobrychis radiata), Clover (Trifolium pratenium), Cow vetch (Vicia variabilis), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and herbs – Leafy spurge (Euphorbia virgata), Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Scabiosa (Scabiosa bipinnata), Catnip (Nepeta Mussini), Yarrow (Achillea milleteminium), Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). The leaf area was determined by the gravimetric method, pigment extraction was carried out using dimethyl sulfoxide, and their content was measured on an SF-16 spectrophotometer. A wide range of fluctuations in the leaf area in individual species was revealed (0.9-11.5), while the difference between meadow groups was insignificant (4.0-5.9 dm2/plant). The amount of pigments in the leaves of herbs was 22% less than that in cereals and legumes, and the ratio of chlorophylls A and B varied within 1.8-3.5. Thus, on the studied foraging grounds, the maximum leaf area was found in perennial cereals, the sum of pigments and chlorophyll A – in legumes, and chlorophyll B – in herbs. leaves area, photosynthetic pigments, wild plants, natural pastures, steppe belt

A large two-aisled house at Nørre Holsted in southern Jutland – Analysis of a longhouse from Early Bronze Age period IIn 2011 and 2012, Sønderskov Museum investigated an area of 65,000 m2 at Nørre Holsted, between Esbjerg and Vejen. The investigation revealed a multitude of features and structures dating from several periods, including extensive settlement remains from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. Excavations have also been carried out in this area previously, resulting in rich finds assemblages. This paper focuses on the site’s largest and best preserved two-aisled house, K30, which is dated to Early Bronze Age period I (1700-1500 BC). This longhouse therefore represents the final generation of houses of two-aisled construction. It also contained charred plant remains, which provide information on arable agriculture of the time and the internal organisation of the building at a point just prior to three-aisled construction becoming universal. The remains indicate continuity in both agriculture and in internal organisation between the late two-aisled and early three-aisled longhouses. The two-aisled house at Nørre Holsted can therefore make a significant contribution to the long-running debate about this architectural change, which has often focussed on developments in farming: The increased importance of cattle husbandry is said to have been the main reason for breaking with the tradition of two-aisled construction.The Nørre Holsted locality comprises the top of a sandy plateau that forms a ridge running north-south. The slightly sloping plateau lies 38-42 m above sea level and the ridge is surrounded by damp, low-lying terrain that, prior to the agricultural drainage of recent times, was partly aquiferous. The site occupies a central position in the southern part of Holsted Bakkeø, a “hill island” that is primarily characterised by sandy moraine. People preferred to live on well-drained ridges with sandy subsoil throughout large parts of prehistory and this was also true in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. On the area uncovered at Nørre Holsted, remains were found of 16 two-aisled houses, of which three had sunken floors. Ten of these houses are dated to the Late Neolithic and three are assigned to the first period of the Bronze Age. During Early Bronze Age periods II and III, a total of 14 three-aisled longhouses stood on the sandy plateau. As can be seen from figure 2, the houses from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age lie more or less evenly distributed across the area. However, the buildings from the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period I form a distinct cluster in the eastern part, while a western distribution is evident for the houses from Early Bronze Age periods II-III. The western part of the site lies highest in the terrain and a movement upwards in the landscape was therefore associated with the introduction of the three-aisled building tradition. Tripartition of the dimensions can be observed in both the two- and the three-aisled houses, with this being most pronounced in the latter category. The three-aisled Bronze Age houses from periods II and III, which represent the typical form with rounded gables and possibly plank-built walls, show great morphological and architectonic uniformity. Conversely, the two-aisled house remains are characterised by wider variation. The small and medium-sized examples, with or without a partly-sunken floor, represent some very common house types in Jutland. Conversely, the largest longhouse, K30, represents a variant that is more familiar from areas further to the east in southern Scandinavia.The largest two-aisled house at Nørre Holsted was located on the eastern part of the sandy plateau, where this slopes down towards a former wetland area (fig. 3). The east-west-oriented longhouse had a fall of 1.5 m along its length, with the eastern end being the lowest part at c. 38 m above sea level. Its orientation towards the wet meadow and bog to the east is striking, and it stood a maximum of 50 m from the potential grazing area. A peat bog lay a further 100 m to the east and in prehistory this was probably a small lake. Sekær Bæk flows 600 m to the north and, prior to realignment, this watercourse was both deeper and wider where it met the former lake area. Access to fresh water was therefore optimal and opportunities for transport and communication by way of local water routes must similarly have been favourable. It should be added that the watercourse Holsted Å flows only 1 km to the south of the locality.House K30 had a length of 32 m and a width of 6.5-7 m, with the western part apparently being the broadest, giving a floor area of more than 200 m2. The eastern gable was slightly rounded, while that to the west was of a straighter and more open character. The wall posts were preserved along most of the two sides of the building and the internal (roof-) supporting posts were positioned just inside the walls. Two transverse partition walls divided the longhouse, with its ten central posts, into three main rooms (fig. 5). These posts were the building’s sturdiest and most deeply-founded examples. Charcoal-rich post-pipes could be observed in section, and these revealed that the posts consisted of cloven timber with a cross-section of c. 25 cm. The central posts were regularly spaced about 3 m apart, except at the eastern and western ends, where the spacing was 4 m (fig. 5). The posts along the inside of the walls were less robust and not set as deeply as the central posts. There were probably internal wall or support posts along the entire length of the walls. These were positioned only 0.5 m inside the walls and must therefore have functioned together with these. Based on the position of these posts, the possibility that they were directly linked to the central posts can be dismissed. It seems much more likely that they were linked together by transverse beams running across the house – a roof-supporting feature that, a few generations later, moved further in towards the central axis to become the permanent roof-bearing construction. The actual wall posts or outer wall constituted the least robust constructional element of the longhouse.Remains of the walls were best preserved in the eastern part, and the wall posts here were spaced 1.5 m apart in the eastern gable and 2 m apart in the side wall (fig. 5). The wall posts had disappeared in several places, particularly in the central part of the building. Entrances could not be identified in the side walls, possibly as a consequence of the fragmentary preservation of the post traces. Two transverse partition walls, each consisting of three posts, were present in the western and eastern parts, with the latter example being integrated into a recessed pair of posts. The western room had an area of 59 m2 and contained two pits, while the eastern part was filled with charred plant material, consisting largely of acorns. The actual living quarters may have been located here, even though the larger central room, with an area of c. 85 m2, could just as well represent the dwelling area with its large, deep cooking pit (fig. 5). The eastern room had an area of 60 m2 and therefore did not differ significantly in area from that to the west.The entire fill from features that could be related to longhouse K30 was sieved. The objective was to retrieve small finds in the form of micro flakes and pottery fragments that are normally overlooked in conventional shovel excavation. The associated aims included ascertaining whether the flint assemblage could reveal the production of particular tools or weapons in the building. Unfortunately, not a single piece of pottery or any other datable artefacts were recovered. Only a few small flint flakes, which simply show that the finds from house K30 conform to the typical picture of a general reduction in the production of flint tools at the transition from Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. The 11 flint flakes from the longhouse merely reflect the simple manufacturing of cutting tools. Consequently, no bifacial flint-knapping activities took place within the building, and there is a lack of evidence for specialised craftsmen. The great paucity of finds is typical of houses from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age which do not have a sunken floor. It is therefore important to look more closely at the charred plant material (plant macro-remains) concealed in the fills of the postholes and pits. In the case of house K30, the soil samples have provided a range of information, providing greater knowledge of what actually took place in a large house in southern Jutland at the beginning of the Bronze Age.The scientific dating of house K30 is based on barley grains from two roof posts and from a wall post in the eastern part. The three AMS radiocarbon dates assign the longhouse to Early Bronze Age period I, with a centre of gravity in period Ib (fig. 6). Plant macro-remains have previously been analysed from monumental three-aisled Bronze Age houses in southern Jutland. It is therefore relevant to take a look inside a large longhouse representing the final generation of the two-aisled building tradition. Do the results of the analyses indicate continuity in the internal organisation of these large houses or did significant changes occur in their functional organisation with the introduction of the three-aisled tradition?During the excavation of longhouse K30, soil samples were taken from all postholes and associated features for flotation and subsequent analysis of the plant macro-remains recovered. An assessment of the samples’ content of plant macro-remains and charcoal revealed that those from two central postholes and a pit contained large quantities of plant material (fig. 7), whereas the other samples contained few or no plant remains. It was therefore obvious to investigate whether there was a pattern in the distribution of the plant macro-remains that could provide an insight into the internal organisation of the house and the occupants’ exploitation of plant resources. The plant macro-remains can be used to investigate the organisation of the house because the house site lay undisturbed. The remains can therefore be presumed to date from the building’s active period of use. The plant remains lay on the floor of the house and they became incorporated into the fill of the postholes possibly as the posts were pulled up when the house was abandoned or when the posts subsequently rotted or were destroyed by fire. The plant macro-remains therefore reflect activities that have taken place in the immediate vicinity of the posthole in question.Only barley, in its naked form, can be said to have been definitely used by the house’s occupants, as this cereal type dominates, making up 80% of the identified grains (fig. 8). It is also likely, however, that emmer and/or spelt were cultivated too as evidence from other localities shows that a range of cereal crops was usually grown in the Early Bronze Age. This strategy was probably adopted to mitigate against the negative consequences of a possible failed harvest and also in an attempt to secure a surplus. Virtually no seeds of arable weeds were found in the grain-rich samples from the postholes where the central posts had stood; just a few seeds of persicaria and a single grass caryopsis were identified. This indicates that the crops, in the form of naked barley, and possibly also emmer/spelt, must have been thoroughly cleaned and processed. In contrast, the sample from pit A2500, in the western part of the house, contains virtually no cereal grains but does have a large number of charred acorn fragments (fig. 9). The question is, how should this pit be interpreted? If it was a storage pit, then the many acorns should not be charred, unless the pit and the remnants of its contents were subsequently burnt, perhaps as part of a cleansing or sterilisation process. It could also be a refuse pit, used to dispose of acorns that had become burnt by accident. In which case this must have been a temporary function as permanent refuse pits are unlikely to have been an internal feature of the house’s living quarters. Finally, it is possible that this could have been a so-called function-related pit that was used in connection with drying the acorns, during which some of the them became charred.From the plant macro-remain data it is clear that the occupants of longhouse K30 practised agriculture while, at the same time, gathering and exploiting natural plant resources. It should be added that they probably also kept livestock etc., but these resources have not left any traces in the site’s archaeological record – probably due to poor conditions for the preservation of bones. A closer examination of the distribution of plant macro-remains in house K30 reveals a very clear pattern (fig. 9), thereby providing an insight into the internal organisation of the building. All traces of cereals are found in the eastern half of the house and, in particular, the two easternmost roof postholes contain relatively large quantities, while the other postholes in this part of the building have few or no charred grains. This could suggest that there was a grain store (i.e. granary) in the vicinity of the penultimate roof-bearing post to the east, while the other cereal grains in the area could result from activities associated with spillage from this store, which contained processed and cleaned naked barley. No plant macro-remains were observed in the posthole samples from the opposite end of the building. The plant remains in this part of the house all originate from the aforementioned pit A2500, which contained a large quantity of acorns, together with a few arable weed seeds. The pit should possibly be interpreted as an acorn store or a functional pit associated with roasting activities or refuse disposal.The distribution of the plant macro-remains provides no secure indication of the location of the hearth or, in turn, of the living quarters. However, if the distribution of the charcoal in the house is examined (fig. 10), it is clear that there was charcoal everywhere inside house K30. This indicates that the longhouse was either burned down while still occupied or, perhaps more likely, in connection with its abandonment. A more detailed evaluation of the charcoal found in the various postholes and other features reveals the highest concentrations in the central room, suggesting that the hearth was located here, and with it the living quarters. This is consistent with the presence of a large cooking pit, found in the eastern part of this room. Perhaps this explains the presence of open pit A2500 in the western part of the house, which constitutes direct evidence against the presence of living quarters here. Another explanation for the highest charcoal concentrations being in the central room could also have been the entrance area, where there would be a tendency for such material to accumulate.Plant macro-remains have previously been analysed from large Bronze Age houses in the region, namely at the sites of Brødrene Gram and Kongehøj II, and plant remains from a somewhat smaller Late Neolithic house at Brødrene Gram were also examined. In many ways, K30 corresponds to the houses at Brødrene Gram (houses IV and V) and Kongehøj II (house K1). There is continuity with respect to the cereals represented in the Late Neolithic house at Brødrene Gram and the three-aisled Early Bronze Age houses at Brødrene Gram and Kongehøj II; naked barley and emmer/spelt are the dominant cereal types. There is, however, some variation in the cereal types present in the three-aisled Bronze Age houses, as hulled barley also occurs as a probable cultivated cereal here. It therefore seems that, with time, an even broader range of crops came to be cultivated when houses began to have a three-aisled construction. Another marked difference evident in the composition of the plant macro-remains is that the grain stores in the two-aisled houses contain only very few weed seeds, while those in the later houses are contaminated to a much greater extent with these remains. This could be due to several factors. One possible explanation is that the grain was cleaned more thoroughly before it was stored at the time of the two-aisled houses. Another explanation could be that there were, quite simply, fewer weeds growing in the arable fields in earlier periods, possibly because these fields were exploited for a shorter time and less intensively. This would mean that the field weeds were not able to become established to the same degree as later and fewer weeds were harvested with the cereal crop. As a consequence, the stored grain would contain fewer weed seeds relative to later periods. If the latter situation is true, the increase in field weeds could mark a change in the use of the arable fields, whereby each individual field was exploited for a somewhat longer period than previously.A common feature seen in all the houses is that they had grain stores in the eastern part of the building and storage was therefore one of the functions of this part. No secure evidence was however found of any of the houses having been fitted out as a byre. The three-aisled house IV at Brødrene Gram apparently also had a grain store at its western end – where K30 had its acorn-rich pit. However, while the western end of the Brødrene Gram house, and that of the other houses, is interpreted as a dwelling area, this room apparently had another function in K30, where the living quarters appear to have been located in the central room, as indicated by the cooking pit and the marked concentration of charcoal.Longhouse K30 differs from the later houses at Brødrene Gram and Kongehøj II in that these two three-aisled houses contain large quantities of chaff (spikelet forks) of wheat, possibly employed as floor covering, while no such material was observed in K30. However, it is unclear whether this is due to differences in the internal organisation of the buildings or to preservation conditions. Conversely, the use of possible function-related pits, like the one containing acorn remains in house K30, appears to have continued throughout the subsequent periods, as the Bronze Age house at Brødrene Gram also contains similar pits, the more precise function of which remains, however, unresolved. A high degree of continuity can thereby be traced, both in the crops grown and the internal organisation of the two- and three-aisled longhouses in southern Jutland. There was, however, some development towards the cultivation of a wider range of crops.In turn, this suggests that, in terms of arable agriculture and internal building organisation, there was no marked difference between the late two-aisled and early three-aisled houses – or, more correctly, between the large houses of Bronze Age periods I and II in southern Jutland. More secure conclusions with respect to continuity and change in the internal organisation of the buildings would, however, require a significantly larger number of similar analyses, encompassing several house types of different dimensions from a longer period of time and across a larger geographic area. Nevertheless, let us address the problem by including house sites in other regions, because this should enable us to gain an impression of the degree to which the picture outlined above for southern Jutland is representative of larger parts of southern Scandinavia.In several cases, both in the large two-aisled longhouses from Late Neolithic period II to Early Bronze Age period I and the large three-aisled longhouses from Early Bronze Age periods II-III, we see an internal division of the building into three main rooms. This tripartite division does, however, become clearer and more standardised with the advent of the three-aisled building tradition, which is a special characteristic of the longhouses of southern Jutland. Food stores were apparently often kept in the eastern parts of these houses. This is shown by the concentrations of charred grain found in these areas, and in some cases the larders must have been positioned immediately inside the eastern gable. Over time, traces of grain stores have been recorded from sunken areas in a number of house sites in Jutland. As a rule, these sunken floors constituted the eastern part of two-aisled houses of Myrhøj type, which were particularly common, especially in Jutland, during the Late Neolithic and the first period of the Bronze Age. One reason for lowering the house floor in this way was possibly a requirement for more space to store grain. It has been pointed out that a sunken floor gives greater head clearance in a room which, in turn, optimises the possibility of keeping the grain dry. In some cases, these sunken floors were almost totally covered by charred barley and wheat grains; surely the result of stored grain having fallen from an open loft during a house fire.In the Late Neolithic, arable agriculture apparently increased in importance as it became more intensive and diverse, with a wider range of crops now being cultivated. Agriculture in the Early Bronze Age was simply a continuation of the agricultural intensification evident in Late Neolithic arable agriculture. There was a possible difference in that fields were probably more commonly manured in the Early Bronze Age, though the first secure evidence for manuring dates from the Late Bronze Age. The plant macro-remains from the Early Bronze Age include significantly greater numbers of weeds, suggesting that individual arable fields had a longer period of use. Moreover, nutrient-demanding hulled barley came on to the scene as a cultivated crop. This has been demonstrated for example in the aforementioned longhouses at Brødrene Gram and Kongehøj II, both of which date from the Early Bronze Age period II. However, a large component of hulled barley has actually been demonstrated in remains from a Late Neolithic sunken house site at Hestehaven, near Skanderborg.Most Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age farms in what is now Denmark were located on nutrient-poor sandy soils, and this was also the case at Nørre Holsted. In itself, location on these soils suggests that soil-improvement measures were employed. Indirectly, it can also tell us something of the significance of livestock, if it is assumed that cattle supplied a major proportion of the material used to manure the arable fields. Domestic livestock is, however, virtually invisible in the Late Neolithic settlement record, compared with that from the three-aisled contexts of the Bronze Age. There are records from Jutland of about 15 longhouses with clearly evident stall dividers, but this total seems very modest relative to a total number of Bronze Age house sites of around 1000. It has long been maintained in settlement archaeology that the three-aisled building tradition was better suited to the installation of a byre. On the face of it, this seems plausible for animals tethered in stalls. But the byre situation is, however, unlikely to have been a direct cause of the change in roof-bearing construction, as highlighted by recently expressed doubts in this respect. Neither are there grounds to dismiss the possibility that byres were installed in two-aisled longhouses. There is an example from Hesel in Ostfriesland, northwest Germany, where a large two-aisled house, measuring 35 x 5-6 m, contained stall dividers in its eastern half. An example from Zealand can also be mentioned in this respect: At Stuvehøj Mark near Ballerup there was a two-aisled longhouse, measuring 47 x 6 m, with possible post-built stall dividers in its eastern half. It stood on a headland surrounded by wetland areas and, like longhouse K30 at Nørre Holsted, it had a marked fall from the west to east gable.Preserved stall dividers in Bronze Age houses are, therefore, still a rare phenomenon and phosphate analysis of soil has yet to produce convincing results in this respect. There must be another explanation for the change in building architecture. It is possible that the massive monumentalisation process of Early Bronze Age period II played a crucial role in this respect. As described in the introduction, the first three-aisled houses were built higher up in the terrain. A position on the highest points of the landscape is a recurring feature at many other localities with longhouses from Early Bronze Age periods II-III. This visualisation process involved consistent use of the timber-demanding plank-built walls and took place primarily in southern, central and western Jutland. Here, forests had to yield to the huge resource consumption involved in constructing three-aisled houses because it was here that the tradition of plank-built walls was strongest. This situation must be seen in conjunction with barrow building, where there was a corresponding and coeval culmination in the construction of large turf-built burial mounds. Was the three-aisled tradition introduced quite simply because it became possible to build both wider and higher? Period II has the largest longhouses found in Scandinavia to date and these could reach dimensions of 50 x 10 m. The buildings became much wider and the earth-set posts for the plank walls were in some cases founded just as deep as the roof-bearing post pairs, which could extend 50-70 cm down into the subsoil. This could, in turn, suggest that some longhouses had more than one storey. It should also be pointed out that the large-scale construction of longhouses and barrows came to a halt at the same time – in the course of period III, i.e. shortly before 1200 BC. It therefore seems likely that the three-aisled building tradition was introduced as an important step in the actual monumentalisation process rather than as a result of a need to adjust to new requirements for internal organisation. At the end of the Early Bronze Age and throughout the Late Bronze Age, the dimensions of three-aisled houses were reduced and the houses adopted a much less robust character. There was no longer a need for monumental construction. The significance and symbolism by the large buildings constructed in the Early Bronze Age period II and the first part of period III is though a longer and more complex story and it should not be studied in isolation from the barrow-building phenomenon of the time.Lars GrundvadMuseet på SønderskovMartin Egelund PoulsenMuseet på SønderskovMarianne Høyem Andreasen Moesgaard Museum

Introduction. A revision of syntaxa was carried out within the framework of the classification of the Brown-Blanquet school identified in the Russian Arctic. A geodatabase (GDB) and GIS, which include several interconnected main modules (see: Matveyeva et al., 2019a, b), with information on species composition, structure, ecology, and geography of syntaxa of all levels, integrated in these databases, became the basis of the presented checklist. This is the first result of compiling information on the vegetation classification, performed with the prospect to produce Prodromus of syntaxa, identified in this territory, with detailed information (character/differential/diagnostic species, ecology, zonal position, geography, bibliography), available in the GDB. It will be in time included in the Prodromus and later will become the basis for a volume in multivolume series on the vegetation of the Russian Federation (see: Plugatar et al., 2020). Territory. The checklist contains information on syntaxa established in the Russian Arctic within the boundaries of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (hereafter CAVM) (CAVM Team, et al., 2003; Walker et al., 2005; Raynolds et al., 2019), as well as on the Barents Sea coast of the Kola Peninsula, which is referred to the tundra zone in accordance with the zonation of the Russian Arctic flat territory (see: Matveyeva, 1998). The list includes syntaxa found north of the treeline — in the tundra zone (subzones of the southern, typical, and arctic tundra) and polar deserts.1 Hence, it follows that there are no syntaxa from the forest-tundra as well as those above the treeline in the mountains adjacent to the tundra zone (Putorana and Anabarskoe plateaus). The syntaxa from the territory of the «Russian Arctic» (Barentsburg, Pyramida) on the West Spitsbergen Island (Spitsbergen archipelago) are also not taken into account (their positioning is logical in Spitzbergern syntaxonomy). History. The study of the Russian Arctic plant cover began in the second third of the XIXth century in the north-east of the European Russia (Schrenk, 1855) and in Siberia on the Taymyr Peninsula (Middendorf, 1860–1867). After a significant break, it continued in the USSR in the pre-war time and intensified after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The most intense (both in the size of the studied areas and the numbers and duration of the field works) was the period from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Researchers working both in other zones and in the Arctic processed the obtained data in accordance with the approaches of the dominant classification, and the relevés were either not published or presented in a small (4–5) number for association. Despite the obvious limitations of this approach, there were published (both in the form of text with listing of few dominants and with relevé tables) both general (Gorodkov, 1935) and regional (Andreev, 1932; Bogdanovskaya-Giyenef, 1938; Smirnova, 1938; Dedov, 2006 [1940]; Aleksandrova, 1956, 1983; Gorodkov, 1956, 1958 a, b; Katenin, 1972) classifications, and checklists — a draft classification of vegetation of the whole Arctic (Aleksandrova, 1979) and classification of Taymyr vegetation (Matveyeva, 1985). In the late 1980s, Russian phytosociologists turned to the Brown-Blanquet floristic (= floristic-sociological (Theurillat et al., 2021), or ecological-floristic (Mirkin, Naumova, 2014)), classification system as the most conceptually substantiated, with generally accepted rules for describing communities in the field and the technique of relevé tabular processing, and also with clear rules for the formation of syntaxon names. In this system, the obligatory publication of the original data and the requirements for its validity when describing the basic syntaxon are strictly postulated, which provides an objective comparison and classification of any plant community types, in whatever system these data are not submitted. Just as it is impossible to imagine the development of taxonomy without the existence of herbarium collections, so it should be an axiom for phytosociologists that since the relevé is the only documentary reflection of a natural phenomenon named «plant community» (Matveyeva, 2008), it should be available for analysis to all syntaxonomists. Since the second decade of the XXth century, the followers of the Braun-Blanquet system have published thousands of relevés from different regions of the globe, which made it possible to produce a unified classification of vegetation from the Arctic to the tropics and its constant replenishment. Currently, the process of creating electronic databases (archives) of relevés, including the Arctic Vegetation Archive, which accumulates information on circumpolar vegetation is accumulated, is actively underway (Walker et al., 2018). The starting point when Russian tundra experts began to work consistently, following the principles of this classification, is the first International Meeting on the Classification and Mapping of Arctic Vegetation, which took place in 1992 in Boulder, CO (USA). For the publication of its data, a special issue of the Journal of Vegetation Science (1994, Vol. 5, N 6) named «Circumpolar arctic vegetation» (where 4 papers by Russian syntaxonomists were published) was provided. After 1992, when the intensity of field works decreased sharply, the number of publications with complete characteristics of the communities of the Russian Arctic increased rapidly.The proposed checklist of syntaxa is the result of this almost 30-year acti­vity. The checklist structure. The arrangement of syntaxa of class rank is mainly the same as in the EuroVegChecklist — hereafter EVC (Mucina et al., 2016): zonal and intrazonal communities of the polar desert zone (one class); zonal (one class) and landscape-forming intrazonal (five classes) communities of the tundra zone; intrazonal communities (13 classes), united into groups according to the gradients of moisture, snow depth and soil mechanical composition. A syntaxon is represented as follows: — higher units of the rank Class/Order/Allian­ce (Suballiance): number (for Class), abbreviated rank in English (Cl., Ord., All. (Suball.)), in square brackets — code (if any) from EVC (Mucina et al., 2016); full name, author(s) and year; below is a brief description in two languages: English — in general as in the cited paper with some corrections due to the specificity in syntaxon geography and ecology in the Asian part; Russian — partly in accordance with the English version and/or to Prodromus of higher vegetation units of Russia (Ermakov, 2012), sometimes with minor corrections or clarifications. For new orders and alliances within the zonal tundra class differential taxon combinations are listed; — syntaxa of the rank Association, Community Type, Community, established on the territory of the Russian Arctic: abbreviated rank in English (Ass., Com. Type, Com.), name, author(s) and year (besides association, the cited papers are included in the Refe­rences). If syntaxon was previously described by European/American authors outside the Russian Fede­ration, the link to the publication, where it was found in the Russian Arctic, is placed in brackets. The ­arrangement of associations is alphabetical; — syntaxa of units of a lower (within association) rank (subassociation and vicariant, variant, subvariant, facies): abbreviated rank in English (subass. and vicar., var., subvar., fac.), name, in brackets author, year (besides subassociation, the cited papers are included in the References). The arrangement of the syntaxa is as follows: typicum(-cal, -ca), inops, then alphabetically. For subass. typicum authors are not listed (Theurillat et al., 2021), but if it was described by another author and/or in another paper, then the link to it is given in brackets and the paper is included in the References. All names of syntaxa are given in the author’s edition (as it was published), including the endings of a typical syntaxon within an association (subassociation, vicariant, variant, facia) — typicum, typical, typica. In different papers, there are two English spellings of Russian surnames: Aleksandrova/Alexandrova, Andreev/Andreyev, Bogdanovskaya-Giyenef/Bogdanovskaya-Gienef, Pristyazhnyuk/Prystyazhnyuk, Savich/Savič. A uniform (the first one) spelling of the surname is used here. If there was something that caused a disagreement with the author’s decision (including the assignment of an association to a syntaxon of a higher rank), there is a superscript number before the syntaxon name, or before the author’s surname (when it is in brackets), referring to critical comments. Critical comments. 1 – The name is invalid or needs change because: 1a – no reference to the nomenclature type; 1b – published ineffectively (names published as ‘manuscript’ or ‘unpublished’); 1c – not accompanied by a sufficient diagnosis, no tables with original relevés; 1d – suggested by the author as preliminary; 1e – not obvious from what species syntaxon epithet is formed and it cannot be extracted from the diagnosis and/or tables); 1f – syntaxon with the same name was described earlier (including the case of inversion); 1g – the form of the syntaxon name does not correspond to Art. 10 of «International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature» — hereafter ICPN (Theurillat et al., 2021); 1h – the given nomenclature type belongs to a different syntaxon, validation does not correspond to ICPN; 1i – the relevé chosen as an association or subassociation nomenclature type does not contain the name-giving taxon of this syntaxon; 1j – there is a subspecies in the original diagnosis and in the tables, while in the syntaxon name the species name is used; 1k – the nomenclature type is given for 2 variants of the vicariant, among which there is no tyicum one; 1l – published or validated in 2002 or later with no indication of novelty (like, Ass. nov.). 2 – the author(s) did not place the syntaxon among the higher units. 3 – the author(s) placed the syntaxon in other higher units than suggested in this list. 4 – the syntaxon was renamed due to a change in its rank; in this checklist it is also given under a new name. 5 – the syntaxon is described by the author(s) in the Community rank but is assigned within the known association as a unit of it internal division. 6 – the author(s) assigned the syntaxon to this class with a question. 7 – the author(s) unreasonably (noted in literature) placed the communities in given syntaxon that needs revision. 8 – in the EVC there is only one author, while in the original source there are two. 9 – it is written that the title proposed by the first author was valid, but according to Principle II of the ICPN it is not. 10 – the author(s) of the syntaxon is(are) incorrect: the syntaxonomic units originally described in the framework of the ecological-physiognomic classification are invalid in accordance with Principle II (Art. 3d ICPN), and have been validated by subsequent authors. 11 – the author(s) assigned the syntaxon to this class/order, but did not refer to an alliance or placed in the alliance other than that proposed in this checklist. 12 – the author(s) attributed the syntaxon to this alliance, but as part of a different class/order, or not attributed to the class/order. 13 – the author(s) changed the rank of the syntaxon in comparison with the original description. 14 – the spelling of the syntaxon name does not correspond to the rules of the ICPN; the correct name [recte[ is given in square brackets. 15 – in the EVC the alliance is placed in another order. 16 – the author(s) of the syntaxon are incorrect, the first author (in brackets) did not give such a name, or incorrect year. 17 – the author(s) of the syntaxon incorrectly cited, priority belongs to other author(s) who published the name earlier and/or effectively. 18 – in the EVC the alliance is placed in synonyms for another alliance, which name was changed but not yet approved (nom. mut. propos). THE CHECKLIST — see the main text. Brief analysis of the composition. The checklist is based upon analysis of more than 70 papers, professionally reviewed and published, which contain more than 6,000 geobotanical relevés, that make available information on the composition and structure of 734 syntaxa ranging from association/community type/community to facies. At the mid-2021, the checklist includes 241 associations (152 subassociations and 25 vicariants, 190 variants and 61 subvariants, 13 facies), 35 types of communities and 17 communities from 62 alliances (6 suballiances), 33 orders and 20 classes. Most of the higher rank units — Class/Order/Alliance — are taken from the classification of vegetation in Europe (Mucina et al., 2016) Class. Of the 20 classes, 19 are in EVC (Mucina et al., 2016), to which we have assigned 207 associations, although we do not consider this decision final. A new class for zonal tundra vegetation Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov.2 so far is left in the provisional status. Conventionally is used the class Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis which contains willow scrubs in the valleys and on the interfluves. Order. Of the 33 orders 29 are in EVC. Among the known ones there is formally described Salicetalia glauco-lanatae so far located in Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis. Three orders (Arctophiletalia fulvae; Chamerio–Betuletalia nanae; Schulzio crini­tae–Aquilegietalia glandulosae) were described by Russian authors. Three new orders (Salici polaris–Hylocomietalia alaskani ord. nov. prov., Caricetalia arctisibiricae-lugentis ord. nov. prov., Eriophoretalia vaginati ord. nov. prov.) are suggested here in the provisional status, for establishing within the tund­ra zonal class Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. Nameless order is proposed for communities dominated by mesophytic arctic and/or arcto­alpine herbs often with dwarf shrubs (Salix arctica/polaris/reticulata, Dryas octopetala/punctata) and few mosses on the southern slopes of hills and high river banks in the tundra zone of Eurasia; conventionally it is placed in the Mulgedio–Aconitetea. According to both species composition and habitat the order Arabidetalia caeruleae is moved from Thlaspietea rotundifolii (as in EVC) into Salicetea herbaceae. Alliance. Of the 62 alliances 36 are in EVC, 5 of which (Arctophilion fulvae; Caricion stantis, Chamerio angustifolii–Matricarion hookeri; Dryado octopetalae–Caricion arctisibiricae, Polemonio acutiflorum–Veratrion lobeliani) are described by Russian authors. Alliance Oxytropidion nigrescentis, validated in 1998 (Matveyeva 1998, p. 81), is given as valid. The following 8 alliances are valid: Aulacomnio palustris–Caricion rariflorae, Polemonio acutiflorum–Salicion glaucae and Rubo chamaemori–Dicranion elongati on the European North, Carici concoloris–Aulacomnion turgidi, Oxytropido sordidae–Tanacetion bipinnati in Siberia, Androsaco arctisibiricae–Aconogonion laxmannii, Aulacomnio turgidi–Salicion glaucae, Salici pulchrae–Caricion lugentis on Chukotka. Another 7 alliances have invalid names (suggested as preliminary, no nomenclature type was chosen, etc.). For 6 of these validation is necessary and quite simple. An exeption is the alliance Luzulo–Festucion rubrae (Ektova, Ermokhina, 2012), with all invalid associations (no both relevés and diagnoses); after the later are validated they logically could be placed in Loiseleurio-Arctostaphylion. Within the tundra zonal class the alliance Salici polaris–Hylocomion alaskani all. nov. is formally described and the alliances Cassiopo tetragonae–Eriophorion vaginati all. nov. prov. and Poo arcticae–Calamagrostion holmii all. nov. prov. are proposed provisionally. It is recommended to establish 6 alliances (in the checklist with no name) in classes Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani (3), Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (1), Thlaspietea rotundifolii (1) and Mulgedio-Aconitetea (1). Syntaxonomic decisions, other than those derived from the EVC, are made on the positions of 4 alliances within the higher-rank units: Caricion stantis was moved from Sphagno warnstorfii–Tomentypnetalia to Caricetalia fuscae; Dryado octopetalae–Caricion arctisibiricae — from Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii to Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. (see: Lavrinenko, Lavrinenko, 2018a); Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari is recognized (Koroleva et al., 2019) as different from Kobresio-Dryadion, synonym with which it is given in the EVC; the Honckenyo–Leymion arenarii is used compare to the EVC where it is the synonym of Agropyro–Honckenyion peploidis nom. mut. propos. Compared to the author’s decision, the alliance Carici concoloris–Aulacomnion turgidi from Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea is moved to Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. Suballiance. Of the 6 suballiances 4 (Androsaco arctisibiricae–Aconogonenion laxmannii; Astragalo pseudadsurgentis–Calamagrostienion purpurascentis; Caricenion rariflorae; Oxytropido vassilczenkoi–Dryadenion punctatae) are valid, and two (Anemono parviflorae–Salicenion and Pediculari lapponicae–Salicenion) require validation. The suballiance Caricenion rariflorae placed in the checklist in Scheuchzerion palustris was originally established within the Sphagnion baltici, which in the EVC is synonymous with the first name. Association. Of 241 associations only 34 are known outside the Russian Arctic, and the remaining 207 are new. The known ones are mainly on coastal bio­topes — marshes (15) and dunes (3) — and extremely wet habitats (9). There are 4 associations described earlier in Europe within the large landscape-forming classes (Dryadetum octopetalae, Empetro–Betuletum nanae, Loiseleurio-Diapensietum, Phyllodoco–Vaccinietum myrtilli) which distribution ranges are extended to the European North of Russia, and 3 within small intrazonal classes (Geranietum sylvatici, Potentillo crantzii–Polygonetum vivipari, and Rumici–Salicetum lapponi) found on Kola Peninsula. Only 2 associations, described by European (Dryado–Cassiopetum tetragonae) and American syntaxonomists (Sphagno–Eriophoretum vaginati), occur in the Asian part of the Russian Arctic (with new subunits within both). The most association-rich are 8 main classes. The two zonal classes include Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani (20 associations) in the polar desert zone and Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. (34 associations) in the tundra zone — 54 in total. 129 associations are identified in the 6 main classes of intrazonal vegetation: Be­tulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (29 associations) Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea 1960 (22 associations), Carici rupestris–Kobresietea (21 associations), Salicetea herbaceae (16), Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea fuscae (25 associations); Juncetea maritimi (16 associations) — 187 in total. The vegetation of other 12 classes is described locally geographically and selectively syntaxonomically. 37 associations were not assigned to any of the known classes. This, in particular, was the case with the vegetation of the polar desert zone (Matveyeva, 2006) before Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani class was described in 2016. But it also happened when deciding to assign an association to some well-known class, authors stressed that they did this forcibly in the absence of an adequate unit. For example, before the proposal, albeit provisionally, of the class Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskanii class. prov., even zonal communities from the Arctic tundra subzone were placed in the Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea class accentuating that they do not contain a single characteristic species of this class (Kholod, 2007). Community type is distinguished when author does not establish new association due to the small number (less than 10) relevés in one location, leaving this for the future There are 35 such units, most of which (9) are in the Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani in the polar desert zone. It is worth noting two points: 1) almost never Community types reach the association status; 2) not all authors are stopped by a small number of relevés, when naming syntaxa, and many associations are based upon on less than not 10, but even 5 relevés. As a result, units of different status often contain equally little information about their composition. Community. This rank exists when there is only one relevé, due to both the type rarity and the lack of time. There are 17 such units, with 7 in the polar desert zone. Two main subordinate levels are used within the association: the first — subassociation and vicariant (not protected by the ICPN), the second — variant. Both reflect small but obvious differences in composition, abundance, constancy of species from the type of association (typicum), conditioned edaphically, locally-climatically, chorologically (Ellenberg, 1956; Braun-Blanquet, 1964) or indicate different stages of succession (Westhoff, van der Maarel, 1978). Differences in the listed characteristics from the type group (typicum) due to ecology are an undoubted reason for identifying several subassociations even in a landscape. To reflect similar differences due to the object location in several areas on latitudinal (in different tundra subzones) or longitudinal (in different sectors of the same zone/subzone) gradients in similar habitats (on the same landscape elements, with the same soil type), subassociation (a unit protected by the ICPN) is used as well. However, the desire to distinguish the reasons that caused such differences is also understandable. Hence, understandable is the interest to the concept of geographic vicariant, perceived by some Russian syntaxonomists working in the Arctic, which is reflected in the checklist (since the unit is not protected by ICPN, after the name in brackets there is a link to References). Leading European phytosociologists E. van der Maarel and W. Westhoff, who in 1993 reviewed an article by N. Matveyeva on the vegetation of Taymyr (Matveyeva, 1994), recalling the concept of geographical races (Becking, 1957), or vicariants (Barkman, 1958), recommended to use the status of a geographic vicariant to reflect changes in the composition of communities of one association related with a geographic location, leaving ecologically determined differences for subassociations.The need for such a division is reflected in the famous paper of F. Daniëls (1982) on Greenland, where the author distinguishes ecologically (habitat-differential) and geographically (area-differential) determined syntaxa, although uses only the name of subassociations. It is a great pity that the concept of a geographical vicariant, which was formed in the minds of the classics of phytosociology almost 60 years ago, did not find formal support: this unit was not included nor in the 3rd edition of the ICPN (Weber et al., 2000), neither in the 4th (Theurillat et al., 2021). The question of whether such a unit should be covered by the ICPN regulations «... can be resolved with the accumulation of experience in its application» (Weber et al., 2000, p. 6); the results of such experience are reflected in this checklist. Subassociation. There are 152 subassociations within 71 associations: most of all in the Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani (24), slightly less in Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea (21) and Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (23), more than 11 in Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii (16), Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea fuscae (17), Juncetea maritimi (12) and Thlaspietea rotundifolii (12). Usually there are 2–3 subassociations in one association. Vicariant. There are 25 vicarians in the 14 associations. 19 of these are latitudinal in associations of zonal, mire, snowbed (Matveyeva, 1994, 1998, 2006) and herb meadow (Zanokha, 1993, 1995a, b) communities within 3 tundra subzones and syntaxa, replacing them in the polar deserts on Severnaya Zemlya (Zanokha, 2001; Matveyeva, 2006. The appeal to the concept of vicariant on Taymyr, where in the only place on the Earth on the mainland at about 900 km a full latitudinal gradient from the tree line to the polar deserts is expressed (Matveyeva, 1998), is quite understandable and logical. The other 6 vicariants are longitudinal: 1 in the European North of Russia (Matveyeva, Lavrinenko, 2011) and 5 on Wrangel Isl. (Kholod, 2007). Variant. There are 190 variants within 66 associations. There are no clearly formulated rules regarding their fundamental difference from subassociations. It is also not obvious whether the level of variant is the next after subassociation in association subdivision, or these are units of the same rank: in 31 associations, variants are allocated within subassociations or vicariants, in 34 — directly in the association. There is no clear logic behind why even one and the same author follows the first way in some cases, and the second in others. Subvariant. This unit was used for the division of variants of technogenically disturbed vegetation (Sumina, 2012, 2018), where 54 subvariants (2–5 in each) were identified in 20 variants of 6 associations, as well as of the baydzharakh vegetation in the arctic tundra subzone in Siberia (7 subvariants). Facies. The unit without differentiaal taxa, recognized by the predominance (with a high abundance) of a species of the «normal» floristic complex of the association, due to particular or sometimes ­extreme abiotic factors, or under anthropogenic impact (Westhoff, van der Maarel, 1978). There are 14 facies in 2 associations of 2 classes on Wrangel Isl. (Kholod, 2007) and in 3 syntaxa of 3 classes in the Bolshezemelskaya tundra (Neshataev, Lavrinenko, 2020). Conclusion. One of the purposes of publishing this checklist is to draw the attention of northern phytosociologists to assessing the validity of syntaxa and the legality of their position in the Braun-Blanquet system. Our task was to bring together all available information, which is done in this article. Even a simple list of syntaxa makes it possible to assess the completeness of the geographical and syntaxonomic knowledge of vegetation. Geographically, sytaxonomic information is available for 12 of the 13 Russian floristic provinces (according to CAVM), in which about 130 districts have been investigated. The most studied provinces (from west to east) are Kanino-Pechora, Yamalo-Gydan, Taymyr, East Chukotka, Wrangel Island (the number of published relevés in each more than 600. There are no published data for the Kharaulakh province. It is not possible to say for sure to what extent the number of associations reflects the presence and distribution communities of 20 classes in different regions of the Russian Arctic. The completeness of the vegetation study depended on the tasks and on the possibility of their implementation. High attention to zonal vegetation is natural, since it is used for subdivision of the territory, for zonal division, and for maps of various scales. Both snowless (Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii) and snowbed (Salicetea herbaceae) communities, as specific for the Arctic, are also always in the sphere of interests. Polygonal mires and bog-hollow vegetation (Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea) certainly require much more research, due to their vast areas in the eastern regions of the Siberian Arctic, where these types are not described. For the relatively well-studied shrub communities in the Asian part (conditionally assigned to the Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis), validation of many syntaxa are required; the gap in the description of this object in the northern European regions has just begun to be filled. For 12 associations of grass-forbs communities on the well heated slopes conditionally positioned in the Mulgedio-Aconitetea, new orders and allian­ces, and, potentially, the class are necessary to be established. Unreasonably little data are available for raised bogs (Oxycocco-Sphagnetea), if even these are ­rather common of the southern regions of the tundra zone. Very scattered geographically and sparse syntaxonomic data are on the vegetation of naturally eroded mobile substrates (sand screes, gravel debris, landslides). In the Arctic, as in other regions of the globe, communities are placed in this class not by their species composition, but by habitat (unstable substrate), and the fact of the sparse cover. Only recently the zonal vegetation of polar deserts on horizontal surfaces with quite stable loamy substrates has been classified as a distinct class (Daniëls et al., 2016). In the list of habitat types with associated described Brown-Blanquet syntaxa from Arctic regions of Europe, Greenland, western North America, and Alaska, there are 5 classes (Walker et al., 2018) which are absent in our checklist: Juncetea trifidi Hadač in Klika et Hadač 1994, Saxifrago cernuae–Cochlearietea groenlandica Micuna et Daniëls in Mucina et al. 2016, Vaccinio-Piceetea Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl. et al. 1939, Asplenietea trichomanis (Br.-Bl. in Meier et Br.-Bl. 1934) Oberd. 1977, Salicetea purpureae Moor 1958. Communities of these classes either exist in the Russian Arctic, but were not described (e. g. forest «islets» in tundra landscapes — Vaccinio-Piceetea, and the vegetation of rocks and rubble talus — Asplenietea trichomanis), or they exist, but are positioned in the other classes. An open question remains with Junce­tea trifidi on acidic substrates. Final conclusions on these classes will become possible after the thorough analysis of syntaxa throughout the entire circumpolar space. Even a very brief analysis of the available data revealed numerous cases of invalid names of syntaxa (no indication of the nomenclature type) or inconsistency names with ICPN rules (correct [recte] names are given for 43 ones); leaving the association outside of higher-level units or assigning one basic unit to ­several higher ones, etc. There are more such cases than we have noted now, especially taking into ­account the new edition of the ICPN (for example, the obligatory Latin or English terminology for denoting ranks and new units (ICPN 4th, Art. 3d, 3i, 3o, 5), mutation ­cases (Lat. mutatum, ICPN. 4th, Art. 45), inversions (Lat. inversum, ICPN. 4th, Art. 42) of names and autonym (Lat. autonym, ICPN 4th, Art. 13b, 4d). Now it becomes possible for each author to take measures to eliminate errors of various kinds to validate their syntaxa. Consolidated participation in joint publication is also possible. This is a necessary step for the next action — preparing the Prodromus of the vegetation syntaxa of the Russian Arctic with the expanded characteristics for all levels.

AbstractSea urchins Paracentrotus lividus were harvested monthly from April 2015 to March 2016 from two sites in Sardinia (Italy). The two sites, a Posidonia oceanica meadow and a rocky bottom habitat, were naturally characterized by different food sources and availability, being mainly populated by the sea grass Posidonia oceanica and the brown algae Halopteris scoparia, respectively. Total lipids showed a minimum during winter in mature gonads, and a maximum in the summer (recovery stage). Fatty acid (FA) profiles of gut contents and gonads differed from those of the most available food sources. Levels of C18:3 (n-3) (ALA) discriminated samples from the two sites. Despite the very low amounts of C20:5 (n-3) (EPA) and C20:4 (n-6) (ARA) in P. oceanica, the main FA in gonads and gut contents were EPA and ARA in both sites. Increase in green algae intake prior to gametogenesis, especially C. cylindracea, likely affected EPA and ARA levels in gonads. The results show that P. lividus is able to concentrate lipids in gut contents and also to selectively store EPA, ARA and their precursors ALA and 18:2 (n-6) (LA). Moreover, bioconversion of ALA to EPA and of LA to ARA in P. lividus is suggested.

AbstractThe research was carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation in the forest-steppe region of the south Western Siberia (Omsk state), in the long-term (43 years) stationary experiment. Sprinkling was used for irrigation in the experiment. The number of different physiological groups of microorganisms, the cellulolytic activity of the soil, and nitrification capacity were determined under the sowing of an eight-field grain-grass crop rotation (perennial grasses (Bunias orientalis L. + Bromopsis inermis L. + Galega orientalis Lam. 6–8 years old), spring barley Hordeum vulgare Leyss.—variety Sasha). Immobilization processes predominated in the soil under the sowed crops, it contributes to the preservation of soil organic matter (mineralization coefficient SAA/MPA < 1). The highest transformation ratio of soil organic matter, i.e. increased conversion of plant residues into organic matter, was noted with applying nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers (N60P60) under the barley. The combination of irrigation factors and the use of mineral fertilizers (N30-60P60) were contributed to the growth of the microorganisms’ population, the amplification of decomposition of cellulose, and improvement of nitrification capacity in the soil. The perennial irrigation of the meadow-chernozem soil and the application of intensive technology of cultivation of crops in crop rotation stimulated the growth of the microorganisms’ population and didn’t detriment the ecological state of the soil.