Distribution of biodiversity of wild beet species (Genus Beta L.) in Armenia under ongoing climate change conditions

The reported annual temperature increase and significant precipitation drop in Armenia impact the country’s ecosystems and biodiversity. The present study surveyed the geographical distribution of the local wild beet species under the ongoing climate change conditions. We showed that B. lomatogona, B. corolliflora and B. macrorhiza are sensitive to climate change and were affected to various degrees, depending on their location. The most affected species was B. lomatogona, which is at the verge of extinction. Migration for ca. 90 and 200–300 m up the mountain belt was recorded for B. lomatogona and B. macrorhiza, respectively. B. corolliflora was found at 100–150 m lower altitudes than in the 1980s. A general reduction in the beet’s population size in the native habitats was observed, with an increased number of plants within the populations, recorded for B. corolliflora and B. macrorhiza. A new natural hybrid Beta x intermedium Aloyan between B. corolliflora and B. macrorhiza was described and confirmed using chloroplast DNA trnL-trnF intergenic spacer (LF) and partially sequenced alcohol dehydrogenase (adh) of nuclear DNA. An overview of the wild beets reported in Armenia with the taxonomic background, morphological features, and distribution is provided. Conservation measures for preservation of these genetic resources are presented.publishedVersio

Efficacy of genetic transformation of E.coli field and reference (ATCC 8739) strains at different concentrations of CaCl2 for creation of Gene libraries

The importance of genetic transformation in various fields of biological research, and especially in the process of gene libraries formation, is very important. It has been proven by numerous studies that during the phase of obtaining competent cells, Ca2+ ions neutralize the electrostatic repulsion of membrane proteins and DNA of the bacterial cell, thereby stimulating the introduction of foreign DNA into the membrane pores. Our research aimed to elucidate the maximum efficiency of transformation in field and ATCC 8739 reference strains of E.coli at 0.05; 0.1 and 0.15 M concentrations of CaCL2. Microbiological, molecular-biological modern methods were used in the experimental studies. From the research results, it became evident that the efficiency of genetic transformation increases with the addition of concentration of CaCL2 and reaches the maximum at 0.1 M. Among the studied strains of E.coli, at 0.05 and 0.1 M concentrations of CaCL2, the highest efficiency was recorded in the field strain. At a 0.15 M concentration of CaCL2, the transformation efficiency in the field and reference strains is highly variable due to the size of the genomic DNA of the internalizing bacteria and the number of restriction sites

BioDATA - Biodiversity Data for Internationalisation in Higher Education

BioDATA is an international project on developing skills in biodiversity data management and data publishing. Between 2018 and 2021, undergraduate and postgraduate students from Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, have an opportunity to take part in the intensive courses to become certified professionals in biodiversity data management. They will gain practical skills and obtain appropriate knowledge on: international data standards (Darwin Core); data cleaning software, data publishing software such as the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), and preparation of data papers. Working with databases, creating datasets, managing data for statistical analyses and publishing research papers are essential for the everyday tasks of a modern biologist. At the same time, these skills are rarely taught in higher education. Most of the contemporary professionals in biodiversity have to gain these skills independently, through colleagues, or through supervision. In addition, all the participants familiarize themselves with one of the important international research data infrastructures such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is coordinated by the University of Oslo (Norway) and supported by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)

Evolvement of Public Open Spaces in Historical Environments of Yerevan City

In this article the role of public open spaces in Yerevan city as well as their correct and literate organisation from an architectural and planning perspective are studied and evaluated. In recent years a special attention has been paid to the development of Yerevan, the capital as well as other historical cities of Armenia in order to contribute to tourism development. This aspect resulted in the creation of new urban and architectural requirements. Among other issues the organisation of architectural environment of public open spaces - the role of urban design in our reality are also characterized. In these conditions urban and architectural organisation of public open spaces in historical cities are very important. Thus, the present study not only emphasizes the importance of studying the evolution of open spaces in Yerevan, but also stresses the significance of implementation of the international practice in this field in the city of Yerevan. The complex analyses, coordination and developing conditions of nowadays and historical requirements of historical cities are provided. The urban organisation and appropriate method selection for the current requirements of public open spaces are going to be analysed

Efficacy of genetic transformation of E.coli field and reference (ATCC 8739) strains at different concentrations of CaCl

The importance of genetic transformation in various fields of biological research, and especially in the process of gene libraries formation, is very important. It has been proven by numerous studies that during the phase of obtaining competent cells, Ca2+ ions neutralize the electrostatic repulsion of membrane proteins and DNA of the bacterial cell, thereby stimulating the introduction of foreign DNA into the membrane pores. Our research aimed to elucidate the maximum efficiency of transformation in field and ATCC 8739 reference strains of E.coli at 0.05; 0.1 and 0.15 M concentrations of CaCL2. Microbiological, molecular-biological modern methods were used in the experimental studies. From the research results, it became evident that the efficiency of genetic transformation increases with the addition of concentration of CaCL2 and reaches the maximum at 0.1 M. Among the studied strains of E.coli, at 0.05 and 0.1 M concentrations of CaCL2, the highest efficiency was recorded in the field strain. At a 0.15 M concentration of CaCL2, the transformation efficiency in the field and reference strains is highly variable due to the size of the genomic DNA of the internalizing bacteria and the number of restriction sites