Azov-Black Sea estuary management problems

Azov-Black sea coast is represented by a numerous estuaries and bays that for a long time functioned due to artificial connection with the sea. Among them are Molochnyi, Berezan, Tylihul Tuzly Estuaries, Eastern Syvash, etc.; they have significant scientific, social and conservation value. Most of them are included to the protected areas of Ukraine as parts of National Parks with international wetland status. On the other hand, they have important socio-economic value, because there is fish breeding, fish feeding and further active fishing in its waters

Parasite communities and genetic structure of non-native pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, in different Black Sea drainages of Ukraine

In recent years, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Actinopterygii: Centrarchidae) have spread intensively to many parts of Europe, including Ukraine. In this study, we (1) assess intra-population genetic variability in five widely-spaced Ukrainian pumpkinseed populations and compare their population genetic structure with other European populations and (2) provide a comprehensive survey of pumpkinseed parasites across the region. Discriminant analysis of principal components and FST analyses based on microsatellites indicated that all five populations formed discrete clusters. Within Europe, Ukrainian populations were most closely associated with populations from the River Danube, suggesting that the Danube is the main source of all Ukrainian pumpkinseed populations. The parasite fauna comprised 15 taxa, most of which (92%) were native to North America (monogenea Onchocleidus similis and O. dispar; myxozoan Myxobolus dechtiari). Parasites acquired in the species' new range occurred accidentally, with only Trichodina ciliates found relatively frequently and the eye flukes Diplostomum pseudospathaceum and Tylodelphys clavata occurring at higher prevalence. Absence of specific monogeneans in pumpkinseed from estuaries (Khadzhibey and Sukhyi Lymans) indicates low tolerance of Onchocleidus species to salinity

Erot spatiaalisissa ja ajallisissa reaktionormeissa kevään ja syksyn fenologisille tapahtumille

For species to stay temporally tuned to their environment, they use cues such as the accumulation of degree-days. The relationships between the timing of a phenological event in a population and its environmental cue can be described by a population-level reaction norm. Variation in reaction norms along environmental gradients may either intensify the envi- ronmental effects on timing (cogradient variation) or attenu- ate the effects (countergradient variation). To resolve spatial and seasonal variation in species’ response, we use a unique dataset of 91 taxa and 178 phenological events observed across a network of 472 monitoring sites, spread across the nations of the former Soviet Union. We show that compared to local rates of advancement of phenological events with the advancement of temperature-related cues (i.e., variation within site over years), spatial variation in reaction normsPeer reviewe

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe

Integrative ecological management of coastal marine and limans ecosystems of Ukraine

Based on the experience of managing coastal marine, and limans ecosystems of Ukraine, the theoretical scheme of Integrative Ecological Management is considered. The scheme includes the “Basic Diagnostic” block for which the key tools are: Basin Assessment, Ecosystem Approach and Ecosystem Services. Geo-information Technologies are demonstrated in order to assess the catchment areas of some limans and coastal marine ecosystems of Ukraine. With the ecosystem approach, it is necessary to use functional indicators for assessing autotrophic, heterotrophic and decomposer communities of the ecosystem, the bind of which is associated with Ecological Status of the water body. It is indicated that an important goal of environmental management is reducing the intensity of anthropogenic flows of substance and energy, which cause destruction of the ecological balance and devaluation of ecosystem services. For the second block of the scheme - “Decision Making” it is proposed to use Priority Management Algorithm principle as an effective tool which allows to achieve the target maximum at minimal cost. At the final stage of the “Target Result”, recommendations that are offered to stakeholders at the local, regional and national level must achievement the main objectives of the Integrative Ecological Management of coastal marine ecosystems and limans

Modeling of the rail freight traffic by the method of economic-geographical delimitation in the region of the south-easter coast of the Baltic Sea

The results of further research on the creation of a mathematical model of railway freight traffic carried out in a regional transport and technological system are presented. The proposed logistic approach is applied to the issues of optimizing the management of transportation directed to ports located on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. Built on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the transport infrastructure of the region under consideration and the performance of the operating company, the mathematical model provides ample opportunities to address issues of regulating of transportation. The method of economic and geographical delimitation of the ≪influence areas≫ of loading stations is significantly developed both in terms of using the geometric properties of higher order algebraic curves and in terms of a deeper approach to studying the transportation process. The results of the research can serve as one of the basis for improving the economic efficiency of the functioning of international transport corridors in the framework of multimodal transport

ISSUES CONCERNING TRIPOLYE METALLURGY AND THE VIRGIN COPPER OF VOLHYNIA

The ‘western borderland’ of the Tripolye culture, appearing in the title of this volume of the ‘Baltic-Pontic Studies’, refers to the cyrcle of neighbouring cultural systems of the Upper Tisza and Vistula drainages. As neighbours of the Tripolye culture such groups are discussed as Lengyel-Polg´ar, Funnel Beaker and, albeit to a much narrower extent, the Globular Amphora (cf. B-PS vol. 8) and the Corded Ware cultures. The papers discuss the reception of ‘western’ traditions by Tripolye communities as well as the ‘western borderland’ mentioned in the title. Defined in this way, these questions have been only cursorily treated in the literature. The consequences of accumulated omissions in the study of the cultural surroundings of ‘Tripolye’ have been felt by us when we worked on this issue. Thus, we submit a greatly limited work as far as its subject matter is concerned hoping that it will open a sequence of necessary studies. Such studies should, in the first place, focus on the co-ordination of the ‘languages’ of taxonomy and then they should investigate different aspects of the mechanisms of the outlined processes of the ‘cultural contact’