Stinging wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Northern Russia

Among Aculeata, only bumblebees (Bombus spp.) have long been popular targets of entomological research in the Russian Arctic, whereas the information on wasps, ants and solitary bees from this region is scarce. Sampling in the surroundings of Naryan-Mar in the years 2013, 2015 and 2019 yielded 39 species of Aculeata, among which 27 species are for the first time reported from the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Noteworthy findings include Gorytes neglectus, Lasioglossum boreale, 3limumesa littoralis, Odynerus alpinus and Osmia maritima. Combined with published information, our data increased the fauna of aculeate Hymenoptera of NAO to 61 species. We also list and discuss erroneous or doubtful records of additional 11 species. Collection localities are provided for each species. Based on comparisons with northern Finland and the Murmansk Oblast in Russia we estimate that about 60 additional aculeate species could still be found in NAO.Peer reviewe

New and interesting records of Lepidoptera from the Kola Peninsula, Northwestern Russia, in 2000–2009

Extensive sampling during 2000–2009 resulted in discovery of 65 species of Lepidoptera that have not been reported from the Kola Peninsula (i.e., Murmanskaya oblast of Russia) in our earlier publications. Critical revision of data published in several papers by the Russian scientists and in the comprehensive Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Russia added further 59 species to the regional fauna (among which we controlled records of 15 species), while 60 species are excluded as erroneous or doubtful records. We also confirmed records of 12 species which were known from old publications only, and reported interesting findings of 71 rare species that expand their distribution range or demonstrate interesting ecological patterns. The fauna of moths and butterflies of the Murmansk region now totals 813 species

The relative strengths of rapid and delayed density dependence acting on a terrestrial herbivore change along a pollution gradient

Animal populations vary in response to a combination of density‐dependent and density‐independent forces, which interact to drive their population dynamics. Understanding how abiotic forces mediate the form and strength of density‐dependent processes remains a central goal of ecology, and is of increasing urgency in a rapidly changing world.Here, we report for the first time that industrial pollution determines the relative strength of rapid and delayed density dependence operating on an animal population. We explored the impacts of pollution and climate on the population dynamics of an eruptive leafmining moth, Phyllonorycter strigulatella, around a coal‐fired power plant near Apatity, north‐western Russia. Populations were monitored at 14 sites over 26 years.The relative strengths of rapid and delayed density dependence varied with distance from the power plant. Specifically, the strength of rapid density dependence increased while the strength of delayed density dependence decreased with increasing distance from the pollution source. Paralleling the increasing strength of rapid density dependence, we observed declines in the densities of P. strigulatella, increases in predation pressure from birds and ants, and declines in an unknown source of mortality (perhaps plant antibiosis) with increasing distance from the power plant.In contrast to the associations with pollution, associations between climate change and leafminer population densities were negligible.Our results may help to explain the outbreaks of insect herbivores that are frequently observed in polluted environments. We show that they can result from the weakening of rapid (stabilizing) density dependence relative to the effects of destabilizing delayed density dependence. Moreover, our results may explain some of the variation reported in published studies of animal populations in polluted habitats. Variable results may emerge in part because of the location of the study sites on different parts of pollution gradients. Finally, in a rapidly changing world, effects of anthropogenic pollution may be as, or more, important than are effects of climate change on the future dynamics of animal populations.Rapid density dependence (diamonds) stabilizes animal populations, whereas delayed density dependence (squares) is destabilizing. The authors report for the first time that a gradient in pollution can influence the relative strengths of rapid and delayed density dependence. The results may help to explain the high incidence of insect outbreaks near pollution sources.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149304/1/jane12930_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149304/2/jane12930.pd

Population dynamics of herbivorous insects in polluted landscapes

Environmental pollution is one cause of insect decline in the Anthropocene, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure due to a paucity of pollution-impact studies on insects that address density-dependent processes. Long data series (19-26 years) are available only for a few species monitored around two industrial polluters in north-western Russia. A particularly exciting current finding is that industrial pollution determines the relative strength of rapid (stabilising) and delayed (destabilising) density dependence operating on a herbivore population. Most studies address acute effects of traditional pollutants (e.g. sulphur dioxide and trace elements) and nitrogen deposition on agricultural pests, whereas the effects of realistic concentrations of ozone, particulate matter and emerging pollutants on insects feeding on noncultivated plants are unknown. The accumulated evidence remains insufficient to predict the effects of pollutants of global concern on the population dynamics of herbivorous insects

How reproducible are the measurements of leaf fluctuating asymmetry?

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) represents small, non-directional deviations from perfect symmetry in morphological characters. FA is generally assumed to increase in response to stress; therefore, FA is frequently used in ecological studies as an index of environmental or genetic stress experienced by an organism. The values of FA are usually small, and therefore the reliable detection of FA requires precise measurements. The reproducibility of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was explored by comparing the results of measurements of scanned images of 100 leaves of downy birch (Betula pubescens) conducted by 31 volunteer scientists experienced in studying plant FA. The median values of FA varied significantly among the participants, from 0.000 to 0.074, and the coefficients of variation in FA for individual leaves ranged from 25% to 179%. The overall reproducibility of the results among the participants was rather low (0.074). Variation in instruments and methods used by the participants had little effect on the reported FA values, but the reproducibility of the measurements increased by 30% following exclusion of data provided by seven participants who had modified the suggested protocol for leaf measurements. The scientists working with plant FA are advised to pay utmost attention to adequate and detailed description of their data acquisition protocols in their forthcoming publications, because all characteristics of instruments and methods need to be controlled to increase the quality and reproducibility of the data. Whenever possible, the images of all measured objects and the results of primary measurements should be published as electronic appendices to scientific papers.</p

Insects identified by unqualified scientists: multiple “new” records from the Murmansk oblast of Russia are dismissed as false

A recently published book authored by six botanists (Rak NS, Goncharova OA, Poloskova EY, Litvinova SV, Zotova OE, Lipponen IN. 2018. Bioecological analysis of introducents of the family Rosaceae Juss. Kola Science Centre, Apatity, 87 pp.) reports information on 19 species of insects that are declared to damage woody Rosaceae plants in the central part of the Murmansk oblast of Russia. Examination of photographs published in this book revealed that 15 of these 19 species were identified incorrectly and that several of the illustrated species are unlikely to damage woody Rosaceae plants. The most striking examples are errors in determination at the order level: a syrphid fly (Diptera) identified as a leafcutter bee (Hymenoptera), and a sawfly (Hymenoptera) identified as a psyllid (Hemiptera). I provide correct identifications of the insects illustrated in the cited book in order to prevent the spread of erroneous information across future publications and databases.</p

Is the small island effect observed in the courtyards of a historical city centre?

Growing evidence suggests that biodiversity on small islands and fragments could be independent of island area, a pattern called the Small Island Effect (SIE). We searched for SIE among the floras of 19 courtyards completely enclosed by buildings in central St Petersburg, Russia, in 1993, 2003 and 2008. Despite the extremely small size of the studied habitats (125-3500 m(2); open ground area 0.1-700 m(2)), the number of native and naturalized vascular plant species generally increased with an increase in habitat area. Plant species richness was better explained by the open ground area than by the total courtyard area, and species-area relationships did not differ between ornamental and non-ornamental plants. The statistical support for SIE was obtained in 3 of 14 analyses. Both semi-log and log-log data demonstrated SIE in trees, but not in shrubs or herbs. We also found SIE in the 2008 data (all life forms combined), but only with a semi-log model. The threshold area for the detected SIE was 3-7 m(2). We conclude that SIE in urban green spaces may be an exception rather than the general rule. Its occurrence may be transient and may depend on the current balance of stochastic colonisation and extinction processes. Thus, even a minor increase in the area of open ground patches embedded in an urban matrix will increase the diversity of plants persisting in these patches. This finding justifies the importance of small local actions for maximizing the conservation of urban biodiversity and the retention of the ecosystem services it provides

Temperature and herbivory, but not pollution, affect fluctuating asymmetry of mountain birch leaves: Results of 25-year monitoring around the copper nickel smelter in Monchegorsk, northwestern Russia

Fluctuating asymmetry ( FA), which is defined as the magnitude of the random deviations from a symmetrical shape, reflects developmental instability and is commonly assumed to increase under environmental and genetic stress. We monitored the leaf FA of mountain birch, Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii, from 1993 to 2017 in individually marked trees at 21 sites around the copper nickel smelter at Monchegorsk, and we then analysed the results with respect to spatial and temporal variation in pollution, climate and background insect herbivory. Responses of leaf FA to different stressors were stressor specific: FA did not correlate with pollution load, it decreased significantly with an increase in June air temperature and it increased slightly but significantly with an increase in the previous-year leaf damage due to defoliating and leafmining insects. Our findings suggest that climate warming is unlikely to impose stress on the explored mountain birch populations, but even small increases in insect herbivory may adversely affect birch trees. However, these conclusions, since they are based on an observational study, should be viewed as tentative until confirmed by controlled experiments. We also demonstrated that the use of non-blinded measurements, which are prone to confirmation bias, was the primary reason for the earlier report of an increase in birch leaf FA near the Monchegorsk smelter. We hope that our findings will promote a wide use of blinded methods in ecological research and that they will contribute to debunking the myth that plant leaf FA consistently increases with increases in environmental pollution. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved