"ENERGY APPROACH" FOR CALCULATING THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIORESOURCES OF THE HUNTING FARM "SVIYAZHSKOE"

O papel dos animais no ecossistema é determinado por uma ampla gama de fatores. Este é, antes de tudo, o número, a biomassa e a natureza da alimentação. Devido ao fato de que a taxa metabólica em diferentes grupos de animais não é a mesma, o indicador mais importante de sua importância no funcionamento do ecossistema é o fluxo de energia que passa pela comunidade (energia transformável). O artigo apresenta dados sobre o uso de energia transformável para avaliar os recursos de espécies terrestres de vertebrados nas condições da fazenda de caça "Sviyazhskoe. A abordagem implementada pode ser aplicada a diferentes territórios. Uma limitação fundamental pode ser apenas a ausência de dados sistemáticos sobre os registros de todos os grupos.The role of animals in the ecosystem is determined by a wide range of factors. This is, first of all, the number, biomass and nature of feeding. Due to the fact, that the metabolic rate in different groups of animals is not the same, the most integral indicator of their significance in the functioning of ecosystem is the energy flow, passing through the community (transformable energy). The article presents data on the use of transformable energy for assessing the resources of terrestrial vertebrate species in the conditions of the hunting farm "Sviyazhskoe. The implemented approach can be applied to different territories. A fundamental limitation can only be the absence of systematic data on the records of all groups.El papel de los animales en el ecosistema está determinado por una amplia gama de factores. Este es, en primer lugar, el número, la biomasa y la naturaleza de la alimentación. Debido al hecho de que la tasa metabólica en diferentes grupos de animales no es la misma, el indicador más integral de su importancia en el funcionamiento del ecosistema es el flujo de energía, que pasa a través de la comunidad (energía transformable). El artículo presenta datos sobre el uso de energía transformable para evaluar los recursos de las especies de vertebrados terrestres en las condiciones de la granja de caza "Sviyazhskoe. El enfoque implementado puede aplicarse a diferentes territorios. Una limitación fundamental solo puede ser la ausencia de datos sistemáticos sobre Los registros de todos los grupos

Species composition and distributional peculiarities of green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) in Protected Areas of the Middle Volga Region (Russia)

A high level of biological diversity, including amphibians, is characteristic for Protected Areas. The group of the European green frogs has a special interest because they are characterised by unique genetic and ecological interactions in the process of hybridogenic reproduction. In 2000–2018 in the Middle Volga Region we studied green frogs in five nature reserves (Mordovia State Nature Reserve, State Nature Reserve «Prisurskiy», Volzhsko-Kamskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Zhiguli State Nature Biosphere Reserve, and State Nature Reserve «Privolzhskaya lesostep'») and four national parks (National Park «Smolny», National Park «Chavash Varmane», National Park «Samarskaya Luka», and National Park «Buzulukskiy Bor»). These Protected Areas are located in a zone of overlap of ranges of Pelophylax lessonae and P. ridibundus, i.e. in area of potential spread of their meroclonal hybrid P. esculentus. Pelophylax ridibundus inhabits eight studied Protected Areas, while P. lessonae has been registered in seven and P. esculentus only in five of them. Two molecular-genetic markers were used in the study: mitochondrial COI and nuclear SAI-1. Mitotypes and alleles of two cryptic forms of P. ridibundus were revealed here, a «western» (P. ridibundus) and «eastern» (P. cf. bedriagae). In the Protected Areas we found four (of six which are possible) combinations of mitotypes of mitochondrial DNA and alleles of nuclear DNA of these two forms, and only one combination in P. esculentus. Six types of population systems of green frogs are presented in the studied Protected Areas. Single-species systems, including P. ridibundus (n = 16; 41.0%) or P. lessonae (n = 10; 25.6%), predominated. Among mixed systems a type including all three species was most common (n = 6; 15.4%). Two-species systems were the rarest: P. ridibundus and P. lessonae (n = 3; 7.7%), P. esculentus and P. lessonae (n = 3; 7.7%), P. ridibundus and P. esculentus (n = 1; 2.6%)

Genetic structure, morphological variation, and gametogenic peculiarities in water frogs (Pelophylax) from northeastern European Russia

The edible frog, Pelophylax esculentus, is a hybrid form that reproduces via clonal propagation of only one of the parental genomes through generations of hybrids while the genome of other parental species is eliminated during gametogenesis. Such reproductive ability requires hybrids to coexist with one of the parental species or rarely both parental species causing the formation of so-called population systems. Population systems and reproductive biology of water frogs from the east of the range remained partially unexplored. In this study, we investigated the distributions, population systems, genetic structure, types of gametes, and morphological variability of water frogs of the genus Pelophylax from the northeastern parts of their ranges (Mari El Republic and adjacent territories, Russia). We examined 1,337 individuals from 68 localities using morphological traits combined with DNA flow cytometry and a multilocus approach (fragments of a nuclear and two mitochondrial genes). We revealed five types of population systems: “pure” populations of the parental P. ridibundus (R) and P. lessonae (L), mixed populations of parental species (R-L) along and with their hybrids (R-E-L), as well as mixed populations of P. lessonae and P. esculentus (L-E). However, the “pure” hybrid (E) and the mixed P. ridibundus and P. esculentus (R-E) population systems were not found. All hybrids studied by DNA flow cytometry were diploid. Analysis of gametogenesis showed that the majority of hybrid males, as well as hybrid females from the L-E system, produced gametes with the P. ridibundus genome. However, in the R-E-L system, hybrid females were usually sterile. The reproduction of hybrids in such systems is primarily based on crosses of P. esculentus males with P. lessonae females. Molecular analysis showed the presence of mitochondrial and nuclear DN