Growth of forest stands as analogue of production process in economic systems: E2E-model

An economic-ecological model (E2E-model) is proposed to describe the growth of plants. The process of growth of forest stand phytomass is considered within the E2E model as an analogue of the production process in economics. As a capital K in E2E models are considered non-photosynthetic phytomass components – stem, roots and branches. The role of labor L satisfies leaves (or needles), in which the process of photosynthesis occurs. Produced by the process of photosynthesis, energy is partially consumed for the current «consumption» of plants and partly «invested» and is transformed into a new phytomass, which is distributed between non-photosynthetic components of trees and their photosynthetic apparatus. The death of the trees in the stand during growth in the E2E model is considered as an analogue of capital depreciation (aging equipment, etc.) in the production process. For a complete description of the process of energy production and phytomass during photosynthesis entered the equation describing the synthesis of phytomass, describes the principles of distribution obtaining resources to meet the current energy needs of plants and for investments in new phytomass, the principles of investment allocation to reproduction «capital» – phytomass trunks roots and branches, and reproduction of «labor» – leaves or needles of trees. The proposed approach to the description of the growth in forest stand as an analogue of production may be regarded as competitive in relation to the autocatalytic growth models – different clones of Verhulst equation. In comparison with the autocatalytic growth models, E2E-growth models allow description of a number of phenomena observed in the forest (such as the death of trees) and not be explained in terms of autocatalytic models. Calculation of biomass of dead wood in the plantation opens the possibility of using the E2E model to describe the process of transformation of dead wood decomposers (fungi, bacteria, insects), as well as to determine the amount of forest fuel and the risk of forest fires

Modeling of Forest Insect Pheromone Communication System. Female as a Source of Information

The system of pheromone communication in insects-phyllophagous was considered in terms of its effectiveness as a communication system. A selected lepidopterous insect (Lepidoptera) was chosen for analysis of pheromone communication system. We analyzed data on 250 species of insects from three families – Lasiocampidae, Geometridae, Lymantriidae. Specificity of the chemical composition of the complex pheromones and pheromone component count was assessed for all of these females. Characteristics of complexes of insect pheromones and possible female strategies of behavior were modeled using the methods of information theory, utility theory and game theory. We estimated complementarity for various types of chemical compounds in pheromone composition. The uniqueness of the pheromone signal of separate species of Lepidoptera is achieved by using a multi-component pheromone. There are no hard links between existence or absence of individual components in multi-component pheromones. The model was proposed for explanation of regularities of pheromone composition. Nonmonotonic of relative frequency of insect species curve with different number of components can be explained in terms of a trade-off between increasing the efficiency of males seeking females of the same species with an increasing number of individual components and the complexity of the synthesis of pheromones multi-component pheromones. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the validity of the model description. Possible mechanisms of pheromone signal amplification studied were associated with the aggregation of a large number of individuals in a limited area. If females in the process of attracting individuals of the opposite sex are aggregated, then the source of pheromones is not a private individual, but a group of females, and the intensity of the flow of the group of molecules is defined as the intensity of pheromone release pheromones individual animals and the number of females in the cluster. The analogy game-theoretic problem «Prisoner's dilemma» use for evaluating of the effectiveness of the group strategy to attract for the simplest case, which dealt with two players – the females capable of generating pheromone. The proposed approach allows evaluation of the reliability of the pheromone communication system in insects – phyllophagous

Oviposition of the Fir Sawyer Beetle (Monochamus urussovi Fisch.) on the Tree Stem: Analysis Using Models of Random Point Fields

Черный пихтовый усач – ксилофаг, образующий в темнохвойных лесах очаги массового размножения. Жуки при заселении дерева оставляют на стволе хорошо видимые насечки – отверстия, каждое из которых используется для помещения под кору одного яйца. Личинка в течение следующего лета питается лубом, образуя под корой непосредственно около насечки компактное повреждение. Для развития личинки необходима площадь питания не менее 50 см2. В настоящей работе проверено предположение о том, что самки размещают яйца так, чтобы уменьшить возможность перекрытия зон питания личинок. В очаге массового размножения по фотографиям поврежденных стволов были определены координаты 317 насечек. Методами пространственной статистики установлено, что размещение насечек является регуляризованным: в ближайшей окрестности каждой из них, как правило, количество других насечек значимо меньше, чем было бы при их независимом распределении. Размещение насечек описано моделью случайного точечного поля с негативным взаимодействием между его элементами. Показано, что интенсивность «расталкивающего взаимодействия» тем больше, чем меньше дистанция между насечками. Радиус взаимодействия составляет 4 см. Полученные результаты служат свидетельством в пользу того, что репродуктивная стратегия черного пихтового усача включает оптимизацию пространственного размещения потомства на стадии откладки яиц для уменьшения конкуренции за корм между будущими личинками.The fir sawyer beetle is a xylophagous species that develops outbreaks in boreal coniferous forests. Females deposit single eggs under the bark through slotted holes that they make by their mandibles. These oviposition scars are clearly visible while the tree is alive. Larvae feed on phloem and sapwood for one or two summers. Under the bark each larva forms compact damage area close to the oviposition scar. One larva needs an area of no less than 50 sq cm for feeding. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that adult females optimize the eggs’ spatial pattern to reduce the possibility that the feed zones of expectant larvae will overlap one another. This oviposition strategy reduces larvae competition and enhances their survival. During the outbreak’s peak phase the stems of damaged fir trees were photographed and the coordinates of the 317 oviposition scars were recorded. Spatial statistics was used to determine that the distribution of eggs on the stem surface is regularized: close to the oviposition scar the number of another scars are less than this number for the independent distribution of points. The point process model with negative interacion between points was fitted to the oviposition locations data. The force of the repulsive interaction was found diminishing with increasing of the distance between the scars. The radius of interaction was estimated to be 4 cm. Therefore, the reproductive strategy of the fir sawyer beetle includes oviposition behavior aimed to minimize larval competitio

System of Forest Insect Pheromone Communication: Stability of «Information» Molecules to Environmental Factors

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Features of external environmental factors (such as electromagnetic radiation in certain spectral bands) influencing pheromone molecules, which are carriers of information for forest insects in the search of the opposite sex, were examined. Stability of pheromone molecules for external influences has been studied for siberian moth Dendrolimus superans sibiricusTschetv., pine moth Dendrilimus piniL., gypsy moth Lymantria disparL., for xylophages Ips typographus L., Monochamus urussovi Fish. and Monochamus galloprovincialis Oliv. Properties of pheromone molecules were evaluated by calculations using quantum-chemical method B3LYP. Existing methods of quantum-chemical calculations are useful for analyzing the properties of quite small and uncomplicated molecules of forest insect pheromones. The calculations showed that the molecules of insect pheromones are able to absorb light in the ultraviolet range and move into an excited state. The values of dipole moments, the wavelengths of the absorption, atomic and molecular electronic properties of pheromones in the ground and excited states were calculated. The calculations showed that for the reaction of pheromones with oxygen an energy barrier is somewhat higher than for reactions of pheromones with water vapor. The worst reaction of pheromones with water molecules likely to pheromones such molecules whose dipole moment is comparable to the dipole moment of water. Quantum-chemical characteristics of the pheromone molecules can be linked to specific behavior of the insects

System of Forest Insect Pheromone Communication: Stability of «Information» Molecules to Environmental Factors

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Features of external environmental factors (such as electromagnetic radiation in certain spectral bands) influencing pheromone molecules, which are carriers of information for forest insects in the search of the opposite sex, were examined. Stability of pheromone molecules for external influences has been studied for siberian moth Dendrolimus superans sibiricusTschetv., pine moth Dendrilimus piniL., gypsy moth Lymantria disparL., for xylophages Ips typographus L., Monochamus urussovi Fish. and Monochamus galloprovincialis Oliv. Properties of pheromone molecules were evaluated by calculations using quantum-chemical method B3LYP. Existing methods of quantum-chemical calculations are useful for analyzing the properties of quite small and uncomplicated molecules of forest insect pheromones. The calculations showed that the molecules of insect pheromones are able to absorb light in the ultraviolet range and move into an excited state. The values of dipole moments, the wavelengths of the absorption, atomic and molecular electronic properties of pheromones in the ground and excited states were calculated. The calculations showed that for the reaction of pheromones with oxygen an energy barrier is somewhat higher than for reactions of pheromones with water vapor. The worst reaction of pheromones with water molecules likely to pheromones such molecules whose dipole moment is comparable to the dipole moment of water. Quantum-chemical characteristics of the pheromone molecules can be linked to specific behavior of the insects

Scientific heritage of Alexey Ivanovich Buzykin (to 80 years of birthday)

The paper analyzes the scientific achievements and heritage of Alexey Ivanovich Buzykin, a well-known Siberian forest researcher, the Honored Forester of the Russian Federation, who contributed remarkably to improve the knowledge of the forests of Siberia. He was the first to explore the possibility to increase Siberian forest productivity by its scientifically justified regulation. He accurately estimated forest productivity responses to increasing soil nitrogen using a large amount of data, studied structural, species composition, and density changes that occur in young mixed stands after tending felling, revealed stand productivity dependence on stand density, and showed how structure and dynamics of forest generations are manifested through vegetation succession. Along with studies of natural ecosystems, Alexey I. Buzykin did large-scale experiments on managing forest ecosystems by different types of sanitary cutting, application of fertilizers to soil, regulation of cold soil thermal regime, and by establishment of Scots pine, spruce and larch plantations covering a range of stand densities. To achieve his forest management objectives, he developed original forest research methods, among them methodologies to assess seedling and sapling amounts, to estimate forest response to fertilizer application, and to classify young forest stands by formation type. He also developed tables of small-sized young tree trunk volumes. During his last years, Alexey I. Buzykin, in collaboration with other researchers, accomplished a series of theoretical studies. He suggested that mathematical tools should be used for interpreting different kinds of events and changes occurring in forest ecosystems including the use of phenomenological models of stand establishment processes, stand growth models, forest succession models, and other models. The results of Alexey I. Buzykin’s research studies are still very important regarding large-scale forestry activities. They have been used for many years to improve forest management practices in Siberia and have been considered in the forest use normative documents of the federal level. A list of Alexey I. Buzykin’s major research works concludes the paper

Action of the Atomic and Electronic Structure of Pheromone Molecules on the Effectiveness of Communication in Xylophagous Insects

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.The B3LYР/6-31(p,d) density functional method is applied to pheromones of the forest xylophagous insects Ips typographus L., Monochamus urussovi Fisch., and Monochamus galloprovincialis Oliv. to calculate the absorption spectra and find excited states. The calculated results are used to assess the possible activity of the molecules when they are affected by solar radiation

Action of the Atomic and Electronic Structure of Pheromone Molecules on the Effectiveness of Communication in Xylophagous Insects

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.The B3LYР/6-31(p,d) density functional method is applied to pheromones of the forest xylophagous insects Ips typographus L., Monochamus urussovi Fisch., and Monochamus galloprovincialis Oliv. to calculate the absorption spectra and find excited states. The calculated results are used to assess the possible activity of the molecules when they are affected by solar radiation

Oviposition of the Fir Sawyer Beetle (Monochamus urussovi Fisch.) on the Tree Stem: Analysis Using Models of Random Point Fields

Черный пихтовый усач – ксилофаг, образующий в темнохвойных лесах очаги массового размножения. Жуки при заселении дерева оставляют на стволе хорошо видимые насечки – отверстия, каждое из которых используется для помещения под кору одного яйца. Личинка в течение следующего лета питается лубом, образуя под корой непосредственно около насечки компактное повреждение. Для развития личинки необходима площадь питания не менее 50 см2. В настоящей работе проверено предположение о том, что самки размещают яйца так, чтобы уменьшить возможность перекрытия зон питания личинок. В очаге массового размножения по фотографиям поврежденных стволов были определены координаты 317 насечек. Методами пространственной статистики установлено, что размещение насечек является регуляризованным: в ближайшей окрестности каждой из них, как правило, количество других насечек значимо меньше, чем было бы при их независимом распределении. Размещение насечек описано моделью случайного точечного поля с негативным взаимодействием между его элементами. Показано, что интенсивность «расталкивающего взаимодействия» тем больше, чем меньше дистанция между насечками. Радиус взаимодействия составляет 4 см. Полученные результаты служат свидетельством в пользу того, что репродуктивная стратегия черного пихтового усача включает оптимизацию пространственного размещения потомства на стадии откладки яиц для уменьшения конкуренции за корм между будущими личинками.The fir sawyer beetle is a xylophagous species that develops outbreaks in boreal coniferous forests. Females deposit single eggs under the bark through slotted holes that they make by their mandibles. These oviposition scars are clearly visible while the tree is alive. Larvae feed on phloem and sapwood for one or two summers. Under the bark each larva forms compact damage area close to the oviposition scar. One larva needs an area of no less than 50 sq cm for feeding. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that adult females optimize the eggs’ spatial pattern to reduce the possibility that the feed zones of expectant larvae will overlap one another. This oviposition strategy reduces larvae competition and enhances their survival. During the outbreak’s peak phase the stems of damaged fir trees were photographed and the coordinates of the 317 oviposition scars were recorded. Spatial statistics was used to determine that the distribution of eggs on the stem surface is regularized: close to the oviposition scar the number of another scars are less than this number for the independent distribution of points. The point process model with negative interacion between points was fitted to the oviposition locations data. The force of the repulsive interaction was found diminishing with increasing of the distance between the scars. The radius of interaction was estimated to be 4 cm. Therefore, the reproductive strategy of the fir sawyer beetle includes oviposition behavior aimed to minimize larval competitio

Estimation of the thermal and photochemical stabilities of pheromones Estimation of the thermal and photochemical stabilities of pheromones

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.The correlation between the kinetic stability of molecules against temperature and variations in their geometric structure under optical excitation is investigated by the example of different organic pheromone molecules sensitive to temperature or ultraviolet radiation using the density functional theory. The kinetic stability is determined by the previously developed method based on the calculation of the probability of extension of any structural bond by a value exceeding the limit value Lмах corresponding to the breaking of the bond under temperature excitation. The kinetic stability calculation only requires the eigenfrequencies and vibrational mode vectors in the molecule ground state to be calculated, without determining the transition states. The weakest bonds in molecules determined by the kinetic stability method are compared with the bond length variations in molecules in the excited state upon absorption of light by a molecule. Good agreement between the results obtained is demonstrated and the difference between them is discussed. The universality of formulations within both approaches used to estimate the stability of different pheromone molecules containing strained cycles and conjugated, double, and single bonds allows these approaches to be applied for studying other molecules