Bag-breakup fragmentation as the dominant mechanism of sea-spray production in high winds

Peer reviewe

Vertical and horizontal variation of carbon pools and fluxes in soil profile of wet southern taiga in European Russia

Vertical and horizontal distributions of soil organic carbon, potential microbial activity and basic soil properties were studied in a boreal mixed forest (Central Forest Reserve, TVER region) to elucidate whether the soil CO2-efflux is related to basic soil properties that affect the C pool and activity. Soil cores (0–100 cm depth) were taken from two transects every 50 meters (44 points) immediately after completion of soil CO2-efflux measurements. Soil was separated into layers and moisture, bulk density, root density and bacterial counts were determined within one day after soil was taken. Microbial respiration, biomass, CN contents and pH were measured within few months. The variability in the soil CO2-efflux and microbial activity was mainly explained by soil bulk density. Results further indicate that laboratory measurements of microbial respiration can represent heterotrophic soil respiration of a distinctive ecosystem in natural conditions, if microbial respiration is measured after the effect of soil handling disappears

Changes in Biomass and Diversity of Soil Macrofauna along a Climatic Gradient in European Boreal Forests

Latitudinal gradients allow insights into the factors that shape ecosystem structure and delimit ecosystem processes, particularly climate. We asked whether the biomass and diversity of soil macrofauna in boreal forests change systematically along a latitudinal gradient spanning from 60° N to 69° N. Invertebrates (3697 individuals) were extracted from 400 soil samples (20 × 20 cm, 30 cm depth) collected at ten sites in 2015–2016 and then weighed and identified. We discovered 265 species living in soil and on the soil surface; their average density was 0.486 g d·w·m−2. The species-level diversity decreased from low to high latitudes. The biomass of soil macrofauna showed no latitudinal changes in early summer but decreased towards the north in late summer. This variation among study sites was associated with the decrease in mean annual temperature by ca 5 °C and with variation in fine root biomass. The biomass of herbivores and fungivores decreased towards the north, whereas the biomass of detritivores and predators showed no significant latitudinal changes. This variation in latitudinal biomass patterns among the soil macrofauna feeding guilds suggests that these guilds may respond differently to climate change, with poorly understood consequences for ecosystem structure and functions

Forest history, peatland development and mid- to late-Holocene environmental change in the southern taiga forest of central European Russia

Understanding the long-term ecological dynamics of boreal forests is essential for assessment of the possible responses and feedbacks of forest ecosystems to climate change. New data on past forest dynamics and peatland development were obtained from a peat sequence in the southern Valdai Hills (European Russia) based on pollen, plant macrofossil, micro-charcoal, peat humification, and testate amoeba analyses. In terms of vegetation history, the results demonstrate a dominance of broadleaved forests in the study area from 7000 4000 cal yr BP. Picea was initially a minor component of this forest but increased in cover rapidly with climatic cooling beginning at 4000 cal yr BP, becoming the dominant species. Broadleaved species persisted until 900 cal yr, with evidence for intensified felling and forest management over recent centuries. Over the last four hundred years there is evidence for widespread paludification and the establishment of Picea-Sphagnum forests. These data demonstrate how modern wet woodlands have been shaped by a combination of climatic and anthropogenic factors over several millennia. The results also demonstrate the value of a multiproxy approach in understanding long-term forest ecology

THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON THE SUPPLY OF SPORTS NUTRITION IN RUSSIA

The background of this thesis is the growing interest in physical culture and sports, as well as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, leading to the active development of the sports nutrition market in Russia. The importance of paying attention to the sports nutrition market is emphasised by the fact that the number of health clubs and fitness centres is increasing every year and, as a result, the number of sports nutrition consum-ers is increasing. In this paper, students focus on the impact of the sanctions on the sports nutrition market in Russia as well as possible solutions to the challenges caused by the imposed bans. The methods used in the study of the effect of sanctions on the market were a study of the literature as well as a quantitative questionnaire, which was distributed among several social networks. The questionnaire was created on Google Forms, and it contained multiple-choice questions. The authors analysed the answers to explore the supply and demand that this area has to offer. Summing up all the studies, it is possible to say that the effect of sanctions on the sports nutrition market in Rus-sia is significant. It is worth noting that they affect both industry and business. Nevertheless, people's interest in this industry is growing, but sellers need to maintain it. This work contains several ways of doing business under the conditions of sanctions

Firms with foreign participation and their influence on export activity in Russia. Firm-level panel evidence

The paper aims to study the impact of export operations of firms with foreign participation on the export activities of domestic enterprises. Analysis of panel data covers firm-level exports as well as firm export performance on the level of individual commodity. Our research tests for the presence of industrial, regional and commodity-specific spillover effects. The results of the analysis show that spillover effects from foreign affiliate and joint venture exporters on the industry level are negative. On the regional level results are ambiguous. Higher education in a region amplifies any positive effects. Strong support is also found for the existence of positive commodity-specific spillover effects.Russia, multinational firms; international business, firm behavior

Dependence of the sample estimates on the sample size

The paper provides data on the dependence of the sample indicators of the arithmetic mean, variance, asymmetry and excess of the length of the needles of European spruce (Picea rubra) and European larch (Larix decidua), the average length of a pair of needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia). The sizes of samples have been determined, which make it possible to obtain the values of the estimates of sample indicators that have stabilized around their general values. The data on the difference between the law of distribution of the length of the needles of coniferous plants from the normal one are confirmed. The possibility of using graphs of the dependence of sample indicators on sample sizes for the examination of scientific data is discussed

Digital Mapping of Habitat for Plant Communities Based on Soil Functions: A Case Study in the Virgin Forest-Steppe of Russia

The spatial structure of the habitat for plant communities based on soil functions in virgin forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland is the focus of this study. The objectives include the identification of the leading factors of soil function variety and to determine the spatial heterogeneity of the soil function. A detailed topographic survey was carried out on a key site (35 hectares), 157 soil, and 34 geobotanical descriptions were made. The main factor of soil and plant cover differentiation is the redistribution of soil moisture along the microrelief. Redistributed runoff value was modelled in SIMWE and used as a tool for spatial prediction of soils due to their role in a habitat for plant communities’ functional context. The main methods of the study are the multidimensional scaling and discriminant analysis. We model the composition of plant communities (accuracy is 95%) and Reference Soil Group (accuracy is 88%) due to different soil moisture conditions. There are two stable soil habitat types: mesophytic communities on the Phaeozems (with additional water runoff more than 80 mm) and xerophytic communities on Chernozems (additional runoff less than 55 mm). A transitional type corresponded to xero- mesophytic communities on the Phaeozems with 55–80 mm additional redistributed runoff value. With acceptable accuracy, the habitat for natural plant communities based on soil function model predicts the position of contrastingly different components of biota in relation to their soil moisture requirements within the virgin forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland