Evidence of a trait-specific response to burning in springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) in the boreal forests of European Russia

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The reaction of soil fauna to forest fires is highly variable in space across large ecoregions, the reasons for which are still not completely documented. We tested regional differences in the response of springtail (Hexapoda: Collembola) taxonomic richness, total abundance and collembolan abundance, which share combinations of the two traits (reproduction mode and vertical distribution), in a pilot study within boreal forests of European Russia. We selected four stands burned five years ago and four respective controls in each of the three boreal forest subregions: northern, middle and southern taiga. Plots were located along a 1500. km-long north-south transect covering most of the existing climatic and edaphic gradient within this ecoregion. The General Linear Model (GLM) results showed that fire had a significant effect on the abundance of collembolans that shared certain trait combinations (sexually reproducing epiedaphic species), while the total collembolan abundance depended on the forest subregion, but not burning. The abundance of sexually reproducing epiedaphic springtails decreased in burned plots by 40%, on average, in comparison with the respective controls. This reduction was positively correlated with the degree of fire severity and negatively correlated with litter thickness and soil water holding capacity. We conclude that fires induce a consistent shift in the composition of the springtail functional trait community, which is driven more by the forest stand level of litter thickness and moisture than by subregional forest differences. Our study revealed the potential of the functional trait composition to be a sensitive and informative tool for tracing the effects of fire in boreal forests, which is relatively independent from regional differences

The selection of energy-efficient main processing of the soil for sugar sorghum

© Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. The implementation of any culture is the basic processing of soil are given great attention, as it largely affects the water-physical, biological and agricultural properties of the soil that ultimately determines yield

Antiphospholipid Syndrome as a Cause of Recurrent Portal Vein Thrombosis in a Man with a Medical History of other Thrombosis

Aim: to present a clinical case of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) manifested as recurrent portal vein thrombosis in a man with a medical history of other thromboses.Key points. APS is a syndrome that includes venous and/or arterial thrombosis, various forms of obstetric pathology, thrombocytopenia, as well as a variety of neurological, skin, cardiovascular and hematological disorders. The article presents a clinical case of a male patient with several episodes of vascular thrombosis, two of which (thrombophlebitis of the veins of the lower extremities and stroke) developed at the age of 39 years, and recurrent thrombosis of the portal vein since 2018. For several years, the patient had the diagnosis of cirrhosis based on the presence of signs of portal hypertension. However, the patient's liver function remained practically intact all the time. During the current examination, APS was suspected, and the result of a blood test for antibodies against phospholipids was positive.Conclusion. This clinical case of APS reflects the difficulties in diagnosing this disease. It should be remembered that cases of thrombosis at a young age may be due to APS

Reduced functionality of soil food webs in burnt boreal forests: a case study in Central Russia

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: Functionality of soil food webs after forest fires remains generally unexplored. We address this question by studying both burnt and unburnt spruce forests in Central European Russia (Tver Region). In August 2014 we sampled two spatially distant blocks consisting of forest areas burnt in 2010 and the respective unburnt controls. We analyzed biomass and structure of soil food webs as well as carbon mobilization with respect to carbon stocks in the dead wood, litter and soil after burning. The biomass of soil fauna was moderately reduced in the burnt plots. For some groups like testate amoebae and enchytraeids, however, this decrease was highly significant and corresponded with the decreased C-stock in litter. For the other taxa changes in biomass were insignificant. At the same time C-flow through the soil food web after fire was strongly reduced mainly due to the reduction of biomass of active fungi and secondary decomposers. The overall consumption rate of detritus by the soil food web strongly decreased in the burnt forests and was maintained predominantly by the decomposition activity of bacteria instead of fungi. This resulted in the reduction of the total soil food web functionality related with C-mobilization in the forests four years after a fire event. Brief Summary: We compared rates of carbon mobilization by soil food webs in burnt and unburnt boreal forests in Central Russia. Despite of only slight decrease in soil animal biomass, consumption rate of carbon in the soil food webs after fire was considerably lower and mainly associated with soil bacteria instead of fungi

Globally invariant metabolism but density-diversity mismatch in springtails.

Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains unknown. Here, using a global dataset representing 2470 sites, we estimate the total soil springtail biomass at 27.5 megatons carbon, which is threefold higher than wild terrestrial vertebrates, and record peak densities up to 2 million individuals per square meter in the tundra. Despite a 20-fold biomass difference between the tundra and the tropics, springtail energy use (community metabolism) remains similar across the latitudinal gradient, owing to the changes in temperature with latitude. Neither springtail density nor community metabolism is predicted by local species richness, which is high in the tropics, but comparably high in some temperate forests and even tundra. Changes in springtail activity may emerge from latitudinal gradients in temperature, predation and resource limitation in soil communities. Contrasting relationships of biomass, diversity and activity of springtail communities with temperature suggest that climate warming will alter fundamental soil biodiversity metrics in different directions, potentially restructuring terrestrial food webs and affecting soil functioning

Influence of Seabird Colonies on Soil Macrofauna Communities at the Black Sea Coast Forests

© 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: A seabird (Phalacrocorax carbo) colony overwintering for three consecutive years in a pine forest near the Black Sea coast caused severe damage to the vegetation. The impact of excessive nutrients input from this colony increased soil acidity, N, P, Cu and S-content in soil and might therefore affect soil macrofauna. We compared the abundance of main functional trait guilds and the total abundance of soil macrofauna within impact and control pine forests. No significant difference between the sites was noted in taxonomic richness, total macrofauna abundance and abundance of mobile, belowground, phytophagous and predatory invertebrates. However, the abundance of poorly mobile, poorly mobile epibiontic, and these both traits of saprophagous macrofauna guilds was significantly higher in the control sites. We conclude that three-year wintering of a seabird colony in forest can lead to drastic changes in the macrofauna communities structure due to allochthonous input of nutrients

Influence of Seabird Colonies on Soil Macrofauna Communities at the Black Sea Coast Forests

© 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: A seabird (Phalacrocorax carbo) colony overwintering for three consecutive years in a pine forest near the Black Sea coast caused severe damage to the vegetation. The impact of excessive nutrients input from this colony increased soil acidity, N, P, Cu and S-content in soil and might therefore affect soil macrofauna. We compared the abundance of main functional trait guilds and the total abundance of soil macrofauna within impact and control pine forests. No significant difference between the sites was noted in taxonomic richness, total macrofauna abundance and abundance of mobile, belowground, phytophagous and predatory invertebrates. However, the abundance of poorly mobile, poorly mobile epibiontic, and these both traits of saprophagous macrofauna guilds was significantly higher in the control sites. We conclude that three-year wintering of a seabird colony in forest can lead to drastic changes in the macrofauna communities structure due to allochthonous input of nutrients

The Clinical Efficaciency and the Cost-Effectiveness of Reperfusion Therapy in Myocardial Infarction

The goal of the research was to value the cost-effectiveness and the efficacy of reperfusion therapy in myocardial infarction including one — year prospective examenation.Methods. The immediate and long-term results of reperfusion therapy in myocardial infarction with ST-elevated (MISTE) were analyzed. The immediate results of reperfusion therapy were estimated in 349 patients with MISTE by the hospital mortality, the duration of hospitalization, the length of treatment in the resuscitation and intensive care unit. The long-term results were estimated in 137 MISTE patients by the frequency of emergency call-outs and the frequency of hospital admissions for ischemic heart disease (IHD) within the post-infarction period. The costs of hospital treatment, reperfusion therapy, emergency call-outs and out-patient treatment were calculated using the rates of compulsory medical insurance fund. The lost years of potential life and open amount of Domestic Product due to premature mortality were also calculated.Results. The hospital mortality was 2.9 times less in the patients with MISTE who received reperfusion therapy, than in the patients who did not. Reperfusion therapy was attended with reduction of the duration of hospitalization and the length of treatment in the resuscitation and intensive care unit. Economic benefit as a result of the increase of labor potential due to hospital mortality reducing with reperfusion therapy in MI was higher than financial expenditure of reperfusion therapy. The frequency of hospital admissions for IHD within the post-infarction period per one patient was less in the patients with MI who received reperfusion therapy than in patients who did not. There were not significant differences between two groups of patients — with and without reperfusion therapy — in view of the frequency of emergency call-outs for IHD. There was little percentage of patients treated by the therapist and the cardiologist in out-patient departments in both groups of the patients throughout the year after MI.Conclusion. Reperfusion therapy is effective and profitable in the patients with MISTE. However the low quality of periodic health examination within the post-infarction period probably impairs the long-term results of fibrinolytic therapy and angioplasty and raises the risk of investment to reperfusion therapy in the patients with MI

Evidence of a trait-specific response to burning in springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) in the boreal forests of European Russia

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The reaction of soil fauna to forest fires is highly variable in space across large ecoregions, the reasons for which are still not completely documented. We tested regional differences in the response of springtail (Hexapoda: Collembola) taxonomic richness, total abundance and collembolan abundance, which share combinations of the two traits (reproduction mode and vertical distribution), in a pilot study within boreal forests of European Russia. We selected four stands burned five years ago and four respective controls in each of the three boreal forest subregions: northern, middle and southern taiga. Plots were located along a 1500. km-long north-south transect covering most of the existing climatic and edaphic gradient within this ecoregion. The General Linear Model (GLM) results showed that fire had a significant effect on the abundance of collembolans that shared certain trait combinations (sexually reproducing epiedaphic species), while the total collembolan abundance depended on the forest subregion, but not burning. The abundance of sexually reproducing epiedaphic springtails decreased in burned plots by 40%, on average, in comparison with the respective controls. This reduction was positively correlated with the degree of fire severity and negatively correlated with litter thickness and soil water holding capacity. We conclude that fires induce a consistent shift in the composition of the springtail functional trait community, which is driven more by the forest stand level of litter thickness and moisture than by subregional forest differences. Our study revealed the potential of the functional trait composition to be a sensitive and informative tool for tracing the effects of fire in boreal forests, which is relatively independent from regional differences