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The success of Eagle Owl breeding in artificial niches and natural nests was studied. Manufacturing and installing artificial nests for Eagle Owls in Mordovia, central European Russia is employed as a factor to increasing the number of both successfully breeding pairs and the population size. At the same time, no differences were found for artificial and natural nests in terms of reproductive success, clutch size, and the number of fledglings. In 51% of nesting cases, pairs laid three eggs, compared to two eggs in 43% or four eggs or one egg each in 3%. The average clutch size was 2.54 ± 0.08 eggs. Over the years of our study of owl nesting in Mordovia, 13.6% pairs raised one chick, compared to two and three chicks in 36.4 and 50%, respectively. The number of reared chicks per successful nest averaged 2.36 ± 0.11. The mortality rate in nests was lower in artificial nesting sites (30%) than in natural ones (40.6%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An annotated list of 122 species of sawflies belonging to eight families collected in the Republic of Mordovia (Russia) is presented. Dolerus quadrinotatus (Bíró, 1884) is recorded for the fauna of Russia for the first time. Photographs of this rare species are given and differences from D. logaster Thomson, 1871, which has a similar body colour, are discussed. The following species are new for the fauna of Mordovia: Allantus cingulatus (Scopoli, 1763), Empria fletcheri (Cameron, 1878), E. immersa (Klug, 1818), E. pumila (Konow, 1896), Cladardis hartigi Liston, 1995, Aglaostigma gibbosum (Fallén, 1808), Macrophya teutona (Panzer, 1799), Tenthredopsis auriculata (Thomson, 1870) and T. scutellaris (Fabricius, 1804).

We studied the trematode fauna in land birds from the Republic of Mordovia (European Russia) in 2018–2022. In total, we identified 16 digenean species in 45 species of birds from the orders Passeriformes, Piciformes, Caprimulgiformes and Falconiformes. The trematodes Phaneropsolus micrococcus and Morishitum polonicum were recorded for the first time in the birds' parasite fauna of Russia. We obtained the first data on helminths in Hippolais icterina and Ficedula albicollis from Russia and in Coccothraustes coccothraustes from the Middle Volga region. New host records resulting from our study include Brachylaima mesostoma from Coccothraustes coccothraustes; Urogonimus macrostomus from Sylvia atricapilla, Ficedula albicollis, Ficedula hypoleuca and Acrocephalus palustris; Plagiorchis maculosus from Ficedula albicollis and Hippolais icterina; and Lyperosomum alaudae from Ficedula hypoleuca. The common parasite of rallid birds Leucochloridium holostomum is recorded for the first time from Turdus merula in Russia. Taking into account the newly obtained data, we carried out a review of trematodes in land birds of the Middle Volga region, of which the Republic of Mordovia is a part. Currently, the list of land bird digeneans in the Middle Volga region includes 56 species. Among all the studied land birds, members of the order Passeriformes have the richest trematode fauna (33 species). The diversity of trematodes found in passerines is due to the large number of both individuals and species studied and the variety of habitats and diet preferences of these land birds. Most of the identified trematode faunas (47 species) are obligate parasites of land birds. Nine species parasitize land birds accidentally and/or facultatively. In the Middle Volga area, the fauna of trematodes is the most diverse in land birds of the Nizhny Novgorod region, where 31 species are revealed. Fewer species of trematodes are identified in birds from the Bashkortostan (20), Mordovia (17) and Samara regions (15). For the birds of Chuvashia and Tatarstan, only eight and one species of trematodes are known, respectively. Six trematode species, found in land birds, have veterinary and medical significance as potential pathogens of dangerous helminthiases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method and new techniques are proposed for making artificial nests for Eagle-owls to increase their population. Artificial nesting sites allow Eagle-owls to hatch their chicks successfully and stay in a certain area. The results of field studies show that one of the decisive factors for large owls is the presence of a nesting site protected from both bad weather conditions and humans. This method has been tested under conditions of the forest–steppe zone of the Volga region. According to our observations, a special roof and special walls for artificial nesting protect the nest from adverse weather conditions and shedding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The article presents an empirical study on the actual problem of supporting single-parent families in modern sociocultural conditions. The purpose of the work is to conduct a comparative analysis of the features of everyday life, current problems and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the social and cultural conditions in cities and villages in Mordovia. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is presented by a set of concepts and theoretical approaches in accordance with the subject and problem of the study, the methodological tools of family sociology, cultural studies, and psychology. It used the methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, secondary analysis of empirical data, and questionnaire. Results and Discussion. The authors conducted a questionnaire of parents from single-parent families in Saransk and Bolsheignatovsky district of the Republic of Mordovia. The subject of the study is everyday life, family culture and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the conditions of urban and rural socio-culture. As a result, the conditions and factors that influence the spread of problems of single-parent families, their everyday features, are empirically revealed in comparison of social and cultural conditions of the city and the village. The article analyzes the support mechanisms that single-parent families can use in the city and in the countryside, taking into account their opinions. Conclusion. It is empirically proved that the life, family subculture and problems of modern single-parent families are mainly defined by the socio-cultural features of the area of residence. The families are influenced by the location and the infrastructure of the locality, the employment of a single parent, and the forms of interpersonal communication in the socio-cultural conditions of the locality. It was revealed that in Saransk there are state, charitable organizations, where single-parent families can address when having problems. The research novelty of the study is that a comparative analysis of the features of everyday life, current problems and mechanisms of support for single-parent families in the urban and rural social and cultural conditions of modern Mordovia is carried out at the theoretical and empirical levels.

Introduction. The article presents the results of research of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect, one of the Erzya-Mordovian dialects of the Samara region, common among Erzya population of Shilan village in Krasnoyarsk region. The dialect belongs to rare Mordovian dialects of the Samara Volga region that were formed in the region since the middle of the XIX century, and therefore its research is of extra interest. Materials and Methods. The research methods are determined by the purpose and objectives of the study. The analysis of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect is carried out with the involvement of relevant items made in other Mordovian dialects of Samara region, adjacent territories of neighboring regions, as well as other territories of settlement of the Mordovians. Data on geographical vocabulary of the dialect introduced into research for the first time. The main source materials for the article is based on field studies in Silane village during the field seasons in 2017 and 2020, as well as in other Erzya-Mordovian and Moksha-Mordovian villages of Samara region and adjacent territories in 2015 – 2020. Results and Discussion. The study showed that the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect of the Erzya-Mordovian language is significantly different from the corresponding lexical clusters in other dialects of the Mordovian region, which can be explained by natural geographical conditions surrounding Shilan village and the original composition of this lexical cluster of Erzya immigrants who founded this village. Conclusion. The analysis of the geographical vocabulary of the Shilan dialect allowed, on the one hand, to identify specific features of this cluster that distinguish it from the corresponding materials of other Mordovian dialects of the region, and, on the other hand, to identify common isoglosses between it and a number of the Erzya-Mordovian dialects of the Samara Volga region.

Here we present faunistic, partly ecological and biogeographic data on Aranei, collected in 11 districts of the Republic of Mordovia (Russia), typical area of the center of the East European Plain. The araneofauna of this region is poorly studied and our new data help to correct biogeorgaphic limits of many species. Spiders were collected by soil traps in April–July 2008 and 2012. In total, 131 species from 18 families are listed, 57 of them are recorded for the Republic of Mordovia for the first time (marked by asterisks in the check-list). The following records are the most interesting for biogeography and bionomics in different parts of ranges: Agyneta fuscipalpa (C.L. Koch, 1836) (rare, but widespread species, which is known from semiarid and semihumid areas of the Palaearctic); Alopecosa taeniopus (Kulczyński, 1895) (the range of this species is limited by steppe zone of the Palaearctic from the Balkans to West China; it inhabits many biotopes from salt marshes to outlier and ravine forests in the forest-steppe and in the steppe zones of the East European Plain); Cheiracanthium campestre Lohmander, 1944 (a rare European species, which was registered within the East European Plain only in Rostov Region), Pardosa alacris (C.L. Koch, 1833) (widespread in Europe, confined to the subboreal zone of the East European Plain), Pardosa maisa Hippa et Mannila, 1982 (habitats of the Mordovian populations of this species are unusual; it occurs in Europe in waterlogged habitats: swamps, floodplain wet meadows, salt marshes, reed shores of lakes, very rarely and sporadically in moderately dry meadows or grasslands; this species is also confined to the shores of lakes in Western Siberia; specimens collected in Mordovia and in the Privolzhsky Forest-Steppe Reserve in Penza Region were found in dry grassy habitats), Peponocranium praeceps Miller, 1943 (a rare European species, occurring in forests, meadows and swamps in Europe, but exclusively in xerophytic meadows in teppes of the Cis-Ural region), Trichoncus hackmani Millidge, 1955. In total 228 species of spiders are known now in Mordovia. The basis of the araneofauna of Mordovia consists of spiders typical for the subboreal zone of the European part of Russia.

Introduction. The study of marriage intentions in the attitudes of young people summarizes the experience of the past and create a prototype of the future of the family. The style of prenuptial behavior of young people is not isolated, but largely determines the state of the demographic structure of the whole society. The research novelty of the research is that the conceptual empirical analysis of the trends in the culture of family and marriage attitudes of young people and the prospects of its increase in the crisis of family values. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is represented by a set of concepts and theoretical approaches in accordance with the subject and the problem of the study, which required an appeal to the methodological tools of family sociology, psychology, pedagogy, cultural studies, sociology of youth, demography. When writing the work, general reasearch methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, interpretation, system method, secondary analysis of empirical data were used. The author’s empirical research was conducted by the method of questioning. A questionnaire survey of Saransk youth was conducted (300 people). Results and Discussion. The research has proved the contradiction of the simultaneous influence on the motives and attitudes of premarital behavior of young people of traditional and modern sociocultural norms, attitudes, relationships and relationships is empirically substantiated. Conclusion. Today young people face a choice of traditional foundations of the family and more radical orientations in the marital and family sphere. As a result, the relations between young adults in the system of premarital behavior are carried out in a difficult situation, which affects marital and family motivation, premarital attitudes and raises the age of marriage. Young people do not have rules of premarital relations enshrined, sanctioned by society and parents. Being the bearer of the innovative potential for the development of society, they have special opportunities for the implementation of their attitudes and needs in the field of premarital behavior.

We studied the trematode fauna in land birds from the Republic of Mordovia (European Russia) in 2018–2022. In total, we identified 16 digenean species in 45 species of birds from the orders Passeriformes, Piciformes, Caprimulgiformes and Falconiformes. The trematodes Phaneropsolus micrococcus and Morishitum polonicum were recorded for the first time in the birds’ parasite fauna of Russia. We obtained the first data on helminths in Hippolais icterina and Ficedula albicollis from Russia and in Coccothraustes coccothraustes from the Middle Volga region. New host records resulting from our study include Brachylaima mesostoma from Coccothraustes coccothraustes; Urogonimus macrostomus from Sylvia atricapilla, Ficedula albicollis, Ficedula hypoleuca and Acrocephalus palustris; Plagiorchis maculosus from Ficedula albicollis and Hippolais icterina; and Lyperosomum alaudae from Ficedula hypoleuca. The common parasite of rallid birds Leucochloridium holostomum is recorded for the first time from Turdus merula in Russia. Taking into account the newly obtained data, we carried out a review of trematodes in land birds of the Middle Volga region, of which the Republic of Mordovia is a part. Currently, the list of land bird digeneans in the Middle Volga region includes 56 species. Among all the studied land birds, members of the order Passeriformes have the richest trematode fauna (33 species). The diversity of trematodes found in passerines is due to the large number of both individuals and species studied and the variety of habitats and diet preferences of these land birds. Most of the identified trematode faunas (47 species) are obligate parasites of land birds. Nine species parasitize land birds accidentally and/or facultatively. In the Middle Volga area, the fauna of trematodes is the most diverse in land birds of the Nizhny Novgorod region, where 31 species are revealed. Fewer species of trematodes are identified in birds from the Bashkortostan (20), Mordovia (17) and Samara regions (15). For the birds of Chuvashia and Tatarstan, only eight and one species of trematodes are known, respectively. Six trematode species, found in land birds, have veterinary and medical significance as potential pathogens of dangerous helminthiases.

To date according to the registration work, the number of the Russian desman determined actually is 588 individuals in Mordovia. Based on extrapolation, the total desman population in Mordovia is about 1,400 individuals. We may assume that the most of the desman population is concentrated on floodplain lakes and reclamation canals. The highest density of the desman population in Mordovia was recorded in Krasnoslobodsky and Temnikovsky Districts (10.5 and 8.2 burrows per km, respectively). About 400 animals may live on the shore of the rivers Vad, Partsa, Yavas, Vindrey, Nuluy, and Kundybolka. The mean value of density of the desman population on the rivers was 0.9 burrows per km of the coastline, which corresponded to habitat quality class IV (0.5–5 burrows per km). The distribution of habitats across river basins is extremely uneven. The main part of the desman population is restricted to the Moksha basin (more than 1,350 individuals), and in the Alatyr basin (left tributary of the Sura River) just twenty individuals were recorded.

The manuscript is devoted to analysis of the problem of designing graphical geoportal interfaces. The support points for the problem solutions are formulated and rationale of each of them is given. The emphasis was placed on the following orientations: to a flexible process of interface development, the need to introduce adaptability, progressive development, the motivated abandonment of geospatial content management systems and the use of third-party libraries where necessary, problem-solving and achieving goals. The lists of basic functional and qualitative requirements for graphical geoportal interfaces are given. In the last segment, the authors share their experience in the development of geoportal solutions.

Mordovia is a lowland region of Russia located 400–500 km South-East-East of Moscow. There were very few published data on the Mordovian fauna of the Diptera families considered in this paper. The present work is mostly based upon material collected during the field season 2020. Now we offer a list of Mordovian fauna which includes 35 species of Sciomyzidae, 23 Fanniidae and 141 Muscidae, a total of 199 species, 178 of which are first recorded for Mordovia. New synonym is offered: Pherbellia brunnipes Meigen, 1838 = P. stackelbergi Elberg, 1965, syn. nov.

A list of 40 species is presented of the rodents and insectivores collected during a 15-year period from the Republic of Mordovia. The dataset contains more than 24,000 records of rodent and insectivore species from 23 districts, including Saransk. A major part of the data set was obtained during expedition research and at the biological station. The work is based on the materials of our surveys of rodents and insectivorous mammals conducted in Mordovia using both trap lines and pitfall arrays using traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the population density of the Eurasian beaver in the large, medium and small rivers of the Republic of Mordovia. The population density of the beaver in the large rivers of the region varies from 0.45 to 0.62 colonies per km (average 0.52). The population density in medium rivers ranges from 0.36 to 0.48 colonies per km (average 0.4). In small rivers, population density ranges from 0.2 to 0.94 colonies per km (average 0.46). The total number of beavers in the region is about 17,000 individuals as at 2016.

The activity of the greater mole-rat was studied using a new technique. New data have been obtained on the characteristics of the daily and seasonal underground life of mole-rats in an isolated population in Mordovia. Polyphase daily activity is most pronounced in the spring and early fall periods. In spring, the maximum activity (about 20% of all daily registrations in separate hours) is confined to the periods from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. The peak of activity in the early fall was recorded from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. At night, the activity of animals in different seasons was stably low. The burrowing activity, as a rule, began after midnight and stopped in the morning before 5:00 a.m. The maximum duration of the dormancy period in the evening in summer months was five hours. Statistically significant differences were obtained for the average number of passages of mole-rats in the burrow per day for different months using the Mann‒Whitney criterion (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date according to the registration work, the number of the Russian desman determined actually is 588 individuals in Mordovia. Based on extrapolation, the total desman population in Mordovia is about 1,400 individuals. We may assume that the most of the desman population is concentrated on floodplain lakes and reclamation canals. The highest density of the desman population in Mordovia was recorded in Krasnoslobodsky and Temnikovsky Districts (10.5 and 8.2 burrows per km, respectively). About 400 animals may live on the shore of the rivers Vad, Partsa, Yavas, Vindrey, Nuluy, and Kundybolka. The mean value of density of the desman population on the rivers was 0.9 burrows per km of the coastline, which corresponded to habitat quality class IV (0.5-5 burrows per km). The distribution of habitats across river basins is extremely uneven. The main part of the desman population is restricted to the Moksha basin (more than 1,350 individuals), and in the Alatyr basin (left tributary of the Sura River) just twenty individuals were recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During field investigations in 2017, Clemmus troglodytes was found in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Republic of Mordovia, Russia). Earlier, C. troglodytes was collected in Yaroslavl City (Yaroslavl region, Russia). In this paper we are reporting for the first time both genus Clemmus and species C. troglodytes for the fauna of Russia. These records of the species in Russia extend remarkably its range to the north and east.

The manuscript is devoted to analysis of the problem of designing graphical geoportal interfaces. The support points for the problem solutions are formulated and rationale of each of them is given. The emphasis was placed on the following orientations: to a flexible process of interface development, the need to introduce adaptability, progressive development, the motivated abandonment of geospatial content management systems and the use of third-party libraries where necessary, problem-solving and achieving goals. The lists of basic functional and qualitative requirements for graphical geoportal interfaces are given. In the last segment, the authors share their experience in the development of geoportal solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateral expansion of floating vegetation mats over the surface of aquatic ecosystems (terrestrialization) is one of the ways of peatland development. This process was commonly studied in kettle-hole lakes, whereas karst ponds have received less attention. We used a suite of palaeoecological analyses at Karstovoe mire (Mordovia, Russia) to reconstruct the formation of a floating Sphagnum-dominated peat mat over the karst pond. The results show that the floating peat mat had covered the central part of the pond by ca. AD 1600. Remains of Scirpus sp. and Calamagrostis sp. in the basal layers indicate that these plants might form a framework on which Sphagnum mosses and sedges were established. The terrestrialization could be triggered by the 'Medieval Warm Period' (AD 950–1250) as droughts reduce water levels and allow the pioneering plants to colonize exposed bottom sediments on the margins of lakes. Later, the development of the mire was mainly driven by autogenic factors that could be explained by the relatively stable hydrological regime in freely floating or poorly attached vegetation mats. In the mid 19th century, the surface wetness of the mire started to decline that can be related to both increased human activity associated with fires and to a greater thickness of the mat so that autogenic and allogenic effects were difficult to disentangle. In less than a century after that, the fen transformed to a pioneer raised mire. Our results show complex and context-dependent effect of autogenic and allogenic factors on the development of floating peat mats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the specific structure and distribution of the bats made in the territory of the Republic of Mordovia (Central Russia) from the first half of the 20th century to the present. Occurence, relative abundance and patterns of distribution are briefly assessed for rare species. On this base, recommendations for inclusion these bats in the regional Red Data Book are presented. .In Mordovia twelve species of bats have been observed. There are widespread and numerous species: Pipistrellus nathusii, Myotis daubentonii, M. dasycneme, Nyctalus noctula and Vespertilio murinus. Widespread but less numerous species are: Myotis brandtii and Plecotus auritus. Finally, rare species are: Myotis nattereri, Nyctalus lasiopterus, N. leisleri, Pipistrellus pygmaeus and P. kuhlii.

The paper presents data on a record of Allonyx quadrimaculatus (Schaller) in the Republic of Mordovia (Russia, Central European Territory) and also the whole known information about specimens of the species stored in Russian museums. We discuss the species' distribution which is considered as intermittent. Data on biology of Allonyx quadrimaculatus and description of its newly found habitat are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fauna of the family Syrphidae in Mordovia is completely unstudied and comprises about forty three species, which are known by just a few records from 2005 to 2016. In this paper, a checklist of Syrphidae in Mordovia is presented, which includes 61 species recorded in the region for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the population density of the Eurasian beaver in the large, medium and small rivers of the Republic of Mordovia. The population density of the beaver in the large rivers of the region varies from 0.45 to 0.62 colonies per km (average 0.52). The population density in medium rivers ranges from 0.36 to 0.48 colonies per km (average 0.4). In small rivers, population density ranges from 0.2 to 0.94 colonies per km (average 0.46). The total number of beavers in the region is about 17,000 individuals as at 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the study of the Ural Owl feeding spectrum are presented. In Russia the Ural owl eats over twenty species of mammals, thirty bird species and a number of animals of other classes. The research tasks included the identification of the species of the victims of a large owl in Mordovia, their quantitative data and the characteristics of osteological material from pellets. It was found out that mammals, in particular rodents, are the basis for the Ural owl food. The Ural Owl's diet consists mainly of gray voles (47.7 %). On the second place there is a red vole (31.4 %). The share of mice is only 7.3 %. The predator hunts for the forest mouse most often. In pellets the mass fraction of bone remains varies in the range from 3.4 to 44.8 %. The average proportion of bone remains is, as a rule, up to 25 %, with the content of only one or two small rodents in pellets; the remains of three to six individuals -- up to 45 % of the weight of dry pellet. Among all the bones of mammals, the lower jaws, femoral and tibia bones give the greatest information about the number and composition of victims of the Ural owl. In pellets the brachial and nameless bones of the victims are presented in smaller numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are 15 plant species included in the Russian Red Book, which occur in the Republic of Mordovia: Najas tenuissima, Koeleria sclerophylla, Stipa dasyphylla, S. pennata, S. pulcherrima, S. zalesskii, Fritillaria ruthenica, Iris aphylla, Cypripedium calceolus, Cephalanthera rubra, Epipogium aphyllum, Neottianthe cucullata, Orchis militaris, Neotinea ustulata, Thymus cimicinus. Of these, only C. calceolus is included in the Global Red List as Critically Endangered. Threat status for studied species in Mordovia was assessed, and their distribution dynamics in this region throughout 12 years was described. Recent floristic studies, inspections of herbariums and literature were used for searches all provided data. Grid mapping and IUCN criteria were used. Nine taxa were determined as Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, one as Vulnerable, one as Near Threatened and one as Data Deficient. The areas of occupancy and extent of occurrence in Mordovia were assessed for each taxon. All studied species should be included in the next edition of the Mordovian Red Book. F. ruthenica, E. aphyllum, N. ustulata, T. cimicinus require additional studies to confirm earlier observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]