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Wetlands occupy up to 35% of the boreal biome in Russia, according to various estimates. Boreal bogs are global carbon sinks, accounting for more than 65% of the soil carbon stored in the wetland ecosystems of the world. The decomposition of plant residues is one of the most important components of the carbon cycle in wetland systems, while the violation of their fragile balance due to climate change increases the rate of mineralisation of organic matter and releases large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere. The biochemical processes occurring in a peat deposit determine the intensity of the destruction of organic matter and gas exchange. However, the microbial communities of the boreal ombrotrophic bogs, regulating those processes, are poorly studied. Hence, a study of the prokaryote communities of the peat deposits of the southern White Sea coastal ombrotrophic bogs (mostly spread in north-western Russia) was carried out. The taxonomic composition of archaea and bacteria sampled from the deposit's depth of 0–310 cm was studied using high-throughput sequencing of V4 sites of 16S rRNA gene by Illumina technology. As a result, 105 species belonging to 19 phylums were identified. The dominant specific phyla were Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota and Verrucomicrobiota, the non-specific phylum being Desulfobacterota. Various groups of methanogenic, methylotrophic and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms were identified. Shannon's biodiversity ranged from 3.5 to 4.6 and ChaO1 - from 232 to 351, decreasing within the depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burial practices in the large area of the north-eastern European and especially the western Russian forest zone are not as well-known as contemporary sites in, for example, western or southern Europe. To fill this gap in our knowledge of north-western Russian Stone Age hunter-gatherer burial traditions and to better understand the similarities and differences in burial traditions between these areas, a new Russian-Finnish collaboration was launched in late 2016. The main aim of this collaboration is to systematically investigate previously excavated mortuary materials from north-western Russia and study them in the broader context of hunter-gatherer funerary practices in north-eastern Europe. As a first case study, we revisited the burial finds from the Stone Age site of Kubenino, a multi-period site with at least six inhumation burials. Burials have been excavated here since the 1930s, but only three have been published so far. Here we describe all the Kubenino burials and present the results of new analyses, namely the osteological study of bone artefacts, the traceological study of flint artefacts, and new radiocarbon determinations. According to the novel radiocarbon data, the Kubenino burials date to the emergence of the Neolithic, which in this region is marked by the appearance of the first pottery-using hunter-gatherers. As our new analyses show, this transition towards the Neolithic is not only present in the everyday life of these hunter-gatherer groups but also resulted in subtle changes in the funerary realm. These changes include, for example, the intentional breakage of grave goods and the introduction of new artefact forms for animal raw materials that were present already in pre-pottery burials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsistence practices was interpreted through a variety of archaeological materials on the Podolye 1 site located in the Southern Ladoga Lake basin. The interaction between climate fluctuation, human response and transgressions/regressions in the lake basin were determined in results of different analysis (archaeology, paleozoology, geochemistry, radiocarbon, pollen and diatom data as well as 3D paleolandscape modeling). Ancient people occupied the southern part of Lake Ladoga during 5 ka. BC - middle 3 ka. BC. Climate and environment of this area has contributed to this. Environment of the Podolye I site was characterized by vast wetlands and a spreading of broadleaved forest during the end of the Atlantic period in a shore zone of Lake Ladoga. The people were oriented on intensive fishing and hunting. In the beginning of the Subboreal period (3140-2600 cal BC) the climatic conditions changed and conifer forests with birch and alder dominated the vegetation at Lake. There was the transition to the Late Neolithic-Early Metal Age, which is characterized by the Asbestos, Porous and Netware pottery. After ca.2635-1960 cal BC, the water level of Lake Ladoga increased and transgression occurred. The site was covered by water and people abandoned this place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen species of lichens, four lichenicolous and two non-lichenized calicioid fungi are reported for the first time from the biogeographic province Lapponia petsamoënsis (NW Murmansk Region, Russia); of these, Buellia pulverea, Endococcus brachysporus and Micarea coppinsii are reported for the first time for Russia, Rosellinula haplospora is new to European Russia, and Aspicilia mashiginensis, Chaenothecopsis rubescens, C. vainioana, Lecidea sudetica, Micarea micrococca, Porpidia pachythallina, Protoparmelia atriseda and Psorotichia schaereri are new to the Murmansk Region. Brief notes, mainly on habitats and distribution, are provided for all species listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing the secular variation of Europe’s geomagnetic field over the past millennium is challenging because of the lack of recently acquired archeomagnetic data from Western Russia. In this paper, we report on nine new archeointensity values obtained from groups of brick fragments sampled in Novgorod (North-Western Russia) and its vicinities. These fragments were collected from churches whose precise ages range from the beginning of the 12th century to the end of the 17th century AD. All the archeointensity measurements were carried out using the Triaxe experimental protocol, which takes into account the thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) anisotropy effect. Intensity determinations were performed using fast and slow cooling rates for laboratory-TRM acquisition. The results confirm that the Triaxe protocol overcomes the TRM cooling rate dependence. The new data shows that geomagnetic field intensities in North-Western Russia have decreased in the past millennium. Comparisons were made with other data previously obtained in Western Europe, the Balkans and Russia, as well as with intensity values expected in Novgorod from global geomagnetic field models. These comparisons yielded three main results: 1) The new archeointensity data do not show the occurrence of large intensity variations in North-Western Russia, as those observed in the Balkan dataset. Conversely, they appear more compatible with Western European results, which suggests a limited non-dipole field effect across Europe during the past millennium; 2) Our data are weaker than the intensity values expected in Novgorod from the available global geomagnetic field models. This suggests that the field models are inaccurate for the Novgorod area; 3) A constant linear decrease of the geocentric axial dipole moment since 1600 AD does not appear compatible with our younger data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen species of lichens, five lichenicolous fungi and two non-lichenized fungi are reported for the first time for Pasvik Reserve (NW Murmansk Region). Clypeococcum hypocenomycis, Protoparmelia ochrococca and Xylographa vermicularis are new to the Murmansk Region and Xylographa vermicularis is new to Europe. Ten species are rarely recorded for Murmansk Region, European Russia or Russia: Arctoparmelia subcentrifuga, Chaenothecopsis debilis, Lathagrium undulatum, Merismatium nigritellum, Microcalicium disseminatum, Phaeophyscia nigricans, Placynthium asperellum, Protothelenella leucothelia, Stereocaulon capitellatum and Stigmidium leprariae. Fourteen species are new to the biogeographic province of Lapponia petsamoënsis. Two species, Arctoparmelia subcentrifuga and Stereocaulon capitellatum, are included in the Red Data Book of the Murmansk Region. Brief notes, mainly on habitats and distribution, are provided for all species listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the northern Baltic region, Diplodia sapinea (Fr.) Fuckel, a well-known around the world pine pathogen, was first recorded in Estonia on Austrian pine ( Pinus nigra Arn.) in 2007. Wider monitoring of the fungus was promptly started. Shortly, in 2012, the native Scots pine ( P. sylvestris L.) was found symptomatic: first in Estonia, then in Latvia, and in 2013 in north-west Russia. Several individuals of exotic Mountain pine ( P. mugo Turra) and some Bosnian pines ( Pinus leucodermis Ant.) were also found to be infected. By the end of 2013, the front of the northward enlargement of the range of D. sapinea had reached to central Estonia. Early detection and continuous monitoring of this pathogen on native and introduced ornamental pine species will support forest and green belt management specialists with timely information, if an epidemic, as it occurred previously with the invasive Dothistroma needle blight, would emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gyrodactylus parasite infected juveniles of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in a hatchery in Lake Janisjarvi, Russian Karelia. Molecular identification by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 of ribosomal DNA indicated that the infection was caused by a non-segregating hybrid clone between unknown Gyrodactylus species and Gyrodactylus teuchis Lautraite, Blanc, Thiery, Daniel & Vigneulle, 1999, described from brown trout collected in France. The mitochondrial CO1 was sequenced from the hybrid, but it is not available from pure G. teuchis from type locality. The mitochondrial DNA was an independent clade among the wageneri group parasites, differing from the nearest relative G. derjavinoides by 19%. Morphometric measurements of the Janisjarvi parasite were compared with separate (host specific) G. salaris strains from farmed rainbow trout and salmon in Lake Onega, and with available data on G. teuchis from Western Europe, Austria and Poland. All isolates were distinguishable by morphometry, and the measurements are a useful primary diagnostic tool for the salmonid parasites in Karelian great lakes and fish farms. Pure G. teuchis is not found on Russian territory, and the other parent of the hybrid has not been discovered yet in any other country. A mini review of Gyrodactylus on salmonids in the Russian Karelia is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the historical exploitiation and recovery of biological resources on populations of freshwater pearl mussel and salmon was studied in the Kozha river (Onega River Basin). The freshwater pearl mussel was characterized by a low population density (0.09 ind./m, on the average) and number of recruits. The role of the anthropogenic factor in the population is negligible; the effect of the pearl fishing is not observed. The dramatic decrease in the number of Atlantic salmon in the Onega River Basin in the late 20th century is a major reason for the slowed down reproduction of the freshwater pearl mussel. The second factor is the reconstruction of the Onega salmon hatchery in 1984, which led to a decrease in the juvenile salmon population density below the critical level on spawning and nursery grounds. As a result, mollusc reproduction has stopped. An artificial increase in the number of recruits must be developed in order to preserve the salmon population in the Onega River Basin. It is also necessary to forbid salmon fishing, including fishing migratory paths (with the exception of trapping for hatchery needs and traditional harvesting performed by locals in historical settlements). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North-west Russia, located between Ladoga and Onega Lakes and theBarents Sea, is remarkable for its high hydrological differentiation andabundance of water. The rivers and their tributaries are largely natural incharacter and with little disturbance by human activity. However, the situationis starting to change, so a biomonitoring approach has been developed to assessthe influence of land-use patterns on the structure of periphyton in thisregion. The periphyton communities in relatively pristine streams and in onesinfluenced by domestic sewage, agricultural, fish breeding farms, mineralisedmining mill wastes and other sources were analyzed in terms of speciesrichness,species diversity, species ecology values, biomass and chlorophyllconcentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]