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Aim: Identify hotspots and areas of high species richness for Arctic marine mammals. Location: Circumpolar Arctic. Methods: A total of 2115 biologging devices were deployed on marine mammals from 13 species in the Arctic from 2005 to 2019. Getis-Ord Gi* hotspots were calculated based on the number of individuals in grid cells for each species and for phyloge-netic groups (nine pinnipeds, three cetaceans, all species) and areas with high spe-cies richness were identified for summer (Jun-Nov), winter (Dec-May) and the entire year. Seasonal habitat differences among species’ hotspots were investigated using Principal Component Analysis. Results: Hotspots and areas with high species richness occurred within the Arctic continental-shelf seas and within the marginal ice zone, particularly in the “Arctic gateways” of the north Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Summer hotspots were generally found further north than winter hotspots, but there were exceptions to this pattern, including bowhead whales in the Greenland-Barents Seas and species with coastal distributions in Svalbard, Norway and East Greenland. Areas with high species rich-ness generally overlapped high-density hotspots. Large regional and seasonal dif-ferences in habitat features of hotspots were found among species but also within species from different regions. Gap analysis (discrepancy between hotspots and IUCN ranges) identified species and regions where more research is required. Main conclusions: This study identified important areas (and habitat types) for Arctic marine mammals using available biotelemetry data. The results herein serve as a benchmark to measure future distributional shifts. Expanded monitoring and teleme-try studies are needed on Arctic species to understand the impacts of climate change and concomitant ecosystem changes (synergistic effects of multiple stressors). While efforts should be made to fill knowledge gaps, including regional gaps and more com-plete sex and age coverage, hotspots identified herein can inform management ef-forts to mitigate the impacts of human activities and ecological changes, including creation of protected areas.

The Atlantic walrus, Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus, forms a herd of nearly 4,000 heads in the Pechora Sea (south-eastern Barents Sea). The Near Threatened status of O. rosmarus rosmarus and the relative isolation of the Pechora Sea population, as well as the potential impacts of human activities in the area, make it important to characterize key habitats, including feeding grounds, in order to protect the species.The aim of the present study was to integrate multiple sources of environmental and biological data collected by satellite telemetry, remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and benthic grab sampling to examine the distribution and diversity of benthic foraging resources used by walrus in the Pechora Sea.Analysis of satellite telemetry data from seven males tagged on Vaigach Island helped to identify areas of high use by walruses near haulout sites on Matveev and Vaigach islands, and in between. Field data were collected from those feeding grounds in July 2016 using ROV video recordings and bottom grab sampling. Analysis of 19 grab stations revealed a heterogeneous macrobenthic community of 133 taxa with a mean biomass of 147.11 ± 7.35 g/m2. Bivalve molluscs, particularly Astarte borealis, Astarte montagui, and Ciliatocardium ciliatum, dominated the overall macrobenthic biomass, making up two-thirds of the total.Analysis of 16 ROV video transects showed high occurrences of mobile benthic decapods (3.03 ± 2.74 ind./min) and provided the first direct evidence that areas actively used by walrus in the Pechora Sea overlap with the distribution of the non-native omnivorous snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio.Integrating multiple data sources provides an early foundation for the kinds of ecosystem-based approaches needed to improve Pechora Sea resource management and to underpin Russia’s nascent marine spatial planning initiatives. Factors that need to be considered in marine spatial planning include impacts on benthic feeding grounds from offshore oil and gas development and the spread of the snow crab.

Environmental change and increasing levels of human activity are threats to marine mammals in the Arctic. Identifying marine mammal hotspots and areas of high species richness are essential to help guide management and conservation efforts. Herein, space use based on biotelemetric tracking devices deployed on 13 species (ringed seal Pusa hispida, bearded seal Erignathus barbatus, harbour seal Phoca vitulina, walrus Odobenus rosmarus, harp seal Pagophilus groenlandicus, hooded seal Cystophora cristata, polar bear Ursus maritimus, bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus, narwhal Monodon monoceros, white whale Delphinapterus leucas, blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, fin whale Balaenoptera physalus and humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae; total = 585 individuals) in the Greenland and northern Barents Seas between 2005 and 2018 is reported. Getis-Ord Gi* hotspots were calculated for each species as well as all species combined, and areas of high species richness were identified for summer/autumn (Jun-Dec), winter/spring (Jan-May) and the entire year. The marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Greenland Sea and northern Barents Sea, the waters surrounding the Svalbard Archipelago and a few Northeast Greenland coastal sites were identified as key marine mammal hotspots and areas of high species richness in this region. Individual hotspots identified areas important for most of the tagged animals, such as common resting, nursing, moulting and foraging areas. Location hotspots identified areas heavily used by segments of the tagged populations, including denning areas for polar bears and foraging areas. The hotspots identified herein are also important habitats for seabirds and fishes, and thus conservation and management measures targeting these regions would benefit multiple groups of Arctic animals.

Identifying genetically different groups of animals, occupying specific geographical areas, is a prerequisite for conservation and management priorities. In the present study, the genetic structure of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) occupying the Pechora Sea (PEC) in the western Russian Arctic, including walruses from Svalbard-Franz Josef Land (SVA-FJL) and East Greenland (EGR) regions, was investigated using 14 microsatellites (N = 159) and mtDNA sequences (N = 212). Bayesian-based clustering analysis identified two clusters: EGR and the other Northeast Atlantic areas. Pairwise F-ST analyses based on microsatellites revealed low but significant genetic differences between walruses from the PEC and SVA-FJL groups, which was supported by mtDNA analysis. F-ST was not significant for all sampling years, indicating a temporal effect or male-biased gene flow. Extended Bayesian Skyline Plots suggested a constant female subpopulation size (N-ef) for EGR and an increase for the SVA-FJL and PEC groups that commenced around 40-30 Kyr ago, indicating different demographic histories for walruses in the EGR. Further, the evolutionary phylogenetic relationship between Atlantic and Pacific walruses (O. r. divergence), based on mtDNA sequences, showed a monophyletic Atlantic clade, suggesting that Atlantic and Pacific walruses diverged similar to 949 Kyr. The principal finding suggests that PEC walruses show low, but significant genetic distinction from walruses in SVA-FJL and should be managed conservatively, as a separate, small population.

This research work details analysis of the coenopopulation structure of 13 plants of various species in Yakutia and compares them with the characteristic spectra types of their species. The structure of plant coenopopulations was investigated from 2003 to 2019 in Central Yakutia. The left-sided and centered ontogenetic spectra are found in perennial plants with simple ontogenesis and shallow rejuvenation which were studied. The left-sided spectrum is the basic structure of these coenopopulations. The centered ontogenetic spectrum is largely found in unfavorable growing conditions under the impact of grazing and trampling by cattle and horses. This rule applies to the CP structure of Veronica incana which is an evergreen chamaephyte and for which the seasonal anthropogenic load contributes to the mechanical vegetative reproduction of its species, resulting in stable left-sided CP spectra. The ontogenetic spectra of the studied plants coincide with the characteristic spectra of the species and are considered stable.

Forty adult, male Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) were successfully immobilized for the attachment of global positioning system loggers on their tusks and collection of various biological samples. A standard dose of 7.8 mg etorphine was used for each animal, regardless of body size. All animals were reversed with an iv or im injection of 250 mg naltrexone, immediately after tag attachment. Twenty-seven of the animals were intubated and ventilated with 100% oxygen during the recovery period. The induction time was, on average, 4 min 51 sec ± 1 min 46 sec. Several animals had venous pH, and Pco2 levels that indicated severe acidosis and hypercarbia. All animals recovered within an average of 5 min 16 sec ± 2 min 47 sec after reversal. The total time from darting to recovery was 15 min 23 sec ± 3 min 33 sec. The use of naltrexone is recommended for reversal of etorphine immobilization in adult, male walruses, and the use of positive-pressure ventilation with oxygen is highly encouraged.

The femtoscopy technique allows one to measure spatial and temporal characteristics of the particle-emitting source produced in high-energy collisions. In non-central ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions the emission source can be tilted in the reaction plane. In the current analysis, the orientation of freeze-out distributions with respect to the first-order event plane in symmetric (Au+Au) and asymmetric (Cu+Au) collisions at $$\sqrt {{s_{NN}}} = 200$$ GeV was studied using the UrQMD model to extract information about the emission source tilt. The effect of the initial geometry on the femtoscopic radii of small systems was measured at the same number of charged particles and transverse momentum was studied in d+Au and 3He+Au collisions at $$\sqrt {{s_{NN}}} = 200$$ GeV. The implications of the results are discussed.

The coastal haulout of Pacific walruses at Cape Kozhevnikov, Chukotka (Russian Far East), appeared for the first time in 2007, likely as a response of the walrus population to the unprecedented decrease of ice cover extent resulting from global climate change. This is the most western, and one of the largest known, haulouts on the mainland coast and is of great importance for walruses migrating in autumn from offshore summering habitats in the East Siberian and Chukchi seas to the wintering grounds in the Bering Strait. The peak number of walruses on the overall Cape exceeded 50,000: when turnover is taken into account, it could account for more than half the estimated population size for Pacific walruses. The haulout attracts polar bears and is less than 1 km from the comparatively large (about 700 people) village of Ryrkaipiy. The neighborhood so close to the haulout is a source of considerable disturbance – a factor causing mass panics and the death of many walruses on the coast. The local community, as well as environmental and research organizations, have made a great joint effort for the conservation of the haulout; these individuals collected information essential for their proper management. In the past, the Cape was also used by female polar bears for maternity denning. Immediately recognizing the high importance of this cape for walruses and polar bears, WWF Russia, the All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, and the Marine Mammal Council prepared all necessary documentation for establishing a regionally protected area (nature monument), “Cape Kozhevnikov,” that is expected to be approved and in place from 2010 onward. This provision marks a very important step when taking into consideration plans for economic development of the region.