One of the most important problems of environmental sciences is to determine limits for the sustainable functioning of affected ecosystems. The effects of volatile hydrocarbons (such as gasoline and ...kerosene) on plants in natural ecosystems have been poorly studied to date. The present work outlines the data of a field experiment on the effects of kerosene on the plants of forest and bog communities in Central Russia. In this paper, we model the influence of kerosene spillage on plants growing in a coniferous broad-leaved (aspen–spruce) forest and a raised bog with a subshrub–sphagnum pine forest. We used TS-1 kerosene, which is the most commonly used fuel for commercial aviation in Russia. The applied pollutant (loads of 1 to 100 g/kg) had a significant impact on herbaceous plants, leading to the death of individuals even at minimal doses. The shrubs of the bog community as well as the mosses of both communities were more resistant to kerosene. The recovery processes of plant communities were clearly pronounced as early as 2 years after the application of the pollutant. The level of kerosene threshold exposure, which significantly affects the dominant plants of the herb–shrub layer, can be defined as 1–5 g/kg for the forest community and 5–10 g/kg for the bog community.
One of the most important challenges for soil science is to determine the limits for the sustainable functioning of contaminated ecosystems. The response of soil microbiomes to kerosene pollution is ...still poorly understood. Here, we model the impact of kerosene leakage on the composition of the topsoil microbiome in pot and field experiments with different loads of added kerosene (loads up to 100 g/kg; retention time up to 360 days). At four time points we measured kerosene concentration and sequenced variable regions of 16S ribosomal RNA in the microbial communities. Mainly alkaline Dystric Arenosols with low content of available phosphorus and soil organic matter had an increased fraction of Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, Nitrospirota, Planctomycetota, and, to a lesser extent, Acidobacteriota and Verrucomicobacteriota. In contrast, in highly acidic Fibric Histosols, rich in soil organic matter and available phosphorus, the fraction of Acidobacteriota was higher, while the fraction of Actinobacteriota was lower. Albic Luvisols occupied an intermediate position in terms of both physicochemical properties and microbiome composition. The microbiomes of different soils show similar response to equal kerosene loads. In highly contaminated soils, the proportion of anaerobic bacteria-metabolizing hydrocarbons increased, whereas the proportion of aerobic bacteria decreased. During the field experiment, the soil microbiome recovered much faster than in the pot experiments, possibly due to migration of microorganisms from the polluted area. The microbial community of Fibric Histosols recovered in 6 months after kerosene had been loaded, while microbiomes of Dystric Arenosols and Albic Luvisols did not restore even after a year.
The article presents protocols for determining the biological activity of kerosene-contaminated soils in terms of two indicators, i.e. cellulolytic activity and biological consumption of oxygen. A ...method for determining the cellulolytic activity of soils is based on measuring the rate of cellulose decomposition in situ. Model test objects (linen fragments 10 × 20 cm weighing 4–6 g) were put in the root layer of soil. A month later, the linen was removed from soil and its weight loss was measured. Cellulolytic activity was estimated by the weight loss of readily hydrolysable organic matter (RHOM) per day (mg/g RHOM per day). The method for determining the biological consumption of oxygen of water was adapted for soils. The indicator characterizes the ability of microorganisms to oxidize organic substances using oxygen for 5 days. The analytic procedure includes taking a soil sample, preparing the suspension (the ratio of soil to distilled water is at least 1:10) and after 5 days measuring the concentration of unspent dissolved oxygen using the oxygen meter. The proposed methods give reproducible and reliable results on the biochemical activity of soil microorganisms in a wide range of soils, e.g. Retisols, Arenosols and Histosols, including those under hydrocarbon pollution.
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The paper considers the dynamics of restoration of plant communities of meadows in the south of Western Siberia according to Sentinel data-2. Four subjects of the Russian Federation and nine ...specially protected natural territories within them were taken. Sentinel-2 data is characterized by a repetition of the survey once every five days and a spatial resolution of 10-20 m, which allows you to track the moment of the fire with high accuracy and record the state of vegetation before and after it. For quantitative evaluation, we used NDVI and NBR2 indices, which were compared for burnt and unburned areas before the fire, immediately after the fire, one year after the fire and two years after the fire. As a result of statistical analysis by the Mann-Whitney test, it was found out that both indices practically do not show the consequences of meadow fires in any way a year after the fire.
The soil response to a jet-fuel contamination is uncertain. In this article, original data on the influence of a jet-fuel spillage on the topsoil properties are presented. The data set is obtained ...during a one-year long pot and field experiments with Dystric Arenosols, Fibric Histosols and Albic Luvisols. Kerosene loads were 1, 5, 10, 25 and 100 g/kg. The data set includes information about temporal changes in kerosene concentration; physicochemical properties, such as рН, moisture, cation exchange capacity, content of soil organic matter, available P and K, exchangeable NH4+, and water-soluble NO3–; and biological properties, such as biological consumption of oxygen, and cellulolytic activity. Also, we provide sequencing data on variable regions of 16S ribosomal RNA of microbial communities from the respective soil samples.
Significant environmental impacts of mining activities connected with high-sulfur materials result from the production of acid mine drainage and potentially toxic elements, which easily migrate to ...adjacent ecosystems due to the typical absence of vegetation on spoil heaps and toeslope talus mantle. In this paper, we present the results of the first comprehensive study of the ecosystems affected by acidic and metal-enriched (Al, Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn) mine drainage conducted at spoil heaps and adjacent talus mantle under semihumid climate conditions within the Moscow Brown Coal Basin (Central Russian Upland, Tula Region, Russia). A total of 162 samples were collected, including 98 soil samples, 42 surface water samples, and 22 plant samples (aerial tissues of birch). Coal talus mantle materials of Regosols were characterized by the increased concentration of water-soluble Ca, K, Mg, and S, and all mobile fractions of Al, Co, S, and Zn. The chemical composition of birch samples within the zones affected by acid mine drainage differed insignificantly from those in the unpolluted ecosystems with black soils, due to the high tolerance of birch to such conditions. Differences between the affected and undisturbed sites in terms of the chemical composition decreased in the following order: waters > soils > plants. The geochemical characterization of plants and soils in coal mining areas is essential for the mitigation of negative consequences of mining activities.
A methodology for assessing the environmental and economic risks of mining enterprises is proposed. The risk characteristics are determined. Proactive measures are proposed in accordance with the ...development strategy of Kuzbass.
In our article, we analyzed new data on the origin of the hybrid genus ×
. According to the morphological criteria ×
is a hybrid between
s. l. and
, ×
, and originated from
s. l. and
, ×
, a hybrid ...between
and
. Later ×
was transferred to
. Parental taxa are prone to active hybridization themselves, thus, new methods of next-generation sequencing (NGS) were needed to clarify the relationships of these genera. For NGS we used the fragment 18S rDNA (part)-ITS1-5.8S rDNA (totally 441 accessions). We analyzed ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region,
L-
F and
K-
16 from eight samples of the five species, using the Sanger method: ×
, ×
,
,
(=
), and
. We also studied the pollen fertility of ×
and its possible progenitors. Our data partly contradicted previous assumptions, based on morphological grounds, and showed us a picture of developed introgression within and between
and
. ×
, a totally sterile hybrid formed rather recently. We can suppose that ×
is a hybrid between
and some
s. str. Species, but not
. ×
, a hybrid in the stage of primary stabilization; it has one unique ribotype related to
s. l. The second parental species is unrelated to
. ×
and is a stabilized hybrid species; it shares major ribotypes with the
/
group and has a minor fraction of rDNA related to genus
s. l.
The article is devoted to the problem of human resourcing in the agricultural sector of the economy which has been aggravated for a long time. The measures taken under the framework of the widespread ...implementation of the State Program for Development of Agriculture and Regulation of Agricultural Commodity Markets for 2013–2020 contribute to the modernization of the physical infrastructure, growth of agriculture, development of the village social assets, but they do not ensure abatement of depopulation of the rural population and the influx of skilled personnel into the agro-industrial complex. This is facilitated by the lack of a spatial aspect in the programs implemented, insufficient consideration of features, potential and possibilities of self-development of territories that reduces performance and effectiveness of municipal programs. A typology of municipalities of the Republic of Mordovia was carried out on the basis of “center – periphery”, demographic situation and economic specialization characteristics. The proposals on improving management of human resources reproduction in municipal territories, in particular, on creating a system for monitoring labor resources and selecting personnel using modern information technologies, as well as on improving the current system for assessing the effectiveness of local governmental activities are formulated.
In order to enhance the efficiency of heavy metal ion extraction from aqueous medium, new nanocomposite magnetic sorbents were synthesized on the base of natural zeolite (Zt) and nanoparticles of ...ZnFe2O4 (F). The composition, structure and physical–chemical properties of new composites with 2% (Zt-2F), 8% (Zt-8F) and 16% (Zt-16F) of zinc ferrite were characterized by XRD, BET adsorption–desorption of nitrogen, SEM with elemental mapping, TEM and magnetometry. The sorption capacity of materials was assessed towards Cu2+ ions in aqueous solutions, for which kinetic and equilibrium features of sorption were established. The maximal sorption capacity (amax, mg/g) of the studied materials increased in the order: Zt (19.4) < Zt-2F (27.3) < Zt-8F (30.2) < Zt-16F (32.8) < ZnFe2O4 (161.3). The kinetics of the sorption process followed a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The sorption equilibrium at zinc ferrite was successfully described by the Langmuir model, while the Freundlich model better fitted the sorption equilibrium on zeolite and composites. The efficiency of Cu2+ ion extraction from 320 mg/dm3 aqueous solution was 63% for composite Zt-16F and 100% for a sample of ZnFe2O4. It was established that the proposed composite sorbents provide the operation of several cycles without regeneration, they can be easily recycled with 0.1 N HCl solution and are capable of magnetic separation. The advantages of new composites and the proposed method of synthesis allow recommending these materials as effective sorbents of heavy metals from wastewater.
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