N. G. Kadetov’s research while affiliated with A. N. Kosygin Moscow State Textile University and other places

Currently, global climate change has led to alterations in river discharge. In Eastern and Southern Europe, decreasing spring flood levels are observed, leading to drying and overgrowth of floodplain water bodies, especially in semiarid regions. Under such conditions, the scale of influence of the ecosystem engineer, the Eurasian beaver, which is often considered one of the tools for wetland restoration, is of interest. The aim of this study was to analyze beaver digging activity on a regional scale by estimating beaver abundance and occurrence patterns in floodplain pondscapes of the upper Khoper River and by quantifying changes in the morphometric parameters of water bodies due to the impact of this species. During the field survey and remote GIS analysis, 80 water bodies were surveyed. The results of the field study revealed that 67 % of the water bodies were inhabited by beavers, 21 % of which were inhabited by large families. Only 5.6 % of the water bodies had no traces of beaver activity. Approximately 30 % of all the water bodies under study were significantly altered, and 10–13 % were almost completely excavated by beavers. The remote sensing analyses revealed that beavers digging increased the area of the water bodies by an average of 40 %, the perimeter of the water bodies by an average of 60 %, and the shoreline development (complexity) by 60 %. In total, beaver-created structures occupied 0.05 km2 in the floodplain of the upper reaches of the river, and their total length reached 30.5 km. The main factor influencing beaver digging activity was the drying of water bodies; the values of morphometric parameters altered or created by beavers increased significantly at large differences in the maximum and minimum water levels. Our results highlight the importance of ecosystem engineering activities at the regional scale in the face of climate change and provide insight into the possibility of considering beaver digging activities as an inspiration for the development of nature-based strategies.

Обобщается информация об основных негативных факторах, влияющих на состояние пойменных водоемов, описываются самые распространенные последствия абиотических и биотических процессов, предлагаются возможные пути для сохранения пойменных водоемов. Приводятся свидетельства негативного влияния гидростроительства, обвалования пойм, спрямления русел, сельского хозяйства и других антропогенных воздействий. Особую роль играет изменение климата, которое приводит к снижению поемности, высыханию и зарастанию водоемов, их эвтрофированию. Предлагаются критерии для выбора корректных индикаторов, которые могут свидетельствовать о последствиях антропогенных и климатических изменений и о коллапсе таких экосистем. Рекомендовано при оценках состояния пойменных водоемов, рассматривать не отдельные водоемы, а их скопления, и использовать в качестве индикатора изменение β-разнообразия сообществ водных организмов. Дальнейшие природоохранные стратегии могут опираться на подходы Красной книги экосистем Международного союза охраны природы и природных ресурсов, что поможет привлечь внимание к проблеме. Ключевую роль для сохранения пойменных водоемов должны играть территориальные меры охраны, вплоть до разработки отдельной категории для малых водоемов в целом.

This review summarizes information on the main negative factors affecting the state of floodplain water bodies ecosystems, describes the most common consequences for abiotic and biotic processes, and suggests possible ways to conserve these ecosystems. Evidence of the negative impact of hydraulic construction, embanking of floodplains, channelizing of rivers, agriculture, and other anthropogenic impacts is presented. A special role is played by climate change, which leads to a decrease in flood inundation, drying and overgrowing of water bodies, and their eutrophication. The authors suggest criteria to choose correct indicators that can testify not only to special stages of water body succession (e.g., vegetation) or its trophic status (zooplankton), but also to the long-term effects of anthropogenic and climatic changes. As a recommendation, it is proposed not to consider water bodies separately, but to assess the whole waterscapes and use the change in β-diversity as an indicator. Further conservation strategies can be based on the approaches of the Red List of Ecosystems of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), which will help to draw attention to the problem. The key role for the conservation of floodplain water bodies should be played by territorial protection measures, up to the development of a separate category for small water bodies.

Introduction. The article summarizes the experience of the teachers of the Department of Biogeography of Lomonosov Moscow State University, accumulated during remote teaching and organizing field practices for students under restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21. The sudden introduction of remote learning required an urgent adaptation of academic programmes, the modification of existing teaching technologies to the new format, and a rapid restructuring of the educational process. Materials and Methods. The use of a new textbook with presentations and video materials, archival materials, educational and methodological and scientific publications, video recordings describing characteristics of individual plant and animal species, the structure and composition of particular phytocenoses, issues of their protection and anthropogenic transformation. Published materials on the biological and landscape diversity of Moscow City and the Moscow Region and on the specifics of anthropogenic transformation in this territory and ongoing conservation measures are used. Results. Determination of the methodological basis and development of principles for organizing and conducting classes and field practices in the context of anti-COVID-19 restrictions and analysis of the experience gained in order to determine the possibility of its application in similar circumstances. Discussion and Conclusions. In the context of distance learning, approaches to the demonstration of visual materials during classes were changed, the presentations that replaced the explanations of teachers in the exposition of the Museum of Geography of Moscow State University (the main training ground for practical work on the course "Ecology with the basics of biogeography") were created. Field practices were reduced, moved to new locations and reformatted in terms of approaches to the study of flora, geobotanical profiling and writing a report. The experience gained was positive and the work results received high marks in the surveys of students and teachers. The developed approaches can be used in case of new restrictions, as well as when working with people with disabilities.

The territories located near the administrative boundaries of the subjects of the federation are often relatively intact and are of interest in conservation terms. This is largely due to their poor availability, due to which communities with a significant concentration of rare and protected species are found here. Often, regional protected natural areas are confined to such border territories. A number of examples of the functioning of protected areas of various status and categories near the borders of the Moscow region and the possibility of creating adjacent protected areas of various dimensions and categories in neighboring subjects of the federation are considered.

The book is a biogeographic review of 35 lowland biomes from the map "The Biomes of Russia," published in a series of nature maps for high school. Concepts and approaches to classifying terrestrial ecosystems and mapping are explained. Data on ecosystem biodiversity, flora, and fauna of regional biomes are presented. The comparative geographical analysis gives an idea of the relationship of environmental conditions with quantitative characteristics, reflecting the current state and level of knowledge. In practical terms, there is a unified scientific baseline for obtaining further knowledge about the biodiversity of biomes at species and ecosystem levels, to justify environmental measures, which have a wide perspective for application. For geographers, biologists, environmentalists, and a wide range of readers interested in the nature of Russia and the perspectives for its conservation. [Книга представляет собой биогеографический обзор 35 равнинных биомов, которые отображены на научно-справочной карте «Биомы России», изданной в серии карт природы для высшей школы. Изложены концепции и подходы к классификации наземных экосистем и составлению легенды карты. Приводятся данные по биоразнообразию экосистем, флоре и фауне региональных биомов. Их сравнительно-географический анализ дает представление о связи экологических условий с количественными характеристиками, отражая современное состояние и степень изученности. В практическом плане обеспечивается единая научная база для получения дальнейших знаний о биоразнообразии биомов на видовом и экосистемном уровнях, для обоснования природоохранных мер, что имеет широкую перспективу для применения. Для специалистов географов, биологов, экологов и широкого круга читателей, интересующихся природой России и перспективами ее сохранения]

The map of "The Biomes of Russia" is the result of many years of joint work of botanists and zoologists of the Department of Biogeography in various areas and cartographic support of the extensive problem of the "Geography of biodiversity". The Biomes of Russia map illustrates the patterns of spatial differentiation of biotic cover of Russia, determined by indicators characterizing the flora and fauna of the country. The map is based on the biome concept (Walter, Bruce, 1980) and the idea of the geographical dimension of geosystems (Sochava, 1978). A biome is a large zonal ecosystem that combines a number of interconnected, smaller ecosystems, and which reflects the interaction of regional biota with climate and landscape structure. A biome’s biotic components evolve in relationship with, and dependent on, its abiotic components. Biomes reflect the ecological potential of a territory more fully than their separate components. The map of zonal biomes (zonobiomes) and mountain biomes (first order orobiomes) is represented by the ecosystems of the regional dimension within the zones on the plains, and in accordance with the types of altitudinal zonation in the mountains, respectively. For most of the biomes, geographical variations were highlighted: for plain these were considered underzones, and for orobiomes they were considered in accordance with the variants of altitudinal belt spectra. Characteristics of regional biomes and geographic options include bioclimatic indicators shown on climate charts and the ecological structure of the biotic cover with a quantitative assessment of biological diversity for the main groups of terrestrial organisms. Quantitative assessment of plant species aims to give a general (comparative) idea of the modern floristic richness of biomes. It is given for vascular plants (with regard to two indicators), mosses, lichens, as well as for terrestrial vertebrates: mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

The article deals with modern trends in the development of biota mapping at the MSU Department of Biogeography. In the recent decade the increasing interest in biodiversity conservation, inventory, monitoring and assessment has contributed to the formation of a special thematic line in the biogeographic mapping. The thematic spectrum of maps and their scale range are permanently expanding. Small-scale overview maps show biota as a whole (e.g. «Zones and types of vegetation belts within the mountains of Russia», «Biomes of Russia»). Regional level of biodiversity assessment is demonstrated by numerous medium-scale maps, including regional atlases. Landscape-level investigations of biota and ecologicalgeographic differentiation of biodiversity are displayed on large-scale maps drawn for natural reserves, national parks and model study areas. The biodiversity assessment is supported by creation of databases on separate groups of organisms for the whole country or particular regions using the remote sensing data and GIS-technologies. The article discusses the problems of complex biodiversity mapping based on the ecological and geographical approach to the characteristic of vegetation and animal population. It highlights the role of biota mapping in the educational process at the MSU Department of Biogeography.