The work is based on the results of long-term studies of phytoplankton and zooplankton in soda-saline lakes of the Uldza-Torey basin (South-Eastern Transbaikalia). The unstable level regime of steppe lakes, due to climatic fluctuations, leads to the lake morphometric and hydrochemical regime changes, and, as a consequence, to the plankton community’s transformation. The aim of this work is to identify and analyze environmental factors that determine the structure of planktonic biocenoses in mineral lakes at the different water phases. According to statistical analysis of auxiliary models based on the redundancy analysis (RDA) the significance factors were mineralization and pH in the transgressive water phase, pH was in the regressive phase. The interconnection schematic drawings within the plankton community are constructed on the basis of the correlation matrix. There were nine interrelated components in the plankton natural associations in high water level period and only five components were in low water level. Algae Chlorophyta were the basic structure-forming element of plankton community regardless of the water level periods. Euglenophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cladocera were the second most significant elements in the structural organization in high water level years and Charophyta, Dinophyta, Rotifera, Copepoda were in years of low water level.

The research studied how body size affects wing shape and arrangement of veins in a wide range of families of dipteran insects (Diptera). Body mass and thorax length were used as criteria reflecting body size. Wing shape was characterized by aspect ratio and position of geometric center relative to its longitudinal axis. Allometry of venation was studied by geometric morphometric methods. It was found that character of dependence of wing shape on body size among Brachycera and Nematocera is different. Aspect ratio increases with body size in Nematocera, in Brachycera any correlation is absent. Shift of geometric center of a wing towards its base at the increase in body size is observed for Brachycera, for Nematocera no correlation is noted. It was shown that allometric component of the variation in arrangement of veins varies significantly between different families. With increase in body size, for most Brachycera-Cyclorrhapha studied (Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Sepsidae, Tachinidae) the shift of r-m vein in basal direction and dm-cu vein in apical direction are noted. In Brachycera-Orthorrhapha suborder (Asilidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae, Rhagionidae, Tabanidae), the point of intersection of veins R2+3 and C shifts towards the apex. For representatives of Nematocera (Chironomidae, Limoniidae, Tipulidae), shifts of the point of intersection of veins CuA2 and C in basal direction and r-m vein in apical direction are characteristic. The obtained data confirms significant effect of body size on wing shape in Diptera. However, the character of allometry is not uniform in different suborders, apparently due to the fact that values of flight parameters (wing frequency, stroke amplitude), relative wing size (wing area to body size ratio) and wing venation vary greatly in dipterans. It can be concluded that body size is not the principal factor affecting wing shape within the order Diptera.

The aim of this work was to study the life cycle of cyanobacteria Dolichospermum flos-aquae, causing the «blooming» of waters of the boreal zone. The mass propagation of the D. flos-aquae in the plankton stage occurs due to their ability to realize high biotic potential, defined by the combination of features developed during evolution, which the other partners of the plankton community lack. These include: adaptation to a certain growth temperature; low demand for nutrients; nitrogen fixation and intracellular accumulation of phosphates; the ability of trichomes to migrate, allowing to occupy the optimal parts of euphotic zones for photosynthesis. It is established that during the planktonic stage the trichomes of D. flos-aquae consists of heterocysts and vegetative cells of different maturity, generosity and activity, the ratio of which changes throughout the life cycle of microorganisms. It is believed that the primary and secondary metabolites released by D. flos-aquae into the medium take part in the regulation of own population growth including the cell destruction at the final stage of «blooming», akinetes formation and the simultaneous suppression of propagation of community partners. With the dominance of one species, the released toxic metabolites increase in years with anticyclone type of weather, resulted in the reducing of species diversity and the simplifying of the biotic community structure.

Pairwise alignment of amino acid sequences is the basic tool of bioinformatics and it is widely used itself and in numerous approaches. Performance of this tool is critically depends on scoring function, which consisted of substitution matrix and gap penalties. In this work we constructed and evaluated a set of family-specific substitution matrices for microbial rhodopsins (RHOD) and compared them with general-purpose matrices (BLOSUM, VTML, PFASUM). We showed that all matrices demonstrated similar quality of pairwise alignment of microbial rhodopsins and only BLOSUM and VTML matrices, and linear combinations of them with RHOD matrices, are able to detect distant homology between microbial rhodopsins and heliorhodopsin.

Diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) belongs to a group of endogenous purine compounds that have been recently considered as new neurotransmitters or cotransmitters in autonomic nervous system. It has been shown that Ap4A affects electrophysiology of a pacemaker and working myocardium; modulates adrenergic control of the heart in adult mammals. Nevertheless, the physiological role of Ap4A in regulation of bioelectric properties in pulmonary veins (PV) myocardium has not still been investigated. It is well known that myocardial tissue in the wall of the PV acts as source of the ectopic proarrhythmic activity that underlies supraventricular arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the effects Ap4A on bioelectrical properties and proarrhythmic ectopy in PV in adults and at early postnatal ontogenesis. Thus, the action potentials were recorded with use of standard microelectrode technique in multicellular isolated PV preparations from male Wistar rats at postnatal day 1-, 7-, 14-, 21- and, also, from 60-day-old animals, which were considered as mature. The application of Ap4A caused significant reduction of action potential duration in PV preparations from rats of all ages. Also, Ap4A caused significant resting membrane potential hyperpolarization in quiescent PV preparations from 14-, 21- and 60-day-old rats. In addition, Ap4A caused complete and significant suppression of ectopic automaticity caused by preliminary noradrenaline administration in PV from 21- and 60-day-old rats, but Ap4A was unable to alter spontaneous intrinsic activity in PV from neonate (1-day-old) rats. The Ap4Acaused attenuation of noradrenaline-induced ectopy in PV was accompanied by substantial resting membrane potential hyperpolarization in all cases. Our results allow suggesting that the release of Ap4A as cotransmitter from autonomic nerves endings can reduce proarrhythmic ectopy caused by sympathetic stimulation of the PV myocardium in vivo.

Anthropogenic salinization of inland waters and its effect on freshwater biota is one of the current environmental problems. Such salinization leads to changes in the natural environment, undesirable from the point of view of environmental protection and not indifferent to humans. One of the three most important factors of anthropogenic salinization of freshwater in countries with a temperate and cold climate, along with agricultural activities and mining, has today become the widespread use of chemical reagents in the fight against road icing. Today, the main components of these reagents are chlorides of Na and Ca – cheap and easy to obtain natural materials. The mixture of sand and salt used in the practice of de-icing is usually stored in bulk in special open-air areas all year round. The impact of atmospheric precipitation makes its a source of salinization of the surrounding soils and waters. In 2015, 2016 and 2018 recorded salinity of inland waters near the long-term open storage of anti-icing agents in the Kaluga region. The anthropogenic nature of salinization of the examined reservoirs has been established. The main components of salinization of reservoirs in the study area are Na and Ca chlorides. The maximum level of salinity in the studied conditions is 4‰ (ppm), the degree of salinity depends on the distance of the reservoir from the salt storage. The influence of anthropogenic salinity on dragonflies, mainly of the species Coenagrion puella L., has been studied. It has been found that the negative effect of salt manifests itself only as a slowdown in the development of individuals with a high level of fluctuating asymmetry, the number of which in the population is not determined by water salinity. High salinity of water only leads to a change in the time of emergence of imago of sabjects with high FA. It is assumed that dragonflies, as one of the mass objects of freshwater biota, obviously do not suffer significantly with anthropogenic salinization.

Agrobacterium vitis and some strains of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes cause a dangerous chronic disease on grape plants – crown gall. Using molecular genetic methods, work has been carried out to identify and study the diversity of pathogenic agrobacteria that cause crown gall in the vineyards of the Krasnodar Territory. 76 samples of young and lignified tumor-like outgrowths of crown gall of grapes collected from plants in fourteen vineyards of the Krasnodar Territory and having a different origin of planting material (Italy, France, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia) were used as material. In all studied samples, the presence of A. vitis was identified using the PGF/PGR test-system for DNA analysis. When studying the diversity of agrobacteria by the type of Ti plasmids contained therein, four groups were identified: containing octopine-type Ti plasmids (59.5%), octopine/vitopine (13.5%), vitopine (13.5%) and nopaline type (13.5%). The obtained data indicate that in the vineyards of the Krasnodar Territory crown gall of grapes is caused by agrobacteria A. vitis, mainly of the octopine type.