Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Abstract Aim The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location Europe. Methods We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment.

Abstract Rapidly rising temperatures in the Arctic might cause a greater release of greenhouse gases ( GHG s) to the atmosphere. To study the effect of warming on GHG dynamics, we deployed open‐top chambers in a subarctic tundra site in Northeast European Russia. We determined carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ), methane ( CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes as well as the concentration of those gases, inorganic nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic carbon ( DOC ) along the soil profile. Studied tundra surfaces ranged from mineral to organic soils and from vegetated to unvegetated areas. As a result of air warming, the seasonal GHG budget of the vegetated tundra surfaces shifted from a GHG sink of −300 to −198 g CO 2 –eq m −2 to a source of 105 to 144 g CO 2 –eq m −2 . At bare peat surfaces, we observed increased release of all three GHG s. While the positive warming response was dominated by CO 2 , we provide here the first in situ evidence of increasing N 2 O emissions from tundra soils with warming. Warming promoted N 2 O release not only from bare peat, previously identified as a strong N 2 O source, but also from the abundant, vegetated peat surfaces that do not emit N 2 O under present climate. At these surfaces, elevated temperatures had an adverse effect on plant growth, resulting in lower plant N uptake and, consequently, better N availability for soil microbes. Although the warming was limited to the soil surface and did not alter thaw depth, it increased concentrations of DOC , CO 2, and CH 4 in the soil down to the permafrost table. This can be attributed to downward DOC leaching, fueling microbial activity at depth. Taken together, our results emphasize the tight linkages between plant and soil processes, and different soil layers, which need to be taken into account when predicting the climate change feedback of the Arctic.

Checklist of Russia includes data on 448 species, 3 subspecies and 16 varieties.Territory of Russia is subdivided into 24 regions.Each record for region has a reference to herbaria possessing voucher specimens and to relevant publications. РезюмеСписок печеночников России включает 448 видов, 3 подвида и 16 разновидностей.Территория России подразделена на 24 района.Все указания на нахождение таксонов в каждом из районов сопровождаются ссылками на гербарии, где хранятся образцы, и на соответствующие публикации.

Aging is a major worldwide medical challenge. Not surprisingly, identifying drugs and compounds that extend lifespan in model organisms is a growing research area. Here, we present DrugAge (http://genomics.senescence.info/drugs/), a curated database of lifespan-extending drugs and compounds. At the time of writing, DrugAge contains 1316 entries featuring 418 different compounds from studies across 27 model organisms, including worms, flies, yeast and mice. Data were manually curated from 324 publications. Using drug-gene interaction data, we also performed a functional enrichment analysis of targets of lifespan-extending drugs. Enriched terms include various functional categories related to glutathione and antioxidant activity, ion transport and metabolic processes. In addition, we found a modest but significant overlap between targets of lifespan-extending drugs and known aging-related genes, suggesting that some but not most aging-related pathways have been targeted pharmacologically in longevity studies. DrugAge is freely available online for the scientific community and will be an important resource for biogerontologists.

The review discusses the latest advances in the directed synthesis and application of macroheterocyclic compounds in science, engineering and technology, viz. as catalysts for various processes in photo-and electrocatalysis, optical chemosensors for metal cations, selective receptors of organic compounds, inductors and selectors, in nonlinear optics, organic electronics, as magnets, photosensitizers for PDT of a number of oncological diseases and for antimicrobial PDT, etc.

Terpenes and terpenoids are the largest groups of plant secondary metabolites. However, unlike polyphenols, they are rarely associated with geroprotective properties. Here we evaluated the conformity of the biological effects of terpenoids with the criteria of geroprotectors, including primary criteria (lifespan-extending effects in model organisms, improvement of aging biomarkers, low toxicity, minimal adverse effects, improvement of the quality of life) and secondary criteria (evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of action, reproducibility of the effects on different models, prevention of age-associated diseases, increasing of stress-resistance). The number of substances that demonstrate the greatest compliance with both primary and secondary criteria of geroprotectors were found among different classes of terpenoids. Thus, terpenoids are an underestimated source of potential geroprotectors that can effectively influence the mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases.

Pectins are the major component of plant cell walls, and they display diverse biological activities including immunomodulation. The pectin macromolecule contains fragments of linear and branched regions of polysaccharides such as homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan-I, xylogalacturonan, and apiogalacturonan. These structural features determine the effect of pectins on the immune system. The backbones of pectic macromolecules have immunosuppressive activity. Pectins containing greater than 80% galacturonic acid residues were found to decrease macrophage activity and inhibit the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Branched galacturonan fragments result in a biphasic immunomodulatory action. The branched region of pectins mediates both increased phagocytosis and antibody production. The fine structure of the galactan, arabinan, and apiogalacturonan side chains determines the stimulating interaction between pectin and immune cells. This review summarizes data regarding the relationship between the structure and immunomodulatory activity of pectins isolated from the plants of the European north of Russia and elucidates the concept of polypotency of pectins in native plant cell walls to both stimulate and suppress the immune response. The possible mechanisms of the immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of pectins are also discussed.

Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains unknown. Here, using a global dataset representing 2470 sites, we estimate the total soil springtail biomass at 27.5 megatons carbon, which is threefold higher than wild terrestrial vertebrates, and record peak densities up to 2 million individuals per square meter in the tundra. Despite a 20-fold biomass difference between the tundra and the tropics, springtail energy use (community metabolism) remains similar across the latitudinal gradient, owing to the changes in temperature with latitude. Neither springtail density nor community metabolism is predicted by local species richness, which is high in the tropics, but comparably high in some temperate forests and even tundra. Changes in springtail activity may emerge from latitudinal gradients in temperature, predation and resource limitation in soil communities. Contrasting relationships of biomass, diversity and activity of springtail communities with temperature suggest that climate warming will alter fundamental soil biodiversity metrics in different directions, potentially restructuring terrestrial food webs and affecting soil functioning.

In the coming decades, a massive shift in the aging segment of the population will have major social and economic consequences around the world. One way to offset this increase is to expedite the development of geroprotectors, substances that slow aging, repair age-associated damage and extend healthy lifespan, or healthspan. While over 200 geroprotectors are now reported in model organisms and some are in human use for specific disease indications, the path toward determining whether they affect aging in humans remains obscure. Translation to the clinic is hampered by multiple issues including absence of a common set of criteria to define, select, and classify these substances, given the complexity of the aging process and their enormous diversity in mechanism of action. Translational research efforts would benefit from the formation of a scientific consensus on the following: the definition of ‘geroprotector’, the selection criteria for geroprotectors, a comprehensive classification system, and an analytical model. Here, we review current approaches to selection and put forth our own suggested selection criteria. Standardizing selection of geroprotectors will streamline discovery and analysis of new candidates, saving time and cost involved in translation to clinic.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is one of the most important soil-forming factors and complex with a chemical composition not fully known. The amount of SOM traditionally is estimated by stoichiometric determination of carbon dioxide (CO2) released from oxidation reaction with a chromium mixture, hence the term soil organic carbon (SOC). The two most common oxidation methods are Tyurin (T) and Walkley-Black (WB). However, the efficiency of organic carbon oxidation depends upon the conditions of the oxidation reduction (redox) reaction (temperature, reagent concentration, oxidation time), which vary for both methods. The lack of consistent results from the oxidation methods has led to widely different conversion factors. Although the Tyurin’s method has been slowly removed from some laboratories, there still remains a large number of samples, especially from Eurasia, that have been measured by this method for more than a century and continue at the present time. The objective of this research was to develop equations or pedotransfer functions (ptf) for converting SOC determined by the Tyurin method to current and more widely used methods, such as WB and dry combustion (DC). A comparative analysis was performed for the assessment of soil organic carbon content obtained by Tyurin and Walkley-Black methods for ten quality control soil samples and 100 field soil samples. The selected soils differed in their genesis, geographical origin, and organic carbon content. SOC determined by dry combustion, providing a maximum oxidation of organic carbon, was used as a standard for comparing Tyurin and WB methods. The conversion factors from Corg by DC developed from equations (ptf) were 1.15 and 1.30 for WB and Tyurin methods. The SOM measurement error for both methods did not exceed 20%. The relationship between the absorption of calibration solutions and the mass of sucrose carbon or the equivalent amount of iron (II) for the entire OC range in this study was very strong (r = 0.99). The values of the calibration function coefficients (A0, K) of the calibration functions A = A0 + Km (OC) for both methods, did not depend upon the nature of the reducing agent. The relative error of the K coefficients when using two reducing agents (Mohr’s salt or sucrose) was not more than δ2 ≤ 2.5%. Soil samples prepared using the Tyurin method experienced additional dispersion compared to the Walkley-Black method, which caused higher values in the measurement of SOC even after centrifugation of soil suspensions. The mean SOC measured value by the Tyurin method combined with 48 h settling time was comparable with the mean SOC measured by dry combustion. The established coefficients ensure that the results are transferable and consistent with the standard method. The results from this study facilitate the integration of the accumulated data that are analyzed by different methods across the Eurasian countries into one comprehensive database that could be incorporated into the global network for monitoring soil quality and carbon stocks

As the most abundant animals on earth, nematodes are a dominant component of the soil community. They play critical roles in regulating biogeochemical cycles and vegetation dynamics within and across landscapes and are an indicator of soil biological activity. Here, we present a comprehensive global dataset of soil nematode abundance and functional group composition. This dataset includes 6,825 georeferenced soil samples from all continents and biomes. For geospatial mapping purposes these samples are aggregated into 1,933 unique 1-km pixels, each of which is linked to 73 global environmental covariate data layers. Altogether, this dataset can help to gain insight into the spatial distribution patterns of soil nematode abundance and community composition, and the environmental drivers shaping these patterns.

As the mosses, the liverwort flora of Uruguay is poorly known with large areas without studies and exploration (Ellis et al., 2012, 2011). According to Hässel de Menendez & Rubies (2009) only 30 species of Marchantiophyta are recorded from Uruguay, and the genus Metzgeria is not represent in this country. During the examination of a recent collection of bryophyte from Uruguay, M. myriopoda was identified. This is an American species, reported in South America from Equator, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay (Kuwahara, 1986; Nieva & Schiavone, 2002; Costa, 2008). In Uruguay, M. myriopoda occurs in Cerro Largo, a temperate and warm grassland area exhibiting some forested zones where exotics and few native tree species are found, characterized by precipitations rates around 1100-1200 mm/year. Taking into account the climatic characteristic of the area in which M. myriopoda was collected in Cerro Largo, and previous records, there is an extensive degree of environmental conditions under which M. myriopoda can grow, including several substrates (cortex, rocks, soil and as epiphytic), temperature ranges and altered environments. The examination of M. Myriopoda revealed that the characters are highly constant, presenting 2-8 epidermal dorsal cells and 4-6 epidermal ventral ones of the midrib; the convex wings with straight short geminate hairs, and abundant marginal gemma. This note constitutes the first record for Metzgeria genus from Uruguayan lands, extending the distributional range of M. myriopoda to Cerro Largo in Uruguay.

In this study, the Holocene development of a peat plateau area in the east-European Russian Arctic is reconstructed based on detailed macrofossil, physico-chemical and radiocarbon analyses from two peat sequences. Basal dates from these two, c. 2 m long, peat profiles are c. 9420 BP and c. 9250 BP. From another six peat sequences gross-stratigraphic descriptions and additional radiocarbon dates are available. Basal dates from two short (<1 m) peat profiles indicate further peatland expansion at c. 3635 BP and c. 1285 BP. The oldest macrofossils of tree birch are dated to c. 9500 BP and those of conifers, presumably spruce, to c. 8000 BP. Tree stands became rare in the study area after c. 2800 BP, but occasionally occur until present. Peatlands formed through terrestrialization of ponds or paludification of forested uplands. Between 9000 and 3100 BP the peatlands were wet rich fens. Beginning from c. 3100 BP there are marked changes in their surface hydrology, connected with climatic cooling and permafrost aggradation. Sphagnum species started to play a dominant role. Permafrost aggradation at the six peat plateau sites is tentatively dated to c. 3100 BP, c. 2200 BP and <600 BP. Nowadays the area is mostly dry peat plateau with interspersed thermokarst lakes. Generally, peat accumulation rates are lower in the upper layers, which consist mostly of Sphagnum peat, than in the lower layers of sedge/brown moss peat. This is most probably due to ceased accumulation or even erosion in the currently widespread dry lichen stage in the peat plateau. Very high accumulation rates are recorded from moist sites with incipient permafrost. This study supports previous multiproxy climate reconstructions in the area according to which temperatures were at least 2-3°C higher during the mid-Holocene compared to present.

Abstract. We report here the carbon dioxide (CO2) budget of a 98.6 km2 subarctic tundra area in northeast European Russia based on measurements at two different scales and two independent upscaling approaches. Plot-scale measurements (chambers on terrestrial surfaces, gas gradient method and bubble collectors on lakes) were carried out from July 2007 to October 2008. The landscape-scale eddy covariance (EC) measurements covered the snow-free period of 2008. The annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of different land cover types ranged from −251 to 84 g C m−2. Leaf area index (LAI) was an excellent predictor of the spatial variability in gross photosynthesis (GP), NEE and ecosystem respiration (ER). The plot-scale CO2 fluxes were first scaled up to the EC source area and then to the whole study area using two data sets: a land cover classification and a LAI map, both based on field data and a 2.4 m pixel-sized QuickBird satellite image. The good agreement of the CO2 balances for the EC footprint based on the different measuring techniques (−105 to −81 g C m−2 vs. −79 g C m−2; growing season 2008) justified the integration of the plot-scale measurements over the larger area. The regional CO2 balance based on area-integrated plot-scale measurements was −41 or −79 g C m−2 yr−1 according to the two upscaling methods, the land cover classification and the LAI map, respectively. Due to the heterogeneity of tundra, the effect of climate change on CO2 uptake will vary strongly according to the land cover type and, moreover, likely changes in their relative coverage in the future will have great impact on the regional CO2 balance.

Abstract Size‐structured food webs form integrated trophic systems where energy is channeled from small to large consumers. Empirical evidence suggests that size structure prevails in aquatic ecosystems, whereas in terrestrial food webs trophic position is largely independent of body size. Compartmentalization of energy channeling according to size classes of consumers was suggested as a mechanism that underpins functioning and stability of terrestrial food webs including those belowground, but their structure has not been empirically assessed across the whole size spectrum. Here we used stable isotope analysis and metabolic regressions to describe size structure and energy use in eight belowground communities with consumers spanning 12 orders of magnitude in living body mass, from protists to earthworms. We showed a negative correlation between trophic position and body mass in invertebrate communities and a remarkable nonlinearity in community metabolism and trophic positions across all size classes. Specifically, we found that the correlation between body mass and trophic level is positive in the small‐sized (protists, nematodes, arthropods below 1 μg in body mass), neutral in the medium‐sized (arthropods of 1 μg to 1 mg), and negative in the large‐sized consumers (large arthropods, earthworms), suggesting that these groups form compartments with different trophic organization. Based on this pattern, we propose a concept of belowground food webs being composed of (1) size‐structured micro‐food web driving fast energy channeling and nutrient release, for example in microbial loop; (2) arthropod macro‐food web with no clear correlation between body size and trophic level, hosting soil arthropod diversity and subsidizing aboveground predators; and (3) “trophic whales,” sequestering energy in their large bodies and restricting its propagation to higher trophic levels in belowground food webs. The three size compartments are based on a similar set of basal resources, but contribute to different ecosystem‐level functions and respond differently to variations in climate, soil characteristics and land use. We suggest that the widely used vision of resource‐based energy channeling in belowground food webs can be complemented with size‐based energy channeling, where ecosystem multifunctionality, biodiversity, and stability are supported by a balance across individual size compartments.

A review of publications is presented on the state of uranium, radium, and thorium in soils. It is shown that the properties of radionuclides in soils provide the diversity of the forms and mechanisms of their fixation in the soil exchange complex. Organic substances and clay minerals are the most important sorbents of uranium, radium, and thorium. According to the available data, the processes of ion exchange, complexing, hydrolysis, and reduction-oxidation are responsible for the uranium and thorium fixation in soils. For radium, the ion exchange and coprecipitation with its chemical macro analogs and iron hydroxides are considered to be the most important. The initial chemical form of the elements and the presence of macrocomponents affect the sorption behavior of radionuclides from technogenic sources. It is emphasized that the current methods of investigation do not allow assessing in full measure the transformation of the forms and the mechanisms of uranium, radium, and thorium fixation in soils. The causes are presented that make the interpretation of the results obtained difficult.

Abstract The relative importance of global versus local environmental factors for growth and thus carbon uptake of the bryophyte genus Sphagnum— the main peat‐former and ecosystem engineer in northern peatlands—remains unclear. We measured length growth and net primary production (NPP) of two abundant Sphagnum species across 99 Holarctic peatlands. We tested the importance of previously proposed abiotic and biotic drivers for peatland carbon uptake (climate, N deposition, water table depth and vascular plant cover) on these two responses. Employing structural equation models (SEMs), we explored both indirect and direct effects of drivers on Sphagnum growth. Variation in growth was large, but similar within and between peatlands. Length growth showed a stronger response to predictors than NPP. Moreover, the smaller and denser Sphagnum fuscum growing on hummocks had weaker responses to climatic variation than the larger and looser Sphagnum magellanicum growing in the wetter conditions. Growth decreased with increasing vascular plant cover within a site. Between sites, precipitation and temperature increased growth for S. magellanicum . The SEMs indicate that indirect effects are important. For example, vascular plant cover increased with a deeper water table, increased nitrogen deposition, precipitation and temperature. These factors also influenced Sphagnum growth indirectly by affecting moss shoot density. Synthesis . Our results imply that in a warmer climate, S. magellanicum will increase length growth as long as precipitation is not reduced, while S. fuscum is more resistant to decreased precipitation, but also less able to take advantage of increased precipitation and temperature. Such species‐specific sensitivity to climate may affect competitive outcomes in a changing environment, and potentially the future carbon sink function of peatlands.

Forest biomass is an essential indicator for monitoring the Earth's ecosystems and climate. It is a critical input to greenhouse gas accounting, estimation of carbon losses and forest degradation, assessment of renewable energy potential, and for developing climate change mitigation policies such as REDD+, among others. Wall-to-wall mapping of aboveground biomass (AGB) is now possible with satellite remote sensing (RS). However, RS methods require extant, up-to-date, reliable, representative and comparable in situ data for calibration and validation. Here, we present the Forest Observation System (FOS) initiative, an international cooperation to establish and maintain a global in situ forest biomass database. AGB and canopy height estimates with their associated uncertainties are derived at a 0.25 ha scale from field measurements made in permanent research plots across the world's forests. All plot estimates are geolocated and have a size that allows for direct comparison with many RS measurements. The FOS offers the potential to improve the accuracy of RS-based biomass products while developing new synergies between the RS and ground-based ecosystem research communities.

Palaeolithic sites in Russian high latitudes have been considered as Upper Palaeolithic and thus representing an Arctic expansion of modern humans. Here we show that at Byzovaya, in the western foothills of the Polar Urals, the technological structure of the lithic assemblage makes it directly comparable with Mousterian Middle Palaeolithic industries that so far have been exclusively attributed to the Neandertal populations in Europe. Radiocarbon and optical-stimulated luminescence dates on bones and sand grains indicate that the site was occupied during a short period around 28,500 carbon-14 years before the present (about 31,000 to 34,000 calendar years ago), at the time when only Upper Palaeolithic cultures occupied lower latitudes of Eurasia. Byzovaya may thus represent a late northern refuge for Neandertals, about 1000 km north of earlier known Mousterian sites.