Abstract The taxonomic position of dry-steppe (chestnut) soils mentioned in the books Classification and Diagnostics of Soils of the USSR (1977), Classification and Diagnostics of Soils of Russia (2004), and World Reference Base for Soil Resources (2014) is discussed. Based on the example of the soils of Mongolia, it is shown that the soils of dry steppes that formed on light nonsaline parent rocks

Abstract The modern thermal regime of the Upper Don rivers formed in the conditions of regional climate change in response to the challenge of global climate. The increase in the annual mean temperature of the atmospheric surface layer in the Upper Don in the first decade of the current century nearly by 1°С on average changes the thermal regime of the river water, which, in its turn, reflects the

Abstract The urgent, global issue of sustainable land management in Russia is considered based on a review of the state of modern research. However, the concept of sustainable land management and its methodology are at the stage of development. Definitions of the basic terms “object of land management” and “sustainable land management model” have been formulated within the development of a methodology

Abstract This article examines the regularities of the dynamics of the underground part of the ephemeral–wormwood semidesert of the Kura–Araks lowland under conditions of climate change. It was found that the ratio of productive and unproductive roots in plants remains at a certain level regardless of the phase of plant development and the season of the year under modern climatic conditions in different

Abstract Soil resources are determined with the use of spatial indicators of soil genetic differences. This approach is the universal basis for an accounting of soil resources on a global, regional, and local scale. The spatial indicators include the areas of functioning soils and their detailed characteristics: the contour size, the area in units of measurement, their number, the nature of border

Abstract The phytocoenotic characteristics of leymus-chinensis cenoses growing in soils of different types in the meadow–steppe, the floodplain–steppe, and the halophytic grasslands in the western Trans-Baikal region are considered. The botanical composition is found to consist of 28 glicophyte species, 17 halotolerant glicophytes, and 6 halophytes. It is determined that the genus Leymus contains three

Abstract Today, population growth and demand for agricultural production have resulted in the significant damage to the natural ecosystem, including forests and rangelands, and have turned them into farmlands. Territorial land use changes can result in changes in chemical and physical features of soils, which in turn, may ultimately lead to land degradation. Understanding the effects of land use changes

Abstract The ecological state of agricultural landscapes in the zone of insufficient moisture and modern approaches to their preservation and improvement on the example of the Volgograd region are outlined. The potential agricultural resources of the region and the state and level of production of the agricultural sector at the moment are presented. Methodological approaches to the performance of economic

Abstract The distribution of the vascular plants species occurring in the composition of high mountain communities with the participation of stitchwort polster (Stellaria pulvinata Grub.) are analyzed. They form a separate altitudinal belt in the altitudinal-zonation range of vegetation and belong to the arid class of zonality types in the central Mongolian Altai (2700–3300 m a.s.l. Baltic System (BS))

Abstract Two key sites representing virgin and pasture biotopes were studied. Their soil parameters were identified, brief descriptions of the vegetation were given, and the spectral–reflective characteristics of the vegetation cover (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI) were calculated based on Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery. The seasonal dynamics of the structure of soil nematode communities

Abstract The current state of the solonetz and ground elder–sedge types upland oak forests of in the Tellermanovsky forest has been studied. The phytomass of forest stands was estimated based on model trees with allowance for the types of their development (according to the original classification). The content and stocks of carbon and nitrogen in phytomass, forest litter, and soil have been evaluated

Abstract The article analyzes a set of medicinal-plant species in arid and semiarid biomes of Russia. The species diversity of medicinal plants in general, as well as those used to treat diseases of various classes, is determined. A statistical analysis of the relationships between the number of species of medicinal plants in regional biomes and climatic indices is carried out; the corresponding thematic

Abstract Coenopopulations of Tulipa lehmanniana Merckl. have been studied and assessed as normal, with the full range of age groups, except for the Tamdyn population, for which no senile fraction has been observed. The complex of determinating indices of coenopopulations with high variation coefficients includes the population density, projective cover, and the width of the bottom leaf. Coenopopulations

Abstract Combustion and fire have a negative impact on the natural environment and its natural components. Long and complex recovery processes occur in the soil cover due to the burning of the surface fertile layer that had formed over time. We judged the intensity of the vital activity of soil microorganisms, and, consequently, the intensity and nature of the process of soil restoration by the enzyme

Abstract The history of the botanical studies by F.A. Höfft in the northern Caucasus, as well as the location and size of storage of his herbarium collections and the means of their obtainment in different herbaria of Russia and Europe are outlined. It is established that the herbarium of F.A. Höfft, which is estimated at 7000–8000 samples (including the Caucasian section of 1800–2100 samples) is the

Abstract This article presents the results of studies of the content of heavy metals (zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, and nickel) in the muscles and liver of the main commercial fish of different levels of the trophic chain, e.g., pike, perch, roach, and bream, caught in the Astrakhan region, Chernoyarsk district in the water of the Volga River. The distribution of metals in the body of hydrobionts is

Abstract A significant part of the natural Trans-Volga–Trans-Ural Steppes in the northern subzone has been destroyed by plowing. At the same time, they are represented over a rather large area by deposits of different ages. It is known that communities of many formations are distributed throughout the steppe zone. The differences in the structure of undisturbed communities in different subzones are

Abstract This article presents the results of long-term studies of the process of desertification (degradation) of the dry lands of the northwestern Pre-Caspian region. Modern vegetation is considered to occur as a result of pasture overload with livestock. The authors consider this process to be “unification,” which leads to a decrease in species diversity in communities and, as a consequence, to

Abstract The distribution pattern of the characteristics of spring–summer droughts during periods of increased and decreased annual wetting in 12 administrative entities of the south of European Russia in 1901–2018 are studied. During this time, four periods of different humidification conditions (alternating wetter, dry, wet and again dry periods) of different durations are well traced according to

Abstract The change in the use of forage lands in the Black Lands and the Kizlyar pastures of the Caspian Sea region in the second half of the 20th century from winter to year-round, their overload with livestock, and plowing for forage crops led to the degradation of natural ecosystems, an outbreak of light-soil deflation, and the formation of large foci (with an area of ​​hundreds or thousands of

Abstract The features of the distribution of the Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) in the southern (Mongolian) part of the Selenga river basin is discussed. It was found that there is a clear trend in the successional change of pine forests to shrubby vegetation represented by Siberian apricot communities. This trend is facilitated by the reduction in forest area after fires, felling, and grazing

Abstract The insular pine forests of the Trans-Volga–Kazakh province of the Black Sea–Kazakh steppe region have high biodiversity and are relict in nature. The problems of their study and conservation are relevant in the context of increasing anthropogenic impact and climatic changes. A comprehensive analysis was performed for the floristic composition of communities of pine forests from the Burabai

Abstract Along with the chestnut soils, Transbaikal chernozems are intensely involved in regional crop farming. The latter are deficient in humus (4.2%), feature a light granulometric composition, occur in patches commonly along various slopes, and are exposed to deflation. The biological activity is low due to deep freezing (4 m) and slow thawing. Microorganisms are distributed in the topsoil. The

Abstract The article discusses methods to assess the reliability of salt-transfer parameters that were previously calculated with models of the microdispersion, macrodispersion, and dissolution of salts, with a view to their further use in predictive assessments of the development of salt-transfer processes in irrigation systems. The evaluation included statistical methods with the Fisher and Student

Abstract Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) plays a key role in irrigation system design as well as water management of agricultural ecosystems under irrigated and rainfed conditions. While many methods for estimating the ET0 have been developed during the past several decades, method selection essentially depends on the availability of measured climatic variables. The FAO-56PM method recommended by

Abstract The abundance of the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica tatarica L., 1766) in the Northwest Pre-Caspian region has remained at an extremely low level over the past 20 years. Comparison of some biological parameters of the population for periods with different numbers of animals made it possible to reveal a number of low-population features. Thus, along with a decrease in the number of saigas (from

Abstract The potential risk of natural focal infections for tourists and park visitors has been analyzed and assessed based on the example of Karkaraly National Park (NP), which is located in central Kazakhstan. The medical and geographical characteristics of the area were carried out with three approaches: (1) assessment of natural preconditions for the emergence and existence of natural foci of infections

Abstract The research, development, and informational support of ecosystem models based on spatial data with the use of landscape GIS technologies are discussed. The construction of models to describe the degradation of mountain ecosystems in the coastal zone of Lake Khubsugul (Mongolia) under the effect of natural and anthropogenic factors is analyzed, with allowance for the altitudinal differentiation

Abstract A regional assessment of the Crimean-Novorossiysk orobiome, which is considered a reference unit for the inventory and analysis of mountainous biodiversity, is based on the concept of ecosystem diversity. The altitudinal zonal structure of the vegetation cover is studied on the example of the Utrish–Tuapse geographic variant of the orobiome associated with the northwestern Caucasus, in accordance

Abstract The article discusses the results of soil and geobotanical studies at the plots on the coastal plain of the Caspian Sea (Northern Dagestan) of different ages: 1340 ± 36 years calBP (Kaspii-1) and 293 ± 13 years calBP (Kaspii-2). Changes in the biodiversity of the vegetation cover and the soil-salinity variation over time are assessed. It is shown that the variability of soil salinity (range

Abstract Materials on the composition of forage plants in the bison diet were obtained within the enclosure of nonconsumptive use at the Rostov Nature Reserve in the summer and autumn seasons of 2018. The described area is located in the sod-forming cereal-grass steppes in the Western Manych River valley. Data on the seasonal dynamics of the composition of forage plants in the bison diet were produced

Abstract The main trends in the dynamics of vegetation restoration on unevenly aged terraces of the Tyrnyauz Combine tailings dam in the conditions of the Bylym Arid Depression over a 50-year period are revealed. The steppe meadow regenerates on young upper terraces for 20 years. The slowest process is the self-growth of old-growth terraces at the dam foot (50 years). Conversely, the processes of soil

Abstract A statistical analysis was performed on hydrochemical and hydrobiological data obtained from samples of macrozoobenthos, meiobenthos, and zooplankton in 2013 and 2018 from different biotopes of the five highly mineralized rivers of the basin of the hyperhaline Lake Elton. The general trends in the formation of the species structure of the metacommunity of aquatic organisms are considered based

AbstractRice crop residues are one of the recalcitrant agricultural wastes in arid conditions. A laboratory experiment was conducted to decompose rice straw with woodlice and millipedes living in the dry steppes of Kalmykia in Russia. Five individuals of two species of woodlice (Armadillidium vulgare and Protracheoniscus kryszanovskii) or two species of millipedes (Brachydesmus assimilis and Cylindroiulus

AbstractLand cover change has direct effects on ecological functions and processes of landscape and natural resources. Forest degradation affects watershed processes and biochemical cycles and leads to soil erosion and water shortage; therefore it is necessary that the spatial dimensions of land use and land cover are identified regularly so that the policy makers and researcher are enabled to make

AbstractThe study is based on an analysis of the dynamics of the air temperature, the precipitation, and the hydrothermal coefficient of Selyaninov for the period of 1966–2017 based on data from the Yashkul meteorological station (Republic of Kalmykia). The construction and analysis of difference integral curves made it possible to identify periods with increased (in comparison with the average) and

AbstractObservations of the course of natural restoration of vegetation were repeated at nine sites of the Arshan–Zelmensky Scientific Station with the same methodology after 10 years on similar dates in May. The land-reclamation works lasted 20 years and was stopped almost 50 years ago. Comparison of the data from field work in the two observation periods (2008 and 2018) showed that the changes made

AbstractA comparative analysis and an evaluation of the structure of variability have been carried out for eight (dimensional, numerical, weight, and index) seed productivity traits of two populations of Mongolian milkvetch (Astragalus fissuralis Alexeenko (Fabaceae)) growing at two different altitudes (1100 and 1750 m above sea level) in the middle mountain belt of the Inland Mountain Dagestan. This

AbstractThe water availability in dry steppes during various active growing seasons is analyzed for the first time. Climatic fluctuations are examined, and their specific features are determined. Contrary to the popular opinion that the maximum precipitation in the steppe zone occurs during the summer period and that this is a distinctive feature of the steppe zone that is applicable to all its subzones

AbstractThe article analyzes the role of the landscape structure of the northeastern Caspian region in the development of geoecological processes. The goal of the study was to conduct geoecological zoning of the northeastern Caspian based on a study of the main factors determining the nature and intensity of the development of modern landscapes and the main geoecological processes: the altitudinal

AbstractThe article assesses the state of the ontogenetic structure of some rare species (Rosa laxa Retz., Crataegus korolkowii L. Henry, Artemisia terrae-albae Krasch. and Salsola arbusculiformis Drob.) growing on the Karakalpak part of Ustyurt. The study shows that the studied cenopopulations are normal and mostly incomplete under the ecological and cenotic conditions of Ustyurt. The ontogenetic

AbstractThe article describes the vegetation cover that formed at three crash sites of launch vehicles fueled by toxic unsymmetric dimethylhydrazine 4–12 years after the accident. A launch-vehicle crash is accompanied by chemical, mechanical, and thermal (or pyrogenic) effects on the vegetation cover that extend out from the impact site to different distances, thereby forming characteristic, technogenically

AbstractThe assessment of the situation of global desertification emphasizes the need for information characterizing the global progress of arid degradation and the damage caused by it. Amid the current climate warming, more regions will be affected by droughts, which compromise the sustainability of degrading lands. Concurrently, the drought frequency intensely increases in arid regions. The efforts

AbstractThe concentrations of macrocomponents (Na, K, Mg, Ca, and P) and trace elements (Rb, Cs, Be, Sr, Ba, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ag, Sn, Sb, Al, Ga, rare earth elements, Ti, Zr, Hf, Th, U, Nb, Ta, B, V, Cr, Ge, As, Mo, and W) were measured in 12 macrophyte species selected in the freshwater part of the Volga mouth area. Close correlations between the average specific contents were established:

AbstractWork on the study and adaption of the concept and methodological basis of land degradation neutrality (LDN) in the Kyrgyz Republic was launched in 2016 as part of a corresponding project. The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) provided the country with a comprehensive set of indicators and information derived from an analysis of global satellite data

AbstractThe article provides material on the monitoring and analysis of the state and dynamics of the development of erosion processes of agricultural land over a 16-year (2000–2016) period in the districts of Stavropol krai. Currently, the spontaneous decline in agricultural production, which is primarily associated with the agricultural crop, not only contributes to the restoration of natural biological

AbstractAnalysis of the dynamics of modern desertification of the Northwestern Caspian with the use of geoinformation technologies and aerospace data showed that the area of degraded and desertified lands in the region increases due to an increase in the anthropogenic factor (pasture load). With a relatively stable number of animals, the role of climatic factors increases, which leads to an increase

AbstractThe Republic of Kalmykia is located in the European part of the arid belt of the Russian Federation, in which the desertification of a significant part (up to 80%) of its territory is a serious environmental and socioeconomic problem. Thus, of the 6 264 000 ha of agricultural land, 77.9% are subject to various types of degradation, of which 93 960 ha are waterlogged, 526 180 ha are eroded,

AbstractRostov oblast, which is located in southwestern European Russia, is characterized by a temperate continental climate with unstable moisture, dry and hot summers, relatively little snowy winters, and constant winds. The climatic and geomorphological features of the territory, as well as the high agricultural development of land resources, result in the development of a number of degradation

AbstractTwo biogeochemical simulation models describing carbon turnover in soil, the DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) model and the Rothamsted Long-Term Field Experiment Carbon (RothC) model, have been parameterized in accordance with the conditions of arable leached chernozems of Kursk region and validated based on soil СО2 emission measurement data at Kursk Biosphere Station, Institute of Geography

AbstractThe results of the application of the concept of land degradation neutrality (LDN) and the methodology to assess LDN indicators for arid regions of Russia are presented for the first time. It is shown that the LDN state has not been achieved in any of the arid regions of our country, since the proportion of degraded lands is positive everywhere and ranges from 9 to 67%. The concept of the LDN

AbstractClimate change and anthropogenic activity in the Republic of Buryatia aggravate the processes of desertification and land degradation. The territory of Buryatia was zoned according to the aridity index based on ENVIREM climate data with a high spatial resolution. Long-term changes in the vegetation cover in arid and humid zones are quantitatively assessed based on a combined study of the time

AbstractThe article describes the existing climate trends for western Siberia and Altai krai; Forecasts based on two global climate models are made up to 2030. The dynamics of arable and forested areas in Altai krai under conditions of climate siccation (aridization) is analyzed based on the results of the processing of remote-sensing data and official statistics. The trends in the development of the

AbstractThe average concentrations of 17 microelements and their variation ranges have been determined in chestnut soils (Kastanozems) and the vegetation of steppe arid ecosystems in the western Transbaikal region. The average concentrations of Li, B, Al, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, and Zr in the soils are consistent with their clarke values, which are accepted as environmental–geochemical standards. The concentrations

AbstractThis paper addresses a large-scale problem: the degradation of protective forest plantings on arid lands in southern Russia. The degradation is primarily caused by a drastic reduction in the scope of forest-maintenance works carried out by forestry authorities due to cutbacks in funding and changes in ownership rights to lands with field-sheltering forest belts. The deterioration of forest

AbstractAnalysis of data from meteorological observations near the Kursk Biosphere Station, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, for the past 40 years shows a steady increase in temperature against the background of an increasing deficit of precipitation in this area. At the same time, the precipitation is characterized by a high instability and a contrast distribution by year, as well

AbstractThe article discusses remote methods for the description of the intraseasonal dynamics of soil and vegetation moisture. The field moisture content of the soil and vegetation cover is described by an integral indicator that takes into account the moisture content of the upper soil horizon (5–10 cm), grass phytomass, and leaves of trees and shrubs. The integrated field moisture demonstrates a

AbstractThe paper describes a long-term experiment (2008–2018) on the influence of shrub coulisses on the vegetation cover of semidesert, degraded pastures. Changes in the height of the snow cover in winter, the reserve of productive moisture in the soil, the species composition, and the productivity of arid pastures in the dynamics of growth and development of shrub coulisses were studied. The experiments

AbstractThe article outlines the main provisions of the methodological approach to the assessment of the condition of irrigated lands in the south of the European part of Russia based on satellite imagery from Landsat-8 satellite and ground-based observations. The visual and automated methods based on it were used to decipher irrigated lands from satellite images, and their possible determination with

AbstractThe evolution of agricultural technologies in the development of human civilization is considered. Based on this example, it is shown that a new stage in soil cultivation technology began in the 20th century. It is associated with the transition from extensive “gray” technologies for the management of natural resources, which are strictly oriented only by momentary economic feasibility, to