Occurrence of the amphibians in the Volga, Don River basins and adjacent territories (Russia): research in 1996-2020.

Background: Knowledge about the distribution of living organisms on Earth is very important for many areas of biological science and understanding of the surrounding world. However, much of the existing distributional data are scattered throughout a multitude of sources, such as taxonomic publications, checklists and natural history collections and often, bringing them together is difficult. A very successful attempt to solve this problem is the GBIF project, which allows a huge number of researchers to publish data in one place in a single standard.

Cold-Hardiness of the Common Spadefoot Pelobates Fuscus (Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia).

Background: Pelobates fuscus is an anuran amphibian that overwinters on land deep in soil, including regions with low sub-zero temperatures. It is not yet known if such behaviour can be explained by low cold-hardiness of the species.

Objective: To measure cold-hardiness of P.

Amphibia as a Vector of Transfer of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Aquatic to Terrestrial Ecosystems.

The flow of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the omega-3 family, namely, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA), exported by amphibian metamorphs from water to terrestrial ecosystems in the Medveditsa River floodplain, was quantified for the first time. The total biomass export by three amphibian species (Pelobates fuscus, Bombina bombina, and Pelophylax ridibundus) per unit area of the lake surface was 0.594 g/m per year (as a mean for 2 years).

[Genetic divergence of Vipera berus and Vipera nikolskii (Reptilia: Viperidae, Vipera) populations in lower Volga and adjacent territories assessed according to the sequences of cytochrome oxidase III 12S ribosome RNA genes].

The nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial genome fragments containing the genes coding for cytochrome oxidase subunit III (COIII) and 12S ribosomal RNA of common European viper and Nikolsky's viper from various habitats (Saratov, Samara, and Penza oblasts; Chuvash Republic; and the Republic of Mordovia) were determined. According to the sequencing data, all samples clustered into two groups except for a number of individuals carrying single mutations in the genes in question. One group comprised V.

[The dynamics of white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) distribution in the north of the lower Volga region].

Several depressions were identified in the dynamics of white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) distribution in the southern part of the range in the Volga Region, which were due to anthropogenic deforestation over large areas. One of the last destabilizations occurred in the first half of the 20th century when the southern limit of the breeding range receded northward by 100-300 km. Gradual afforestation in the region resulting from ameliorative measures stabilized the limits of the breeding range and northward expansion of the woodpecker.