Cis-Ural Region Research Articles

First Finding of an Ichthyosaur in the Udmurtia (Cis-Ural Region, Russia)

A dorsal vertebra of an ichthyosaur is described from the fluvial deposits of the Kama River (Votkinsk District, Udmurt Republic, Russia). This vertebra belonged to a fairly large ichthyosaur about 5–6 m long, apparently one of the largest ichthyosaurs known from European Russia. The find is redeposited, and it is problematic to establish its exact age: most likely, the vertebra was brought by the Kama River from Jurassic–Cretaceous outcrops located upstream.

The Cross-Verification of Different Methods for Soil Erosion Assessment of Natural and Agricultural Low Slopes in the Southern Cis-Ural Region of Russia

The conventional measuring methods (runoff plots and soil morphological comparison) and models (WaTEM/SEDEM and regional model of Russian State Hydrological Institute (SHI)) were tested with regard to the Southern Cis-Ural region of Russia, along with data from rainfall simulation for assessing soil erosion. Compared with conventional methods, which require long-running field observations, using erosion models and rainfall simulation is less time-consuming and is found to be fairly accurate for assessing long-term average rates of soil erosion and deposition. In this context, 137Cs can also be used as a marker of soil redistribution on the slope. The data of soil loss and sedimentation rates obtained by using conventional measuring methods were in agreement with the data based on the used contemporary modeling approaches. According to the erosion model calculations and data on the fallout of radionuclides in the Southern Cis-Ural (54°50–25′ N and 55°44–50′ E), the average long-term annual soil losses were ~1.3 t·ha−1 yr−1 in moderate (5°) arable slopes and ~0.2 t·ha−1 yr−1 in meadows. In forests, surface erosion is negligible, or its rates are similar to the rate of soil formation of clay–illuvial chernozems. The rates of soil erosion and sediment deposition on the arable land obtained using different methods were found to be very close. All the methods, including the WaTEM/SEDEM, allowed us to measure both soil erosion and intra-slope sedimentation. The regional SHI model fairly accurately assesses soil erosion in the years when erosion events occurred; however, soil erosion as a result of snowmelt did not occur every year, which should be taken into account when modeling. The concentrations of 137Cs in the topsoil layer (0–20 cm) varied from 0.9 to 9.8 Bq·kg−1, and the 137Cs inventories were 1.6–5.1 kBq·m−2, with the highest values found under the forest. The air dose rate in the forest was higher than in open areas and above the average of 0.12 μSv·h−1 on the slope (0.1 μSv·h−1 in the meadow and 0.08 μSv·h−1 on the arable land), with the value increasing from the watershed to the lower part of the slope in all the areas. The γ-background level in the studied ecosystems did not exceed the maximum permissible levels.

First Find of an Ichthyosaur from Udmurtia (Cis-Ural Region, Russia)

First Find of an Ichthyosaur from Udmurtia (Cis-Ural Region, Russia)

Bone items from burial No. 9 of the cemetery near the Berezovaya Mountain (traceological analysis and the search for analogies)

In this article, we analyze bone products from the male burial No. 9 of the cemetery near the Berezovaya Mountain (Oren-burg District of the Cis-Ural region) attributed to the Sintashta Culture (20th–18th centuries BC). The funerary complex is specifi-cally interesting because it combines the ritual and inventory of representatives of the Seima-Turbino phenomenon and items belonging to chariot cultures. Furthermore, an item rare for the cultures of the chariot circle of the Ural region was placed in the burial — a disc-shaped bone buckle. The aim of this work is to find an analogy for this buckle and for other bone items of the complex using traceology data. The buckle was traceologically processed on 31st July 2002 in the campus of the Orenburg archaeological expedition two days after its discovery; at the same time its drawing was made. An astragalus and a fragment of the articular angle of the animal's scapula, both having been placed within the burial, were also analysed. Due to field condi-tions, a portable contact microscope “Mikko” was used. The main focus of this work is the buckle. The results of the traceologi-cal analysis are being introduced into the scientific discourse. Besides, for the first time this article presents the results of tra-ceological study of a similar object from burial mound 27 near the city of Atkarsk. A total of 15 buckles with similar morphology have been analyzed, 11 of them have traceological definitions. A fragment of the product of the same type was only once identi-fied in the Sintashta necropolis (grave 30 of the Sintashta burial ground); the majority of similar items derive from the sites of the Abashev Culture of the Volga-Don region. It has been revealed that the analyzed artifacts could have been used as both belt buckles and ornaments/amulets. The artifact from the burial ground near the Berezovaya Mountain is most likely a buckle, jud-ging by its size and the size of the central hole. The discovery of a buckle typologically characteristic of the Don-Volga Abashevo Culture in the Sintashta Culture necropolis demonstrates the western connections of the population who left the site. The astragalus found in the burial could have been used as a fortune-telling/dice object. The functional purpose of the articular angle of the animal’s scapula has not been determined — no analogies have been found for it, though a possible circle of analo-gies has been outlined.

Devonian-Carboniferous boundary beds in the Kuz-Yama section (Northern Cis-Urals) - Conodonts, ostracods, and carbon isotope record

The Devonian-Carboniferous boundary interval is characterized by biotic crisis, global transgressive-regressive sequences and carbon cycle change, probably caused by climatic changes and volcanic activity. This interval attracts the attention of researchers worldwide in relation to selecting a new Devonian-Carboniferous boundary level. However the Northern Cis-Urals region remains poorly studied in this respect. This study focuses on the Kuz-Yama key section (Northern Cis-Urals) and contributes to our knowledge of the regional expression of the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary in northeastern Europe. The study of the Kuz-Yama section (Verkhnyaya Pechora Trough) involved an examination of the calciturbidites, hemipelagic shales and carbonates that constitute the poorly constrained uppermost Famennian to lower Tournaisian deep-water succession. The conodont and ostracod associations are poorly diversified. The presence of Polygnathus zikmundovae, in association with a positive δ13Ccarb excursion (up to 3.9 ‰), marks the base of the Late praesulcata conodont Zone (=base of the Protognathodus kockeli conodont Zone) in the lower part of the succession. The Devonian-Carboniferous boundary is indicated by the appearance of Siphonodella sulcata, that coincides with a positive shift in the decoupling of δ13Ccarb and δ13Ccon values, probably caused by a global decrease in CO2 associated with the regional crisis within pelagic ecosystems. The sulcata conodont Zone, bounded by the first occurrence of Siphonodella sulcata at the bottom and Siphonodella bransoni at the top of the section, contains Tournaisian ostracods. The ostracods compose mixed associations of the shallow-water Pseudoleperditia venulosa-Coryellina alba-Cribroconcha primaris ostracod Zone and the deep-water Armilla uralica ostracode Zone. The co-occurrence of shallow-water and deep-water conodont and ostracod taxa in the Tournaisian part of the section enhances the correlation of the shallow-water and deep-water conodont and ostracod zonations. The base of the shallow-water Siphonodella ludmilae conodont Zone roughly correlates with the base of the deep-water bransoni Zone. The base of Armilla uralica deep-water ostracod Zone in the Kuz-Yama section lies within the Pseudoleperditia venulosa-Coryellina alba-Cribroconcha primaris shallow-water ostracod Zone. The following sequence of events can be recognised in the Kuz-Yama section: first occurrence of Polygnathus zikmundovae Zhuravlev (approximately corresponding to the base of the Protognathodus kockeli Zone), positive shift in the inorganic δ13C (= Hangenberg carbon isotope excursion), latest Famennian regression, negative shift in the δ13C of conodont elements just below the base of the sulcata Zone, entry of the Tournaisian transgression, positive shift in decoupled inorganic and conodont δ13C near the base of sulcata Zone, positive shift in inorganic δ13C in the sulcata Zone, appearance of the Tournaisian ostracods, first occurrences of the conodonts Siphonodella bransoni Ji and S. ludmilae Zhuravlev & Plotitsyn (= base of the bransoni Zone). In general, this sequence corresponds to that identified around the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary in other regions.

О проблемах комплексного использования и охраны водных ресурсов Оренбуржья и сопредельных1 территорий

The water resources of the Orenburg region are formed mainly due to water of infiltration origin. Their dynamics and chemical composition change zonally, decreasing from north to south, from forest-steppes to dry steppes and further to the deserts of Kazakhstan in accordance to the laws of latitudinal and altitudinal zonation, which vary depending on the regions. Well hydrogeologically closed areas have a powerful zone of hydrohalogenesis. With a decrease in the closeness of the subsoil, the thickness of zones of hydrogenesis increases, reaching a maximum in the folded mountainous Urals, where hydrogeological zoning is consistent with landscape-geochemical heterogeneity and drainage basins. Concentrations of elements in waters increase from the aeration zone to the zone of normal base flow. A regional geochemical barrier of hydrogen sulfide waters for metals has been identified in the structures of the Cis-Ural region. The volume of chemical denudation decreases towards the dry steppe zone and increases in elevated areas composed of gypsum and karst rocks. To solve water management problems it is necessary to introduce modern technologies. These include complex devices with geochemical, hydrodynamic and complex barriers.

ДОЛГОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК ВЕГЕТАЦИОННЫХ ПЕРИОДОВ В ПРЕДУРАЛЬЕ В СВЯЗИ С ИЗМЕНЕНИЯМИ КЛИМАТА

The peculiarities of the variations in the growing season characteristics in the Cis-Ural region over the 20th and early 21st centuries were studied. The information on average daily air temperature and precipitation at four weather stations was used. It was found that, against the background of a general increase in air temperature, there was a positive trend in the length of growing seasons due to the changes in the dates of spring warming and autumn cooling. Starting from 1936, three periods of changes in the growing season length were revealed, and the last one, which started in 1990, has been the longest. The sum of active temperatures, as well as total precipitation, insignificantly changed during the study period, which was confirmed by a small positive trend. The average daily temperature in growing seasons has almost not changed over 85 years. The comprehensive assessment of the weather conditions affecting the growth of grain crops was performed based on the analysis of the hydrothermal coefficient. The coefficient was used to estimate the frequency of droughts having different intensity. Some increase in the coefficient, as well as the positive trends in the amount of precipitation (especially in the Perm krai), indicate the improvement of the conditions for spring grain crop cultivation in this part of the Cis-Ural region.

Long-term Changes in the Characteristics of Growing Seasons in the Cis-Ural Region due to Climate Change

Long-term Changes in the Characteristics of Growing Seasons in the Cis-Ural Region due to Climate Change

Content of Potassium Forms in the Profile of Soddy-Podzolic Soil of the Cis-Ural Region

Content of Potassium Forms in the Profile of Soddy-Podzolic Soil of the Cis-Ural Region

Methodology of mentoring in the context of the guidance of a preschool educational organization

Introduction. The methodology of mentoring is an independent scientific field. Over the past few decades, the scientific foundations of mentoring have been used abroad not only in the business industry, but also in the structures of educational organizations. Mentoring is a special managerial capacity, with techniques and methods of interaction that contribute to the progress and positive changes in the organization. Head of a preschool educational organization in the context of globalization simply cannot adhere to the authoritarian management style that has been popular for a long time. Mentoring is an attractive way to manage an educational organization, its methodology allows many leaders to master the structure of effective management of an educational organization, using techniques such as shadowing, coaching, budding, advising. In the article, we reviewed the latest research in the field of mentoring: the most «advanced» approaches; methods, ways and techniques for translating the scientific foundations into the practice of a preschool educational organization.Purpose setting. The goal is to form the concept of mentoring in a preschool educational organization. Based on the goal, we can single out the main task of the study, which will be to introduce the methodology of mentoring into the work of the head (mentor) of a preschool educational organization.Methodology and methods of the study. The research method was a critical analysis of foreign literature on the topic of Western, including American mentoring since the 1990s. until the present. We used the approach of critical thinking and the method of expert opinion, with the help of which we studied the Volga region area (Chuvash and Mari republics) and the Cis-Urals region area (Republic of Bashkortostan).Results. Ideas about mentoring are generalized with mentoring. Our task was to single out mentoring as a separate direction, which demonstrates the subjective position of the instructor (where the leader single-handedly «instructs» the ward) and the objective position of the mentor (where the mentee teacher is offered options and ways to make an independent decision).Conclusion. The leaders of preschool educational organizations note that the use of mentoring allows us to consider interaction in the context of «do as you can, but you have many ways to solve it». The process of delegating responsibilities between mentee teachers is more confident, which certainly transforms managerial potential. The scientific foundations of mentoring are being adapted to the globalization of the educational space, introducing new components into the structure of relationships between managers and subordinates. The coefficients of intelligence and emotionality make it possible to take into account the individual characteristics of mentors and mentees in an educational organization.

Filaroidosis Invasion Levels in Sable and Pine Marten Populations

A comparative study of lungworm Filaroides martis invasion rates in sable and pine marten populations in the Cis-Urals region and Central Siberia was performed on the basis of samples totaling more than 3000 animals. In different sable population groups, the invasion extensiveness (prevalence) varies from 2 to 57%; in pine marten population groups, from 0 to 54%. In the Urals transgression zone, the invasion rate is statistically significantly higher in martens compared to sables. The studied groups form three clusters. Low prevalence values (less than 2%) were noted in two eastern populations: the upper Ob River (martens) and the Vakh River (sables); the highest values (over 50%), in martens in the Urals and in both species in the Uvat district, Tyumen oblast. The rest of the groups with moderate prevalence values (20–38%) form the third cluster. The invasion intensity varies from 2.5 to 3.6 helminth cysts per infected individual in sables, and from 0 to 4.6 cysts in martens; for most pairwise comparisons performed based on these two parameters, differences between samples are statistically significant. In western groups of both species, the invasion intensity is higher compared to eastern groups. In sables, invasion prevalence and intensity correlate in a statistically significant (r = 0.95; p = 0.01) way. One geographical trend was identified: in pine martens, invasion prevalence increases in a northerly direction. Cases with prevalence levels less than 5% can be explained by the absence of formed filaroidosis foci. At the beginning of the 2010s, a twofold increase in prevalence over the previous 20 years was recorded; this phenomenon has no adequate explanation yet.

Types and Current Development Activity of Hazardous Geological Processes in the Southern Urals and the Cis-Ural Region

Types and Current Development Activity of Hazardous Geological Processes in the Southern Urals and the Cis-Ural Region

Sulfur and chlorine compounds in water bodies of the Pymvashor subarctic hydrothermal system.

The results of the study of the behavior of redox-dependent sulfur and chlorine compounds in sediments of water bodies of the Pymvashor natural boundary (PNB) located in the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (the Polar Cis-Ural Region, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russian Federation) are presented. Currently, the Pymvashor is the only known location in Continental Europe where hydrothermal springs function in the polar territories. Data on the quantitative characteristics of the geochemical parameters of bacterial sulfate reduction (reduced sulfur compounds, reactive iron forms, and organic matter) in the sediments of all studied Pymvashor water bodies have been obtained. It has been established that the revealed differences in the distribution and transformation of these parameters, in addition to the main reasons affecting the course of redox processes, were also caused by the thermal factor (warming effect of thermal waters on all ecosystems of the natural boundary). Thus, iron monosulphides dominated in the upper sediment layers of non-freezing watercourses, which distinguished them from the sediments of seasonally frozen lakes, where sulfur associated with organic matter dominated along the entire length of the sediment cores. The presence of chlorophenols (CPs) and their derivatives, including pentachlorophenol as a persistent organic pollutant, in the sediments of studied Pymvashor water bodies was established. It is shown that the chlorophenol composition is mainly induced by the occurrence of natural enzymatic and biochemical processes. The influence of microclimatic conditions of the subarctic hydrothermal system on the composition, levels, and distribution of chlorophenolic compounds in the sediments was revealed.

Carbon Stocks and Carbon Protection Capacity of Soddy-Podzolic Soils in Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems of the Cis-Ural Region

Carbon Stocks and Carbon Protection Capacity of Soddy-Podzolic Soils in Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems of the Cis-Ural Region

Cultivation of Minor Leguminous Crops in the Middle Cis-Ural Region

Cultivation of Minor Leguminous Crops in the Middle Cis-Ural Region

Isotopic Composition of Atmospheric Precipitation in the Cis-Ural Region

Isotopic Composition of Atmospheric Precipitation in the Cis-Ural Region

Typha lepechinii Mavrodiev et Kapit. sp. nov. (Typhaceae Juss.)—A New Endangered Endemic Cattail in the Outmost East of European Russia

Typha lepechinii, a new species from European Russia, is described. In terms of the external morphology, it is similar to T. shuttleworthii but differs from the latter by the shape of female inflorescence, wider leaf blades and geographical distribution. Like T. shuttleworthii, T. lepechinii is clearly distinct from all other cattails of T. sect. Ebracteolatae due to its short male inflorescence that is 2–4 times shorter than the contiguous female inflorescence. The spatial disjunction of this new species from the main distribution range of predominantly European T. shuttleworthii is significant: T. lepechinii is an endemic of the outmost East of the Russian Plain, in particular, the regions of Middle and Southern Cis-Ural region (basin of the Middle and Lower Kama). In terms of the political administrative borders, this new cattail was found in the Udmurt Republic, the Republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, the parts of the Russian Federation. From the elementary comparative molecular standpoint, T. lepechinii is different from its sister T. shuttleworthii due to four single nucleotide positions and two indels of the rpl32 gene and rpl32-trnL intergenic spacer (cpDNA). The new cattail is named after I. I. Lepechin (1737–1802)—a Russian scientist-encyclopedist whose primary botanical interest focused on the regions of Ural and Siberia.

Winter wheat of the VIR collection in the Middle Cis-Ural region

The aim of the study was to identify the sources of economically useful traits of winter wheat from the collection of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Federal Research Center All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources N.I. Vavilov ”(VIR) for adaptive breeding of this crop in the Middle Cis-Ural region. Highly productive varieties Harvard (k-66051 USA), Rasad (k-66087 Kazakhstan), Augusta (k-63929 Rostov region), Dominanta (k-64620 Rostov region) and AC Buteo (k-66054 Canada) were the most adaptive according to the method of L.A. Zhivotkova, Z.A. Morozova, L.I. Sekatueva (1994). But they were characterized by significant yield variability (V=36-130 %). Varieties Nastya (k-65675 Stavropol), WA007970 (k-66043 USA), AC Buteo, PA8769-158 (k-65943 USA), Ransom (k-65236 USA) and Farnum (k-65944 USA) showed high homeostaticity (Hom = 1.8-24.7). These varieties were the most productive and stable also according to the method of E.D. Nettevich, A.I. Morgunova, M.I. Maksimenko (1985). Varieties AC Buteo (6), WA007970 (15), PA8769-158 (16), Farnum (21), Ransom (21), Nastya (22) were distinguished by the sum of ranks; the sum of the ranks of the standard Moskovskaya 39 was 22. Sources of increased grain size (weight of 1000 grains 41.2-54.0 g) were identified - varieties Nemchinovskaya 17 (k-65756), Harvard, Rasad, Nureke (k-66088), Alija (k-66089), Avesta (k- 64491), Agra (k-64492), Shestopalivka (k-65060); grain content of a ear (30.9-47.3 pcs.) - Dzhangal (k-65610), Slavitsa (k-65656), Nastya, Alija. High grain glassiness of 90-100% for two years of study (2019-2020) was obtained in varieties Nastya, Farnum, WA007970, AC Buteo and Ransom.

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of fresh waters in the springs of salt dome territories of the Cis-Urals region

The article presents the results of a study on the geochemistry of fresh water from natural sources (springs) in the salt dome territories of the Pre-Ural Artesian Basin. Spring waters are understudied; they are not classified according to their chemical composition and purpose. The research area is the territory of the Pre-Ural Artesian Basin in Orenburg Region with salt-gypsum tectonics. There are numerous springs with fresh water suitable for household and drinking purposes there. Springs with mineralization from 156 to 806 mg/dm3 of mixed composition, sulfate-chloride, sulfate-bicarbonate, bicarbonate and calcium and magnesium-calcium, sodium-magnesium-calcium are related to gypsum fields and salt dome structures. The total hardness varies from 3.5 to 10.27 mg/eq/l from moderately hard to extremely hard. The conclusion on the quantitative and qualitative assessment of spring waters should be made by prospecting and exploration activities with experimental filtration activities and assessment of reserves.

Comparative Assessment of Digital and Conventional Soil Mapping: A Case Study of the Southern Cis-Ural Region, Russia

Digital mapping was applied for a key site located at the Southern Cis-Ural region near Ufa city (the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The digital soil map (DSM) was created using the open-source GIS software packages and compared to a conventional (CSM) one. As input parameters, we used standard morphometric values of the topography and field descriptions of soils, including the authors’ data. The DSM was created at the same scale (1:25,000) as the CSM, and soils of different classes were grouped according to the principle of genetic homogeneity and regional agroecological value. Comparing DSM and CSM showed several significant differences in the position, areas, and boundaries of hydromorphic soils and chernozems. The DSM has advantages over CSM at estimating smaller soil areas (areals) and their boundaries, in particular, on elevated topography elements (hills and steep slopes) and upper links of the erosion network (small dry valleys, hollows, and gullies). On the other hand, fluvial soils are mapped rather poorly by the digital approach, and CSM is more appropriate for such soils’ areals. The highest discrepancy is confined to the areas of eroded soils and fluvisols (15% and 12% of total area, respectively) due to significant differences in DSM and CSM approaches for such soil groups. We suppose that the digital method is effective and suitable for the Cis-Ural region, despite 57% soil taxa (types) prediction accuracy and the complexity of the territory by its ruggedness, erosion, and suffusion processes. The implementation and further use of digital mapping methods increase the quality of work, reduce its cost and terms in the region.