Reproductive Potential Research Articles

Reproductive cytotoxic and genotoxic impact of polystyrene microplastic on Paracentrotus lividus spermatozoa

In recent decades, industrialization, intensive agriculture, and urban development have severely impacted marine environments, compromising the health of aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Inadequate disposal results in hundreds of tons of plastic products released annually into the environment, which degrade into microplastics (MPs), posing health risks due to their ability to biomagnify and bioaccumulate. Among these, polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) are significant pollutants in marine ecosystems, widely studied for their reproductive toxicological effects. This research aimed to evaluate the reproductive cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of PS-MPs on sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) spermatozoa in vitro. Results showed that PS-MPs significantly reduced sperm viability and motility without altering morphology, and induced sperm DNA fragmentation mediated by reactive oxygen species production. Furthermore, head-to-head agglutination of the spermatozoa was observed exclusively in the sample treated with the plastic agents, indicating the ability of microplastics to adhere to the surface of sperm cells and form aggregates with microplastics on other sperm cells, thereby impeding movement and reducing reproductive potential. These findings suggest that PS-MPs can adversely affect the quality of sea urchin sperm, potentially impacting reproductive events.

Semen collection and characterization of normative reproductive traits in free-ranging ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southern Texas

Decreased genetic diversity and possible inbreeding depression have recently been documented in the last wild ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) population in the United States. One consequence of inbreeding depression in felids may be reduced semen quality which can adversely affect reproductive potential. Detailed assessments of reproductive parameters in wild individuals and populations can be conducted using assisted reproductive technologies, such as semen collection and analysis. For most felid species, semen has traditionally been collected via electroejaculation (EEJ22Electroejaculation); however, an alternative method has been developed using alpha-2 agonist drugs to induce direct sperm release into the urethra, allowing collection by catheterization without requiring specialized equipment. The goal of this study was to characterize normative reproductive traits in free-ranging ocelots and co-occurring bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southern Texas and assess the effectiveness of urethral catheterization (UC33Urethral Catheterization) for semen recovery in both species. For semen collection, free-ranging cats were live-captured and anesthetized using intramuscular ketamine and medetomidine/dexmedetomidine (alpha-2 agonist) with UC conducted 20–40 minutes post-induction. In ocelots only, EEJ was subsequently performed if UC failed to recover a viable sample. Semen collection was attempted in 31 felids (n=9 ocelots; n=22 bobcats), with sperm recovery by UC in seven of nine ocelots (78 %) and 14 of 22 bobcats (66 %), and by EEJ in four of five ocelots (80 %). For ocelots, the percentage of primary morphologic abnormalities was higher (p<0.001) for UC (47.75 ± 6.7; mean ± SEM) compared to EEJ (9 ± 2.7) but percent normal morphology (MORPH) did not differ between UC and EEJ (p=0.218). In wild ocelots, seminal parameters appeared lower relative to historical values reported for zoo-managed ocelots, possibly related to reduced heterozygosity. In wild bobcats, seminal traits were inferior to those of ocelots but similar to reports for other zoo-managed Lynx species. In conclusion, detailed male reproductive traits have been characterized for the first time in wild, free-ranging ocelots and bobcats in southern Texas. Although UC allowed semen recovery for assessment of seminal traits in both species, EEJ produced higher quality samples in ocelots when applied after UC while also mitigating the adverse impact of urine contamination observed frequently with both collection methods.

РЕПРОДУКТИВНОЕ ЗДОРОВЬЕ ДЕТСКОГО НАСЕЛЕНИЯ СТАРШЕГО ВОЗРАСТА В ПРИВОЛЖСКОМ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОМ ОКРУГЕ: ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ

Significance. Over the past years, the demographic situation in the country has been worsening, which is largely due to a decrease in fertility. This trend justifies the relevance of studying reproductive health of the older child population, which in the near future will form the basis of the national reproductive potential. The purpose of the study is to determine dynamics in morbidity characterizing reproductive health of children aged 15-17 in the Volga Federal District and some of its regions. Material and methods. The study used information from the federal statistical observation form No. 12 on morbidity among children aged 15-17, both prevalence and incidence, in 2014-2022 in the Russian Federation, the Volga Federal District, and some of its regions: the Republics of Bashkortostan and Udmurtia and the Kirov region. The following research methods were used: analytical, statistical, descriptive statistics. Results. From 2016 to 2022, in the Volga Federal District, there was an increase in prevalence of all diseases in children aged 15-17 from 2599116.6 to 259513.5 per 100 thousand child population of the corresponding age (by 0.2%), and a decline in incidence from 156772.6 to 143944.0 per 100 thousand child population (by 8.2%). In the Russian Federation over the same period, there was a 0.9% increase in prevalence and a 4.2% increase in incidence. Prevalence and incidence were characterized as follows: an increase in menstrual disorders - by 9.9% and 8.6%, respectively; a significant reduction in endometriosis – by 46.5% and 63.3%, respectively; a significant reduction in ovarian dysfunction - 36.4% and 34.2%, respectively; a reduction in testicular dysfunction – by 45.9% and 7.7%, respectively; and a 12% reduction in prevalence of congenital anomalies of the female genital organs. In the regions, there is a unidirectional trend towards a decrease in endometriosis, both prevalence and incidence; and multidirectional trends in other diseases. Conclusion. Taking into account the unfavorable demographic situation in the country, an increase in both prevalence and incidence in children aged 15-17, an increase in morbidity of certain diseases that characterize reproductive health of the younger generation, a spatial heterogeneity of the structure and dynamics in the studied morbidity, the development of measures for preserving reproductive health of the younger generation and increasing the national reproductive potential should be targeted with due regard to regional characteristics of individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

OUTCOMES OF FERTILITY-SPARING SURGERY IN WOMEN WITH EARLY- STAGE CERVICAL CANCER – CASE SERIES

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common and fourth leading cause of death among malignancies in women. In young women with early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO IA1-IB1) and low risk who wish to preserve their reproductive options, there are alternative surgical methods. They allow with minimal risk to treat the disease with a good prospect of getting pregnant and carrying the pregnancy. These methods include conization, simple trachelectomy, and radical trachelectomy, which can be performed via vaginal access, abdominal access, or minimally invasive (laparoscopic or robotic surgery). This case series examines the outcomes of fertility-sparing surgery in women with early-stage cervical cancer, focusing on the unique application of robotic-assisted techniques and their impact on preserving reproductive potential. Material and methods: This study includes five women aged 33-44 with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent fertility-sparing surgeries from March 2022 to March 2024. Surgical methods included simple trachelectomy and robot- assisted trachelectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection, performed at Saint Marina University Hospital - Pleven. Results: Key outcomes measured were operative time, hospital stay, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and reproductive success. There are no intraoperative complications. One early postoperative complication was registered - uncomplicated lymphocele. The operative time for robot-assisted tachelectomies is 105 and 120 minutes, respectively and a hospital stay of 4 days. The simple trachelectomies show an operative time between 30 and 45 minutes and a hospital stay of 2 days. No abnormal blood loss was noted. Тwo pregnancies were reported among patients - one conceived naturally and one by ART. Follow-up periods ranged from 3 to 24 months, with no cancer recurrences reported. Conclusion: Fertility-sparing surgeries demonstrate promising oncological and reproductive outcomes in selected patients with early-stage cervical cancer. These findings support the potential for broader application in clinical practice, emphasizing the importance of specialized surgical expertise.

Can arctic seaweed extracts be used as biological nematicides against potato cyst-forming nematode?

The study was aimed on the assessment of extracts from two arctic brown seaweeds Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria digitata as biological nematicides against phytoparasitic nematodes. Potato cyst-forming nematode Globodera rostochiensis Woll. was used as test organism. Seaweed extracts were got from Arkhangelsk Seaweed Factory LLC. Extracts of A. nodosum and L. digitata have been experimentally shown to have nematicidal properties against the dangerous potato pest G. rostochiensis. The addition of seaweed extracts to potato root diffusates slowed down nematode juvenile hatching process, affected the contents of cysts, reducing the reproductive potential of the plant-parasitic nematode. Research highlights the perspectives of using seaweed extracts in nematode-infested fields for control crop pests.

Опыт применения органосохраняющего подхода при перекруте придатков матки у девочек-подростков

Uterine appendage torsion (UAT) is always an urgent and dangerous pathology that requires surgical treatment. UAT in childhood and adolescence is more common than in women of reproductive age, which is due to the anatomical characteristics of the puberty period. Female adolescents are a special group that requires maximum focus on preserving reproductive function and ovarian reserve. The choice of the optimal surgical treatment volume for female patients with UAT is currently debatable. If previously the only correct solution in UAT was an adnexectomy, at the moment the treatment tactics began to change towards organ-preserving surgeries. In order to assess the efficacy and safety of performing organ-preserving surgeries for UAT, we retrospectively analyzed the medical histories of 24 female patients from 3 to 18 years old. The clinical cases of three female patients who underwent detorsion are presented. In all cases, the surgery was performed successfully. At the present stage, organ-preserving surgical tactics for UAT in female adolescents are preferable, since it allows preserving the reproductive potential of young generation, which is a priority area of pediatric and adolescent gynecology. KEYWORDS: female adolescents, acute abdomen, uterine appendages, torsion, diagnosis, organ-preserving surgery, detorsion. FOR CITATION: Selikhova M.S., Yakhontova M.A., Zvereva E.S., Kalacheva L.S. Organ-sparing approach for the uterine appendage torsion in female adolescents. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2024;7(1):45–50 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2024-7-1-7.

A systematic map of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction

Abstract Exposure to extreme temperatures can negatively affect animal reproduction, by disrupting the ability of individuals to produce any offspring (fertility), or the number of offspring produced by fertile individuals (fecundity). This has important ecological consequences, because reproduction is the ultimate measure of population fitness: a reduction in reproductive output lowers the population growth rate and increases the extinction risk. Despite this importance, there have been no large‐scale summaries of the evidence for effect of temperature on reproduction. We provide a systematic map of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction. We systematically searched for published studies that statistically test for a direct link between temperature and animal reproduction, in terms of fertility, fecundity or indirect measures of reproductive potential (gamete and gonad traits). Overall, we collated a large and rich evidence base, with 1654 papers that met our inclusion criteria, encompassing 1191 species. The map revealed several important research gaps. Insects made up almost half of the dataset, but reptiles and amphibians were uncommon, as were non‐arthropod invertebrates. Fecundity was the most common reproductive trait examined, and relatively few studies measured fertility. It was uncommon for experimental studies to test exposure of different life stages, exposure to short‐term heat or cold shock, exposure to temperature fluctuations, or to independently assess male and female effects. Studies were most often published in journals focusing on entomology and pest control, ecology and evolution, aquaculture and fisheries science, and marine biology. Finally, while individuals were sampled from every continent, there was a strong sampling bias towards mid‐latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, such that the tropics and polar regions are less well sampled. This map reveals a rich literature of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction, but also uncovers substantial missing treatment of taxa, traits, and thermal regimes. This database will provide a valuable resource for future quantitative meta‐analyses, and direct future studies aiming to fill identified gaps.

Method of Isolation and In Vitro Culture of Primordial Follicles in Bovine Animal Model.

The mammalian ovary is a substantial source of oocytes arranged into follicles at various stages of folliculogenesis, from the primordial to the ovulatory ones. Primordial follicles constitute the most abundant source of gametes inside the mammalian ovary at any given time.The isolation of a high number of primordial follicles, together with the development of protocols for in vitro follicle growth, would provide a powerful tool to fully exploit the female reproductive potential and boost the rescue and restoration of fertility in assisted reproduction technologies in human medicine, animal breeding, and preservation of threatened species. However, the most significant limitation is the lack of efficient methods for isolating a healthy and homogeneous population of viable primordial follicles suitable for in vitro culture. Here, we provide a fast and high-yield strategy for the mechanical isolation of primordial follicles from limited portions of the ovarian cortex in the bovine animal model.

Biocontrol potential of six Heterorhabditis bacteriophora strains isolated in the Azores Archipelago.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are closely associated with Popillia japonica and potentially used as their biological control agents, although field results proved inconsistent and evoked a continual pursuit of native EPNs more adapted to the environment. Therefore, we surveyed the Azorean Archipelago to isolate new strains of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and to evaluate their virulence against the model organism Galleria mellonella under laboratory conditions. Six strains were obtained from pasture and coastal environments and both nematode and symbiont bacteria were molecularly identified. The bioassays revealed that Az172, Az186, and Az171 presented high virulence across the determination of a lethal dose (LD50) and short exposure time experiments with a comparable performance to Az29. After 72 hours, these virulent strains presented a mean determination of a lethal dose of 11 infective juveniles cm-2, a lethal time (LT50) of 34 hours, and achieved 40% mortality after an initial exposure time of only 60 minutes. Az170 exhibited an intermediate performance, whereas Az179 and Az180 were classified as low virulent strains. However, both strains presented the highest reproductive potential with means of 1700 infective juveniles/mg of larvae. The bioassays of the native EPNs obtained revealed that these strains hold the potential to be used in biological control initiatives targeting P. japonica because of their high virulence and locally adapted to environmental conditions.

АНАЛИЗ СТРУКТУРЫ ПРОМЫСЛА И ДИНАМИКИ РОСТА СТАДА СЕВЕРНОГО МОРСКОГО КОТИКА (CALLORHINUS URSINUS) ОСТРОВА ТЮЛЕНИЙ В ПЕРИОД ЭКСПЛУАТАЦИИ И ПОСЛЕ ЕЁ ЗАВЕРШЕНИЯ

Based on a long time series providing biological monitoring data of the Northern fur seal population on Tyuleny Island and detailed information on the harvesting characteristics of this population, we have analyzed trends in its growth. The research results of changes in the average reproductive success of bulls and the age structure of Northern fur seal males on Tyuleny Island are presented as indicators of harvesting impact on the reproductive potential of the population. Evidence has shown that selective harvesting was practiced, where most productive bulls were removed from the population. This led to a significant change in the age structure of the population and a significant reduction in the population growth. Despite a slight increase in the natural survival of almost all age groups, the population growth slowed down sharply. The proximity of the growth potential indicator to the critical unitary value revealed in recent years leads to a bleak forecast. Further growth in the Northern fur seal population, if any, will not be rapid. To accelerate it, it is necessary to provide a new natural restructuring of the population structure, improving its qualitative composition and increasing the proportion of males with high reproductive success.

In vitro development of preimplantation cattle embryos obtained from oocytes irradiated with low doses of ionizing radiation

Radiation-induced processes in germ reproductive cells, as well as the effect of low doses of radiation on the reproductive potential of farm animals remain poorly studied. Assessing the radiation effects of low doses on gametes and early embryos will reveal biological features that are important for assisted reproductive technologies in animal husbandry. In addition, the study of the processes of maturation and fertilization of irradiated gametes and the subsequent development of early preimplantation embryos will make it possible to update measures to protect the health and reproductive potential of farm animals in conditions of technogenic radiation risks. In this study, we focused on analyzing the effects of irradiation on the ovaries of cattle and examining the consequences of this exposure on embryo development under in vitro fertilization conditions. We used X-ray radiation of different dose rates with an absorbed dose of 100 mGy. The research results showed a decrease in the frequency of blastocyst formation in all experimental groups of embryos obtained from oocytes of irradiated ovaries. The data obtained can serve as a scientific basis for the development of measures to preserve the reproductive potential of farm animals under technogenic radiation risks, as well as for further search of ways to improve assisted reproductive technologies in animal husbandry.

Influence of age and weight on seminal parameters of golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) in ex situ conditions and potential use of seminal coagulum for molecular procedures

The golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) is an endangered primate endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Conservation efforts for the species involve applying reproductive biotechniques to preserve genetic resources and ensure the management of populations in both ex situ and in situ conditions. This study aims to initiate investigations into seminal and molecular factors influencing the reproductive potential of sexually mature males. Semen was collected using the penile vibrostimulation technique, and seminal parameters were assessed in two groups: the 'Old' group (average age 11.6 years; n=6) and the 'Young' group (average age 4.8 years; n=6). ANOVA results indicated age-related influences on plasma membrane integrity (p=0.049), acrosomal integrity (p=0.009), and DAB IV (p=0.026) for both groups. Linear regression revealed significant correlations between seminal parameters and age (plasma membrane integrity (p=0.021), acrosomal integrity (p=0.05), and DAB III (p=0.024)), alongside animal weight (plasma membrane integrity (p=0.010), acrosomal integrity (p=0.009), DAB III (p=0.33), and DAB IV (p=0.066)). In an effort to advance reproductive techniques and sperm selection, a protocol utilizing a discontinuous Percoll gradient was employed. Despite its effectiveness in isolating gametes, there were no significant gains in the reevaluated parameters post-selection, necessitating adjustments in the methodology. While semen cryopreservation is common in wild species, challenges arise due to seminal coagulum in many neotropical primate ejaculates, hindering gamete use in reproductive procedures. Given the precious nature of and the considerable effort involved in collecting semen from these animals, it would be desirable to maximize the sample's utility. The liquid fraction could be applied in reproductive biotechniques, while the spermatozoa contained in the clot could be utilized as a non-invasive approach for molecular evaluation of these gametes. This study established a protocol for RNA extraction from sperm retained in the seminal coagulum, highlighting its genetic richness often discarded post-processing. In summary, our study emphasizes the importance of early cryopreservation of semen to safeguard the reproductive potential of L. chrysomelas. Additionally, we propose further exploration of RNA quantity in gametes as a non-invasive tool for inferring male fertility, given the pivotal role of sperm RNA transcripts in regulating the activation of the female gamete and gene expression during early embryo development.

Determining PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome Severity from Reddit Posts using Topic Modelling and Association Rule Mining

Nowadays social media plays a vital role in various real-time applications, especially in healthcare applications. PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects females between the ages of 15 and 35 who are of reproductive potential. The symptoms of PCOS are hormonal issues, irregular periods, weight gain, follicles, infertility, excessive hair growth in the skin, hair loss, acne, pimples, dark scars, and depression. Most of the earlier researchers analyzed the PCOS based on clinical text and health records using a machine learning approach. The main motivation of this proposed work is to predict the upcoming PCOS symptoms based on current symptoms and find the severity of the PCOS from Reddit users. This is done by collecting head symptoms from Gynecologists, gathering present symptoms from Reddit users, collecting unstructured data is pre-processed and PCOS sub symptoms are extracted using Bag of Words. The sub symptoms are mapped into head symptoms using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for dimension reduction. The major issue in that approach is a single user has experienced the same type of symptom multiple times. This issue is solved by implementing a novel method called Symptom Segmentation and grouping Labeled Latent Dirichlet Allocation (SSG_LLDA) is designed to reduce the dimensionality and map the social media users sub symptoms into head symptoms. Association Rule Mining (ARM) with Apriori is employed to produce the frequent symptoms, and effective rule sets, and form the distinctive symptom patterns. Among several mini-mum support and confidence metrics, 0.02 and 0.1 delivers the best rule sets and symptom patterns. Based on rulesets of symptom patterns and combinations, the severity of PCOS is determined for Reddit users. The novelty of this work is the construction of PCOS symptom patterns from topic modelling results instead of original data so the dimensionality of the features is reduced and more scalable

Evaluation of Feeding Habit and Reproductive Potential of Calanoid Copepod, Temora discaudata for Cultivation and use as Live Feed for Marine Finfish Larvae

Evaluation of Feeding Habit and Reproductive Potential of Calanoid Copepod, Temora discaudata for Cultivation and use as Live Feed for Marine Finfish Larvae

Prevalence of Diminished Ovarian Reserve in Sub-fertile Women Under 40 years of Age

Background: Diminished ovarian reserve defined as when woman ovaries lose their reproductive potential in terms of quality and quantity of eggs leading to reduced fecundability and poor ovarian response to stimulation. Female age is most common prognostic element but diminished ovarian reserve is quite common under 40 years old young sub-fertile women. It is best assessed by hormonal tests like FSH and AMH levels. Objective: To assess the prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve among sub-fertile women under 40 years age. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Settings: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mufti Mehmood Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan Pakistan. Duration: One year from January 01, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Methods: After meeting the inclusion criteria 593 sub-fertile women were enrolled. FSH level was performed on day 2 or 3 of menstrual cycle. if found more than 10 IU, it was repeated 4 to 6 weeks apart to satisfy the criteria of poor ovarian reserve. The primary outcome was to find the prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve in local population and secondary outcome was to assess the frequency of menstrual cycle pattern and type of subfertility in these women. The prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve and in respect to different age groups, menstrual cycle patterns like oligomennohoea, and type of infertility (primary or secondary) were presented with frequency percentages. Results: The mean age of the females was 35.98 years with 84 ((68%) women in age group 36-40.15 woman (12.29%) had amenorrhea of less than 4 months.62(50.8%) had oligomenorrhoea with scanty flow while 45(36. 6 %) had regular menstrual cycle with normal flow or scanty flow. 92 women (75.4%) had primary infertility while 30 (24.5%)had secondary infertility. Conclusion: The prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve was 20%among sub-fertile women under 40 years age with mean age of 35.98 years with highest prevalence in age group 36- 40 years. Oligomenohoea with scanty flow was the commonest menstrual pattern with more common primary subfertility.

Anti-Müllerian hormone: a new approach to fertility assessment in cattle – a review

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) enhances fertility in cattle and hence used as a fertility marker. AMH is produced by granulosa cells of all primordial, primary, secondary follicles, and antral follicles up to 4-5 mm diameter, whereas AMH production decreases once antral stage follicles reach the 4-5 mm stage. There is an individual variation in antral follicle count (AFC) and AMH concentration. One-time determination of AMH concentration will help predict the animals’ reproductive performance at the heifer stage. In turn, it will help to cull those animals with low reproductive potential. There is no significant fluctuation in the AMH concentration during the estrous cycle, and hence it can be determined at any stage of the estrous cycle. This review explores the potential of AMH as a fertility marker and its association with the antral follicle population (AFP) as AMH can be an effective segregative tool to screen low, average or high fertility future performance in cattle.

INFLUENCE OF THE ROOTSTOCK P1103 AND SO4 ON THE BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CABERNET SAUVIGNON VARIETY

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most widespread grape varieties, both in the world and in Serbia and is used for the production of high quality red wines. The rootstocks P 1103 and SO4 are widely used in Serbian viticulture. The choice of rootstock can significantly influence the biological characteristics of cultivated variety, especially through qualitative parameters of bunch and the berry. The research was conducted in the wine-growing region of Šumadija. The vineyard was planted in 2009 with a row spacing of 2.3 m and between rows 0.8 m. The aim of the work was to determine the influence of rootstock P1103 and SO4 on the biological characteristics of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. The work contains data related to phenological observations, vegetative and reproductive potential, yield, uvological composition of grapes and berries, and qualitative characteristics of grape juice. Phenological observations revealed no differences in the length of phenophases. A higher average shoot growth was observed on rootstock P 1103 (150.9 cm). A higher number of developed inflorescences (13.7) was observed on rootstock SO4, while the average yield was higher on rootstock P 1103 (1.723 kg). The uvological observations of bunches and berries showed higher values on the rootstock P 1103 for the following parameters: average weight of the bunch (175.4 g), number of berries in the bunch (151.6), weight of the bunch stem (5.5 g), weight of skin of 100 berries (11.9 g) and seed mass of 100 berries (7.2 g). The sugar content of grape juice was higher in rootstock P 1103 (27.16%), while the content of total acids was generally higher in rootstock SO4 (8.3 g/l).

Reproductive Biology of Baronang Fish (Siganus guttatus, Bloch 1787) in the Seribu Archipelago, Jakarta

One important aspect of managing rabbitfish is conducting studies on their reproductive biology. The aim of this research is to examine aspects of the reproductive biology of rabbitfish, which include sex ratio, size at first maturity of gonads, spawning type, spawning season, and reproductive potential. This research was carried out five times, namely from November to December 2014 and April to June 2015 in the Seribu Islands. A total of 210 sample fish were observed, consisting of 64 female fish and 146 male fish. The results showed that the sex ratio of rabbitfish was unbalanced, the growth pattern was isometric, the average reproductive potential of rabbitfish was 96 000 eggs, and the spawning type was total spawning.

THE POTENTIAL FOR ENSURING FOOD SECURITY IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ONGOING MILITARY CONFLICT

The subject of the research is the study of Ukraine's food security and the potential for improving it. Methodology. The article uses general scientific and specific methods of economic research: the method of content analysis (when processing scientific sources and reviewing the thematic literature, deduction and induction); abstract and logical method (when identifying problematic aspects of ensuring the country's food security, substantiating conclusions and proposals); the method of statistical calculations of regression economics (when substantiating the economic and mathematical model of food security, calculating the indicator of the actual state of self-sufficiency in food security). The purpose of the study is to assess the level of food security achieved by Ukraine and to identify the main factors that affect the potential for its possible improvement. Conclusion. Ukraine has significant potential to ensure food security at the national and European levels. However, over the past two years, Ukraine has lost its position in the global food security ranking according to the GFSI. The main problematic aspects that led to this are as follows: irrational use of land and labour resources, aging and migration of the rural population; sharp loss of agricultural biodiversity; high level of chemicalisation of agricultural production; loss of the potential for quality reproduction of agricultural land; significant inclusive gaps within rural areas; low level of funding for agricultural science and a predominantly raw material, agrarian orientation. The main reason for the downgrade of Ukraine's GFSI rating in 2022 was the ongoing military operations in the country. Despite the existing problematic aspects, the Ukrainian agricultural sector showed the highest level of sustainable development compared to other types of economic activity. The share of profitable enterprises in the sector was 79%. Ukraine is currently self-sufficient in food security for almost all types of agricultural products. The constructed economic-mathematical model showed a high degree of dependence of food security on such factors as the total value of assets of agricultural formations, the value of fixed assets and the amount of profit. It was determined that the key condition for increasing the potential for ensuring food security in Ukraine, both at the national and European level, should be the social responsibility of agribusiness and raising the level of sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas.

Changeability of quantitative and quality signs of pollen of Robinia pseudoacacia L. is in the conditions of megalopolis

The work is aimed at spreading the practice of bioindication, in particular palynoindication of atmospheric air quality in the surface layer. It is possible to continue monitoring the state of the environment in Ukraine under the conditions of the destructive impact of military operations only with the use of methodologically and economically accessible approaches. The obtained results provide an opportunity to make scientifically based conclusions about the state of the environment and recommendations for zoning territories according to environmental risks for the population. Assessment of the state of atmospheric air in the surface layer is important for determining the potential consequences for the ecosystem and for assessing the risk to public health. We believe that the most informative are the results of the study of plants of the shrub layer. Their generative part is exposed to the long-term effects of the main components of air pollution in the zone of maximum impact on the respiratory system of people. Cytogenetic testing was carried out on Robinia pseudoacacia plants, which belong to the group of sensitive phytoindicator species. Monitoring was carried out during 2020–2021 at 7 locations of park, forest-park ecosystems and street landscaping in four administrative districts of Kyiv. The analysis of weather and climate conditions, the differences of the studied territories in terms of the level of atmospheric air pollution, the level of anthropogenic load, the intensity of transport connections, as well as the provision of green spaces as the main factor in reducing the impact of the urban environment on the state of life and health of the population is given. It was noted that the pollen sterility index reflects the influence of non-optimal factors of the growing environment on the reproductive potential of R. pseudoacacia. The variability of the morphometric characteristics of dry grains according to the shape index is also a fairly informative indicator of its quality. In particular, a tendency to decrease in the equatorial diameter and a further prolonged decrease in the length of the polar axis during the flowering phase of plants was observed. A significant increase in the proportion of degenerated and hypertrophied grains of R. pseudoacacia was noted in areas with significant influence of a complex of exogenous factors and year conditions. Intensive inhibition of the microsporogenesis process was noted in plants in areas with active traffic. Minimal violations were observed in plants from large park plantations. A certain improvement in the state of the atmospheric air during the lockdown period also contributed to a decrease in the number of morphologically abnormal grains. The results of cytotesting of the sensitivity of R. pseudoacacia pollen to the influence of factors of the growing environment can serve as an important component of the assessment of the quality of the environment and zoning of the territories of the metropolis.