Southern Siberia Research Articles

Radiocarbon Chronology of the Bronze Age Fedorovka Culture (New Data Relevant to an Earlier Problem)

This article presents the results of excavations and dating of the Fedorovka culture cemetery of Zvyagino-1 in the Southern Trans-Urals. It consists of 12 small kurgans, each of which contains from one to three differently arranged graves with cremations. The funerary items include typical Fedorovka clay vessels. We estimated the age of bones of domestic animals found on the area under the kurgan or in graves. The new dates were compared with those generated previously. Statistical analysis has made it possible to assess the time range as being from the mid-18th to mid-15th centuries cal BC (medians of calibrated intervals). Dates of the Alakul-Fedorovka complexes fall in the same time range, illustrating the process of interaction between these two traditions. The results of modeling were compared with the dates of the Andronovo sites in Kazakhstan, the Baraba forest-steppe, and Southern Siberia. The dates were similar, barring those of the more ancient series from Kazakhstan. Dates for the Alakul sites in the Trans-Urals were earlier (19th to 16th centuries cal BC), documenting the long coexistence of the Alakul and Fedorovka traditions. In the Southern Trans-Urals, the former tradition appears to have declined earlier. The question as to whether the Fedorovka tradition survived until the Cordoned (Valikovaya) Ware cultures remains open due to the lack of dates for the Cherkaskul culture, which resembles Fedorovka, while being stratigraphically earlier than the Cordoned Ware cultures.

Long-chain alkenones in sediments of Lake Utichye 3 (southern Siberia,Khakassia) as a paleo-indicator of climate change

Long-chain alkenones in sediments of Lake Utichye 3 (southern Siberia,Khakassia) as a paleo-indicator of climate change

Connections of the Yamna Culture Population of the Black Sea Region According to Anthropological Data: An Intergroup Analysis of Male Series

The objective of this paper is to examine the population history of the North Pontic Yamna groups through an analysis of phenotypic variation in cranial morphology. To investigate this issue, an intergroup analysis of male craniological samples from Eastern, Central, South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Southern Siberia was carried out using the multidimensional scaling method. The analysis suggests that migrations were a significant factor in the formation of the Yamna culture phenomenon in the vast steppe areas of Eurasia. This can explain the anthropological continuity of Yamna-related groups and the central position of the Volga steppe region within it. While there is a variability in anthropological characteristics, most Yamna-related series share a number of common features. The morphological variability observed in Yamna populations can be attributed to the extensive geographical distribution of the Yamna horizon and its interaction with local and neighbouring tribes in various regions. The Yamna horizon likely originated from steppe Eneolithic groups, particularly those with morphological similarities to the Repin and Serednii Stih populations. The Maikop-Novosvobodnaia groups may have also played a role in the formation of the Yamna horizon. The origin of the broad-faced dolichomesocranial craniocomplex, found in Yamna material from the North Pontic region, can be linked to the eastern Yamna groups. A different leptene hyperdolichocranial craniocomplex can be associated with the later groups of the Ural and Cis-Caucasian regions, such as the Tamar-Utkul group and possibly the Novotitorovka culture. However, it can also be assumed that the North Pontic Yamna population was influenced by Central European groups (Funnelbeaker, Globular Amphora, Corded Ware cultures) as well as the Kemi-Oba population, whose origin can also be linked to the Central European cultural circle.

Species diversity and structure of the fish community in different types water bodies of the Ergaki natural park (Western Sayan)

The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers on our planet. Flowing from south to north, it crosses all the natural zones of Siberia. The Yenisei basin covers the mountains and intermountain hollows of the Altai-Sayan mountainous country, the plateaus of Central and the lowlands of Western Siberia. The ichthyofauna of the flat part of the Yenisei basin is relatively well studied, while the data on the fish of the water bodies of the Western Sayan which are part of the Yenisei basin is limited in the available literature, and includes information only about the fish of some lakes. In this work, we studied of the ichthyofauna and the fish community of different types of water bodies in a specially protected natural area in the central part of the Western Sayan, in the Ergaki Natural Park — the Nizhnyaya Buiba and Bolshaya Oya rivers, and information about the ichthyofauna of Lake Oyskoye was clarified. In the studied water bodies, three species of fish (typical for rivers and lakes of the mountains of southern Siberia) were identified: Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus (Pallas, 1776), Siberian loach Barbatula toni (Dybowski, 1869) and Eurasian minnow Phoxinus phoxinus (Linnaeus, 1758). Previously there was no information about the presence of Siberian loach in water bodies on the territory of the Ergaki Natural Park in the available scientific literature. The abundance and biomass of fish species varies significantly in different water bodies. Arctic grayling is common or dominant in rivers, Eurasian minnow is super dominant in the Nizhnyaya Buiba river and in the Oyskoe lake. In the Bolshaya Oya river, the superdominant species is the Siberian loach. Eurasian minnow in the Oyskoe lake is large of size.

Avirulence of a spontaneous Francisella tularensis subsp. mediasiatica prmA mutant.

Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, is divided into three subspecies. Two of these, subspecies holarctica and tularensis, are highly pathogenic to humans and consequently relatively well studied. The third subspecies, mediasiatica, is rarely isolated and remains poorly studied. It is distributed in the sparsely populated regions of Central Asia and Siberia. Curently this subspecies is not known to have been responsible for human infections in spite of its high virulence in laboratory animals. Subspecies mediasiatica is currently divided into three subgroups-MI, present in Central Asia, MII, present in southern Siberia, and MIII represented by a unique strain, 60(B)57, isolated in Uzbekistan in 1960. We describe here the unexpected observation that MIII strain 60(B)57 is avirulent and immunogenic. We observed that infection with this strain protected mice from challenge 21 days later with a virulent subsp. mediasiatica strain. With an increase of this interval, the protection for mice was significantly reduced. In contrast, guinea pigs were protected from challenge with strains of the subspecies holarctica and mediasiatica (but not subsp. tularensis) 90 days after infection with 60(B)57. We performed genome assembly based on whole genome sequencing data obtained using the Nanopore MinION for strain 60(B)57 and two subsp. mediasiatica strains representing the Central Asian MI and Siberian MII phylogenetic subgroups. The prmA gene is truncated due to a nonsense mutation in strain 60(B)57. The deletion of gene prmA has previously been shown to induce a loss of virulence in Francisella novicida the closest model organism suggesting that the observed mutation might the cause of the avirulence of strain 60(B)57.

Ngytarma and Ngamteru: Concepts of the Dead and (Non)Interactions with Them in Northern Siberia

This article examines some features of the mythological beliefs and funeral rites of Siberia’s two related Uralic peoples—the Nenets and the Nganasans. The afterlife fate in the mythology of Nenets and Nganasans is similar—the souls of the dead go to the Lower World, where they continue to live as they lived on Earth. However, the two cultures’ attitudes towards the dead have intriguing differences. A comparison of Nenets and Nganasan beliefs and rituals reveals significant correspondences between the ideas about the benevolence of the dead (the Nenets) or their harmfulness (the Nganasans), on the one hand, and the presence of the practices of substitutional incarnation (images of the dead) (the Nenets) or the absence of such images (the Nganasans) on the other. The differences between the Nenets and the Nganasans, as I suggest, are due to the origin and history of the peoples: the Nenets’ customs reflect the traditions of the Uralic tribes who came to the far north from Southern Siberia in ancient times. At the same time, the Nganasans’ ideas are probably rooted in typical concepts of the Palaeo-Siberian population assimilated by the Uralic tribes.

A birchbark anthropomorphic article from the Early Iron Age Novotroitskoye necropolis in the Upper Ob

This paper discusses a burial doll discovered within the Early Iron Age necropolis of Novotriotskoye-1 during field research by the expedition of Barnaul State Pedagogical Institute under the direction of A.P. Umanskii in the Talmensky District of Altai Krai. The object found in a woman's burial is an anthropomorphic image with wing-shaped arms and schematically indicated facial features, namely prominent eyes, eyebrows, nose and gouged mouth. The purpose of this work is to publish the Novotriotskoye idol in high quality, since in various publications by A.P. Umanskii and co-authors it was presented only in schematic drawings. Cleaning the object from field dirt, undertaken by the authors, made it possible to better observe the stylistic features of the artifact. Furthermore, the authors made an attempt to create experimental stylistic replicas of the analysed article. Three scenarios of its production have been implemented, and the details are presented in this publication. The authors suggest that the schematic exterior of the Novotriotskoye object allows considering it as a peculiar burial doll. The iconography of the Novotriotskoye anthropomorphic image has been characterized in the context of connections of the Upper Ob River region population of the second half of the 1st mil. AD with the cultures of Northern Asia (Tashtyk, Kokel, “Bulan-Koby”). A wide range of archaeological and ethnographic parallels to the discussed anthropomorphic ob-ject has been analyzed. The authors conclude that the routine production of anthropomorphic images and masks was deeply rooted in the Ob River region, and it appeared in the Early Iron Age. Earlier, we came across an opin-ion, that its origins need to be searched for among the cultures of Southern Siberia — mainly Khakass-Munusinsk Basin and Eastern Siberia. The discovery of the studied birchbark image in the Novotriotskoye necropolis in-cludes the Upper Ob River region into the potential areas of formation of this tradition.

Fauna and Landscapes of the Southern Minusinsk Basin (Southern Siberia) at the End of the Late Pleistocene.

Paleolandscapes of the first half of MIS 2 or the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) were reconstructed based on the study of the first mammoth fauna locality found in the Abakan River valley and a comparison with other localities of the South Minusinsk Basin. Sediments of the Uytag geological section under study included silt interlayers underlain and overlain by sandstone rock slack fragments and were interpreted as weakly eroded diluvium. Studies of the Uytag locality made it possible to clarify the time and range of distribution in southern Siberia for several mammals (Ovis ammon, Equus ferus, Marmota baibacina, Sicista subtilis, Lagurus lagurus, and Microtus gregalis) and the Pleistocene bird Aquila chrysaetos. The age of the locality was confirmed by radiocarbon dating. The species composition of the Uytag fauna was similar to that of other localities of the same age and region. All known localities and single finds of faunal remains indicate that open steppe landscapes were widely developed in the South Minusinsk Basin during the LGM.

Species-specific and environment-sensitive functional traits in six steppe plant species with different roles in community

Plant functional traits are often considered as indicators of plant-environment relationship; however, some plant features can be highly taxonomic-specific. The study of intraspecific trait variation is essential to understand what functional traits are influenced by the phylogeny and what traits are more dependent on environment. We studied six common steppe plant species in two natural vegetation plots near lake Baikal in Southern Siberia different in climate aridity and grazing degree: site 1 - native true grass steppe under lower climate aridity, site 2 - high disturbed sagebrush steppe under higher aridity. Plant functional traits showed different relevance to species and environment. Plant height, leaf thickness (LT), mesophyll cell volume (Vcell), and the chloroplast number per cell had the greatest contribution to differences between species and varied slightly within a species. Photosynthesis (Amax) and transpiration (E) rates, chlorophyll content, mesophyll surface area per leaf area unit (Ames/A) were more dependent on environment than on species. Amax and E decreased in all studied species in more adverse conditions of site 2, however plants differed in mechanisms of these changes. In Stipa krylovii, Artemisia frigida and Potentilla acaulis, most abundant in true steppe (site 1) mesophyll cell sizes, cell and chloroplast number per leaf area decreased in site 2. Other species, Artemisia scoparia, Potentilla bifurca and Allium anisopodium which were more abundant in disturbed steppe (site 2), had larger cells and showed an increase in cell and chloroplast number per leaf area in site 2 and decrease in the photosynthetic capacity of a chloroplast. We concluded that the leaf thickness and cell size belong to species-specific features, whereas Amax, pigment content and integral mesophyll traits as Ames/A are more indicative for plant-environment relationships and their response to growth conditions depend on the ecological strategy of a species.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of rare metal (Zr-Nb-Hf-Ta-REE-Ga) coals of the seam XXX of the Izykh Coalfield, Minusinsk Basin, Russia: Implications for more widespread rare metal mineralization in North Asia

This study focuses a comprehensive mineralogical and geochemical study of rare-metal (Zr-Nb-Hf-Ta-REE-Ga) mineralization in the Permian coal seam XXX-XXXa of the Izykh Coalfield, Minusinsk Basin, southern Siberia. A link is demonstrated between the accumulation of rare metals in the coal with a volcanogenic rock parting up to 45 cm thick separating the coal seams. The floor of seam XXX is also characterized by the presence of pyroclastic material, which affects the level of accumulation of rare elements in the coal of the seam. Coals and intra-seam rock partings in seam XXX-XXXa have abnormally high concentrations of Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, REE and Ga. In coal ash samples, the contents of some elements are highly evaluated, e.g., 1.4% Zr, 0.26% Nb, 164 ppm Hf, 17.9 ppm Ta, 0.8% REE, 0.13% Y, and 226 ppm Ga. The concentration of rare elements is higher in the coal and coal ash of the XXX coal seam than in the XXXa coal seam. The accumulation of anomalous concentrations of Zr-Nb-Hf-Ta-REE and Ga is mostly specific for the rock parting between the XXX and XXXa seams, as well as for the coals in contact with this parting. Zirconium, Nb, Y, and REE form more contrasting halos near the parting compared to Ta, Hf, and Ga. This is explained by the different mobility of the elements under weathering and diagenetic conditions. Other ore elements are concentrated to a greater extent in the coal in the near-contact zone, as well as at a distance from the partings. Ore material is concentrated primarily in the fine-dispersed mineral phase represented mainly by Zr-Nb-Ti-Fe oxides, complex Nb-Zr-P silicates, and REY-bearing phosphates (monazite, xenotime). Volcanogenic pyroclastics of acidic and alkaline composition (rhyolite-pantellerite) influenced the accumulation of rare metals in coal. Volcanic ash, transported from a distant source, served as the raw material for the formation of the rock interlayer in coal. The composition of this volcanic ash is believed to correspond to a pantelleritic tuff. These findings are comparable to those reached in earlier work on the altered ash in the coal seam XI of the Kuznetsk Coal Basin, which has similar geochemical features and is also of Permian age. Complex Zr-Nb-Hf-Ta-REE-Ga mineralization in the coals of the Kuznetsk and Minusinsk basins, associated with volcanogenic pyroclastics, indicates a wide manifestation of active acid and alkaline volcanism during the formation of coal deposits and the possibility of identifying similar mineralization in Permian coals of East and North Asia.

Isotopic (Nd, Sr, Pb) Composition of the Permo–Triassic and Late Cretaceous Basaltoids in the Minusa Depression (Southern Siberia, Kop’evo Uplift): Heterogeneity of Mantle Sources of Mafic Magmas

Isotopic (Nd, Sr, Pb) Composition of the Permo–Triassic and Late Cretaceous Basaltoids in the Minusa Depression (Southern Siberia, Kop’evo Uplift): Heterogeneity of Mantle Sources of Mafic Magmas

Long-Chain Alkenones in Sediments of Lake Utichye-3 (Southern Siberia, Khakassia) as a Paleo-Indicator of Climate Change

Long-Chain Alkenones in Sediments of Lake Utichye-3 (Southern Siberia, Khakassia) as a Paleo-Indicator of Climate Change

Indigenous Turkic-Speaking Peoples and the Urbanization of Southern Siberia (20<sup>th</sup> – Early 21<sup>st</sup> Century)

Purpose. This article integrates studies relating to the history of urban communities of the Southern Siberian indigenous peoples (Altaians, Chelkans, Khakasses, Kumandins, Shors, Telengits, Teleuts, Tozhu Tuvans, Tubalars, Tuvans). A multidisciplinary approach to urbanization processes was used; their stages, rates, causes, and principal characteristics were analyzed. The database consists of our own field findings, published results of sociological studies, and those of All-Union and All-Russian population censuses.Results. During the 19th century, the prerequisites for the urbanization of the indigenous Turkic-speaking peoples of Southern Siberia were laid. There are three stages of urbanization of the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia: 10) up to the middle of the twentieth century; 2) the 1950s–1980s (for the Shorians it is 1930s–1980s); 3) from the 1990s to the present. At the first stage of urbanization representatives of the indigenous population of the region moved to the city mainly in order to improve the level of education and within the framework of the policy of forming national personnel. At the next stage, during the period of industrial development of the eastern regions, there was an intensification of urbanization among a number of peoples (Shors, Teleutes and Kumandins) who lived near industrial centers. Industrial development was accompanied, among other things, by the transfer of rural settlements to urban ones, as well as the absorption of villages during the expansion of urban boundaries; since the 1990s, the reverse process began. At the last stage, educational strategies play a decisive role. The liquidation of unpromising villages in the middle of the 20th century affected primarily small populations, contributing to the growth of migration to cities. Cities are beginning to attract representatives of indigenous small-numbered peoples (Telengites, Tubalars, Chelkans and since the 2010s Tuvinians-Todzhins), whose territory of traditional residence is located at a considerable distance from large settlements. The share of townspeople among Altaians, Tuvinians and Khakas during the 20th century grew gradually, which was associated with a relatively less intensive industrial development of their territories of residence.Conclusion. The peculiarities of urban population formation among the indigenous peoples of Southern Siberia are: asynchrony of urbanization; orientation of Aboriginal migrations to the nearest cities and urban-type settlements; incompleteness of urbanization not only in terms of qualitative, but also quantitative characteristics. With the exception of the Shors and Kumandins, the rest of the indigenous peoples of the region remain poorly and medium-urbanized.

The Studies of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Cultures of Southern Siberia by Chinese Archaeologists in the First Half of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century

Purpose. The article present the study of the cultures of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Southern Siberia by Chinese archaeologists in the first half of the 20th century and gives historiographical review of this study. The date of liberation, namely 1949, is an obvious chronological reference point for Chinese history and for the scientific development of China as well. But as for studying of Siberian cultures of Bronze and Early Iron ages in the 1950s, Chinese archaeologists simply continued previous tendencies. During this decade there was a quantitative increase in publications and even the first direct contacts were made, but external political obstacles prevented the transition of research to a higher level of quality.Results. We can state now that only the materials of Yinxu at Anyang were used by Chinese scholars for comparative analysis with Bronze Age finds from Southern Siberia. Consequently, in our investigation we address the period from 1920s to 1950s as one historiographical stage.Conclusion Nevertheless, it was in the 1950s that the foundation was laid for the subsequent rapid growth of scientific interaction in the field of archeology in general and in the study of the paleometal age of Southern Siberia in particular. The period of active research began in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continues to the present day.

Three new species of the genus Pseudachorutella Stach, 1949 (Collembola, Neanuridae) from Russia

Three new species of the genus Pseudachorutella, namely P. circassiana sp. nov., P. plurichaetosa sp. nov. and P. stebaevae sp. nov., are described from different regions of the Russian Federation. The former two new species represent the Caucasian fauna, whereas the latter is from southern Siberia. Both P. plurichaetosa sp. nov. and P. stebaevae sp. nov. seems to be especially similar to P. bescidica, from the Polish Carpathians, in showing the rich dorsal chaetotaxy characteristic of all these species. In contrast, P. circassiana sp. nov. shows a chaetotaxy comparable to that of the widespread P. asigillata and the Mediterranean P. ellisi. The latter three species can be distinguished by the length and shape of the buccal cone.

Origin and Date of Cast-Iron Moldboards from Southern Siberia

Origin and Date of Cast-Iron Moldboards from Southern Siberia

Stanols in the Sediments of Lake Shira (Southern Siberia) as an Indicator of Fecal Influx into the Lake in the Late Holocene

Stanols in the Sediments of Lake Shira (Southern Siberia) as an Indicator of Fecal Influx into the Lake in the Late Holocene

Body temperature and locomotor activity of social subterranean mole voles (Ellobius talpinus) in winter

To find out whether a social subterranean rodent—the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus)—hibernates in winter, nine individuals from Southern Siberia were captured in late autumn and implanted with loggers [that constantly recorded body temperature (Tb) and locomotor activity] and then released. Eight of them were recaptured the following spring. From October to April, the animals’ Tb never dropped below 33 °C, although cosinor analysis revealed a decrease in mesor values and in the amplitude of daily fluctuations of Tb and activity in winter months. Spectral density of circadian rhythms of both indexes also diminished in winter. The magnitude of Tb and fluctuations of activity differed between the two studied familial groups, probably due to their unequal numbers of individuals, which could affect the total heat production. The levels and patterns of temperature and activity fluctuations observed in winter rule out the possibility of hibernation in this species.

Projected changes in Köppen‒Trewartha climate zones under 1.5–4 °C global warming targets over mid-high latitudes of Northern Asia using an ensemble of RegCM4 simulations

Mid-high latitude Northern Asia is one of the most vulnerable and sensitive areas to global warming, but relatively less studied previously. We used an ensemble of a regional climate model (RegCM4) projections to assess future changes in surface air temperature, precipitation and Köppen‒Trewartha (K‒T) climate types in Northern Asia under the 1.5–4 °C global warming targets. RegCM4 is driven by five CMIP5 global models over an East Asia domain at a grid spacing of 25 km. Validation of the present day (1986–2005) simulations shows that the ensembles of RegCM4 (ensR) and driving GCMs (ensG) reproduce the major characters of the observed temperature, precipitation and K‒T climate zones reasonably well. Greater and more realistic spatial detail is found in RegCM4 compared to the driving GCMs. A general warming and overall increases in precipitation are projected over the region, with these changes being more pronounced at higher warming levels. The projected warming by ensR shows different spatial patterns, and is in general lower, compared to ensG in most months of the year, while the percentage increases of precipitation are maximum during the cold months. The future changes in K‒T climate zones are characterized by a substantial expansion of Dc (temperature oceanic) and retreat of Ec (sub-arctic continental) over the region, reaching ∼20% under the 4 °C warming level. The most notable change in climate types in ensR is found over Japan (∼60%), followed by Southern Siberia, Mongolia, and the Korean Peninsula (∼40%). The largest change in the K‒T climate types is found when increasing from 2 to 3 °C. The results will help to better assess the impacts of climate change and in implementation of appropriate adaptation measures over the region.

New Methods in Digital Wood Anatomy: The Use of Pixel-Contrast Densitometry with Example of Angiosperm Shrubs in Southern Siberia.

This methodological study describes the adaptation of a new method in digital wood anatomy, pixel-contrast densitometry, for angiosperm species. The new method was tested on eight species of shrubs and small trees in Southern Siberia, whose wood structure varies from ring-porous to diffuse-porous, with different spatial organizations of vessels. A two-step transformation of wood cross-section photographs by smoothing and Otsu's classification algorithm was proposed to separate images into cell wall areas and empty spaces within (lumen) and between cells. Good synchronicity between measurements within the ring allowed us to create profiles of wood porosity (proportion of empty spaces) describing the growth ring structure and capturing inter-annual differences between rings. For longer-lived species, 14-32-year series from at least ten specimens were measured. Their analysis revealed that maximum (for all wood types), mean, and minimum porosity (for diffuse-porous wood) in the ring have common external signals, mostly independent of ring width, i.e., they can be used as ecological indicators. Further research directions include a comparison of this method with other approaches in densitometry, clarification of sample processing, and the extraction of ecologically meaningful data from wood structures.