Southern Zone Research Articles

Impact on Potable Water Consumption Due to Massive Migrations: The Case of Bogotá, Colombia

One of the most important aspects for the regulation of a water distribution system in a city is the accurate projection of the population to be supplied. Accordingly, it is necessary to know the social, cultural, and economic characteristics of the inhabitants, as well as the industrial, commercial, tourist and migratory dynamics to understand a city’s future development. Generally, population growth is continuous and usually follows a trend that makes it possible to extrapolate the future population, thus predicting the demand for drinking water based on per capita supply. However, forced migrations challenge this assumption. The present work aims to collect and analyze information related to Venezuelan migration, in the southern zone of Bogotá, Colombia. First of all, in this project, the demographic characteristics of the migrant population are defined, and the different sources of information collected during the study are used to estimate the total number of migrants in Bogotá. Then, new methodologies for tracking people using social media data connections, geolocation from active connections, and emerging platforms are shown. This is followed by an explanation of two approaches used to estimate the number of migrants from 2014 to 2020 in the boroughs of: Kennedy, Bosa, Tunjuelito, Usme, Ciudad Bolivar and the municipality of Soacha. Finally, using mathematical and statistical approximations, the study shows that the increases in water consumption in the city coincides with the flow rates needed to supply the migrant population. The results indicate that during the first half of 2021 the flow demanded by the migrant population in the studied localities was around 8 Mgal/d (350 L/s), which is 35.1% of the total flow demanded by the entire migrant population in Bogotá. The migrant water consumption was between 4.8% and 6.1% of the total demand for the city.

Spatial and temporal variation and distribution of mesozooplankton in the Drake Passage sampled with the continuous Plankton Recorder

Zooplankton is the main link between primary producers and higher trophic levels in marine foods webs. In the Southern Ocean, zooplankton could be key in identifying environmental changes, given rapid warming registered in the area in the last decades. The Drake Passage is a choke point of oceanographic processes, since it is the narrowest and most dynamic path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The objective of this study was to determine the horizontal spatial variations of mesozooplankton in the Drake Passage relative to Southern Ocean oceanographic fronts and zones. Three transects were sampled using a CPR in the Drake Passage during the austral summer of 2009 and 2010. Temperature and salinity were measured at 1-min intervals with a thermosalinograph and Chlorophyll a data extracted from NASA's ocean color web. Organisms were counted and identified to the lowest level, resulting in 53 taxa, with 24 identified to species, eight to genus and 21 to a higher taxonomic level. Four fronts (Subantarctic Front - SAF, Polar Front - PF, South of ACC Front - SACCF and Peninsula Front -PF*) delimiting five zones (Subantarctic Zone - SAZ, Polar Front Zone - PFZ, Antarctic Zone - AZ, Southern Zone - SZ and Transitional Water Zone with Bellingshausen Sea Influence TBW) were registered according to temperature values. Higher mesozooplankton abundances were recorded in the PFZ (412.0 ± 27.9 ind. m−3) in 2009 and in the AZ (128 ± 12.3 ind. m−3) during 2010. Copepoda were the most abundant group (82%), followed by crustacean eggs (4.3%) and Larvacea (4.0%). Within Copepoda, the most abundant taxa were Calanidae copepodites (33.5 ± 53.4 ind. m−3), Oithona spp. (25.4 ± 27.1 ind. m−3) and Calanus simillimus (19.4 ± 26.1 ind. m−3). Differences in community structure were found between zones with C. simillimus and Thysanoessa macrura contributing most to the dissimilarities between the SAZ and the PFZ, Ctenocalanus citer between the PFZ and AZ, Euphausia superba between zones south of the Polar Front and Salpa thompsoni between the SZ and TBW. Some species or taxa are related to or: indicators of a particular zone. The PFZ was the most diverse and had higher mesozooplankton abundances compared to the other zones. Changes in composition are perceptible compared to previous studies, with a decrease of larger organisms and richness, lack of larger copepods, decrease of krill and increase of S. thompsoni abundances.

OCCURRENCE OF MANGE IN AMERICAN BLACK BEARS (URSUS AMERICANUS) IN NEW YORK STATE, USA.

Mange, a parasitic skin disease caused by various species of mites, is found in free-ranging wildlife populations and has been increasingly reported in American black bears (Ursus americanus) over the last decade in New York State (NYS), USA. Our goal was to describe the geographic, seasonal, and demographic factors associated with mange in this species in NYS. Our retrospective study used historic, opportunistic data from diagnostic necropsy records and visual sighting reports collected by the NYS Wildlife Health Program from 2009 to 2018. We used chi-square tests for independence and odds ratios to examine whether geographic location, year, season, sex, age, and reason for laboratory submission were associated with mange in bears. We used maps and seasonal analysis to investigate emerging patterns. We confirmed increased black bear mange reports in recent years. Necropsy data revealed more bears submitted to the laboratory because of mange, mainly caused by Sarcoptes scabiei; females were more likely than males to present with sarcoptic mange. We found that cases of mange in the Northern Zone were widely disseminated throughout the region, whereas cases in the Southern Zone were concentrated in two areas along the Pennsylvania border. Seasonally, mange cases showed peaks occurring in late spring to early summer and in fall. Our results were on the basis of available data; a comprehensive statewide surveillance program would be useful to better understand the apparent increase in mange and its potential impact on both the welfare of individual animals and the population of black bears in NYS. Additional research on the timing of transmission dynamics associated with females in winter dens may be helpful to wildlife managers to identify strategies to mitigate deleterious spread of the disease in black bears.

Irregular Settlements in Tourist Cities and Their Relationship With Social Exclusion

Cancun is a tourist city where conditions of wealth and well-being coexist, together with poverty and exclusion. It belongs to the municipality of Benito Juárez, where there are three areas of irregular settlements. This paper analyzes, by means of spatial visualization tools, whether the social backwardness index can explain the differences in terms of risk of social exclusion of citizens living in irregular settlements. It is found that the northern and southeastern zones present conditions that put the population at risk of exclusion, while the southern zone has a lower risk of exclusion. The differences lie in the purchasing power and educational level of the population in this zone, which allows them to cope with these deficiencies.

Mineral composition of terrigenous components in loess and clay deposits of Western Mongolia

Introduction. The paper considers the results of a study associated with the mineral composition of terrigenous components in loess and clay deposits of Western Mongolia. The study was performed by the method of quantitative immersion analysis using samples obtained in the framework of geological studies during the seismic microzoning of certain cities.Aim. Determination and analysis of variations in the mineral composition of terrigenous components of loess quaternary alluvial, eolian, diluvial-eolian and diluvial-proluvial complexes, as well as Neogene-lower Quaternary lake-alluvial and Cretaceous-Paleogene lake “brick” clays.Materials and methods. The database is represented by quantitative data on the content of light and heavy minerals (0.01—0.25 mm fraction) in various geological and genetic deposit complexes, sampled from outcrops with the thickness of 6–8 m and test wells with the depth of 20–30 m (72 samples in total). During the compositional characterisation of light and heavy fractions, mineral associations were established, as well as maturity (Кz) and stability coefficients (KU) were calculated. Four territorial zones, including northern (territory of Sükhbaatar and Mörön), central (Zuunmod), western (Uliastai) and southern (Dalanzadgad), were isolated. A Q-type cluster analysis program was applied to process mineralogical data.Results. Variations in mineral associations of the studied objects were established related both to their belonging to the selected geological and genetic complexes and the possibility of eolian process effects. The factors of influence include climatic conditions during the formation of complexes, the composition of rocks in geological formations abundant in these territories and contemporary climatic zoning.Conclusion. Representative data were obtained for the central and southern zones, where the mineral composition of terrigenous components was determined using samples from test wells having clearly observed variations in the mineral composition of deposits during the change of a geological and genetic complex. Since the immersion method is still essential for studies of sedimentary rocks, the information on a new object, represented by the territory of West Mongolia, obtained for the first time, appears to be of a particular interest both from scientific and practical points of view.

Summer decapod crustacean larval communities along the eastern Spanish Mediterranean coast.

Decapod crustaceans are a diverse group englobing several species of commercial and ecological interest. In the Mediterranean Sea, decapod crustacean fisheries are among the most profitable, although in many cases their early life stages are poorly known. In this study, we tackle the composition and diversity patterns of the decapod larval communities along the eastern Spanish Mediterranean coast. Zooplankton sampling was carried out in surface waters at 101 stations from July 20th to August 31st 2016, over bottom depths between 90 and 1840 m. All shrimp larvae were identified to the lowest possible taxonomical level, and larvae from Anomura, Achelata and Brachyura were left at infraorder level. No larvae of Astacidea or Polychelida were found. The total zooplankton volume was estimated. A total of 20,022 decapod crustacean larvae were identified, focusing on shrimp taxa (suborder Dendrobranchiata and infraorder Caridea). Both zooplankton volume and decapod larval density values were higher in the northern part of the studied area, cut by deep submarine canyons. After assessing the diversity parameters of the decapod larval community, we present the summer mesoscale larval distribution of several species of commercial interest such as the caramote prawn (Penaeus kerathurus) or the deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris). The northern submarine canyons are dominated by the presence of Penaeoidea, being the deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus the dominant species in the community in this area, while the Sergestoidea are more abundant in the southern zone. This is the largest-scale study on decapod larvae mesoscale distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.

Study of the green spaces of the southern area of the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico

Objective: To diagnose the maintenance of green spaces in the southern zone of the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México. Design/Methodology/Approach: An analytical-synthetic and historical methodology was used to evaluate the state of green spaces, mainly in the southern part of the city. Likewise, bibliographic techniques were used to study the importance of green spaces, their conceptualization, and the challenges that they face. Results: Providing maintenance and participating in proper management is essential for the improvement of green spaces and for the creation of an enhanced environment that provides better development for these areas in the city of Chihuahua and changes territorial development. Study Limitations/Implications: Green spaces are part of the basic public amenities of any municipality and therefore the Municipal Council is in charge of these areas; however, the ability to achieve goals is determined by individual and collective productivity or rather the lack thereof. Findings/Conclusions: Developing good management practices can provide well-kept and adequately-maintained green spaces for the inhabitants of Chihuahua.

Measurement of city road network resilience in hazardous flood events

Purpose Recently, the serviceability of the transportation infrastructure in urban areas has become crucial. Any impact of the hazardous conditions on the urban road network causes significant disruption to the functioning of the urban region, making the city’s resilience a point of concern. Thereby, the purpose of the study is to examine the city’s recovery capacity to absorb the impacts of adverse events like urban floods. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the road network resilience for an urban flood event for zones proposed by the Municipal Corporation to develop multiple central business districts. This study proposes a novel approach to measure the resilience of road networks in an urban region under floods caused due to heavy rainfall. A novel Road Network Resilience Index (RNRI) based on the serviceability of the road network during floods is proposed, estimated using Analytic Hierarchy Process - Multiple Criteria Evaluation (AHP-MCE) approaches by using the change in street centrality, impervious area and road network density. This study examines and analyses the resilience of road networks in two conditions: flood and nonflood conditions. Resilience was estimated for both the conditions at the city level and the decentralized zone level. Findings Based on RNRI values, this study identifies zones having a lower or higher resilience index. The central, southern and eastern zones have lower road network resilience and western and northern zones have high road network resilience. Practical implications The proposed methodology can be used to increase road network resilience within the city under flood conditions. Originality/value The previous literature on road network resilience concentrates on the physical properties of roads after flood events. This study demonstrates the use of nonstructural measures to improve the resilience of the road network by innovatively using the AHP-MCE approach and street centrality to measure the resilience of the road network.

Writing Occupation: Jewish Émigré Voices in Wartime France by Julia Elsky

Reviewed by: Writing Occupation: Jewish Émigré Voices in Wartime France by Julia Elsky Nick Underwood Julia Elsky. Writing Occupation: Jewish Émigré Voices in Wartime France. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2020. 288 pp. For those interested in the history of Jews in France, the current moment is exciting. Building upon Paula Hyman's, Nancy Green's, and David Weinberg's pioneering work (the most recognizable to English-speaking academics), an increasing number of scholars are working on a wide range of issues related to the histories and cultures of the varieties of Jews in modern France. The growing body of literature on Jewish migration to France has broadened our understanding of Jewish France and has illuminated the contours of the French Jewish communities. Adding to these new approaches and interjecting an explicitly literary framework to the recent literature is Julia Elsky's Writing Occupation: Jewish Émigré Voices in Wartime France, which, over seven chapters (including the introduction and epilogue), analyzes how the writers Benjamin Fondane, Jean Malaquais, Romain Gary, Elsa Triolet, and Irène Némirovsky wrote about their Jewishness and Frenchness during the years of occupation, collaboration, accommodation, and resistance in wartime France. Elsky's writers all immigrated to France during the interwar years and all adopted French as their literary language. Indeed, one of Elsky's major contributions is to challenge us to read French as a Jewish language and explore the content of Jewish identity as it was written by these authors in the French language. Elsky utilizes these writers' works to explore the ideals of French national belonging. For Elsky, the war and occupation were turning points for these authors and highlight how "under the pressures of war, [these writers] wrote a Francophonie that shifts the paradigm of dominant and dominated cultures to one of immigration and transnational circulation and expands the idea of what a Jewish language is" (206). As Elsky shows, it was under the occupation that these authors addressed the choice to write in French in new ways. These Jewish immigrants to France, as Elsky highlights, expressed hybrid and shifting cultural, religious, and linguistic identities. In fact, "French became universal in a different way; a language with no center or periphery, in which they could represent Jewish voice and multiple languages, including their maternal tongues and the language of prayer" (28). As Elsky argues explicitly, this group of "Eastern European Francophonie … blur distinction between center and periphery" (5). Again, as Elsky argues repeatedly, defeat and occupation changed Jewish immigrant writers' approach to French; they blurred the boundaries of belonging within national borders. In this line of [End Page 465] thinking, Elsky here pairs these Jewish writers' experiences with those of postcolonial French writers. Although focused on the occupation broadly, the writers highlighted in Writing Occupation wrote about some specific experiences during World War II, from the June 1940 flight from Paris to life in the occupied and southern zones, roundups, and internment camps, and the Resistance. In addition to these moments, these writers were also influenced by contemporary debates about Yiddish, the importance the French held in governmental rhetoric related to citizenship, and attacks in the antisemitic press about Jewish immigrants and their adulterated French. The role that French played in the immigrant imagination was central to these writers, as Elsky makes clear. In chapter 3, which focuses on Romain Gary, Elsky shows how his "multilingual heteroglossia" (95) demonstrates how languages are in contact with each other. They do not cancel one other out. "Gary represents French as the language of democracy that could encompass a wide range of languages—and therefore national identities," writes Elsky, "in one democratic European language" (96). In challenging the binary relationship between periphery and center and demonstrating how these French and Jewish writers articulated their sense of belonging and not belonging in wartime France, Elsky expands the historical and literary function of the French language. "Under the Occupation in particular, Benjamin Fondane, Romain Gary, and Jean Malaquas wrote in a French that incorporated Jewish voice," argues Elsky, "or even rejected the notion of French as a closed, monolingual language" (203). This was a direct challenge to the Vichy government's exclusionary nationalist practices. "Taking a different approach...

Floristic and Structural Study of the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve Located in Bingerville (South Côte d’Ivoire)

The Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve, located in the town of Bingerville, is part of the great Ivorian protected area network. Unfortunately, very little is known about its floristic diversity, and even less about the structure of its vegetation. This work intends to characterize its floristic and structural aspects, through 13 surface surveys and an itinerant survey carried out in the northern, central, and southern zones of this area. The data analysis revealed that the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve includes 135 species. These species are divided into 110 genera and 53 families. It has 26 special-status species and the highest diversity index of any urban forest. The diametric structure shows histograms in the shape of an "inverted J" for each of the areas. This pattern is typical of a forest in a good state of conservation and with good regeneration capacity. This result shows the importance of this reserve for the conservation of floristic biodiversity.

A coastal Ramsar site on transition to hypoxia and tracking pollution sources: a case study of south-west coast of India.

Coastal lakes and estuaries are considered economic drivers for coastal communities by delivering invaluable economic and ecosystem services. The coastal ecosystems are facing recurrent hypoxia events (dissolved oxygen; DO < 2.0mg L-1) and are emerging as a major threat to ecosystem structure and functioning. The Ashtamudi Lake, (area = 56 km2), is one of the Ramsar sites in the State of Kerala and located on the SW coast of India. The waterways are extensively used for backwater tourism and for fishery activities. This paper discusses the spatio-temporal variation of water quality attributes with emphasis on hypoxia during non-monsoon and monsoon seasons. The extent of hypoxia on fishery diversity was discussed. The Southern Zone, adjacent to the urban area, shows the hypoxic condition with higher concentration of BOD, NO3-N, and NH4-N. The hypoxic condition is largely limited to the Southern Zone in both seasons. The occurrence of low DO in the lake is highly related to salinity and organic load in the lake system. The tracking of pollution sources in the lake system was also done through identification of pollution potential zones and found that catchments adjacent to Southern and Western Zones (urban regions) are the major source of pollution. The study suggests that hypoxia is chiefly attributed to anthropogenic interventions in the form of discharge of wastes into the lake causing overloading of nutrients and organic effluents, decrease in the freshwater supply, the absence of proper freshwater mixing or dilution, and effluent discharge from nearby urban centers.

Influence of sowing dates and seeding rates on productivity and grain quality of the Univer winter bread wheat variety

In the southern zone of Rostov region there were studied seeding rates (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 million pcs/ha) and sowing dates (the 10th, 20th, 30th of September, the 10th of October) of Univer soft winter wheat variety according to various forecrops (black fallow and sunflower). The research was carried out in 2020-2021. It has been established that according to the studied predecessors, the Univer variety shows a tendency to form the highest grain yield in the late sowing periods (September, the 30th and October, the 10th): significantly higher by 0.43-0.73 t/ha in comparison with the control sowing on September, the 20th. It was determined that, regardless of the sowing date, according to the «black fallow» predecessor the maximum productivity of 6.33-7.13 t/ha had been obtained with seeding rates of 4 and 5 million pcs/ha, and 4.16-4.80 t/ha with seeding rates of 6 and 7 million pcs/ha when sown after sunflower. The least productivity but the highest protein and gluten percentage in the variety was identified in the variant with the minimum seeding rate (1 million pcs/ha) and was 5.08-6.09 t/ha sown after the black fallow with 13.7-14.3 and 25.0-26.0 %, respectively; 3.00-3.59 t/ha sown after sunflower with 13.6-14.0 and 22.9-24.3 %, respectively. With a sowing rate increase, high productivity was due to the number of productive stems. When sown after black fallow, the greatest economic effect of Univer variety was obtained when sown on the 10th of September with a seeding rate of 5 million pcs/ha. When sowing in later dates, there was an increase of efficiency of lower seeding rates of 2, 3 and 4 million pcs/ha. When sown after sunflower, there was a high economic effect with seeding rates of 5, 6 and 7 million pcs/ha at all sowing dates.

Cretaceous−Cenozoic cooling history of the Qiangtang terrane and implications for Central Tibet formation

Reconstructing the growth process of the Qiangtang terrane in space and time is crucial for understanding the geological evolution of Central Tibet. However, its growth process and dynamic mechanism remain unclear. Here, we present new fission track data obtained along a N-S transect near the Puruo Kangri Mountain in the central zone of the Northern Qiangtang terrane. The completely reset apatite fission track ages of detrital samples range from 65.1 to 89.6 Ma, which show a northward younging trend. The thermal history modeling results indicate that this region underwent northward-propagating exhumation during the Late Cretaceous (ca. 92−65 Ma). Our data, combined with previously reported low-temperature thermochronology data for the Qiangtang terrane, suggest that the Qiangtang terrane experienced three main stages of cooling: ca. 120−65, ca. 55−35, and &amp;lt;25−0 Ma. The first stage (ca. 120−65 Ma) displays an outward-propagating cooling pattern from the Central Qiangtang terrane, which was related to the crustal shortening and thickening driven by the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. The low exhumation rate, flat lavas, and paleoaltimetry studies imply that the central and southern zones of the Northern Qiangtang terrane and Central Qiangtang terrane may form plateau landscape by 65−55 Ma. The second stage (ca. 55−35 Ma) of cooling is mainly documented in the Southern Qiangtang terrane, and the northern zone of the Northern Qiangtang terrane. This cooling event was caused by the crustal deformation and shortening driven by intracontinental subduction related to ongoing convergence of the Indian and Asian plates. Subsequently, both the transition to low erosion rates (&amp;lt;0.05 mm/yr) and paleoaltimetry data indicate that the Qiangtang terrane became a primitive plateau by ca. 35 Ma. The final stage (&amp;lt;25−0 Ma) of cooling was linked to the E-W extension in the Qiangtang terrane.

Floristic and Structural Study of the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve Located in Bingerville (Côte d’Ivoire)

The Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve, located in the town of Bingerville, is part of the great Ivorian protected area network. Unfortunately, very little is known about its floristic diversity, and even less about the structure of its vegetation. This work intends to characterize its floristic and structural aspects, through 13 surface surveys and an itinerant survey carried out in the northern, central and southern zones of this area. The data analysis revealed that the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve includes 135 species. These species are divided into 110 genera and 53 families. It has 26 special-status species and the highest diversity index of any urban forest. The diametric structure shows histograms in the shape of an "inverted J" for each of the areas. This pattern is typical of a forest in a good state of conservation and with good regeneration capacity.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ РАЗВИТИЯ СЕВЕРНЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ СЗФО И ПРОБЛЕМЫ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ИНТЕГРАЦИИ ПРОСТРАНСТВА МАКРОРЕГИОНА

One of the key features of the development of the economic space of Russia at the present stage is the coexistence of integration and disintegration processes in it. This is especially acute at the level of such large territorial entities as federal districts. In particular, as part of the North-Western Federal District (NWFD), one can single out its northern and southern zones, on the balanced and mutually agreed development of which the stability of the entire macro-region depends. At the same time, the market transformations of the last decades have had a particularly negative impact on the development of the northern territories. In this regard, the purpose of the work is to study the features and problems of the development of the northern territories of the Northwestern Federal District in the context of ensuring the integration of the space of the macroregion. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, as well as using the tools of economic statistics (σ- and β-convergence), the prerequisites and direction of the development of integration / disintegration processes in the space of the macroregion in 2000–2020 were identified. The conceptual directions for improving the federal and regional socio-economic policy aimed at consolidating the potential of the subjects of the Northwestern Federal District in order to ensure sustainability and integration of the macroregion space are substantiated.

Reflecting on 25 years of quota management in a spiny lobster fishery: Lessons learned from a harvest strategy perspective

The Southern Zone rock lobster fishery of South Australia has been managed by individual transferable quotas since 1993, with annual catch limits set using harvest strategy decision rules. This work describes the performance of strategies over 25 years focusing on challenges experienced during periods of poor fishery recruitment. Early strategies identified indicators and performance ranges for the fishery but lacked detail on required management action when reference points were breached. Between 2002 and 2009, the fishery experienced a considerable decline in recruitment resulting in catch rate, the primary indicator, decreasing by 70%. The harvest strategy in place failed to reduce catch levels appropriately and despite consecutive years of decreasing catch rate, was unable to arrest the fishery decline. Explicit harvest control rules for quota setting were developed in 2010 and refined in both 2014 and 2019, with the specific focus of ensuring sustainability and rebuilding lobster biomass. Application of these strategies have been successful at achieving this objective, most notably since 2015. The study highlights that harvest strategies must include control rules that respond rapidly to recruitment declines. Specifically, based on harvest strategy testing and evaluation, required levels of quota reduction should be clearly defined. In combination with limit reference points that mandate the point of fishery closure, metarules and quota caps that promote biomass increase, such strategies serve to meet fishery objectives and ensure sustainability.

Floristic and Structural Study of the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve Located in Bingerville (Côte d’Ivoire)

The Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve, located in the town of Bingerville, is part of the great Ivorian protected area network. Unfortunately, very little is known about its floristic diversity, and even less about the structure of its vegetation. This work intends to characterize its floristic and structural aspects, through 13 surface surveys and an itinerant survey carried out in the northern, central and southern zones of this area. The data analysis revealed that the Dahliafleur Partial Nature Reserve includes 135 species. These species are divided into 110 genera and 53 families. It has 26 special-status species and the highest diversity index of any urban forest. The diametric structure shows histograms in the shape of an "inverted J" for each of the areas. This pattern is typical of a forest in a good state of conservation and with good regeneration capacity.

Influence of Mineral Fertilizer and Manure Application on the Yield and Quality of Maize in Relation to Intercropping in the Southeast Republic of Kazakhstan.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a valuable forage crop. It is also an essential and promising crop for the Republic of Kazakhstan, cultivated in the southern zone. Some new maize hybrids have been introduced, which have been beneficial for high yields with less fertilizer input. This study aims to introduce the new maize hybrid, Arman 689, for the judicial use of fertilizer and the high yield. This study was carried out in 2015 in the southeast region of Kazakhstan. There are five treatments with various mineral fertilizer and poultry manure doses: 1. control (T0), 2. P60 K100 (T1), 3. N100P60K100 (T2). 4. N100P60K100 + 40 tons of manure/ha (T3), and 5. N100P60K100 + 60 ton of manure/ha (T4). The fertilizers used were ammonium nitrate (N—34.6%), amorphous (N—11.0%, P2O5—46.0%), and potassium chloride KCl (K2O—56%). The results showed that the grain yield ranges from 5.51 t/ha (T0) to 8.49 (T4) t/ha. The protein contents in the maize grain varied from 9%(T0)–11.3%(T4). The grain nitrogen content accounted for 54.2 to 52.0%. The nutrient uptake results by different treatments indicated that nitrogen contributed to 41.5% of the total yield increase. Using manure in combination with mineral fertilizers reduced the payback of the applied resources, as the payback of T2–T4 was 8.8–9.1 kg of grain. With the application of recommended mineral fertilizer (NPK), the protein yield was 0.83 t/ha, 0.33, and 1.22 t/ha higher than T0 and T1 treatments, respectively. There was no significant yield difference under T3 and T4 treatments (p > 0.05). Overall, the treatment, NPK + 40 tons of manure, was proved the ultimate for the Arman hybrid in providing the optimum quantity and quality of maize, as well as reducing the payback cost (8.8–9.1 kg of grain). It is suggested to apply NPK-recommended doses along with manure in maize (Arman hybrid)-based intercropping systems to utilize the resources efficiently.

Late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Japan based on crystal morphologies and U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from the middle Permian sedimentary succession, Maizuru Belt, Southwest Japan

• Detrital zircon geochronology for middle Permian sandstones in Maizuru Belt. • We determined the question of Permian collisional interpretation of Japan. • Collision of island arc and Sino-Korean Block happened at middle Permian. • Tectonic evolution accompanied by collision of island arc and Sino-Korean Block. The late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic collision-related orogeny in Japan needs to be studied to understand the tectonic evolution of Japan and East Asia. Morphological analysis and U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from sandstones of the middle Permian sedimentary succession (the Mushikawa Formation), Maizuru Belt, Southwest Japan, were used to constrain the timing of the tectonic evolution during the island arc collision and their provenance characteristics. Detrital zircon age ranges from the sandstones changed stratigraphically upward. Sandstones from the lower and upper successions contained zircon grains with main age clusters of ca. 300–260 Ma and multiple age clusters of ca. 2300–1800 and 500–270 Ma, respectively. The late Paleozoic zircons are mostly long and less rounded, while those of the Precambrian to middle Paleozoic zircons are mostly short and rounded. U–Pb ages and morphological features indicate that the late Paleozoic zircons were derived from a nearby region, whereas the pre-late Paleozoic zircons were supplied from distant sources and strong hydrodynamic conditions at the time of deposition. Combining the results of this study with the geological information of East Asia revealed that the sources changed from the Southern zone of the Maizuru Belt to multiple areas, such as the Southern and Northern zones of the Maizuru Belt, Oeyama Ophiolite, Sino–Korean Block, and Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Moreover, the results of this study support that the island arc and continental margin of the Sino–Korean Block collided during the middle Permian.

Regulation of land-destructive load on water catchment areas of small rivers

In the paper, the issues of provision the sustainable functioning of the ecosystems (natural-engineering systems) of the catchment area of small rivers were considered. It was distinguished, that one of the most widespread kinds of impact is land-destructive load, associated with direct expropriation and transformation of lands, occupied by natural ecosystems. The authors present the criteria for regulation of the land-destructive load, based on the assessment of the diversity of natural and anthropogenic-modified ecosystems in the catchment area of a small river. It was found, that a part of anthropogenic-modified ecosystems should not exceed 35–40 % of the total catchment area (for the middle and southern taiga zone).