Steppes Of Kazakhstan Research Articles

Quantifying soil losses and dust emissions by wind tunnel experiments in the cultivated steppe of Kazakhstan

Expanding agriculture and unsustainable farming practices in Central Asia’s steppes may increase the risk of wind erosion and severe dust emissions. However, empirical data from field experiments to assess a potential severe dust source is lacking. Therefore, a mobile wind tunnel was used in northern Kazakhstan to investigate the potential wind-induced soil loss and dust emissions under real field conditions common in agricultural practices. Field experiments were carried out on typical surfaces that act as dust sources: seedbeds as they occur after cultivation, in-field tracks, and dirt roads. Measurements were conducted by sediment collection of total eroded material and optical particle counting for particulate matter ≤30 µm. The results of the wind tunnel experiments show that the same soil can emit significantly different amounts of dust depending on the mechanical stress to which the soil was previously exposed. Soil loss and dust emissions increased from seedbeds to dirt roads due to the intensifying effect of pulverization by tires. In order to assess an area as a dust source or for emission inventories, the total emissions must be adjusted separately to these shares. Further insights of the field experiments will be presented at the conference.

The Neolithic and Early Metal complexes of the Chepkul 5 settlement in the North of the An-dreevskaya Lake System

The problems of development of the early Neolithic and Early Metal Age complexes in the Tobol-Ishim interfluve are still insufficiently studied. A certain understanding of the cultural and historical processes that took place during these periods can be based on the materials of the multi-layered settlement of Chepkul 5, located on the territory of the Andreevskaya lake system near the city of Tyumen. The purpose of this work is to introduce into scientific discourse the research materials of the early Neolithic and Bayryk Culture complexes. Within the Neolithic pottery complex of Chepkul 5, it is possible to conditionally distinguish groups of vessels comparable to the ware of the Boborykino, Koshkino, Basyanovo and comb types, which find similarities in the vast territory from the eastern slopes of the Urals to the Baraba forest-steppe, and from the Lower Ob River to the steppes of Kazakhstan. Stone tools of such complexes, including Chepkul 5, contain points with high steep retouch, oblique points on blades, and geometric microliths. The presence of lips (overhangs) on the rims on the inside of the vessels, and certain other characteristics of ceramics, bring the analysed complex closer to the ware of the Boborykino Culture of the Yurtobor 3 settlement [Zakh, 1995]. Considering the date from charcoal from the settlement of Yurtobor 3 — 6591–6478 cal BC (UPI-559) [Zakh, 1995, 2009] — the time of existence of the settlement Chepkul 5 in the early Neolithic can be correlated with the end of the humid stage and the beginning of the dry period (8.2–5.5 cal ka BP) [Zach, 2021]. According to the location of the pits in the trench of the Early Metal Period dwelling 2 of Chepkul 5, which contained pottery with comb-pit and large-stroke ornamentation, the building can be reconstructed as a semi-dugout with a pillar-frame structure, with an area of about 40 m2. Similar structures, ware, stone and clay sinkers and other items belong to the Bayryk Culture, are dated to the 3rd mil. BC and can be considered together with the Ishim complexes of the Alexandrovo stage of the Ekaterinino Cultures within the comb-pit community of the 3rd mil. BC. However, the complexes of the Tobol and Ishim regions belong to different cultures, as evidenced by the complete absence of clay sinkers in the Ishim region and in the territories to the east. The presence of the latter, as well as drawings on dishes and petroglyphs in the Early Metal Period cultures of Trans-Urals, suggests that the population of the Tobol region was engaged in drive hunting for waterfowl during molting [Zakh, 2022], which could not but affect its cultural specificity.

Brucella abortus in Kazakhstan, population structure and comparison with worldwide genetic diversity.

Brucella abortus is the main causative agent of brucellosis in cattle, leading to severe economic consequences in agriculture and affecting public health. The zoonotic nature of the infection increases the need to control the spread and dynamics of outbreaks in animals with the incorporation of high resolution genotyping techniques. Based on such methods, B. abortus is currently divided into three clades, A, B, and C. The latter includes subclades C1 and C2. This study presents the results of whole-genome sequencing of 49 B. abortus strains isolated in Kazakhstan between 1947 and 2015 and of 36 B. abortus strains of various geographic origins isolated from 1940 to 2004. In silico Multiple Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) allowed to assign strains from Kazakhstan to subclades C1 and to a much lower extend C2. Whole-genome Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (wgSNP) analysis of the 46 strains of subclade C1 with strains of worldwide origins showed clustering with strains from neighboring countries, mostly North Caucasia, Western Russia, but also Siberia, China, and Mongolia. One of the three Kazakhstan strains assigned to subclade C2 matched the B. abortus S19 vaccine strain used in cattle, the other two were genetically close to the 104 M vaccine strain. Bayesian phylodynamic analysis dated the introduction of B. abortus subclade C1 into Kazakhstan to the 19th and early 20th centuries. We discuss this observation in view of the history of population migrations from Russia to the Kazakhstan steppes.

Seasonal dynamics of biological productivity the main associations of the steppes of West Kazakhstan

The work presents the results of the author's own research on the study of seasonal dynamics of biological productivity of the main associations of the complex steppes of Western Kazakhstan. In various ecological and microclimatic conditions, the accumulation of above-ground and underground phytomass during the season is considered, as well as the production and destruction processes in plant communities are analyzed. Based on the results of the research, recommendations were developed for the preservation of steppe ecosystems and the rational use of pasture lands during the growing season, including in years with different hydrothermal regimes. The biological productivity of vegetation, in combination with climatic factors, has ensured the fertility of the soils of the steppe zone for centuries, which is the main granary of agriculture and animal husbandry. Practically frontal plowing of the steppe of Kazakhstan, more than 70%, contributed to the transformation of steppe vegetation on large areas.

СЕЗОННАЯ ДИНАМИКА БИОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ПРОДУКТИВНОСТИ ОСНОВНЫХ АССОЦИАЦИЙ СТЕПЕЙ ЗАПАДНОГО КАЗАХСТАНА

В работе приводятся результаты собственных исследований автора по изучению сезонной динамики биологической продуктивности основных ассоциаций комплексных степей Западного Казахстана. В различных экологических и микроклиматических условиях рассматривается накопление надземной и подземной фитомассы в течение сезона, а также анализируются продукционно-деструкционные процессы в растительных сообществах. По результатам исследований разработаны рекомендации по сохранению степных экосистем и рациональному использования пастбищных угодий в течение вегетационного сезона, в том числе в годы с разным гидротермическим режимом.Биологическая продуктивность растительности степей, в сочетании с климатическими факторами, на протяжении веков обеспечивают плодородие почв степной зоны, которая является основной житницей земледелия и животноводства. Практически фронтальная распашка степей Казахстана, более чем на 70%, способствовала трансформации степной растительности на больших площадях.

The oribatid mite subgenus Metabelba (Pateribelba) (Acari, Oribatida, Damaeidae): redescription of M. (P.) filippovi and description of two new species

ABSTRACT Metabelba (Pateribelba) filippovi, a large species of Metabelba known from the Transcaucasus and Caspian areas, is redescribed on the basis of material from Arasbaran forest (East Azerbaijan, North-West Iran). A new, closely related species, M. (P.) abkhasica Kolesnikov & Miko sp. nov., is described on the basis of newly collected material from Abkhaziaand and an individual from the collection of Bulanova-Zachvatkina (Abkhazia). The two species form an easily distinguishable species group, characterized by unusually-shaped notogastral setae having a sharp terminal spike. Another new species, Metabelba (Pateribelba) stepposa Kolesnikov & Miko sp. nov., belonging to the M. sphagni group, is described from Kazakhstan steppes. Variability and similarities of these three species are discussed together with broader relations within the genus Metabelba. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A29C8AEA-9E88-40FE-B14F-686B5FBD779E

Kazak Türklerinin Kültüründe Alaşa Han Evliyalığı Üzerine Bir İnceleme

 In the culture of Kazakh Turks, Alasha Khan is known as a legendary saint who tried to integrate the nomadic tribes living in the steppes of Kazakhstan and also founded a khanate. In the folklore sources of the old period, it is told that Alaşa Han broke away from the society with the birth of us leprosy child and established a state with 300 hundred soldiers. In the folklore documents collected by Russian researchers who came to occupy the region during the Tsarist period, the name Alasha Khan is associated with the establishment of the Kazakh Khanate. In the folklore sources evaluated by Kazakh researcher Chokan Velikhanov, the examination of Alasha Khan Tomb is known as a legendary saint, Alasha Khan is described as the hero who brought Kazakh Turks together. As a result of other evaluations, it shows that the name Alasha Khan is connected with the emergence of the Kazakh people and the merger of the Three Juz (three necks). We made a table of 34 folklore sources about Alasha Khan and these sources were classified by comparative method. Several versions of the legendary narratives about Alasha Khan, which are preserved among the people and found in scientific studies, were examined. Alaşa Khan is also known in folklore sources as a saintly person who tried to unite Kazakh, Bashkir, Nogai, Karakalpak, Kyrgyz and Tatar tribes under his "Six Alaş". In this study, it was aimed to compare the folklore sources about Alasha Han, which circulated in the Kazakh dialect literature, and the results of archaeological excavations. Thus, folklore sources and archaeological data were compared and presented with an interdisciplinary method. 14-20. Historical interpretations were made on the basis of the copies of the legends and the ideas compiled by the researchers from the people's mouth about the Alasha Khan character between the 19th century. Based on the legends and historical researches, efforts were made to explain the cultural layers of Alasha Khan sainthood and its meaning and importance as a cult. The emergence of the Kazakh people in the legends and the state formation process were reviewed. New views on the relationship between Alasha Han sainthood and the mausoleum, the architectural features of the mausoleum, the date of its construction and its meaning were presented.&nbsp

The newly discovered bronze age site of Koken: Merging micro-regions with major study zones in the high steppes of Kazakhstan

Bronze Age eastern Kazakhstan sat at the intersection of two distinct cultural interaction spheres: the Eurasian Steppe and the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Despite its importance, the region has not been extensively researched by archaeologists. Recent fieldwork in the Kokentau Mountains in eastern Kazakhstan has uncovered a multi-period archaeological sequence, presenting an opportunity to document this crucial area in detail. We present preliminary data obtained from initial settlement and cemetery excavations at the site of Koken that contribute to ongoing research about economy and interaction in the Eurasian Bronze Age. The site's long occupational history, supported by radiocarbon dates, reveals shifting cultural patterns stretching from the Mesolithic to the historical period. Current and future research in the Kokentau Mountains can clarify the timing and local trajectories of Bronze Age economic and cultural transitions through the integration of evidence from ritual, craft production, and habitation contexts at a resolution rare for this region and time period.

ОЦЕНКА ДЕГРАДИРОВАННЫХ ПАСТБИЩ КАРБОНАТНЫХ КАШТАНОВЫХ ПОЧВ СУХОЙ СТЕПИ КАЗАХСТАНА

The article examines the degraded pastures of carbonate chestnut soils of the dry steppe of Kazakhstan and gives their detailed assessment. Physical (soil), biological (plant) indicators and geoinformation monitoring of dry steppe pastures based on satellite data of medium and low resolution are presented. Based on the results of GIS technologies and field studies, a cartographic model of the degree of degradation of dry steppe pastures is presented. The article also indicates the possibilities of scientifically grounded and developed measures for the practical solution of the most difficult problems of conservation and rational use of natural forage resources of pasture territories, which will contribute to the strengthening and expansion of agricultural production in general. The introduction of research results into production is an irreplaceable basis for the effective use of pastures, their restoration and improvement in the development of animal husbandry in the country.

Специфика интерпретации истории в повести А. Доронина «Волчий овраг»

Introduction: at present the reader’s audience is particularly interested in creative experiments in which the historical fate of the Russian peasantry in the «turning» eras is artistically comprehended. The article is devoted to the study of the problem-thematic range of modern Mordovian historical prose. The subject of analysis is the peculiarity of the reception of the period of collectivization and dekulakization in the story by Erzyan prose writer A. Doronin «A Wolf Ravine». Objective: to reveal the features of the artistic reconstruction of the events of the 1930s, the modeling of the relationship between a man and society in the story by A. Doronin «A Wolf Ravine».Research materials: the story by A. Doronin «A Wolf Ravine». Results and novelty of the research: the historical story « A Wolf Ravine » for the first time becomes the object of scientific understanding and is introduced into the context of Finno-Ugric literary criticism. A. Doronin artistically interprets the real events and circumstances of the resettlement of dispossessed peasants of the Volga region to the uninhabited steppes of Kazakhstan. As a result of the study, we conclude that the actualization of this problem-thematic cluster is due to the creative concept of the historical writer; the individual author’s approach to the reconstruction of historical narrative can be traced in the writer’s desire to realistically reveal the relationship of personality and society in the tragic 1930s; to analyze intentions of people and of the psychological states of the characters. Problems of a sociopolitical nature, actualized in the story, are filled with philosophical, axiological content, and lead to a multi-faceted understanding of the «man and history» problem.

Silvicultural Efficiency of the Thinning Efficiency of Pinus sylvestris L. Plantation in the Dry Subzone of Northern Kazakhstan Steppes

Aim of study: Thinning efficiency after 18 years of cutting at the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations, in the subzone of the dry grass steppe, were examined.
 Area of study: On 45-year-old Scots pine plantations on the territory of the state enterprise "ZhasylAimak" in Nur-Sultan city in the Northern Kazakhstan.
 Material and methods: The plantations were established by high density planting (13,300 seedlings/ha) of 2-year old seedlings. The planting was carried out on forest-suitable soils. To assess the silvicultural efficiency of the thinning in the plantation, the coefficient of growth tension or a complex estimated figure (CEF) was used.
 Main results: The research confirm that Scots pine plantations can be established in the subzone of dry fescue feather-grass steppe (Festuca valesiaca-Stipetum capillatae Sillinger 1930). The maximum silvicultural effect of thinning was achieved with three steps. In the 1st step of the thinning of the forest, 10-15 years old trees are cut down. Trees with over-developed crown are also cut down. The 2nd step is made in 25-30 years with thinning intensity of 25% by stock. The 3rd step is made in 40-50 years in a uniform way.
 Highlights: In the harsh climatic conditions of Northern Kazakhstan steppe, deciduous trees and shrubs begin to age and die much earlier than the long-lived Scots pine.

Dynamics of Gastro-Intestinal Strongyle Parasites in a Group of Translocated, Wild-Captured Asiatic Wild Asses in Kazakhstan.

Asiatic wild ass (Kulan, Equus hemionus) population range and numbers became severely reduced and a reintroduction project is currently aiming to re-establish a population in the Central Steppe of Kazakhstan. Pre-emptive deworming is often recommended for equid translocations but eliminating parasites prior to translocation could cause disruptions in a balanced host-parasite relationship, adding an additional stressor to an already stressful intervention involving capture, transport, and adaptation to a new environment. Following a disease risk assessment, we decided against pre-emptive deworming and focused on monitoring the first group of nine translocated kulan in a large acclimatization enclosure prior to release. Over the 5-month acclimatization period, we regularly collected fecal samples and analyzed the shedding intensity of gastro-intestinal parasite eggs, obtained time budgets through behavioral observations, and visually assessed body condition. We identified strongyles (Strongylinae and Cyathostominae) and pinworms (Oxyuris equi) in fecal samples. All individuals shed strongyle eggs and two of the nine individuals had higher shedding intensities, but rarely reached levels for which deworming is recommended. All kulan appeared healthy throughout the observation period, aggressive interactions were very rare, and time budgets were very similar and dominated by feeding. Our results suggest that in translocation projects where the risk of introducing new parasites is minimal, pre-emptive treatment in wild equids can be replaced with non-invasive monitoring during the acclimatization period. We acknowledge that the small number of kulan, the large size of the enclosure, and the low temperatures during the animals stay in the acclimatization enclosure may all have reduced infestation pressure.

Post-Soviet shifts in grazing and fire regimes changed the functional plant community composition on the Eurasian steppe.

Globally, grasslands are shaped by grazing and fire, and grassland plants are adapted to these disturbances. However, temperate grasslands have been hotspots of land-use change, and how such changes affect interrelations between herbivory, fire and vegetation are poorly understood. Such land-use changes are widespread on the Eurasian steppe, where the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 triggered the abandonment of cropland and pasture on globally relevant scales. Thus, to determine how relationships between plant functional composition, grazing and fire patterns changed after the Soviet Union dissolved, we studied a 358,000km2 region in the dry steppe of Kazakhstan, combining a large field dataset on plant functional traits with multi-scale satellite data. We found that increases in burned area corresponded to decreases in livestock grazing across large areas. Furthermore, fires occurred more often with high cover of grasses with high leaf dry matter content and thus higher flammability, whereas higher grazing pressure favoured grazing-tolerant woody forbs and ruderal plants with high specific leaf area. The current situation of low grazing pressure represents a historically exceptional, potentially non-analogue state. We suggest that the dissolution of the Soviet Union caused the disturbance regime to shift from grazer to fire control. As grazing and fire each result in different plant functional compositions, we propose that this led to widespread increases in grasses and associated changes in steppe plant community structure. These changes have potentially occurred across an area of more than 2millionkm2 , representing much of the world's largest temperate grassland area, with globally relevant, yet poorly understood implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functions such as carbon cycling. Additionally, future steppe management must also consider positive implications of abandonment ('rewilding') because reverting the regime shift in disturbance and associated changes in vegetation would require grazing animals to be reintroduced across vast areas.

To the Issue of Anthropological Contacts Between the Populations of the Srubnaya and Alakul Cultures of the Late Bronze Age in the Southern Urals and Western Kazakhstan Steppes

Introduction. The work focuses on anthropological materials of the border between two areals: the Srubnaya and Alakul cultures of the Bronze Age. New data is based on the burial grounds of the Kozhumberdy type of the Alakul culture from Western Kazakhstan. Methods and materials. The authors compare the craniological series which are formed according to the geographical localization of the monuments and modern archaeological ideas about their cultural interpretation. Analysis. As a result of statistical analysis, the craniological series of the Srubnaya and Alakul cultures are morphologically quite close, but the latter show higher variability of characteristics. More close to each other are samples of female skulls which show that the formation of physical characteristics of these populations occurred on a single anthropological substrate. Initially, carriers of different caucasoid complexes, mainly of steppe origin, and in a small proportion of the uraloid ones took part in the process. The populations of the Srubnaya and Alakul cultures for a long time interacted with each other. This is reflected in the materials of syncretic Srubnaya-Alakul monuments, as well as in the craniological characteristics of the population of these cultural entities. Judging by morphological features of the skulls, the eastern group of the Alakul population also contacted the collectives of the Fedorovo version of the Andronovo culture of Kazakhstan. The participation of any groups of Central Asian origin in the composition of Alakul populations is not denied, but if it took place, it was most likely of a secondary nature due to the incorporation of certain representatives of a foreign population. Results. The results and conclusions of this work should be used in historical reconstructions of the processes of the formation, development and extinction of the Bronze Age archaeological communities in the area of the VolgaUrals and Western Kazakhstan.

BOTAY: PLACE AND ROLE IN WORLD CIVILIZATION

The article discusses the place and role of Botai in world civilization, which have not yet been sufficiently studied in socio-political science. The issue focused on in more detail the nomadic civilization in the great steppe of Kazakhstan, the place and role, and the influence of the Botay culture on world civilization. For the first time a wild horse was trained on Botay land.

Annual Landsat time series reveal post-Soviet changes in grazing pressure

Temperate grasslands are globally widespread, play an important role as carbon storage, and harbor unique biodiversity. Livestock grazing is the most widespread land use in temperate grasslands, and understanding the impact of grazing on grassland ecosystems is therefore important. However, monitoring grazing pressure and how it changes is hampered by a lack of adequate tools. The Eurasian steppe belt, extending from Eastern Europe to China has experienced marked changes in grazing pressure. Most notably, livestock numbers in the steppes of Kazakhstan and Russia declined by up to 80% after the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991, yet how this impacted spatial patterns of grazing pressure is unclear. To address this research gap, we used all available Landsat data from 1985 to 2017 together with extensive ground reference data on grazing pressure to evaluate a broad range of spectral-temporal metrics regarding their ability to capture grazing pressure. While Tasseled Cap-based disturbance indices performed best, combining all spectral-temporal metrics in a binary random forest classification yielded a grazing class membership probability that strongly outperformed all individual metrics. This new index of grazing pressure correlated well with a range of field-based grazing indicators (e.g., number of dung piles, herbaceous biomass) and yielded highly plausible spatial patterns of grazing pressure. We used this index to reconstruct annual changes in grazing pressure across our 360,000 km2 study region, and used LandTrendr time series segmentation to identify trends in grazing pressure. Aggregated grazing pressure followed closely known trends in total livestock numbers over the time period we studied. The spatial footprint of heavy grazing was very large before 1991, but decreased by 73 (±2) % until 2017. This now leaves large areas virtually ungrazed, even in close vicinity to settlements and agricultural areas, and despite a recent recovery of livestock numbers. Our analyses uncovered previously unknown hot-spots of heavy grazing during Soviet times (e.g., around watering points). Our findings suggest potential for a further revival of the livestock sector as well as for the restoration of steppe ecosystems. More broadly, our study highlights how the Landsat archive, in combination with field data on grazing, can be used to map grazing pressure reliably across large areas and over long time spans.

Pharmacological properties of endemic plants growing in the steppes of Kazakhstan

The number of people who suffer from secondary immunodeficiency diseases is increasing. Secondary immunodeficiency diseases develop due to environmental degradation, abuse of various preservatives, stabilizers in foods and long-term storage products, abuse of the use of drugs with a cytostaticeffect, the use of antibiotics in the cultivation of cattle and poultry. The compoundswere obtained fromplants of the Halostachys caspica (Pall) C.A.Mey.ex Schrenk,Suaeda microphylla Pall., Climacoptera obtusifolia (Schrenk) Botsch.Plant extracts were investigatedon myelostimulating activity. The compoundobtained from plants of the Halostachys caspica (Pall) C.A.Mey.ex Schrenk by means of water-alcoholextractionwithout heating showed high myelostimulating activity. It effectively stimulated erythro-,thrombocyto- and leukopoiesis, and in stimulating the leukocyte population, it equally effectively increased the values of granulocyte and agranulocyte leukocytes. The compounds derived from the Suaedamicrophylla Pall. and Climacoptera obtusifolia (Schrenk) Botsch.showed low myelostimulating activity.It should be noted that the water-alcohol extracts of plants without heating showed higher activity thanthe extracts that have undergone thermal heating.Key words: myelostimulating activity, endemic plants, steppes of Kazakhstan.

Pasture usage by ancient pastoralists in the northern Kazakh steppe informed by carbon and nitrogen isoscapes of contemporary floral biomes

Identification of variation in pasture use by domesticated livestock has important implications for understanding the scale of animal husbandry and landscape use in modern and ancient societies alike. Here, we explore the influence of pasture floral composition, salinity, and water availability on the carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic composition of plants from the steppes of Kazakhstan. Our findings demonstrate geospatially defined differences in the isotopic composition of sedge marshes, saline marshes, and meadow steppes, information which we then use to inform animal management strategies used in the past. We then examine pasture usage by ancient livestock through carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen from animals that grazed in the northern Kazakh steppe. Pasturing strategies varied according to livestock taxa, with horses exhibiting lower δ13C and δ15N values relative to cattle, sheep, and goat. We argue that horses, which are highly mobile and freely graze over pastures extending over wide areas, were grazed under an extensive pasturing system. These data suggest that the isotopic composition of contemporary vegetation communities can help inform animal management strategies used in the past.

Ancient archaeological complexes of southern part of Khantau Mountains

The paper introduces new materials about archaeological monuments of the paleometal period and early nomads of the Khantau Mountains into scientific circulation. This region is the main one in the communication processes among the ancient population of the Central Kazakhstan steppes and the foothill areas of all North Tien Shan and Jetysu in particular. The southwestern slopes and the southern part of the Khantau Mountains were explored by the expedition of Archaeology Institute named after A.Kh. Margulan in 20172018, where series of ancient settlements, burial grounds and petroglyphs of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age were discovered. The materials of archaeological complex Kojabala show patterns of settlements location and burial grounds, which reflect the tradition of economic and cultural development of the region in Ancient times. We can associate the origin and existence of Kojabala-I burial with the process of Andronovo community Fedorovsky tribal groups migration from Central Kazakhstan in the XV and at the turn of the XIVXIII centuries BC. The Bronze Age Kojabala tract materials analysis let us to assume, that economic and ethno-cultural intercourses of the population of Central Kazakhstan and Jetysu in this period were close. Such conclusion has perspective direction for further researches.

Елена Анатольевна Волкова (к юбилею исследователя растительности гор, степей, пустынь, лесов, лугов, болот)

On May 3, 2018 Elena Anatolievna Volkova ce­lebrates her anniversary. She is a highly qualified phytogeographer, thoughtful field researcher, expert in mountain vegetation of Asia, tireless traveler. The field of her scientific interests is the regularity of vegetation cover, small- and large-scale mapping of vegetation in different regions of Eurasia. She has made a great contribution to the study of the composition and structure of vegetation cover of complex and inaccessible arid and subarid mountain areas of Central Asia. E. Volkova began to work in deserts and steppes of Kazakhstan, and then 15 years studied arid plain and mountain regions of Mongolia. In Joint Soviet-Mongolian complex biological expedition of Academies of sciences of USSR and Mongolian People’s Republic E. Volkova investigated the deserts of Alashan Gobi, Trans-Altai Gobi and Dzhungarian Gobi. The result of these field works was a publication on the study of the relationship between the composition and structure of plant communities with the petrographic composition of rocks in melkosopochniks in different subzones and provinces of Gobi (Volkova, 1976); together with E. I. Rachkovskaya original vegetation maps of these extra-arid territories were created (Rachkovskaya, Volkova, 1977, 1980, etc.). The collected data on mountain vegetation were used to produce the vegetation map of Mongolia in the National Atlas (Karta..., 1990) and the monograph “Botanical geography of Mongolian and Gobi Altai” (Volkova, 1994). E. Volkova has made two vegetation maps: of Asia in atlas “Our Earth” (Волкова, 1996) and (together with I. Fedorova) of the World (scale 1: 60 000 000) for “Resources and Environment: World Atlas” (Volkova, Fedorova, 1998). In 2003 the monograph “Botanical geography of Kazakhstan and Central Asia (within the desert area)” was published in which E. Volkova is the author of a large section “Vegetation cover of mountains” and sub-section “Mountain provinces” in the section “Principles and basic units of regionalization” (Volkova, 2003a, b). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the arid areas of the country became inaccessible for research, and E. Volkova’ interests have turned to the vegetation of the Northwest of European Russia (Le­ningrad Region). The Botanical Institute of Russian Academy of sciences organized complex researches for the purpose of inventory of natural complexes and their components in territories valuable for nature protection, and also of areas of economic importance. The result of this work was the organization of natural protected areas in the Leningrad Region and Saint Petersburg and the publication of the “Atlas of natural protected areas of St. Petersburg” (Atlas..., 2013, 2016) and 11 collective monographs (2001–2017) in which E.Volkova is the constant co-editor and author of the sections on vegetation. E. A. Volkova has published about 190 works, including articles in the journals “Proceedings of theRussianGeographical Society”, “Botanical journal”, “Vegetation of Russia”, “Biosphere”, the “Geobotanical mapping” (Volkova, Khramtsov 2018). She conti­nues to be an active field researcher and preparing new articles and monographs.