Ural River Research Articles

Combining Imaging Flow Cytometry and Molecular Biological Methods to Reveal Presence of Potentially Toxic Algae at the Ural River in Kazakhstan

Algal blooms occur in freshwater bodies throughout the world, often leading to fish kills. Cases of these kills along the Ural River were reported in 2018–2019, involving significant amount of sturgeon in fish farming areas. In this study, the analysis of algal samples from the delta of the Ural River up to 100 km inland was carried out from August to December 2019 using imaging flow cytometry (IFC), molecular biological, and microscopic techniques. We identified the filamentous cyanobacteriaCuspidothrix issatschenkoi,Dolichospermumcf.flos-aquae,Dolichospermumcf.macrosporum,Pseudanabaena limnetica, andPlanktothrixspp. as the dominant potentially toxic phytoplankton species, and we also found minor quantities ofCylindrospermopsis raciborskii. For the first time, molecular phylogenetic investigations of field clones of cyanobacteria from Ural River were carried out to establish the taxa of the dominant species and to identify the presence of genes encoding toxins. The complementary analysis with nanopore-based next-generation sequencing overlapped with the results of IFC and was instrumental in revealing minor cyanobacteria taxa. Real-time PCR analysis and sequencing indicated the presence ofMicrocystisand ADA-clade spp. as well as genes associated with the production of microcystin (mcyE) and the algal neurotoxin saxitoxin (sxtA) originating from cyanobacteria. These findings suggest that toxin-producing cyanobacteria could become a threat in the Ural River near Atyrau, which can significantly affect aquaculture in the region.

An assessment and prognosis of water resources use in regions of the transboundary basin of the Ural River in the medium term

An assessment and medium-term prognosis of water resources use in the transboundary basin of the Ural River, and adjacent regions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan were represented in the paper. Prediction of water consumption is one of the most significant water resources management tasks in the transboundary river basins. Under a water deficit of water resources in the Ural River basin in hydrological droughts, data on prospective water consumption allows estimating possible problems of regular water use and ways of their solution for neighboring states. Data on the dynamics of water consumption from 1995 to 2019 and materials of prognoses for socio-economic development of the region in the medium term were used to research and calculate expected water use values. Based on statistical methods, taking into account parameters scheduled of the dynamics of the population and economic development in the regions, we calculated prospective volumes of water resources use in the Ural River basin areas. Projection of water resources’ use is represented in several scenarios following prognoses of socio-economic development in the regions. As a result, the structural forecasts were worked out according to a type of water consumption: domestic and utility, industrial, irrigation, and agricultural water use for each region of neighboring countries by 2024.

Temporal variabilities and correlation of runoff in the Ural River

The article deals with the study of intra-annual discharge distribution of the Ural River basin runoff. Norms, coefficients of variation, and average standard deviations of monthly, seasonal and annual runoff, as well as maximum and minimum flow and the tendencies of its changes, were determined for rivers in the area. The average and maximum water discharge spring high water and the ratio of maximum and minimum monthly and the annual runoff were calculated. Based on the wavelet transform method applied to the river flow data of the area under study, a cyclical pattern of water availability was identified. Moreover, the closeness of the correlation between average monthly expenditures and annual average water consumption, as well as the average monthly water costs was revealed. The statistical significance of the detected correlations was defined.

Climatic changes and water management in the Ural River basin and their impact on the river water regime

The Ural River basin is a transboundary object, which is characterized by a very uneven distribution of water resources, an extensive arid areas and water-intensive socio-economic complex. There are about 3,130 reservoirs and ponds, which are evaporating 0.9 km3/yr. and carry out intra-annual regulation. Water intake peaked in the 1980s. Now the anthropogenic decrease in runoff is < 1.6 km3/yr. Climate warming has begun in 1977-1980 and has intensified since the mid-1990s, as well has the occurrence of thaws in winter. In the first half of the current period, annual, summer-autumn, and winter precipitation was higher than the average long-term values. In the second half, spring and winter precipitation increased, while total precipitation decreased due to decrease in summer-autumn precipitation. As a result, the modern water regime of rivers has clearly changed and not in all cases positively. This initiated an inter-State discussion on the efficient use of water resources. Therefore, the goal and objectives of the research were not only to assess the characteristics of the runoff, trends of their changes, but also to determine the role of climatic and anthropogenic factors and the patterns of their long-term behavior. An analysis of data at 56 gauges, 10 meteorological stations, and on water use shows that after 1977 the runoff exceeded by an average of 10-20%. 1985-1995 and 2000-2007 were high-water sub-periods. Since 2006/2008, the prolonged water shortage has been registered. The decrease in the precipitation and the increase in evaporation are the main reasons for its formation. The regulation of the Ural runoff and warming have led to an earlier commencement and ending of floods in the lower reaches, a decrease in its volume and maximum water discharges, and the inundation risk reduction. Low-water runoff has increased significantly. This is illustrated by the new data.

Население Западного Казахстана в раннем железном веке по данным палеоантропологии (на примере могильника Кос-Оба)

The article examines anthropological materials from the Kos-Oba cemetery of the Savromat-Sarmatian period based on craniometric and paleopathological data from the region located between the Ural and Volga rivers in Western Kazakhstan. The results of craniometric analysis are indicative of the continuity of the population from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, as well as the physical resemblance between the people from Kos-Oba and those inhabiting the UralRiver basin. Paleopathological data also indicate that this sample does not stand out in frequencies of traumas and pathologies from the early nomad groups of the Volga-Ural region and Western Kazakhstan. One of the skulls has a trephine opening, possibly performed with medical purposes or representing a result of ritual manipulation. This study shows that the Kos-Oba cemetery can be reviewed as a part of the large Savromat-Sarmatian site systems, which are present not only in the UralRiver basin and the Ustyurt, but also in the Southern Urals, Northern Aral and Northern Caspian region.

Сравнительный лейкоцитарный профиль крови Emys orbicularis (Reptilia: Emydidae) из двух популяций

A comparative estimation of the leukocyte profile of the marsh turtle Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) living in the Ural river basin (Orenburg region, Belyaevsky district, 11 females and 5 males) and in the Volga river basin (Astrakhan region, Krasnoyarsk district, 28 females and 20 males) was made. The blood formula (WBC) of males and females was calculated together with the calculation of integral leukocytal indices (the lymphocyte-granulocyte index, the leukocyte shift index, the heterophile/lymphocyte ratio, the heterophil/eosinophil ratio, and the lymphocyte/eosinophil ratio). Lymphocytes were the predominant leukocyte cells in the peripheral blood of Emys orbicularis (40–45%). Among granulocytes, heterophiles (the population from the Orenburg region) or basophils (the population from the Astrakhan region) predominated. The absence of any differences in the quantitative indicators of the blood formula and integral indices for males and females indicated a comparable level of impact and identity of the physiological adaptation mechanisms occurring in the animals in the Orenburg region. Intersexual differences were manifested in an increased content of monocytes (u = 3.13, p = 0.001), which indicated activation of the natural immunity of males in comparison with females from the Astrakhan region. The leukocyte composition of the Emys orbicularis blood differed in the content of granulocytes and agranulocytes in different populations. The males from the Orenburg region differed from those from the Astrakhan region by an increased proportion of heterophiles and a reduced content of basophils. Females differed in all blood count parameters, except for eosinophils whose fraction was equal (u = 0.71, p = 1.00). In the peripheral blood of females from the Orenburg region, a higher content of heterophiles, monocytes and a lower content of basophils and lymphocytes were found in comparison with those from the Astrakhan region. Quantitative-qualitative changes were detected in the leukocyte composition of the blood during the invasion of hemoparasites. The specific immune response (the content of lymphocytes) decreased, and the nonspecific defense system (the content of heterophiles) increased. The maintenance of the immunological reactivity of the organism under the conditions of invasion was determined by the functional activity of heterophiles, which was confirmed by a higher value of the heterophil/lymphocyte index. The blood formula (WBC) and the dynamics of leukocytal indexes of Emys orbicularis reflected the active response of the organism to a complex of environmental factors, including parasitic invasions.

FIRST FINDINGS OF &lt;i&gt;DREISSENA POLYMORPHA&lt;/i&gt; (PALLAS, 1771) IN IRIKLINSKY RESERVOIR

In July 2019, adults of Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) were found at five points of the Iriklinsky Reservoir (the upper reaches of the Ural River, Orenburg Region) for the first time. The veligers found also indicate that the zebra mussel formed a self-reproducing population in the Iriklinsky Reservoir. Penetration of D. polymorpha into the Iriklinsky Reservoir went either due to introduction of invertebrates and fish, or with fishing gear or small boats.

NATURAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS OF OPISTORCHOSIS CIRCULATION IN WEST KAZAKHSTAN REGION

The formation and course of epidemic and epizootic processes of opisthorchiasis is influenced by natural-ecological and socio-economic factors. Geographical position of the Ural River basin, the proximity of the Volga focus, species diversity and abundance of commercial species of cyprinids, ecological conditions in the Ural basin, in floodplain water bodies and in small rivers of West Kazakhstan region, connected with the Ural River, the dietary habits of people, intensive migration of population create optimal conditions for the functioning of parasitic system of opisthorchiasis and contribute to the spread of this invasion among the population of the Ural region.The risk of infection with opisthorchiasis at the natural and social levels remains high. The territory of West Kazakhstan region has the following natural and ecological conditions: it is confined to the Ural-Caspian lowland. Surface waters of West Kazakhstan region are represented by rivers, lakes and reservoirs. In the Ural River and its basin, there are many mollusks Bithynia leachi and fish species, among which there are potential carriers of opisthorchian metacercariae – bream, ide, dace, redfin, tench, wild carp, carp, white bream, roach, asp, prussian and crucian carp, chub, minnow, sabre fish, blue bream. In the region, the incidence of opisthorchiasis in people is annually recorded. A significant part of the infected population lives in settlements located along the banks of the Ural River and its floodplain reservoirs.

Состояние популяций и промысел полупроходных рыб в Северо-Восточной части Каспийского моря

Semi-anadromous fish (roach, bream, pike-perch, asp) are the main objects of fishing in the coastal zone of the North-Eastern part of the Caspian Sea. The state of the populations of these fish changes significantly under the influence of natural and, especially, anthropogenic factors, which have increased in recent years. The aim of this work was to study the current state of populations of semi-anadromous fish in the NorthEastern Caspian Sea. Based on the materials of three years of research (2016, 2018, 2020), with the involvement of literary sources, long-term changes in the size-weight and, age indicators, nutritional status of fish and the sex ratio in populations are considered. It has been established that the state of the semi-anadromous fish populations in the North-Eastern Caspian remains tense at the present time. All populations are characterized by general negative patterns of state change. There are tendencies of decrease in size, weight and age indicators, the number of populations and fish catches are decreasing. These changes were least of all manifested in bream (whose state is relatively stable) and were most pronounced in pike perch. The depressive state of the populations is explained by a decrease in the scale of natural reproduction in recent years, due to a decrease in the water content of the Ural River and the number of spawners allowed to spawn on the river. Marine fisheries in the North-Eastern Caspian are concentrated in shallow waters, which increases the fishing load on semi-anadromous fish and prevents their passage to spawning. It is necessary to reduce the pressure of fishing by reducing the number of nets used in the shallow water area of the North-Eastern Caspian and strict observance of the rule of the forbidden pre-estuary space of the river Ural. English version of the article on pp. 87-94 is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/state-of-populations-and-fishing-of-semi-anadromous-fish-in-the-north-eastern-caspian-sea/64076.html

Environmental monitoring of water quality in the interstate Ural river

This article analyzes the content of biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, heavy metals using the example of the content of copper and zinc and oil products in the Ural River, which is transboundary and runs along Bashkiria, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions, as well as in The Republic of Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan and Atyrau regions. An excess is noted for all indicators. So the content of biological oxygen demand exceeds from 2 to 15 maximum permissible concentration, the content of chemical oxygen demand on the territory of the Russian territory exceeds about 2 maximum permissible concentration. The content of heavy metals copper and zinc ranges from 1.5 to 6.3 maximum permissible concentration, while the highest values are typical for the Kazakhstani territory, which is a consequence of the accumulation received from the Russian territory. The content of petroleum products exceeds for the most part up to 2 maximum permissible concentration and more, only in the territory of the village of Makhambet and the village of Bogdanovskoye is it lower than the maximum permissible concentration.

RESEARCH OF BATYRBEK MOUNDS ON NARYN SAND

The article presents the results of archaeological excavations on the Batyrbek Mound on the Naryn sand. The Naryn sands are located in the northwestern part of the Caspian Basin, between the Volga and Ural rivers. Administrative covers Isatai Was Makhambet areas of Atyrau region and the southern part of Bokey Orda, Zhangala and Akzhaiyk parts of the West Kazakhstan region. The area is 40 thousand km 2. The sandy zone is on average 21 m below sea level. The region is formed by deposits of the Khvalyn and Khazar periods of the Caspian Sea. Consists of arrays Batbayar, Botany, Condulet, Manteca Arcticum, Zhamankum Horde. The north-East is occupied by the Kamyshovo-Samara floodplain. Often the wind blows, a dust storm. A river with a constant flow of no streams. Fresh water reserves underground (at a depth of 1.5-2 m) are plentiful. There are many wells and oases. The spring floodplain runoff of Karaozen and Saryozen sometimes irrigates the northern side of the Naryn sand. The soil cover consists mainly of pale brown, sandy loam, and salt-gray soils[1]. In September 2019, excavations were carried out of 2 burial grounds dating back to the Iron Age, located 3.36 km south of the village of Batyrbek, located on the north-western side of the Kurmangazinsky district of Atyrau region. In archaeological excavations, tombs typical of the Iron Age were discovered. 4 graves were discovered, buried in the late period. The article covers the research of these mounds. The mounds are found in the northwestern part of the Naryn sand, in the steppe areas of «takyr», consisting of hard clay rocks. There were hundreds of Iron Age burial mounds in these areas. The mound was excavated for the first time.

«Добрый» или «святой» Джанибек-хан (1342–1357) в устной исторической памяти кочевников-казахов

Research objectives: To identify the main reasons for the formation of the cult of Janibek Khan of the Golden Horde in the oral historical memory of the nomadic steppe tribes which was embodied in the narrative tradition of Kazakhs from the fifteenth to eighteenth century. Research materials: The texts of the Kazakh folklore sources from the last quarter of the eighteenth to the beginning of twentieth century, published in different genres (tales, epics, legends, fairy tales) and dedicated to Janibek Khan or characters of the oral narratives closely related to him. Results and novelty of the research: The historiography of the Golden Horde and the medieval history of Kazakhstan considers it conventional wisdom that Uzbek Khan (r. 1313–1342) played the decisive role in the Islamization of the tribal population of the Ulus of Jochi during the fourteenth century. However, none of the Kazakh folklore sources recorded from the last quarter of eighteenth to beginning of twentieth century mentions his name. Rather, this role is given to the son and successor of Uzbek, Janibek Khan, who is the most popular character of oral narratives of Kazakhs dedicated to the Eurasian Middle Ages. This fact leads to the conclusion that the innovative activities of Uzbek in the field of religion covered mainly the western part of the Ulus of Jochi but had a limited impact on the steppe nomads of the Eastern Dasht-i Kipchak. The main role in the spread of Islam and Islamic culture to the east of the Ural River valley, in the territory of the ethnic nomadic ancestors of the Kazakh tribes, was played by Janibek Khan, which was reflected in the popular historical consciousness of Kazakhs. This article demonstrates the influence of Sufism’s cult of the “saints” borrowed by Muslim communities of the steppe in the process of sacralization of the historical Janibek Khan in the Kazakh narrative tradition and highlights the most characteristic features of his mythologized image. The scholarly novelty consists in the statement of the abovementioned theme of research and the structural analysis of the revealed folklore texts, which allows one to solve the long-standing problem of the association of the folk literature Janibek Khan of the Golden Horde and the historical Kazakh Khan of the same name who ruled in the eastern part of the former Ulus of Jochi in the later period.

ANALYSIS OF LONG-TERM VARIABILITY OF RIVER RUNOFF IN THE URAL RIVER BASIN

The hydrological zoning of the Ural River basin has been clarified in terms of synchronism and in-phase fluctuations in annual runoff. 5 hydrological regions have been identified. For 9 hydrological posts and 5 meteorological stations located in different parts of the basin, a detailed statistical analysis of long-term data was carried out. A single 1975 year of the beginning of hydro-meteorological changes in the basin was revealed. For each hydrological region, statistically significant changes in the annual and seasonal runoff were revealed. The assessment of the factors of change in runoff was carried out. Areas with a predominant influence on the change in runoff or anthropogenic load on water resources or climatic changes are identified.

Chloroplast DNA Variation and Phylogeography of Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur L. in the Eastern Part of the Range

Chloroplast DNA variation was investigated in 42 populations of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur L., in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, the Urals, and the Caucasus. Restriction analysis and sequencing, as well as chloroplast DNA microsatellite loci (cpSSR), were used as genetic markers. For successful amplification and sequencing, new oak-specific primers were designed. For the first time for Q. robur, nucleotide sequences of three fragments (psaA-trnS, psbC-trnD, and trnT-trnF) were obtained with the determination of phylogenetic relationships among 13 identified haplotypes. In the eastern part of the range, several divergent chloroplast DNA lineages were identified. The haplotype groups were characterized by a nonrandom geographic distribution, which probably reflected the history of oak colonization in these regions. Sharp population differentiation in terms of haplotype composition and the level of variation was revealed. Specifically, in the eastern part of the Russian Plain and in the Urals, two haplotypes are widespread, which are disappearing in the west (Northwestern Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Western Ukraine), where nine haplotypes are found that are absent in east. Geographic structure of chloroplast DNA variation in pedunculate oak from Eastern Europe is similar to that in small-leaved lime (Semerikova et al., 2020), another representative of European temperate forests, in which, like in oak in this part of the range, sharp differences between western and eastern populations were observed. It seems likely that this is the result of postglacial colonization by both species from different, long isolated refugia, some of which were located in the east of the studied areas. In the Urals, parallel differentiation of oak and lime between the southern part (Ural River and Belaya River basins) and more northern regions (Ufa River basin and Middle Urals) was revealed, which can be explained by different historical colonization patterns of these regions by broad-leaved vegetation.

История древесно-кустарниковых сообществ крупнейшего байрачно-балочного местообитания Заволжья

История древесно-кустарниковых сообществ крупнейшего байрачно-балочного местообитания Заволжья

Landscape and Climate Role in the Formation of Sturgeon Reproduction Biotopes in the Ural River (Zhaiyk)

Geoecology of the Ural River: landscape, climate, flora, and ichthyofaunal are given. Features of air and water temperature, winds, water sources, and balance are detailed. Information about Sturgeon fishes of the Acipenseridae family, the number of which is critical, is presented. The interaction of natural conditions and anthropogenic factors in the creature of spawning biotopes is described.

Разнообразие широколиственных и сосново-широколиственных лесов на восточной границе их распространения

Разнообразие широколиственных и сосново-широколиственных лесов на восточной границе их распространения

Возможные пути формирования флоры и макромицетов пойменных лесов р.Урал в пределах Западного Казахстана

The article deals with the historical reconstruction of flora and macromycetes of the floodplain forests of the Ural River. The length of the entire river is 2428 km, over 1000 km in Western Kazakhstan. Floodplain forests are developed in three genetic parts: riverbed, central and near-terrace. Primary and derivative forests are distinguished according to the forest structure. The leading factor in the formation of the Ural River valley is geology and relief, in connection with which 4 natural regions have been identified for their floristic (630 plant species) and mycological diversity (77 macromycetes species). The course of evolution and transformation of the floromycological composition of forest communities is analyzed according to the composition of historical formations. In the studied region, 13 suites were identified in the understanding of G.M. Zozulin, among them, 6 suites that stand out well in modern floodplain forests are considered in more detail. When establishing the formations, the character of the modern distribution of species, there was considered their cenotic confinement, genetic relationships of individual species, the rhythm of development, and the vitality of species in the community. The process of the formation of the floromycological complex of floodplain forests is based on relict and migratory elements, enriched, and settled from the Southern Urals, as well as from the valley of the left tributaries of the Volga and Common Syrt. The formation of which took a long time from the Miocene to the Holocene.

Жайық өзені атырауының гидрографиялық тор динамикасы

Дельта реки Урал, расположенная в казахстанском секторе Каспийского моря, характеризующаяся прилегающим к ней побережьем и морской акваторией, является одной из неустойчивых территорий, сильно изменяющихся относительно пространственного времени. Повышение и снижение уровня Каспийского моря является одной из основных причин изменения дельты реки, включая среду обитания животных и птиц в этом регионе. Также неэффективное использование природных ресурсов привело к резкому изменению физико-географического положения региона. Очевидно, что гидрологические изменения дельты реки представляют дополнительную опасность для естественных аквальных геосистем.&#x0D; Прямое и косвенное влияние антропогенных факторов на дельтовую систему реки Урал вызывает изменения в их морфологии. В работе рассмотрены исследования новейшей эволюции береговой системы в целом.

Ancient Mines of the South Urals

The article presents the intermediate results of a historical research, whose purpose is to determine the distribution of ancient mining operations (Chud mines) in the South Urals. Travel journals of the participants of academic expeditions of 1768–1774 — P. S. Pallas, I. I. Lepekhin, N. P. Rychkov and I. P. Falk — were taken as published written sources. The unpublished written sources mainly include archival documents from the period of owning mineral rights in Russia in 1739–1782 stored in the archives of Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. It was established that the copper mines of the 18th century were seasonally subdivided into “summer pits” and “winter mines”. The extraction of copper ore in winter was common, which allows extrapolating it to earlier periods of mining in the South Urals. A distinctive feature of ancient underground mining operations is the vaulted character of adits, while similar mines of the 18th century are characterized by rock tunneling “under the support structures”. The “summer pits” of both periods without archeological exploration and archival documents do not have singular features. It was also established that the geography of the location of ancient mountain mines is not limited to the area of occurrence of cuprous sandstones of the Cisural area. Following the study by Grigory Spassky, the article states that ancient mining developments in the form of exploration pits and mines are in abundance in the Southern Trans-Urals. They stretch along the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains in a narrow strip from the Krasnokhty and Shartymka rivers to the left bank of the Ural River and go to the Mugodzhar region.