Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution of the Peter the Great Bay (North-West Pacific Region) Using Brown Algae

According to the content of heavy metals Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Ni in brown algae Sargassum miyabei from the Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan, geochemical factors were calculated. The algae geochemical anomaly index (IGA) characterizes the degree of excess of the background concentrations of metals. The heavy metal pollution factor (Fp) is used to estimate the degree of pollution of the marine environment with heavy metals. The Peter the Great Bay has a low level of heavy metal pollution, but some parts of second-order bays, such as Amurskii Bay, Ussuriiskii Bay and Vostok Bay, have a moderate degree of pollution. The high pollution level was registed on the western coast of the Ussuriiskii Bay near the Vladivostok city landfill. Thirty percent of sampling stations were noted to have higher threshold levels of metals in the algae. These areas need to be monitored to assess their environmental status and measures should be applied to reduce the impact on the environment.

Environmental Changes and Human Impacts on Landscapes near Medieval Steklyanukha-2 Fortress in Russia from Early Iron Age to Modern Times

The development of landscapes in one of the most populated river basins of the southern Russian Far East was studied using pollen and diatom data. The study sites were a multi-layered mountain fortress, Steklyanukha-2, and an Upper Holocene high floodplain sequence of the Steklyanukha River. Buried soil from the fluvial section acts as an environmental archive of the time in which people from the Yankovskaya archeological cultures settled in the river basin. The soil was formed under conditions of decreasing water supply in the valley and prolonged droughts. Findings of pollen Fagopyrum and Urtica signal economic activity in the Early Iron Age.Floodplain lake sediments accumulated from 1.6 to 0.5 kyr, when the valley was actively developed during the Middle Ages. There are signals of the development of secondary birch and oak forests. In the cultural layer of the fortress and lake sediments formed in the Middle Ages, Ambrosia and Xanthium pollens were found and are reliable evidence of agricultural activity in the valley. The pollens of plants typically seen in human-disturbed areas were also found. Indirect evidence of human activity includes non-pollen palynomorphs.The study of diatoms in a depression near a rampart confirmed the archaeologists' assumption that it was used as a water reserve. Pollen spectra from surface soils reflect agricultural activity in the river basin since the second half of the 19th century. The largest amount of pollen of alien and synanthropic plants and weeds, as well as spores of pathogenic fungi and fire indicators, were found here.

A New Criterion for Distinguishing <i>Yendonia</i>Kylin and <i>Mikamiella</i>M.J. Wynne (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta)

An additional morphological criterion is presented to distinguish vegetative samples of the genera Yendonia and Mikamiella (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta). The undescribed earlier feature of Y. crassifolia is the presence of abundant lightrefracting cells in the tissues of the blades of both fertile and vegetative plants. This feature was never observed in Mikamiella, namely, in M. ruprechtiana. Additional data amending the description of the genus Yendonia are presented.

Adsorption of Metal Ions by Sorbents Composed of Marine Alga Saccharina bongardiana and Poriferous Aluminosilicates

The development of gold and cobalt-copper-nickel deposits in Kamchatka threatens the loss of biodiversity in spawning rivers and lakes and has negative effects on coastal ecosystems. To reduce pollution by mining wastes, filters with dried marine alga Saccharina bongardiana in combination with zeolite and pumice are recommended. Combined Saccharina-based sorbents remove heavy metal ions more effectively, increasing adsorption capacity by five times compared to mineral （pumice） sorhents. As a result of desorption, a tenfold increase of the solution concentration is reached after the first sorption cycle. Valuable elements （Ni, Co, Cu etc.） can then be extracted from concentrates by any known method. It increases economic efficiency of the mining industry due to recycling of non-ferrous metals. Saccharina-based sorbents can be also utilized for purification of polluted natural waters. It may serve as environmental protection measure and provide for ecological safety of the unique natural environment of Kamchatka and its bioresources.

Zoning of Far Eastern Seas of Russia for Integrated Nature Management

On the Pacific coast of Russia implementation of the methodology of the integrated nature management has a number of peculiarities. On the one hand, these districts are characterized by severe hydrometeorological conditions. On the other hand, Russia has no applicable legislation on coastal issues. Thus, to prepare informational, theoretical and methodical bases for organization of sustained nature management in coastal zones of the Russian Federation, we developed hierarchy structure of delimitation of coastal areas and recommendations for their development on the basis of nature resource and social-economic zoning. Zoning of the Russian Far East is suggested to include two major directions： （1） planning of sustainable development of the region and （2） solving contradictions between fisheries and productions of oil and gas in the coastal zones.

Background Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Brown Algae from the Northwest Sea of Japan

Background concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Ni were calculated for brown algae Costaria costata from the northwest Sea of Japan. Also the paper contains refined data on heavy metal concentrations in the widespread distributed brown algae, such as Stephanocystis crassipes, Sargassum pallidum and S. miyabei. As the upper threshold levels of metal background concentrations, the median values plus double medians of absolute deviations from the medians were used (Me + 2MAD). The lower threshold level of the background concentration equal to the physiological need for an element is the median of 15% minimum values in the sampling minus the double median of absolute deviations from the median (Me15 - 2MAD15). The calculated ranges of the background concentrations of metals in algae were compared with concentrations of elements in mac-rophytes collected from habitats with background concentrations of metals in water.

Identification of the Far Eastern Species of Laminaria Lamouroux and Saccharina Stackhouse （Laminariales, Phaeophyceae） Based on Morphological Features

Algae of the order Laminariales represent main seaweed resource of Russia, Most important commercial species formerly belonged to Laminaria Lamoroux. However, taxonomic revision of this genus and resurrection of Saccharina Stackhouse based on genetic studies resulted in transfer of most Laminaria species to Saccharina. At the Russian Pacific coasts Saccharina now includes 10 species, while only three species for sure represent Laminaria： L. longipes Bory de Saint-Vincent, L. solidungula J. Agardh, L. yezoensis Miyabe, their placement within Laminaria is supported by genetic data. All examined Far Eastern species of Saccharina are noticed to possess haptera in the form of rhizoids, whereas members of Laminaria have disk-like holdfasts （L. solidungula, L. yezoensis）, or creeping rhizomes （L. longipes）. Three unstudied genetically endemics from the Sea of Okhotsk： L. appressirhiza Petrov et Vozzhinskaya, L. inclinatorhiza Petrov et Vozzhinskaya, L. multiplicata Petrov et Suchovejeva, are still left within Laminaria, but they have rhizoids, so most probably belong to Saccharina. This morphological criterion is inapplicable to Atlantic Laminaria since the type species L. digitata （Hudson） Lamouroux has rhizoids.

Preconditions for Sustainable Development of Pacific Russia Seaside Areas

A geographical position and objective processes of globalization become leading factors of the orientation of the Russian east areas in the long-term development to interaction with the countries of the Asian-Pacific region (APR) and also to various natural resources and transport potential of the Pacific Ocean.

Mortality of Amur tigers:The more things change,the more they stay the same

Poaching as well as loss of habitat and prey are identified as causes of tiger population declines.Although some studies have examined habitat requirements and prey availability,few studies have quantified cause-specific mortality of tigers.We used cumulative incidence functions(CIFs)to quantify cause-specific mortality rates of tigers,expanding and refining earlier studies to assess the potential impact of a newly emerging disease.To quantify changes in tiger mortality over time,we re-examined data first collected by Goodrich et al.(2008;study period 1:1992–2004)as well as new telemetry data collected since January 2005(study period 2:2005–2012)using a total of 57 tigers(27 males and 30 females)monitored for an average of 747 days(range 26–4718 days).Across the entire study period(1992 to 2012)we found an estimated average annual survival rate of 0.75 for all tigers combined.Poaching was the primary cause of mortality during both study periods,followed by suspected poaching,distemper and natural/unknown causes.Since 2005,poaching mortality has remained relatively constant and,if combined with suspected poaching,may account for a loss of 17–19%of the population each year.Canine distemper virus(CDV)may be an additive form of mortality to the population,currently accounting for an additional 5%.Despite this relatively new source of mortality,poaching remains the main threat to Amur tiger survival and,therefore,population growth.

Research agenda for the Russian Far East and utilization of multiplatform comprehensive environmental observations

The Russian Far East is a region between China and the Russian Arctic with a diverse climatological,geophysical,oceanic,and economical characteristic.The southern region is located in the Far East monsoon sector,while the northern parts are affected by the Arctic Ocean and cold air masses penetrating far to the south.Growing economic activities and traffic connected to the China Belt and Road Initiative together with climate change are placing an increased pressure upon the Russian Far East environment.There is an urgent need to improve the capacity to measure the atmospheric and environmental pollution and analyze their sources and to quantify the relative roles of local and transported pollution emissions in the region.In the paper,we characterize the current environmental and socio-economical landscape of the Russian Far East and summarize the future climate scenarios and identify the key regional research questions.We discuss the research infrastructure concept,which is needed to answer the identified research questions.The integrated observations,filling in the critical observational gap at the Northern Eurasian context,are required to provide state-of-the-art observations and enable follow-up procedures that support local,regional,and global decision making in the environmental context.

Canine distemper virus as a threat to wild tigers in Russia and across their range

Canine distemper virus(CDV)has recently been identified in populations of wild tigers in Russia and India.Tiger populations are generally too small to maintain CDV for long periods,but are at risk of infections arising from more abundant susceptible hosts that constitute a reservoir of infection.Because CDV is an additive mortality factor,it could represent a significant threat to small,isolated tiger populations.In Russia,CDV was associated with the deaths of tigers in 2004 and 2010,and was coincident with a localized decline of tigers in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik(from 25 tigers in 2008 to 9 in 2012).Habitat continuity with surrounding areas likely played an important role in promoting an ongoing recovery.We recommend steps be taken to assess the presence and the impact of CDV in all tiger range states,but should not detract focus away from the primary threats to tigers,which include habitat loss and fragmentation,poaching and retaliatory killing.Research priorities include:(i)recognition and diagnosis of clinical cases of CDV in tigers when they occur;and(ii)collection of baseline data on the health of wild tigers.CDV infection of individual tigers need not imply a conservation threat,and modeling should complement disease surveillance and targeted research to assess the potential impact to tiger populations across the range of ecosystems,population densities and climate extremes occupied by tigers.Describing the role of domestic and wild carnivores as contributors to a local CDV reservoir is an important precursor to considering control measures.