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79. Rare and endangered species of birds of eastern Yakutia taiga and tundra regions
392
Abstracts / Cryobiology 59 (2009) 370–418
parameters of the plant seeds kept in the cryodepository testify to the maintenance of their biological properties, above all their germination capacity which is 95–100%: the level of chromosomal aberrations is about 1–4%. At the same time, storage of analogous seeds from collection of AURIP using standard methods for 11–13 years of storage resulted in the decline of germination to 50– 80%, and the level of chromosomal aberration increased to 6–8%: storage for 28–30 years under these conditions would cause the seeds to become fully nonviable. Plants grown from the seed kept in a depository do not differ from plants grown from fresh seed when assessed by biomorphological indexes. There is a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis to 60–70% and of cell division to 70–95%. There is a growth of 2– 3 times in the activity of protective antioxidant processes and of 20–30% in the activity of DNA repair systems, resulting in an increase in the integral index of genomic stability of 1–2 times. Our preliminary results justify questions about building a specialized cryodepository in Yakutia, in the layer of permafrost using natural cold for the creation of an economic, very cost-effective and ecologically clean genetic bank for the storage of plant seeds, and subsequently of organs, embryos and tissues from animals. Such genetic banks are needed for the maintenance of genetic resources, not only of cultural plants and domestic animals but also for the maintenance of rare and vanishing forms of wild-life required for the maintenance of global biological variety. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.091
78. Utilization of below-freezing-point fresh air in winter for preserving high-quality rice. *Shuso Kawamura a, Kazuhiro Takekura b, a Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan, b National Agricultural Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8666, Japan A new technique for storing rice at a temperature below the freezing point has been developed. Freezing temperatures and the extent of freezing injury of rice samples, with various levels of moisture content, were investigated and the effect of temperatures below the freezing point on the physiological properties of rice were investigated during a four-year storage period, Rice with a moisture content of less than 17.8% w.b. did not freeze even at a temperature of 80 °C. There is therefore no need for concern about freezing of rice stored at a temperature below freezing point in farm silos during winter. Low temperature minimized the physiological activity in rice and hence the deterioration of rice quality. A project was conducted to develop a new on-farm storage technique for rice at a temperature below the freezing point using low-temperature, fresh air in winter. Five hundred tons of rough rice was stored in a farm silo from the end of November and was aerated from the bottom to top of the silo for 91 h in January. The rough rice temperature in the silo fell below freezing point ( 1.5 °C on average). At the end of the storage period (end of July in the next year after harvesting) the temperature of the rough rice in the center of the silo was still below freezing point ( 0.5 °C). The quality of the rice stored at a temperature below the freezing point was preserved at a level similar to that of freshly harvested rice. A combination of rice storage at a temperature below the freezing point and utilization of below-freezing-point fresh air in winter, enables the quality of rice to be preserved at a high level without the requirement of a cooling unit or electricity. The new technique for storing rice at a temperature below freezing point was named as super-low-temperature storage. The use of this storage technique in cold regions of Japan has been increasing in recent years. In Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, 28 rice grain elevators have been constructed for super-low-temperature storage since 1996. The storage capacity of rough rice in Hokkaido was 124,000 t at the end of 2007. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: The onfarm rice storage project was supported by Hokkaido Agricultural Structures Council. We are also grateful to Kamikawa Rice Terminal and Uryuu Agricultural Cooperatives for their cooperation in conducting the project.)
doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.092
79. Rare and endangered species of birds of eastern Yakutia taiga and tundra regions. Nikita G. Solomonov, Nikolay I. Germogenov, Arkadiy P. Isayev, Nikolay A. Nakhodkin, Viktor G. Degtyaryov, Nikolay N. Egorov, Sergey M. Sleptsov, Vasiliy V. Okoneshnikov, Mariya V. Vladimirtseva, Inga P. Bysykatova, Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPC SB RAS), Yakutsk, 677980, Russia Much work on detection of species composition of rare and endangered animal species and on determining their modern status has been carried out in Yakutia in the last decades. We discovered the habitation of 48 species of birds registered in the Red data book of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). They represent nine orders: Gaviiformes – one species, Ciconiiformes – two species, Anseriformes – ten species, Falconiformes – five species, Gruiformes – five species, Coraciiformes – one species, Charadriiformes – eight species, Strigiformes – two species and Passeriformes – 14 species. Eight species of them are registered
in the Red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, nine species are included in Appendices 1 and 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora lists, three species are registered in regional Red data books of Eastern Asia, 14 species are included in the Red data book of the Russian Federation and seven species are registered in the Appendix of this book. Fourteen species nestle only in tundra of eastern Yakutia, three species nestle in northern taiga, two species – in mountain taiga zone, ten species – in the whole of forest zone, 16 species – in southern part of Yakutia and two species nestle across the whole territory of Yakutia. It should be noted that nidicolous fauna was enriched by two species of birds that were previously considered to be vagrant species. Four species of birds that refer to the 1st category of rareness in the regional Red data book can be found in taiga and tundra regions of eastern Yakutia. Two of them have apparently always been represented by small populations. Chen hyperboreus, which used to be common in tundra, became rare because of being chased in the 19th century and its numbers were not restored during the entire 20th century and now fall into the category of endangered. Preservation of Grus leucogeranus is conducted in accordance with international agreements and nowadays the abundance of this species has stabilized. We should note Anas formosa, of which the abundance is increasing during recent years. To rare species (3rd category of rareness) refer 29 species, which have a small number or restricted nidicolous area and also those species, which are on the northern limit of its area. Six species of birds, including Cygnus bewickii and Numenius minutus, that used to belong to the 3rd category of rareness, now refer to the category of species with unclear status (4th category of rareness). In general in taiga and tundra regions of eastern Yakutia the abundance of 15 species of birds declines, Grus leucogeranus abundance stabilizes, the abundance of Anas formosa and Cygnus bewickii is restored, Ardea cinerea and Hirundo rustica re-inhabit the territory of Yakutia. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.093
Amphibian, insect and mollusk cold adaptation
80. Siberian wood frog in Yakutia: habitats, nutrition, reproduction, parasitic fauna, ecological and physiological peculiarities. T.N. Solomonova, V.T. Sedalishchev, V.A. Odnokurtsev, S.G. Protopopov, Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch, RAS, 41, Lenin Avenue, Yakutsk 677980, Russia Siberian wood frog – Rana amurensis Boulenger, 1886 is encountered everywhere in Yakutia up to 68–70 °N. It is a bit larger than species from Transbaikalia, the Urals, and Sakhalin. In central Yakutia it inhabits alas and pre-valley lakes, banks of floodplain water bodies, low wetlands with well-developed vegetation. It hibernates in lakes, sometimes in river channels. With lakes often freezing down to the bottom, frogs earth into silt and manage to survive. Hibernation lasts for 210–220 days. Arousal of frogs takes place shortly after melting of snow and appearance of flange ice on the lakes in late April – early May. Laying of eggs continues for two weeks. Eggs develop for 15–16 days, tadpoles transform up to mid-June. After arousal, frogs do not eat anything for a long time. In late May – early June insects make the most of their food 76.3%; dippers are less significant 7.0%; and other vertebrates 16.7%. Ecological and physiological parameters show significant seasonal fluctuations. Gasenergy exchange gradually falls in April through December, which is proved by reduced levels of carbon dioxide emission by Siberian wood frog. Compared with other frog species, the metabolic rate of Siberian wood frog is relatively low. Minimal contents of hemoglobin at 7.2 ± 0.23 g% is registered in May, while the maximal, at 11.7 ± 0.21 g% , is reached in June–July. Then, in August–September the hemoglobin content decreases reaching 9.5 ± 0.70 g%. The erythrocyte number in May amounts to 345.2 ± 21.9 ths/mm3; in June–July this parameter reaches a maximum 495.6 ± 50.8; and then drops in August–September to 394.6 ± 43.2 ths/mm3. Oxygen content in blood in summer is likely to be caused by higher activity of frogs. The leukocyte count is maximal in May 45.2 ± 3.5; minimal in June–July 20.7 ± 2.9; and again rises in August–September to 25.7 ± 0.43 ths/mm3. The general leukocyte increase in frogs in spring and autumn is apparently a compensation reaction of the frog’s organism to a lower number of young neurophils. There are some seasonal fluctuations in ascorbic acid and glycogen in the frog’s organs.The highest vitamin C content is observed in mid-summer, the lowest – in spring. Glycogen reserves in liver and especially in muscles increase from mid-summer through winter. Presumably, glycogen, being an easily mobilised nourishing substance, is of importance during hibernation of Siberian wood frog. There are nine species of helminths detected in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract of the Siberian wood frog: five species of trematodes and four species of nematodes. The general extensiveness of contamination of frogs with helminths does not change and makes 100%. The maximum of the general invasion intensiveness is registered in July and August – 22.8 and 23.5 pieces per each individual. In the winter period, the process of helminth development slows considerably, and then becomes more active in spring, when amphibians go up to the land. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.094
Abstracts / Cryobiology 59 (2009) 370–418
parameters of the plant seeds kept in the cryodepository testify to the maintenance of their biological properties, above all their germination capacity which is 95–100%: the level of chromosomal aberrations is about 1–4%. At the same time, storage of analogous seeds from collection of AURIP using standard methods for 11–13 years of storage resulted in the decline of germination to 50– 80%, and the level of chromosomal aberration increased to 6–8%: storage for 28–30 years under these conditions would cause the seeds to become fully nonviable. Plants grown from the seed kept in a depository do not differ from plants grown from fresh seed when assessed by biomorphological indexes. There is a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis to 60–70% and of cell division to 70–95%. There is a growth of 2– 3 times in the activity of protective antioxidant processes and of 20–30% in the activity of DNA repair systems, resulting in an increase in the integral index of genomic stability of 1–2 times. Our preliminary results justify questions about building a specialized cryodepository in Yakutia, in the layer of permafrost using natural cold for the creation of an economic, very cost-effective and ecologically clean genetic bank for the storage of plant seeds, and subsequently of organs, embryos and tissues from animals. Such genetic banks are needed for the maintenance of genetic resources, not only of cultural plants and domestic animals but also for the maintenance of rare and vanishing forms of wild-life required for the maintenance of global biological variety. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.091
78. Utilization of below-freezing-point fresh air in winter for preserving high-quality rice. *Shuso Kawamura a, Kazuhiro Takekura b, a Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan, b National Agricultural Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8666, Japan A new technique for storing rice at a temperature below the freezing point has been developed. Freezing temperatures and the extent of freezing injury of rice samples, with various levels of moisture content, were investigated and the effect of temperatures below the freezing point on the physiological properties of rice were investigated during a four-year storage period, Rice with a moisture content of less than 17.8% w.b. did not freeze even at a temperature of 80 °C. There is therefore no need for concern about freezing of rice stored at a temperature below freezing point in farm silos during winter. Low temperature minimized the physiological activity in rice and hence the deterioration of rice quality. A project was conducted to develop a new on-farm storage technique for rice at a temperature below the freezing point using low-temperature, fresh air in winter. Five hundred tons of rough rice was stored in a farm silo from the end of November and was aerated from the bottom to top of the silo for 91 h in January. The rough rice temperature in the silo fell below freezing point ( 1.5 °C on average). At the end of the storage period (end of July in the next year after harvesting) the temperature of the rough rice in the center of the silo was still below freezing point ( 0.5 °C). The quality of the rice stored at a temperature below the freezing point was preserved at a level similar to that of freshly harvested rice. A combination of rice storage at a temperature below the freezing point and utilization of below-freezing-point fresh air in winter, enables the quality of rice to be preserved at a high level without the requirement of a cooling unit or electricity. The new technique for storing rice at a temperature below freezing point was named as super-low-temperature storage. The use of this storage technique in cold regions of Japan has been increasing in recent years. In Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, 28 rice grain elevators have been constructed for super-low-temperature storage since 1996. The storage capacity of rough rice in Hokkaido was 124,000 t at the end of 2007. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: The onfarm rice storage project was supported by Hokkaido Agricultural Structures Council. We are also grateful to Kamikawa Rice Terminal and Uryuu Agricultural Cooperatives for their cooperation in conducting the project.)
doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.092
79. Rare and endangered species of birds of eastern Yakutia taiga and tundra regions. Nikita G. Solomonov, Nikolay I. Germogenov, Arkadiy P. Isayev, Nikolay A. Nakhodkin, Viktor G. Degtyaryov, Nikolay N. Egorov, Sergey M. Sleptsov, Vasiliy V. Okoneshnikov, Mariya V. Vladimirtseva, Inga P. Bysykatova, Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPC SB RAS), Yakutsk, 677980, Russia Much work on detection of species composition of rare and endangered animal species and on determining their modern status has been carried out in Yakutia in the last decades. We discovered the habitation of 48 species of birds registered in the Red data book of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). They represent nine orders: Gaviiformes – one species, Ciconiiformes – two species, Anseriformes – ten species, Falconiformes – five species, Gruiformes – five species, Coraciiformes – one species, Charadriiformes – eight species, Strigiformes – two species and Passeriformes – 14 species. Eight species of them are registered
in the Red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, nine species are included in Appendices 1 and 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora lists, three species are registered in regional Red data books of Eastern Asia, 14 species are included in the Red data book of the Russian Federation and seven species are registered in the Appendix of this book. Fourteen species nestle only in tundra of eastern Yakutia, three species nestle in northern taiga, two species – in mountain taiga zone, ten species – in the whole of forest zone, 16 species – in southern part of Yakutia and two species nestle across the whole territory of Yakutia. It should be noted that nidicolous fauna was enriched by two species of birds that were previously considered to be vagrant species. Four species of birds that refer to the 1st category of rareness in the regional Red data book can be found in taiga and tundra regions of eastern Yakutia. Two of them have apparently always been represented by small populations. Chen hyperboreus, which used to be common in tundra, became rare because of being chased in the 19th century and its numbers were not restored during the entire 20th century and now fall into the category of endangered. Preservation of Grus leucogeranus is conducted in accordance with international agreements and nowadays the abundance of this species has stabilized. We should note Anas formosa, of which the abundance is increasing during recent years. To rare species (3rd category of rareness) refer 29 species, which have a small number or restricted nidicolous area and also those species, which are on the northern limit of its area. Six species of birds, including Cygnus bewickii and Numenius minutus, that used to belong to the 3rd category of rareness, now refer to the category of species with unclear status (4th category of rareness). In general in taiga and tundra regions of eastern Yakutia the abundance of 15 species of birds declines, Grus leucogeranus abundance stabilizes, the abundance of Anas formosa and Cygnus bewickii is restored, Ardea cinerea and Hirundo rustica re-inhabit the territory of Yakutia. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.093
Amphibian, insect and mollusk cold adaptation
80. Siberian wood frog in Yakutia: habitats, nutrition, reproduction, parasitic fauna, ecological and physiological peculiarities. T.N. Solomonova, V.T. Sedalishchev, V.A. Odnokurtsev, S.G. Protopopov, Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch, RAS, 41, Lenin Avenue, Yakutsk 677980, Russia Siberian wood frog – Rana amurensis Boulenger, 1886 is encountered everywhere in Yakutia up to 68–70 °N. It is a bit larger than species from Transbaikalia, the Urals, and Sakhalin. In central Yakutia it inhabits alas and pre-valley lakes, banks of floodplain water bodies, low wetlands with well-developed vegetation. It hibernates in lakes, sometimes in river channels. With lakes often freezing down to the bottom, frogs earth into silt and manage to survive. Hibernation lasts for 210–220 days. Arousal of frogs takes place shortly after melting of snow and appearance of flange ice on the lakes in late April – early May. Laying of eggs continues for two weeks. Eggs develop for 15–16 days, tadpoles transform up to mid-June. After arousal, frogs do not eat anything for a long time. In late May – early June insects make the most of their food 76.3%; dippers are less significant 7.0%; and other vertebrates 16.7%. Ecological and physiological parameters show significant seasonal fluctuations. Gasenergy exchange gradually falls in April through December, which is proved by reduced levels of carbon dioxide emission by Siberian wood frog. Compared with other frog species, the metabolic rate of Siberian wood frog is relatively low. Minimal contents of hemoglobin at 7.2 ± 0.23 g% is registered in May, while the maximal, at 11.7 ± 0.21 g% , is reached in June–July. Then, in August–September the hemoglobin content decreases reaching 9.5 ± 0.70 g%. The erythrocyte number in May amounts to 345.2 ± 21.9 ths/mm3; in June–July this parameter reaches a maximum 495.6 ± 50.8; and then drops in August–September to 394.6 ± 43.2 ths/mm3. Oxygen content in blood in summer is likely to be caused by higher activity of frogs. The leukocyte count is maximal in May 45.2 ± 3.5; minimal in June–July 20.7 ± 2.9; and again rises in August–September to 25.7 ± 0.43 ths/mm3. The general leukocyte increase in frogs in spring and autumn is apparently a compensation reaction of the frog’s organism to a lower number of young neurophils. There are some seasonal fluctuations in ascorbic acid and glycogen in the frog’s organs.The highest vitamin C content is observed in mid-summer, the lowest – in spring. Glycogen reserves in liver and especially in muscles increase from mid-summer through winter. Presumably, glycogen, being an easily mobilised nourishing substance, is of importance during hibernation of Siberian wood frog. There are nine species of helminths detected in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract of the Siberian wood frog: five species of trematodes and four species of nematodes. The general extensiveness of contamination of frogs with helminths does not change and makes 100%. The maximum of the general invasion intensiveness is registered in July and August – 22.8 and 23.5 pieces per each individual. In the winter period, the process of helminth development slows considerably, and then becomes more active in spring, when amphibians go up to the land. (Conflicts of interest: None declared. Source of funding: None declared.) doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.10.094