This article traces the development of a specialised urban Woodpigeon population in the city of Kaliningrad and assesses its current condition. The author focuses on certain factors affecting the formation of urban populations.
This article analyses the 2009—2010 data on woodcock roding. The authors assess the impact of meteorological conditions, light level, food availability, and other factors on the duration and intensity of woodcock roding in the Kaliningrad region. A direct correlation was established between the duration of daylight hours and the basic parameters of woodcock roding. Other
environmental factors may also affect woodcock roding.
This paper offers a comparative characteristic of the blackbird nest materials of natural (n = 35) and antropogenic (n = 35) landscapes of the Kaliningrad region. The study did not reveal any considerable differences in the nest material composition in natural and antropogenic habitats. Most significant differences were identified in nest carcass materials. They are more diverse in
urban habitats; most frequent materials are phloem, bark, wood, grass shoots, flower buds, fruits, and antropogenic materials. The share of antropogenic materials on urban territories is 8,9 times higher than that in woodlands (t = 4,59, p < 0,001). The composition of nest lining is not that diverse. In woodlands, it consists predominantly of twigs and mosses.
This paper considers the dynamics of acoustical activity and the impact of hay harvesting and cattle grazing on the nesting of Corncrake Crex crex on three plots in the Ryazan, Vladimir, and Novgorod regions. Peak acoustic activity is achieved in June. The survival of nests and broods of up to 5-day old nestlings depends on the time span of hay harvesting (from 3 up to 68 %).
In total, from 48 to 88 % of nests and broods survived annually with the exception of 1999 on hay meadows. The survival rate of nests in pastures reached 86—91 %.
Anthropogenic environment, affecting various aspects of birds’ lives, triggers adaptive reactions to changeable conditions. These reactions develop on the basis of preadaptations that create prerequisites for new adaptations. The species that have adaptive abilities can adjust to urban environments. Anthropogenic landscapes are mainly inhabited by species with considerable
ecological flexibility, which ensures adaptations to new and changing conditions. Birds preserve their adaptive potential and, under certain conditions, are able to demonstrate latent adaptive effect.
There are few faunistic works on the region under consideration. Most sources offer scraps of information on individual groups of animals dating back to the end of the 19th — mid-20th century. E. Hoffman and L. P. Sabaneev's expedition reports are one of the first accessible sources. Valuable data are available in publications by F. A. Teplouhov, S. A. Reztsov, N. D. Mitrofanov,
P. V. Plessky, S. L. Ushkov, A. I. Dushin, P. G. Yefremov, А. Н. Formozov and S. A. Kuklin, Ye. М.Vorontsov, G. N. Simkin, S. P. Chashchin, M. I. Yeremchenko. The targeted exploration of the Upper Kama area began at the end of the 20th century.
This article offers the results of research on zoobenthos species composition in the Kaliningrad region. The authors estimate the ecological condition of lakes with the help of individual saprobity indices of bottom organisms.
This paper analyses the long-term dynamics of structure and abundance of bream (Abramis brama L.) population in the Vistula lagoon on the basis of 1959—2010 trawl surveys. The authors emphasise the positive long-term impact of fishing regulation. The current bream stock is estimated as sufficient.
The authors analyse the chironomid fauna of four water bodies in city of Kaliningrad: Lakes Penkovoe, Pond Isakovsky, Pond Shkolny and the Karasevka pond system. The article describes the species diversity, quantity characteristics, and seasonal dynamics of chronomid population and gives an assessment of water quality on the basis of the species diversity data obtained.
This article considers the impact of water temperature in the Vistula Lagoon of the Baltic Sea on Mysidacea ontogenesis, as well as their maturity rate, female fertility, reproductionrate and average energy cost of reproduction.
This article estimates the number of insect species on the territory of the Kaliningrad region by order. The authors estimate the number of species at 9—13,1 thousand. The article addresses the development of regional entomofauna and entomology studies. The current level of research on biodiversity in the region is considered as insufficient.
This article focuses on the endocrine function in flatworms. It is implemented with the help of two groups of hormones. Several centres of neurosecretory cell localisation were discovered in the nervous system of flatworms. The hormonal signal is transmitted with the help of adenylate cyclase system, which is peculiar to vertebrates. Endogenous steroids – sex steroids and glycocorticoids
— were detected in some flatworm species. These data suggest that flatworms have an endocrine system, whose structural organization is similar to that of vertebrates and higher invertebrates.