BULLETIN of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. BIOSCIENCE Series

Ecological and Faunistic Analysis of Lumbricidae Species Composition of Natural Biogeocenoses and Man-made Territories

G. Seribekkyzy — 2024-03-15

Earthworms make up the bulk of the soil mesofauna and play an important role in the transformation of organic matter, the formation of the pedosphere, the regulation of the flows of matter, energy and information in ecosystems. In this research, we have studied the species composition of earthworms in urban and suburban ecosystems of the foothills of the Trans Ili-Alatau. As a result of the work, 11 species of the Lumbricidae family of the Oligochaeta class were discovered. 6 species out of them have been discovered in our Republic: Aporrectodea rosea, Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus castaneus, Octolasion lacteum, Dendrobaena octaedra and Aporrectodea caliginosa are widespread. The genus Lumbricus is the most common in terms of the number of individuals in the studied territories. Significant differences have been established in the species composition of earthworms in technogenic and natural biogeocenoses. The lumbricides are the absolute dominants in two ecosystems. Along with the species composition of earthworms, seasonal dynamics were also studied, it was found that their maximum activity is observed at the most favorable ratio of temperature and humidity.

On the issue of the history of the formation of the flora of the Aktobe floral district

S.A. Aipeisova — 2024-03-15

The question of the origin and history of flora formation is one of the most important areas of botanical and geographical research. The solution of this issue is possible only on the basis of materials from paleobotany, paleogeography, paleogeology, phytostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, paleontology, as well as the identification and study of relict plant species of flora.

The purpose of the work is to consider the main stages of the genesis of the flora of the Aktobe floral district. The urgency of the problem is due to the need to develop theoretical problems of phlorogenesis and phytocenogenesis and to reflect them on a specific regional material.

The work was carried out on the basis of literature data on the genesis of flora, geomorphology and climatology, as well as on long-term herbarium materials collected by us using the route method.

The analysis of the areas of relict species of the study area demonstrates the pronounced connections of flora with the forest, forest-steppe, steppe zones of Europe, Siberia, the Turan deserts, mountainous Central Asia, as well as the presence of certain connections with the Caucasus, the Mediterranean and once again confirms the duality of the nature of the steppes: on the one hand from the light-tolerant species of the Arctic-tertiary root, and on the other the sides are from the ancient Mediterranean". The study of materials on paleobotany, paleogeography, paleogeology, phytostratigraphy, paleoclimatology and the analysis of relics reflect the complexity and heterogeneity and heterochronicity of the process of florogenesis of the Aktobe floristic district.

The process of productivity in the community of common fescue-lerh wormwood (Artemisia lerchiana, Festuca valesiaca)

D.T. Uteulieva — 2024-03-15

The article presents the results of the study in accordance with the internationally accepted biological program of productivity, intensity of productivity-destructive processes and biological cycle of nitrogen and ash elements in the plant-soil system in the community of common Fescue-Lerh Wormwood (Artemisia lechiana, Festuca valesiaca). The studied area is located in the northeastern part of the Ural plateau in the Shelek district of Western Kazakhstan in a slightly undulating temperate dry-steppe zone with a slope to the valley of the Elek River in the Konchubai gully with dark chestnut carbonate-saline soils. The communities in the studied area are very important in pasture and forage farming. But under the influence of recent anthropogenic factors, vegetation and soil cover in plant communities are undergoing changes, the diversity of plant species is decreasing, biological productivity is decreasing, the circulation of chemical elements is changing, and plants of forage importance are being replaced by weevils. The community of common Fescue-Lerh Wormwood is characterized by moderate desertification, moderate digression. This community has decreased to 70% of the species diversity, and plants of forage importance have declined and have been slowly replaced by plants that are poor in feed. As a result of the effective use of this community can be restored.

Study of Cladonia species growing in various areas of Burabai Park

Zh.T. Bukabayeva — 2024-03-15

Studies of the lichen flora of the Burabai National Park were carried out in 2018-2022 in spring, summer and autumn by a route expedition. Depending on the purpose of the research work, the national park was divided into 11 sections. By using the mapping scheme of lichen species obtained as a research object, it was found that out of 11 sites of the Cladoniaceae family, 18 species grow only on 7 sites. Among them, Cladonia fimbriata, C.pyxidata, C. Cenotea, C. tenius, C. sulvatica, C. gracilis, C. alpestris were distinguished from other species by their distribution in several areas. In the study of the route, the frequency of occurrence of the lichen species, ecology, intrauterine form and features of reproduction were considered. Along with the determinants, a scanning electron microscope (JSM) was used to determine the types of cladonia. Among the 18 species of cladonia belonging to the genus Cladonia, only a few individuals were found at the Zolotobor site among the research sites of the Cladonia coccifera. In this regard, the species of Coccifer cladonia was bred on the territory of the Burabai National Park as a species with a very low frequency of occurrence and in need of protection. The podecia of the epigeal Cladonia alpestris, which inhabited this area of the Burabai Park, spread over large territories. In this regard, it has been established that it grows in almost all areas of the National Garden in comparison with other species belonging to this genus. The free location of their substructural thallomas on the soil surface indicates that the species Cladonia alpestris is mainly due to the peculiarities of reproduction by vegetative pathways. In this regard, Cladonia alpestris was considered as the dominant species in comparison with other species of cladonia growing in the Burabai National Park.

Species composition of ants of the Semey region

A.M. Nazarbekov — 2024-03-15

This article presents the results of work on the species composition and biology of ants in the Semipalatinsk region. The characteristics of the main species of ants are given. Currently, there are about 15,800 species of formicides worldwide, of which about 117 species are found in Kazakhstan. The study of ants of the Semipalatinsk region was carried out in the spring and summer of 2021-2022. The research was carried out in the pine forest of the Semipalatinsk region, in the village of Bobrovka, on the island of Beibitshilik, in the village of Ptichnik, in the village of Vostochny, on the land of the old Kurgan and in settlements on the right and left banks of the Irtysh River. According to the results of the study, 25 species belonging to 6 relatives of formicides were identified, among which representatives of the relatives Formica, Camponotus, Cataglyphis, Myrmica, Lasius are most often found. According to the quantitative relationships, the genus Formica is 44%, the genus Camponotus is 20%, the genus Cataglyphis is 4%, the genus Myrmica is 20%, the genus Lasius is 8%, and the genus Monomorium is 4%.

Study of the possibility of fortification chocolate and snack products with probiotic cultures

G.R. Smagul — 2024-03-15

Nutritional prevention of metabolic disorders, by introducing functional and specialized foods into the daily diet of the population, is one of the effective ways to solve the problem of reducing the growth of chronic non-communicable diseases. In this regard, today the awareness of the population in the field of the relationship between nutrition and health is growing, reflected in the eating behavior of the inhabitants.

The article presents information on the enrichment of chocolate products with probiotic microorganisms. The indicators of viability and enzyme activity of various associations of probiotic cultures, including strains of Streptococcus lactis SL215, Streptococcus salivarius sp. thermophilus ST14, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA72, Lactobacillus delbrueckii sp bulgaricus LB50, Lactobacillus casei LC005, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR112, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB79 in various combinations, were analyzed. As a result of the fortification of chocolate products with lyophilized powder of probiotic microorganisms with the species composition of Lactobacillus casei LC005, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR112 (at a ratio of 1: 1), it was found that the introduction of lactic acid bacterias did not have significant differences in the organoleptic and rheological parameters of the product. The evaluation of the physico-chemical parameters of finished products indicates a high nutritional and biological value of chocolate.

Age-related features of structural MRI of the brain and methods for their quantification

O.Y. Kabenova — 2024-03-15

Understanding the formation of the trajectories of the brain structural development in relation to emotional and cognitive functions is an important scientific task for identifying and predicting the stages of brain maturation. This review systematically examines structural magnetic resonance imaging studies of the brain anatomical development in children and adolescents. The literature reveals inconsistency due to the difference in participants demographic groups and methodological approaches. Nevertheless, some patterns have been identified, such as age-related changes in the ratios of white and gray matter, thickness and area of the cerebral cortex both total and regional. The most observable results underline that the brain maturation is a heterochronous processes. For instance, the frontal region of the cerebral cortex has a longer maturation trajectory compared to the occipital region. Gender differences reflected in higher values of volume indicators have been identified in many studies. This article also describes the methods of quantification of structural magnetic resonance imaging, which allowed us to determine the value of more than two hundred parameters. There are some explanations of the advantage of the surface-based morphometry by using the FreeSurfer software, developed by the Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory at the A. A. Martinos Biomedical Imaging Center at Harvard University. The authors substantiate the necessity of further experimental studies of age-related changes in surface-based morphometry parameters in relation to emotional and cognitive functions in children from 7 to 20 years old.

Toxicity level of water and soil of the Caspian Sea

M.N. Zholdybai — 2024-03-15

Currently, the ecological state of the Caspian Sea, located in the southwestern part of the country, requires constant monitoring and cleaning due to various polluting factors, especially the rapid development of the oil industry. Assessing the level of seawater pollution using biotesting methods that do not harm the environment from an ecological point of view is widely used. The microbiological composition of research objects isolated from the Caspian Sea was determined. In objects isolated from water samples, the total number of microbes ranges from (1.9±0.1)*10² to (6.2±0.2)*10², while in soil samples the figure was determined to be up to (9.7± 0.3)*10⁵. The isolated cultures were analyzed morphologically, as a result, aerobic, normal motile cocci, short- and long-rod bacteria, as well as mycelium were discovered. During the study, a biotesting method was implemented using a biological sample object - a representative of the crustacean Daphnia magna. During the study, it was established that soil samples from Morport-1 and Morport-2 were 100% toxic to the biotest objects from the first day (in a ratio of 60:40). As a result of biotesting, the Morport-1 and Morport-2 samples, considered highly contaminated, revealed a toxicity level of more than 50%.

Biology and ecology of arboreal hemipterans (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) in South-Eastern Kazakhstan

Kh.G. Korganbek — 2024-03-15

As a result of the study of arboreal hemipterans of South-Eastern Kazakhstan, 35 species belonging to 8 genera were identified. Among them are the Miridae family (9 species), the Pentatomidae family (8 species), the Anthocoridae family (7 species), and 1-3 species are known from the remaining 5 families. According to the habitat, arboreal hemipterans are divided into dendrobionts (22 species), dendro-tamnobionts (2 species), dendro-tamno-hortobionts (4 species), dendro-hortobionts (6 species). Arboreal hemipterans are divided by trophic relationship into zoophages (14 species), zoophytophages (6 species), phytophages (12 species) and mycetophages (3 species). Arboreal hemipterans of South-East Kazakhstan are divided into 4 groups according to the number of generations they give per year: monovoltine (27 species), bivoltine (1 species), polyvoltine (4 species), acyclic (3 species). The species in the study area are ecologically mesophilic. In many species of Hemiptera, the wintering period takes place in the adult stage (20 species), the egg stage (10 species), the adult and larval stage (4 species), and the larval stage (1 species).

Association between participation in combat operations and the risk of comorbid cardiometabolic and cardiovascular diseases in veterans of the Afghan war

E.V. Ossadchaya — 2024-03-15

Recently, socio-political and economic transformations in the world community have led to an increase in the number of interethnic, religious, territorial and a number of other conflicts. These contradictions and the increase in the number of armed clashes lead to disruption of people’s mental and physical health. In addition, cardiovascular diseases occupy a leading position in Kazakhstan, as well as throughout the world, in the structure of disability and the increase in premature mortality among adults. Thus, as a result of the study, we identified a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in veterans of the Afghan War, where arterial hypertension (AH) was most often diagnosed in 55.9% and coronary heart disease (CHD) in 30.7% of veterans. On the other hand, the number of problems of comorbid conditions is increasing in those studied with IHD and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) (in 100%), in second place is IHD and hypertension (in 82.4%), next in frequency is osteoarthritis (OA) (in 35.8%), neuropsychiatric disorders (in 27.5%), diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 (in 18.3%). Accordingly, the clinical picture of the disease changes, which leads to an increase in the frequency of hospitalizations, the duration of inpatient treatment, and the effectiveness of drug therapy for patients decreases.

Thus, despite the length of time that has passed, the traumatic event continues to affect the psycho-emotional and physiological state of war veterans, becoming chronic. Mainly reflected in the form of disorders of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases, complicated by combined pathologies. The need for earlier identification of individuals with cardiac and metabolic diseases and optimization of rehabilitation interventions remains an important area of research to ensure appropriate care and support the overall well-being and quality of life of veterans.

The role of mitochondria in the cellular mechanisms of lung diseases caused by asbestos exposure

R.I. Bersimbaev — 2024-03-15

Mitochondria are one of the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and therefore they are actively involved in the regulation of cellular redox processes and ROS signalling. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in bioenergy metabolism and the pathogenesis of many lung diseases. The processes of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and their cellular functions are specific to different cells and tissues and can be heterogeneous even within a single cell due to the existence of subpopulations of mitochondria with distinct functional and structural properties. Mitochondrial function can change in response to changes in cellular metabolism. Damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) causes mitochondrial dysfunction, including disruption of the electron transport chain and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, damaged mtDNA also acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern that triggers inflammatory and immune responses.

Asbestos causes various lung diseases, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of which are not fully understood. Asbestos fibers can induce the production of mitochondrial ROS in lung epithelial cells and macrophages. This review article examines the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial functioning when exposed to asbestos, as well as the formation and damage of mtDNA, reactive oxygen species, the effect of asbestos on ultrastructural changes in lung tissue mitochondria, and the role of microRNA in the functional activity of mitochondria.