Several shallow saline waters can be found in Central Asia in arid steppe climate, but our knowledge of their zooplankton community has been so far rather limited. The aim of our research was to provide data on the steppe zooplankton community in a large-scale regional study. Therefore, a baseline survey was carried out in 23 shallow inland waters of different salinity in Northern Kazakhstan. We measured the quantity and identified the taxonomic composition of zooplankton in the spring period and examined changes in community structure in correlation with salinity. Lesser salt concentration of the hyposaline–mesosaline waters was indicated by the presence of halophilic rotifer species: Brachionus asplanchnoides, Br. dimidiatus, Br. plicatilis. Mesosaline and hypersaline waters were indicated by the presence of halobiont crustaceans: Moina salina, Arctodiaptomus salinus, Cletocamptus retrogressus. Very high concentration of salt was indicated by presence of Artemia alone which is the only group, that can tolerate and adapt to this extreme environment. In the hypersaline waterbodies at over 79 gL⁻¹ high TDS conditions a very simple tropical structure was found. Artemia playing monopolistic ecological function in the zooplankton community. We identified three characteristic groups of shallow inland saline waters based on their zooplankton composition.

Environmental pollution, especially by chemical substances, is one of the most powerful factors in disrupting components of the biosphere. Currently, the biosphere receives a lot of pollutants. Among them are significant heavy metals. Among the chemical elements, heavy metals are the most toxic. The danger of increasing the content of heavy metals in the soil and heavy metals in the atmosphere is associated with active absorption and accumulation of plants, which not only negatively affect their active actions, but also threaten human and animal health. The danger of metals is that they have a cumulative effect and retain these toxic properties for a long time. In connection with the task of studying the gene pool of cultivated plants in the conditions of technogenic pollution, the study of metal resistance of barley varieties was carried out in order to identify promising forms for growing in the East Kazakhstan region, as well as breeding donors that collect the minimum amount of pollutants. The results obtained allow us to suggest donors resistant to heavy metals that can be used in breeding and genetic research. Barley is a concentrated product for animals, as the composition is rich in starch and protein. Barley seeds, along with amino acids, protein, lysine and tryptophan, which cannot be replaced by another substance, are preserved better than in other crops. Barley in Kazakhstan ranks second after wheat. The East Kazakhstan region is favorable and in demand for growing barley. However, the damage to the vessels by heavy metal affected the commissioning of the product. The most effective way out of this is to prevent the genetic and physiological effects of the genes of these tolerant (hardy) species. Genotype identification is a new and unexplored area of invention for products that grow against heavy metals in plants.

Currently, a great deal of attention is attracted to the study of regional flora as part of the solution to the problem of the study and conservation of biodiversity. Complete information on the composition of the flora of a particular region is important; it allows to establish the structure and genesis of itscomponents, identify individual characteristics, restore the history of formation and trends. Therefore, the study of the flora of any region will always be relevant. The most important qualitative indicator of the flora it is a systematic structure. This article presents the results of a study obtained during a systematic analysis of the flora of Atyrau. It was revealed that the flora of the study area includes 27 families, of which 10 leading families make up 73.4% of the total species composition. The leading families in this taxonomic composition are the following families: Chenopodiaceae (90 species, 26 genera), Asteraceae (70 species, 32 genera), Poaceae (55 species, 30 genera). Dominant genera are: Artemisia, Astragalus, Salsola. Endemic species in the city of Atyrau revealed – 8, rare species – 6. Flora was studied using geobotanical and floristic research methods, the main of which was route-reconnaissance. Based onthe analysis of literature data, viewing the herbarium of KazNU, materials collected in the framework of the scientific and technical program 0200/PTF14 on the topic: “Risk assessment of the impact of anthropogenic impact on the population of the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian region”, as well as their own research on the study and collection of plants in Atyrau, a list of flora has been compiled, including 534 species belonging to 243 genera and 57 families.