To date, the largest Russian rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean remain a “blank spot” on the world map of data on the distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems. This study characterizes the abundance and morphology of microplastics in surface water of the Ob River and its large tributary, the Tom River, in western Siberia. The average number of particles for the two rivers ranged from 44.2 to 51.2 items per m³ or from 79.4 to 87.5 μg per m³ in the Tom River and in the Ob River, respectively. Of the recovered microplastics, 93.5% were less than 1 mm in their largest dimension, the largest group (45.5% of total counts) consisted of particles with sizes range 0.30–1.00 mm. Generally, microfragments of irregular shape were the most abundant among the Ob and Tom samples (47.4%) and exceeded microfibers (22.1%), microfilms (20.8%), and microspheres (9.74%) by average counts. Results from this study provide a baseline for understanding the scale of the transport of microplastics by the Ob River system into the Arctic Ocean and add to currently available data on microplastics abundance and diversity in freshwater systems of differing global geographic locations.

Microbial sulfate reduction in acid mine drainage is still considered to be confined to anoxic conditions, although several reports have shown that sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) occur under microaerophilic or aerobic conditions. We have measured sulfate reduction rates of up to 60 nmol S cm⁻³day⁻¹ in oxidized layers of gold mine tailings in Kuzbass (SW Siberia). A novel, acidophilic, copper-tolerant Desulfosporosinus sp. I2 was isolated from the same sample and its genome was sequenced. The genomic analysis and physiological data indicate the involvement of transporters and additional mechanisms to tolerate metals, such as sequestration by polyphosphates. Desulfosporinus sp. I2 encodes systems for a metabolically versatile life style. The genome possessed a complete Embden-Meyerhof pathway for glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Complete oxidation of organic substrates could be enabled by the complete TCA cycle. Genomic analysis found all major components of the electron transfer chain necessary for energy generation via oxidative phosphorylation. Autotrophic CO₂ fixation could be performed through the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Multiple oxygen detoxification systems were identified in the genome. Taking into account the metabolic activity and genomic analysis, the traits of the novel isolate broaden our understanding of active sulfate reduction and associated metabolism beyond strictly anaerobic niches.

The dominant microbial components of fluids from wells in pristine and water-injected, high-temperature, Western Siberian oil fields, were analyzed by PCR-DGGE. Particular emphasis was placed on sulphate-reducing organisms, due to their ecological and industrial importance. Bacterial phylotypes obtained from the non-water-injected Stolbovoye oil field were more diverse than those from the Samotlor field, which is subject to secondary oil recovery by reinjection of recycled production water. The majority of phylotypes from both sites were related to Firmicutes. The low similarity to their closest relatives indicates unique bacterial communities in deep underground production waters and crude oil. Archaeal phylotypes detected only in the Samotlor samples were represented by Methanosarcinales and Methanobacteriales.

This preliminary study investigated the abundance of microplastic particles in gastrointestinal tracts of the dace (Leuciscus leuciscus L.) from the Tom River, a large tributary of the Ob River in West Siberia. A total of 13 dace specimens of 2+ to 4+ years of age were studied. Microplastic particles extracted from fish guts were counted and classified by shapes and sizes. In average 204 ± 28.7 items of microplastics were detected for one dace specimen. Microplastic particles were categorized as fragments of irregular shape (70%), spheres (16%), films (7%) and fibers (7%), with size ranging from <0.15 to 2.00 mm. The vast majority of detected microplastic particles (almost 80%) were less than 0.15 mm by their largest dimension. These data provide the first evidence of microplastics in fish from the Ob River system.

Here we report the draft genome sequence of the acid-tolerant Desulfovibrio sp. DV isolated from the sediments of a Pb-Zn mine tailings dam in the Chita region, Russia. The draft genome has a size of 4.9 Mb and encodes multiple K+-transporters and proton-consuming decarboxylases. The phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated ribosomal proteins revealed that strain DV clusters together with the acid-tolerant Desulfovibrio sp. TomC and Desulfovibrio magneticus. The draft genome sequence and annotation have been deposited at GenBank under the accession number MLBG00000000.