The wetlands of southwestern Siberia (SWS) are a crossroads of bird migration routes, bringing avian influenza (AIV) strains that were previously isolated in different regions of the continent to Siberia. It is known that Anseriformes that breed in SWS migrate for the winter to central Hindustan or further west, while their migration routes to southeast Asia (SEA) remain unconfirmed. Here, we mapped the molting sites of the migrating Common Teals (Anas crecca) via analyzing stable hydrogen isotope content in feathers of hunters’ prey and supplemented the analysis with the genetic structure of viruses isolated from teals in the same region. Post-breeding molt of autumn teals most likely occurred within the study region, whereas probable pre-breeding molting grounds of spring teals were in the south of Hindustan. This link was supported by viral phylogenetic analysis, which showed a close relationship between SWS isolates and viruses from south and southeast Asia. Most viral segments have the highest genetic similarity and the closest phylogenetic relationships with viruses from teal wintering areas in southeast Asian countries, including India and Korea. We assume that the winter molt of SWS breeding teals on the Hindustan coast suggests contacts with the local avifauna, including species migrating along the coast to SEA. Perhaps this is one of the vectors of AIV transmission within Eurasia.

The rapid recovery of wildlife populations can outpace the assumptions of integrated population models and make visually plausible reconstructions difficult to distinguish from diagnostically supported inference. We evaluated this problem for Kazakhstan saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) using a Bayesian model-ladder sensitivity audit for the Betpak-Dala, Ustyurt, and Ural populations from 1980 to 2025. We fitted a climate-aware, age- and sex-structured baseline model family M0 (climate-aware static-K baseline comparator) and compared it with dynamic carrying-capacity, observation-regime, hierarchical-prior, joint-hierarchical, non-centred, and sampling-optimised development families using predefined-convergence, effective-sample-size, posterior-predictive, and observed-to-latent mismatch gates. The baseline reconstruction captured the broad collapse–recovery dynamics but systematically underpredicted the observed abundance in 2021–2025 across all three populations. The strongest development family M4b R2 (sampling-optimised joint-hierarchical development family) improved the R-hat values and late-series alignment, with 2025 observed-to-latent ratios of approximately 1.77, 1.43, and 1.49 for Betpak-Dala, Ustyurt, and Ural, respectively, but the effective sample sizes remained below the gate of 400. The study therefore provides a transparent diagnostic reconstruction and model-development audit rather than management-ready Bayesian integrated population model (IPM) inference, identifying where the current baseline fails and which structural directions require further validation.

This research focuses on studying the avian populations in the floodplains of the Kara Yertis (Black Irtysh) and Yertis River in the Pavlodar region, Kazakhstan. There are notable gaps in our understanding of the avifauna in these areas, highlighting the need for continued ornithological research. The primary goal is to address these limitations, with a focus on the Zaysan depression in the East Kazakhstan region and the Pavlodar region. Global climate change and anthropogenic impacts, such as hydroelectric power stations and reservoir construction, are identified as potential contributors to environmental changes in the region. One significant impact is the potential shift in the timing of spring nesting due to climate change, affecting different bird species in varying ways. To investigate these dynamics, field studies were conducted in May and June of 2023, covering seven sites along the Kara Yertis and Yertis River in the Pavlodar region. The study adhered to standardized protocols, taking into account the phenological aspects of bird life cycles. The density of bird species was estimated using route accounting on permanent inventory plots. The study identified a total of 127 bird species across 16 orders in the two model areas. This included species listed in the Red Book, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts. In the Irtysh River of the Pavlodar region with a high humidity level, compared with the Kara Yertis, there were fewer anthropogenic impacts and more bird species (103 species). This study shows that, taking into account climate change and anthropogenic impacts, it is necessary to constantly monitor this region and develop conservation and adaptation strategies. Это исследование посвящено изучению популяций птиц в поймах Чёрного Иртыша и Павлодарского Прииртышья. Существуют значительные пробелы в нашем понимании фауны птиц в этих регионах, что подчеркивает необходимость продолжения орнитологических исследований. Основная цель – заполнить эти пробелы, уделяя внимание Зайсанской впадине в Восточно-Казахстанской и Павлодарской областях. Глобальное изменение климата и антропогенные воздействия, такие как строительство гидроэлектростанций и водохранилищ, определены как потенциальные факторы, влияющие на экологические изменения в регионе. Одним из существенных последствий является потенциальное изменение сроков весеннего гнездования из-за климатических изменений, которое в разной степени воздействует на разные виды птиц. Для изучения этой динамики в мае и июне 2023 года были проведены полевые исследования, охватывающие семь участок вдоль Черного Иртыша и Павлодарского Прииртышья. Исследование проводилось по стандартизированным протоколам с учетом фенологических аспектов жизненного цикла птиц. Плотность видов птиц оценивалась с помощью маршрутного учета на постоянных учетных площадках. В ходе исследования было выявлено общее количество 127 видов птиц из 16 отрядов на двух модельных территориях. Среди них были виды, внесенные в Красную книгу, что подчеркивает важность усилий по их сохранению. Павлодарского Прииртышья с более высоким уровнем влажности, по сравнению с Черным Иртышом, было меньше антропогенных воздействий и привлек более разнообразное сообщество птиц (103 вида). Это исследование показывает, что с учетом изменения климата и антропогенного воздействия необходимо постоянно наблюдать за указанным регионом и разрабатывать стратегии сохранения и адаптации Бұл жұмыс Қара Ертіс пен Павлодар облысындағы Ертіс өзені құстарының популяциясын зерттеуге арналған. Бұл аймақтардағы құстар фаунасы туралы мәліметтер толық емес, сондықтан орнитологиялық зерттеулерді жалғастыру керек. Негізгі мақсат – Шығыс Қазақстан және Павлодар облыстарындағы Зайсан ойпатына назар аудара отырып, авифаунасы туралы білімді толықтыру. Жаһандық климаттың өзгеруі, гидроэлектростанциялар мен су қоймаларының құрылысы сияқты антропогендік факторлар аймақтағы экологиялық өзгерістерге әсер ететін ықпалды факторлар саналады. Маңызды салдардың бірі –...

Grapevine viruses reduce harvests and degrade fruit quality, but their genetic diversity in Kazakhstan has remained unexplored. We collected symptomatic leaves from local vineyards and recovered eleven fragments of the coat-protein gene: one from grapevine fanleaf virus, five from grapevine virus A, and five from grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3. After Sanger sequencing, we compared these fragments with more than one thousand international counterparts to place the Kazakh strains on the global family tree. The results reveal a clear spectrum of genetic diversity that mirrors each virus’s route of spread. Grapevine virus A, which is moved both mechanically and by insects, proved the most variable; grapevine fanleaf virus, carried by dagger nematodes and pruning sap, had intermediate variability; and grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3, moved only by mealybugs and scales, was highly conserved. All Kazakh sequences fell inside established foreign lineages, showing that the viruses were imported multiple times rather than evolving locally. Grapevine virus A will require broad-coverage or multiplex PCR primers to avoid false negatives, whereas the stable leafroll virus can be monitored with a single high-sensitivity assay. Combined with vector management—mealybug control for leafroll, and nematode testing for fanleaf—these data lay the groundwork for a national clean-plant program and more resilient vineyards across Central Asia.

Aim. This research aims to study the Great Tit breeding density, depending on the distance from preferred wintering sites with all other things being equal.Material and Methods. 36 route counts were carried out in 22 locations ranging up to 95 km away from the preferred wintering sites. The data was collected in the same weather and climatic zone. The route counts were carried out in the wintering season (January) and in the breeding season (16 April – 15 May) in 2014‐2018. To consider the influence of small settlements, where a smaller number of tits spends winter in comparison with a large city, sample sites were characterized by the population of people living within a radius of 25 km around the sample site.Results. Most Great Tits prefer to minimise the distance from their wintering sites to their nesting sites. The most preferred distance of seasonal movement is 10‐20 km from a large city, the main wintering place for this species.Conclusions. The density of the Great Tit population during the nesting period increases exponentially with the proximity of wintering sites. When more than 20 km from wintering sites, the density of the species during the nesting period does not change reliably. The maximum immanent density during the nesting period is achieved in places of favourable wintering of the species, that is, in a metropolis with agglomeration.