The present study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from leaf litter in two forest locations in Cuba. A list of 64 species, belonging to 47 genera and 31 families, is presented. Of these, one genus and two species are recorded for the first time from the Neotropical region; 17 species, one subgenus, six genera, and two families are recorded for the first time from Cuba. Two new species of the superfamily Oripodoidea—Lagenobates fossatus Ermilov and Kontschán n. sp. (Haplozetidae) and Muliercula curvilineata Ermilov and Kontschán n. sp. (Scheloribatidae)—are described.

Fires significantly influence the ecosystems of Western Siberia’s forest–tundra zone. Namely, they alter soil processes, including the transformation of different forms of iron and the redistribution of carbon flows. Recent climate change, associated with increased fire frequency, has had a long-term effect on the Arctic and sub-Arctic soil systems. Iron plays a key role in stabilizing organic carbon through the sorption and coagulation processes, yet the long-term changes in iron’s fractional composition under post-fire conditions remain insufficiently studied. This research investigates the impact of natural fires on the transformation of iron forms (amorphous, crystalline, and mobile), as well as on the dynamics of organic carbon in soils within the northern boundary of the forest–tundra natural zone in Western Siberia, between the Pur and Taz rivers. In our study, we have relied on granulometric and chemical analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and iron fraction extractions. Our findings reveal that in post-fire areas, the depth of the seasonally thawed layer increases, accompanied by changes in the thermal and water regimes. This leads to reduced organic carbon content, particularly in intermediate horizons (5–30 cm), and the transformation of amorphous iron into a crystalline form. Crystallization growth is confirmed by increased magnetic susceptibility. Our results highlight the dual role of iron compounds: they contribute to the long-term stabilization of organic carbon, as well as causing its accelerated mineralization by affecting redox conditions. This study is crucial for understanding the biogeochemical processes associated with climate change and increasing fire frequency.

The article considers landscape features of the formation of settlements related to the Sintashta culture (21st-18th centuries BC) in the Zingeyka River valley (Chelyabinsk region). In particular, the work considers the territory of the fortified settlement of Sarym- Sakly as an example. Based on the analysis of cartographic materials and field research data, it are identifies the specific elements of natural landscape, the knowledge of which helps to identify the features of the economy and life of the settlements of the period. The research carries out the detailed analysis of the landscape diversity of the fortified settlement territory, the resource potential of the surrounding area and the visual confinement of the monument. The research methods include the analysis of topographic and thematic maps, remote sensing (RS), the creation of elevation profiles based on digital elevation models (DEM) and field observations. This work reconstructs the natural landscapes of the Southern Trans- Urals at the location of the fortified settlement of the Bronze Age Sarym- Sakly. Based on this reconstruction, the authors have calculated the productivity of natural landscapes and the approximate number of livestock that the inhabitants of the fortified settlement of Sarym-Sakly could have kept while leading a sedentary lifestyle. Based on this, it is possible to assume how many people could live in this territory, leading a sedentary cattle-breeding lifestyle without using agriculture. The settlement of Sarym-Sakly is considered as a reference model of the natural conditions of the Southern Trans-Urals zone, to which the Sintashta population adapted and developed in. The conducted analysis allows us to assert that the landscape diversity of the territory provided the population with pasture resources, wood (possibly in a limited amount), easily fortified cape areas of the first floodplain terrace, water resources and transit routes. The study makes a conclusion about the integrated approach of the bearers of the Sintashta culture to the development of the landscape, combining economic, communication and defense strategies.