The nuclear ITS1–5.8S rDNA–ITS2 region is among the most widely used markers for phylogenetic studies in plants. We sequenced the ITS1–5.8S rDNA–ITS2 region in several species of Selenicereus, two species of Deamia and Epiphyllum chrysocardium. The newly generated sequences were found to be more closely related to ITS and 5.8S rDNA sequences from representatives of other cactus tribes than to the Selenicereus ITS sequences previously deposited in GenBank by research group O. Plume. Importantly, all these sequences retained three conserved motifs of the 5.8S rRNA gene that are commonly used to distinguish functional copies from pseudogenes. Then we analyzed available genome assemblies representing 12 species of Cactaceae. In contrast to the ribotypes identified in this study, the previously reported 5.8S rDNA variants in the assembled genomes of Selenicereus and Carnegiea were represented by a single copy flanked by highly degraded 18S and 28S rDNA sequences. Phylogenetic analyses based on the newly generated ITS sequences and Genbank data supported the monophyly of the subtribes Hylocereinae, Rhipsalideae, and Trichocereinae, as well as the tribes Rhipsalideae, Notocacteae, and Cylindropuntieae. These results demonstrate that the functional ITS1-5.8S rDNA–ITS2 region represents an informative marker for phylogenetic studies within the Cactaceae.

Due to the increase in domestic tourist flows, Russian botanical gardens have now become a popular place for educational leisure among Russians. The most common form of interaction with visitors to the botanical garden is the «botanical excursion». The specifics of the «botanical excursion» require the presence of full-time highly qualified personnel to conduct it. The definition of a «botanical excursion» formulated in this study reveals the features and purpose of a highly specialized tour of the botanical garden, linking the botanical collections and the personality of the guide. This study examines the practical experience of teaching guides in one of the largest and oldest institutions in Russia, the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg). The author's method of professional training of guides for conducting botanical excursions is described. The authors of the methodology determined the indicators, highlighted the criteria and levels of professional skill of the guide. The presented author's method of professional training of guides, developed in the conditions of the Peter the Great Botanical Garden, has prospects for practical implementation both at the sites of the botanical gardens of Russia and in institutions conducting narrow-profile excursion activities.

Species of the genus Prunus, including Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis, Prunus sargentii, and Prunus maximowiczii, are widely distributed in the Far Eastern region, covering the territories of Northern China, Korea, Japan, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Primorsky Region in Russia. As part of this study, the flowers of nine specimens of the aforementioned species were collected from the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), which was founded in 1714 and is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Russia. This study is the first comprehensive metabolomic analysis of cherry blossoms from East Asia, with a particular focus on the varieties P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii and P. maximowiczii. The main objective of the work was to identify and characterize biologically active polyphenolic substances and other chemotypes in the studied plant samples. Metabolomic analysis of flower extracts from three species of Prunus: P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii, and P. maximowiczii revealed the presence of one hundred and eight polyphenol compounds and fourteen compounds belonging to other chemical groups. Principal component analysis showed that PC1 (26.6%) and PC2 (19.0%) explain 45.6% of the total variance. A clear separation of P. maximowiczii was observed, while P. nipponica from all regions was represented by a single species, and P. sargentii showed variability. Samples from Sakhalin were grouped separately. These results suggest that species identity and origin may influence the metabolic differentiation of the plant material studied. The observed separation of P. maximowiczii from other species may be due to both species-specific metabolism and adaptation to the environmental conditions in Sakhalin. A heatmap with hierarchical clustering revealed a clear clustering of samples based on their origin and species. Samples of P. sargentii from different sources were grouped together, indicating a similar metabolic profile. Samples of P. nipponica var. kurilensis formed a separate cluster with characteristic features of compound distribution. Samples of P. maximowiczii from Sakhalin also formed a separate cluster that was not related to the other two species. This supports the hypothesis that the subspecies that grow in the northern regions have a greater metabolic diversity. It is suggested that this richness of polyphenols is due to the harsh climatic conditions and the accompanying stress factors. The flowers of P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii, and P. maximowiczii are characterized by a high content of biologically active compounds, which makes them promising objects for the creation of biologically active supplements and the development of new therapeutic agents in the pharmaceutical industry.

Locus-specific Illumina NGS was used to analyze the polymorphism of the partial 18S rDNA, spacer ITS1, and partial 5.8S rDNA sequences across 25 cactus species (53 accessions) of the subtribes Hylocereinae and Echinocereinae. To ensure data reliability, only ribotypes (zero-radius operational taxonomic units, ZOTUs) with a minimum read depth of 10 reads within each genome-read pool were retained. A single ribotype was identified in 18 analyzed genomes. In 23 accessions, two or three ribotypes were detected, typically consisting of a major ribotype (98–99%) and one or two minor ribotypes. In the remaining samples, two distinct ribotypes were present in approximately equal proportions, suggesting that these individuals are recent hybrids. Ribotype patterns clearly distinguish the genus Deamia from Selenicereus, Hylocereus, and Epiphyllum. Putative pseudogenes with deletions in the 18S and 5.8S rDNA, as well as deletions and insertions in the ITS1 spacers, were detected. Their abundance was generally low (usually <1%), except in two Deamia species (5–15%). In ITS1 of some minor ribotypes, deletions eliminated cleavage sites B1, B2, and A3, which are important for pre-rRNA processing. Consequently, the products of these putative pseudogenes could not participate in ribosome formation. In addition, pseudogenic copies exhibited a strong transition bias and A/T enrichment in the ITS1 region.

Environmental education in botanical gardens that deals with the conservation and study of plant biodiversity and environmental protection can be successfully integrated into any level of education. A successful option for such integration can be considered an environmental project launched in 2021 for pharmaceutical students in Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Komarov Botanical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences. The paper describes an experiment to identify the nature of the leading motives and the direction of students behavior in environmentally significant situations using the value-normative methodology of G.E. Zalessky. Experimental data allowed us to determine the preliminary typology of the level of environmental culture of pharmaceutical students before the start of the project. The results of the experiment show that the students of Murmansk Medical College developed a slightly higher level of ecological culture than the students of Saint Petersburg Pharmaceutical College (24% and 16%, respectively). However, at the same time 33% of the students of Murmansk Medical College showed a low level of ecological culture, which is almost twice higher than the students of Saint Petersburg Pharmaceutical College (16%). According to the indicator of a high level of ecological culture, pharmaceutical students of both experimental groups approach the results of O.I. Saltykova among schoolchildren and significantly exceed the results of students of other specialties.