The Ecological Studies Series is published biennially. It features a broad thematic scope, encompassing general ecology, theoretical and applied ecology, the results of botanical, zoological, and hydrobiological studies with an ecological perspective. Since quite a few articles present findings from long-term monitoring of various ecosystem components, the journal boasts a wide authorship geography. The most active contributors come from neighboring regions of Northwestern Russia –Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Komi Republic, St. Petersburg. However, the journal also publishes research papers submitted from Yakutia, the Ural region, Kazan, Moscow, and even Tajikistan.
Well-regarded nationally, the journal receives a steady flow of submissions from Russian scientists. For instance, the previous ecology-focused issue, published in December 2025, comprised 18 articles, and the portfolio to be published next was assembled almost immediately after its release. This year’s first issue features 10 articles covering a wide range of topics.
Doctor of Biology Oleg Kuznetsov
As we are told by the issue's Editor-in-charge, Dr. Oleg Kuznetsov, the journal opens with a review article titled "The impact of long polar days on plants: research history and results", prepared by scientists from the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS and the N.A. Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute of the Kola Science Centre RAS. This work examines how the polar day conditions influence physiological processes in plants and their adaptation to the Arctic environment. The article provides an overview of years of studies, which at the Institute of Biology were conducted using controlled climate chambers, while colleagues in Murmansk carried out observations in natural settings. Different approaches were applied to study both native plant species adapted to northern latitudes and plants of southerner provenance, which are not adapted to these conditions. Given the expansion of plant cultivation and the northward spread of southern crops, this issue is of both theoretical and practical significance.
An article by scientists from Arkhangelsk, who assessed heavy metal and uranium isotope contamination in snow and groundwater within the Arkhangelsk urban agglomeration, is also based on long-term ecological monitoring.
A very different aspect is explored by Prof., Dr. Nina Blagoveshchenskaya from the Ulyanovsk State University. Her article investigates the origin of birch forests on the Volga Upland and post-glacial vegetation formation – a topic related to paleoecology and paleogeography.
Another article in this issue was submitted by researchers from the Polar Branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) in Murmansk, who studied the population dynamics of Atlantic salmon in the Ponoy River, the largest river in the Murmansk Region. Like many other contributions, this article is monitoring-based, analyzing data collected over many years.
An article by Daniil Konovalov and Maria Syarkki, researchers from the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS, reports long-term monitoring data for zooplankton in Kondopoga Bay of Lake Onego and analyzes the impact of the Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill on the waterbody.
Applied ecology aspects are also covered in this first issue. An article that Dr. Oleg Kuznetsov finds interesting was written by specialists and scientists in St. Petersburg, who examined the ecological and technological transformation of the city’s water supply and sewerage methods and facilities. The article concludes, in particular, that the renovation and reconstruction of treatment facilities at the St. Petersburg Vodokanal company along with changes in water treatment technologies have significantly improved the quality of municipal wastewater treatment over the past 20 years. It is mentioned there that the treatment facilities in Petrozavodsk also meet very high standards, comparable in quality and technological infrastructure to those in St. Petersburg, as corroborated by international assessments.
The issue also includes an article honoring the 60th anniversary of Dr. Nikolai Ilmast, Director of the Institute of Biology.
As Dr. Oleg Kuznetsov explained, the journal is in high demand considering that there are not so many outlets in the field of ecology within the country and that the Transactions of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been included in the top tier of the "White List" of scientific outlets. This success is the result of the dedicated and meticulous work of the editorial board.
-- Let me add that the portfolio for the next issue, scheduled for July, is already largely packed, with over 10 articles from various cities across Russia, -- informed Oleg Kuznetsov.