The Journal of V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series «Biology»

The southern distribution limit of the lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Middle Dnipro region: factors of advance and restriction

I. Zagorodniuk, O. Nikolaichuk — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:32:22 +0000

An analysis of the southern distribution limit of the lynx in the Middle Dnipro region, in the area from Zhytomyr to Nizhyn, i.e. in the Ukrainian part of Polissia known as Prydniprovske Polissia, is presented. This area is a zone of natural growth in abundance and expansion of the species' range and represents an important model for analysing the potential of indicator species in the Polissia natural zone to restore their former presence and role in the faunal communities of the Polissia. In total, the southern range of the lynx in the region is described in 17 locations, most of which are the southernmost for the entire Polissia segment of the lynx's geographical range within Ukraine. All locations where the species has been recorded, delineating the southern edge of its range, are in areas where the lynx had not been known to occur previously. The analysis includes only data on findings of the species in the last 25 years, and all such marginal findings are essentially new, dating no earlier than 2010–2020. This is a result of the growing lynx population in the Polissia and shows how the species is spreading in the region. Factors limiting and supporting population growth and species expansion into new areas are considered. The three key supporting factors are the development of the food base, a decrease in anthropogenic pressure, and the presence of natural eco-corridors with powerful natural cores covering an area of 1–2 thousand hectares. An important factor in the population growth and dispersal of the lynx was the high (restored) abundance of species that are potential prey for the lynx, primarily roe deer and wild boar. One of the triggers for the restoration of the geographical ranges of large mammals in the Polissia region, including the lynx, was the significant reduction of human impact on the natural complexes of Central Polissia, a substantial decrease in economic activity and the virtual cessation of hunting (and, to a certain extent, poaching), which was essentially facilitated by the existence of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the war in Ukraine, and the resulting increased control of frontier areas, as well as significant restrictions on any human activity in forested areas. If the current minimum levels of anthropogenic pressure on the region's natural complexes are maintained, the species may advance southward by another 50–70 km.

The meiobenthic communities of Senghor Seamount (Cabo Verde, tropical East Atlantic)

A. Kieneke, K. H. George, R.R. Trokhymchuk — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:40:59 +0000

Seamounts interest researchers because of their high biodiversity, high levels of endemism, and their importance for the dispersal and evolution of species. Especially interesting is the role of seamounts in the biogeography and phylogeography of interstitial meiofauna, microscopic animals that mostly lack dispersal stages in their life cycle. In this study, we analyse the composition of meiobenthic communities of the Senghor Seamount (Cabo Verde). The material was collected during the M79/3 cruise of R/V Meteor in 2009. Benthic sediments were collected with a multicorer and fixed with formaldehyde. Further extraction of meiofauna by density gradient centrifugation, sorting and counting of higher-level taxa was carried out in the laboratory. Our analyses involved estimating taxa densities, estimating different diversity indices and comparing similarity across sampling sites using non-metrical multidimensional scaling (nMDS). The results of the analyses showed that the summit has the highest higher taxa richness (HT: 11–16), the lowest level of dominance (D: 0.23–0.28), and the highest evenness of meiobenthic communities. The slopes had a lower level of higher taxa richness (HT: 12–13), a higher level of dominance (D: 0.5–0.61), and a lower level of evenness. The base had the lowest higher-taxon richness (HT: 10), the highest level of dominance (D: 0.82–0.87), and the lowest evenness. The nMDS revealed four distinct communities at the summit, the slope and the base of Senghor Seamount as well as at the deep-sea reference stations. There was a high dissimilarity of stations on the summit, which may indicate both, high biodiversity and heterogeneity of habitats. The slopes, the base and the reference sites show closer grouping of stations, which may indicate lower biodiversity of these areas, however, a lower number of stations were analysed. In comparison with other Atlantic seamounts and islands, Senghor Seamount shows up the second place regarding richness of meiobenthic higher-level taxa. The noticeably higher meiobenthic density values could be caused by the increased pelagic primary production in the sea area off tropical western Africa. Overall, the meiobenthic communities of Senghor Seamount seem to support the hypothesis of seamounts as oases for fauna, demonstrating more diverse assemblages compared to reference areas in the deep sea.

Species composition and ecology of naked amoebae in Ukraine and adjacent territories

M.K. Patsyuk — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:55:10 +0000

From the fresh and marine waters we identified 56 species of naked amoebae. Among the identified species, 17 were found to be the most frequent in Ukrainian water bodies, 27 species were infrequent, and 12 showed intermediate frequency of occurrence. Were determined the ecological groups of species to abiotic factors of the aquatic environment. Eurythermal: Thecamoeba striata, Thecamoeba sp., Mayorella cantabrigiensis, Korotnevella stella, Vannella lata, Vannella sp., Acanthamoeba sp., Cochliopodium actinophorum. Stenothermal thermophilic: Deuteramoeba mycophaga, Thecamoeba quadrilineata, Stenamoeba stenopodia, Vexillifera bacillipedes, Ripella sp., Willaertia magna. Stenothermal psychrophilic: Saccamoeba sp. (3). Euryoxidic: Rhizamoeba sp. (1), Rhizamoeba sp. (2), Deuteramoeba mycophaga, Saccamoeba stagnicola, Saccamoeba wakulla, Saccamoeba sp. (1), Saccamoeba sp. (3), Thecamoeba striata, Thecamoeba quadrilineata, Thecamoeba verrucosa, Thecamoeba terricola, Thecamoeba sp., Stenamoeba stenopodia, Paradermamoeba valamo, Paradermamoeba levis, Mayorella cantabrigiensis, Mayorella vespertilioides, Mayorella penardi, Mayorella sp. (2), Korotnevella stella, Vexillifera bacillipedes, Ripella platypodia, Ripella sp., Vannella lata, Vannella sp., Acanthamoeba sp., Pellita digitata, Cochliopodium actinophorum, Flamella sp., Vahlkampfia sp. (1), Vahlkampfia sp. (3), Vahlkampfia avara, Willaertia magna. Stenooxidic: Amoeba proteus, Polychaos dubium, Saccamoeba limax, Saccamoeba sp. (2), Thecamoeba sphaeronucleolus, Thecamoeba similis, Mayorella viridis, Mayorella sp. (1), Korotnevella diskophora, Cochliopodium minus, Vahlkampfia sp. (2). Broad-tolerant to dissolved organic matter: Rhizamoeba sp. (1), Deuteramoeba mycophaga, Saccamoeba stagnicola, Thecamoeba striata, Thecamoeba quadrilineata, Thecamoeba sp., Stenamoeba stenopodia, Paradermamoeba valamo, Paradermamoeba levis, Mayorella cantabrigiensis, Mayorella vespertilioides, Korotnevella stella, Korotnevella diskophora, Vexillifera bacillipedes, Ripella platypodia, Ripella sp., Vannella lata, Vannella sp., Acanthamoeba sp., Cochliopodium actinophorum, Vahlkampfia avara, Vahlkampfia sp. (1), Vahlkampfia sp. (2), Vahlkampfia sp. (3). Narrow-tolerant to dissolved organic matter: Rhizamoeba sp. (2), Amoeba proteus, Polychaos dubium, Saccamoeba wakulla, Saccamoeba sp. (1), Saccamoeba sp. (2), Thecamoeba sphaeronucleolus, Thecamoeba terricola, Mayorella viridis, Mayorella sp. (1), Pellita digitata, Cochliopodium minus, Flamella sp. Stenobionts in relation to dissolved organic matter in water: Saccamoeba limax, Saccamoeba sp. (3), Thecamoeba verrucosa, Thecamoeba similis, Mayorella penardi, Mayorella sp. (2), Willaertia magna. Euryhaline: Acanthamoeba griffini, Vannella simplex. Stenohaline: Saccamoeba marina, Vexillifera armata, Vannella devonica, Vannella aberdonica, Vannella plurinucleolus, Cochliopodium gulosum, Mayorella gemmifera, Thecamoeba orbis, Thecamoeba hilla, Stenamoeba sp.

Digitization of the primate collection at the Museum of Nature of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

N. Perevozchikova, S. Yeremenko, Y. Yatsenko — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:54:29 +0000

The Museum of Nature of the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (MNKNU) has the largest primate collection in Ukraine, comprising 217 specimens of 59 species, including Homo sapiens. The non-human species represented in the museum comprise 11% of the total number of primates, according to the Mammal Diversity Database v2.2 (further MDD, accessed August 2025), and are distributed across four of the eight biogeographic kingdoms, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The foundation of the MNKNU’s primate collection dates back to the first quarter of the XIXth century, thus, the record for the oldest stuffed animal in the collection - a golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia (L., 1766), - dates back to 1826. The collection is represented by several types of preservation groups and includes 103 stuffed animals of 54 determined species, 87 dry, and 27 wet preparations. In the present work, we report the result of the revision of the primates collection, including taxonomical redetermination, as well as performed digitization of the part of the collection (represented by stuffed animals) accompanied by the original historical inventory data (index cards catalogue, inventory books, and printed catalogues).

Bioengineering of probiotic-loaded hydrogel films with high antimicrobial activity

O.V. Trufanov, H.E. Ananina, N.A. Trufanova, V.P. Martsenyuk, A.S. Schogolev — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:33:48 +0000

The rise of antimicrobial resistance complicates the management of infected wounds, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies. Probiotic-based therapies offer a promising alternative, but their efficacy depends on delivering a high concentration of viable, active microorganisms to the wound site. Alginate hydrogels are excellent carriers, but freshly prepared probiotic-loaded films often lack immediate therapeutic activity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a post-immobilization cultivation period on the viability and antagonistic activity of Bifidobacterium bifidum LVA-3 and Lactobacillus bulgaricus 1Z 03501 immobilized in calcium alginate films. The central hypothesis was that this cultivation step would function as an in-situ bio-activation process, enhancing the films' therapeutic potential.

Methods. B. bifidum LVA-3 and L. bulgaricus 1Z 03501 were immobilized in calcium alginate films. The films were then cultivated in a nutrient medium for 2, 4, or 6 days at 37 °C. Viable cell counts were determined by plate counting after film dissolution. Antagonistic activity was assessed using an agar overlay diffusion method against pathogenic test strains (Staphylococcus aureus 209, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 9027, and Escherichia coli B), measuring the diameter of inhibition zones. The experimental data revealed that uncultivated films (Day 0) showed no antagonistic activity. Post-immobilization cultivation led to a significant increase in viable cell counts for both strains, with populations rising by over 100- to 500-fold within 2 days to therapeutically relevant levels (>10¹⁰ CFU/mL). B. bifidum LVA-3 showed rapid growth peaking at day 2, while L. bulgaricus 1Z 03501 maintained a high, stable population through day 6. This increased cell density directly correlated with the emergence of potent antagonistic activity against all three pathogenic strains. In summary, it can be concluded that a post-immobilization cultivation step is a critical bio-activation process that transforms probiotic-loaded alginate films from passive carriers into functionally potent biomaterials. This strategy effectively increases probiotic viability to therapeutic concentrations and enables the in-situ production of antimicrobial compounds. This two-step approach of immobilization followed by cultivation presents a novel method for developing high-efficacy probiotic formulations for applications such as bioactive wound dressings.

Flora of the projected Mzhanskyi National Nature Park (Kharkiv Region). Part 2: Floodplain complex

H.M. Bondarenko, A.B. Rokytianskyi — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:43:32 +0000

Wetlands and floodplains of river valleys are important centres of biodiversity and a source of a large number of different ecosystem services. Due to their resource value, such ecosystems are often subjected to strong anthropic pressure, which leads to the biota decreasing. The importance of the issue of protecting natural environments in the Kharkiv region is very valuable, because the percentage of protected areas in the region is one of the smallest among other administrative regions of Ukraine. At the same time, the representation of wetlands and floodplains in the network of nature reserves of the region is insignificant, which emphasises the need to preserve the most valuable and typical areas. One of such perspective objects is the projected Mzhanskyi National Nature Park, which combines pinewood and floodplain complexes in the middle reaches of the Mozh River. A detailed analysis of the flora of the pine complexes of the designed park is presented in the first part of the article, while this part is devoted to the analysis of the floodplain complexes' flora of the planned nature conservation object. According to the results of field and retrospective research, it was established that the flora of the floodplain part of the park consists of at least 457 species, subspecies and hybrids of vascular plants. Their full list with the annotation is presented in the article. The systematic structure of the flora is typical and corresponds to other local floras of the Kharkiv Region. Among the families, the following are most represented: Asteraceae (61 species – 13.4 %), Poaceae (42 species – 9.2 %), Fabaceae (24 species – 5.3 %), Cyperaceae (23 species – 5.0 %), Lamiaceae (22 species – 4.8 %), Plantaginaceae s.l. and Ranunculaceae (18 species – 3.9 % each), Brassicaceae and Rosaceae (15 species – 3.3 % each). The results of the fractional analysis of the flora indicate that the plant cover is exposed to strong anthropic pressure (IS = 49.8 %). Nevertheless, the transformation of the flora occurs mainly due to autochthonous synanthropic species. The fraction of alien species is 18.4 %, which is less than similar values in other studied territories. Among the alien species, representatives of the North American and Mediterranean flora prevail. Among the adventitious species, Elodea canadensis and Vallisneria spiralis provide a high phytosociological activity in the studied area. However, we found localities of 34 rare species protected at different levels. Among them, 9 are included in the Red Book of Ukraine (Anacamptis palustris, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, D. incarnata, D. majalis, Epipactis palustris, Gladiolus tenuis, Stipa borysthenica, Tragopogon donetzicus, and Utricularia × neglecta), 2 are included in Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention (Ostericum palustre and Salvinia natans), and 23 species are regionally rare in the Kharkiv Region (Cicuta virosa, Inula helenium, Parnassia palustris, Ranunculus lingua, Stratiotes aloides, etc.). Also, during the field surveys, several species rare for the region that do not have an actual protected status were discovered (Carex rostrata, Cirsium esculentum, Gratiola officinalis, Hippuris vulgaris, Klasea lycopifolia, Limonium alutaceum, Ranunculus flammula, R. kauffmanii, R. polyphyllus, Scrophularia oblongifolia, etc.). The growth of a new species of Veronica catenate for the Kharkiv region has been confirmed.

Regulation of morphogenetic reactions of Glycine max (L.) Merr. by selective light in vivo and in vitro

O.O. Avksentieva, Y.D. Batuieva, M.O. Fesenko — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:52:14 +0000

The work is devoted to the study of photomorphogenic reactions of plants to monochromatic irradiation in vivo and in vitro. The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of red (660 nm) and blue (450 nm) light irradiation on the photomorphogenesis of seedlings and callus culture of the soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) under in vivo and in vitro conditions. The studies were conducted on 10-day-old seedlings and primary callus culture of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) of the short-day variety Clark. Seed germination and infection, as well as growth processes of experimental seedlings under in vivo conditions, were analysed by determining linear dimensions and biomass. In callus culture under in vitro conditions, the growth rate, absolute growth, and such indicators of morphogenetic reactions as callusogenesis, chlorophyllogenesis, rhizogenesis, and necrosis were determined. It was shown that red and blue light irradiation stimulates seed germination, while blue light irradiation contributes to a decrease in seedling infection. Under in vivo conditions, red light irradiation inhibits the elongation of the studied seedlings, while blue light irradiation stimulates the linear growth of seedlings. Irradiation with selective light of both studied spectra promotes biomass accumulation in seedlings. At the same time, organ-specific reactions are observed: RL irradiation promotes an increase in the biomass of the above-ground part, while BL irradiation mainly promotes an increase in the root part. Under in vitro culture conditions, the growth of primary callus tissue is inhibited during irradiation with red and blue light. The prolonged effect of red and blue light is expressed in the inhibition of callus tissue growth by RL and the absence of BL influence on the growth index compared to the control. BL irradiation also stimulates the manifestation of various pathways of callus culture morphogenesis in in vitro conditions. The uniformity of the reactions of seedlings and callus culture of the short-day line of soybean in in vivo and in vitro culture conditions is observed.

Evaluation of antifungal activity of “green” Solidago canadensis extracts

H.V. Yavorska, N.M. Vorobets — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:00:29 +0000

The flowering aerial parts of the local invasive Solidago canadensis were collected in the vicinity of Lviv (Western Ukraine) during flowering in July and August 2024, leaves and inflorescences were separated and dried. Total polyphenols from crushed raw materials were extracted with distilled water, 20 %, 60 %, and 96 % aquatic ethanol solution under reflux condition and maceration. The content of total polyphenols in extracts was determined with a Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and with gallic acid as standard by spectrophotometric method. The strains of unicellular fungi have been used from the Microbial Culture Collection of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and method of diffusion in agar for anticandidal investigation. The purpose of the work was to analyze the antifungal activity of green extracts of leaves and inflorescences of S. canadensis, obtained by maceration and reflux methods. The most important results were obtained for aquatic-ethanol extracts. For all extracts obtained from aerial parts of S. canadensis were find a high content of total polyphenols (TPC): in leaves from 3.54±0.04 to 8.55±0.003 mg•g-1 of dry weight (DW) in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) depend on extragent and method of extraction; in inflorescences extracts TPC ranged from 4.15 to 17.35 mg•g-1 DW in GAE. Leaf extracts prepared with aqueous ethanol concentrations of 20%, 60% and 96% showed a zone of growth inhibition (ZGR) of fungi of 7.3–28.0 mm. Extracts of infloresceces had antifungal activity against investigated strains and diameter of ZGR ranged from 8.3 to 31.0 mm. Strong correlations have been found between the ZGR of the fungi Kluyveromyces marxianus, Cutaneotrichosporon curvatus, Candida parapsilosis and the content of polyphenols in the studied extracts. The activity of S. canadensis leaf and inflorescences extracts that we found will contribute to further more detailed study of their properties as antifungal.