Extension of the soil monitoring network via tea bag initiatives: A 3000 km latitudinal gradient in European Russia.

The increasing popularity and recognition of citizen science approaches to monitor soil health have promoted the idea to assess soil microbial decomposition based on a standard litter sample - tea bags. Although tea bag initiatives are expanding across the world, the global datasets remain biased in regard to investigating regions and biomes. This study aimed to expand the tea bag initiative to European Russia, which remains a "white spot" on the tea bag index map. We also added urban soils into the analysis, which were underestimated previously. We compared the standard and local tea brands to explore possible adaptations of the standard approach to regions with limited access to standard tea brands. The established monitoring network included natural and urban sites in six vegetation zones along a 3000 km latitudinal gradient. There was a very close linear relationship (R2 = 0.94-0.98) in the mass loss of alternative and standard tea litter. The mass loss of green tea in soil along the latitudinal gradient showed an increasing trend from north to south. Variations in the microbial decomposition of green tea were mainly explained by the latitudinal gradient, with low soil temperature identified as key factors hampering decomposition. Mass loss of the more recalcitrant rooibos tea was mainly determined via land use, with decomposition rates on average 1.3 times higher in urban soils. This pattern was in line with higher soil temperatures and pH in urban sites compared to natural counterparts. The findings of our study could prove valuable in extending the tea bag network of soil decomposition assessment into broader territories, including urban areas. Additionally, they could facilitate the involvement of citizen science and complete the database for C cycle modeling depending on climatic conditions.

Cortisol Level and Na+/K+-ATPase Activity during Growth and Development of Juvenile Daubed Shanny Leptoclinus maculatus (Fries, 1838) in the Arctic.

The dynamics of cortisol level and Na+/K+-ATPase activity that are associated with the maintenance of cell ion homeostasis was studied in skeletal muscles of juvenile circumpolar fish daubed shanny Leptoclinus maculatus (Fries, 1838), an ecologically significant representative of the ichthyofauna of the Arctic Svalbard Archipelago. It was established that the level of cortisol and Na+/K+-ATPase activity decrease during the development of daubed shanny juveniles from stage L2 pelagic juveniles to stage L5 juveniles, which are mainly demersal. The results obtained suggest that cortisol may be involved in the regulation of the activity of one of the main osmoregulatory factors, Na+/K+-ATPase. This may be important for the growth and adaptation of pelagic juveniles of daubed shanny to the demersal habitat during postembryonic development in the Arctic.

Dynamics of Estradiol Level during Metamorphosis in the Daubed Shanny (Leptoclinus maculatus, Fries, 1838) from Spitsbergen Island.

The estradiol content of muscles during metamorphosis in the daubed shanny (Leptoclinus maculatus) from different fjords of Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard, have been studied using mass spectrometry. The level of estradiol at the L4 larval stage of development is significantly lower than at the L2 stage. Values of this parameter in adults are significantly higher than in post-larvae (stage L5). Variations in the estradiol level during metamorphosis can be associated with the growth stimulation and regulation of the process.