Samara Journal of Science

In this paper, for the first time, taxonomic, biomorphological, ecomorphic analyses have been carried out at different stages of secondary pyrogenic successions of pine plantations on the territory of Togliatti and Volzhsky District of the Samara Region. The study sites belong to the conditions of the forest-steppe zone. Indicator plant species have been identified for the initial and for the transition to the shrubby stage of secondary pyrogenic succession in the forest-steppe zone. The study examines the damage to territories by fire of varying intensity (a steady grass-roots fire of moderate and strong intensity, a runaway riding fire of strong intensity). An assessment of the state of forest communities, a description of plant groupings, and general patterns between plant communities of different growth patterns have been found. Phytocoenotypes of forest communities have been analyzed and a detailed annotated list of vascular plants distributed in the study area has been compiled. In the course of the study, the authors have revealed that pyrogenic successions follow a syngenesis scheme and tolerance model with a change of elements of pioneer communities by forest-steppe and typical forest vegetation. The sequence of settlement of burning species is determined by their life strategies (explorers, patients, violents). Each site under study is characterized by the presence of certain plant communities in the vegetation cover, which are gradually replaced by plant species with certain life cycles, strategies and ecology that are more characteristic of that forest environment.

This paper analyzes seasonal dynamics of the Mongun-Taiga massif vegetation cover from February to October 2022 based on the application of the NDVI vegetation index using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery data. To analyze the seasonal dynamics of the vegetation index of the Mongun-Taiga massif, 15 points on the valleys of five rivers were selected – they are the Tolaity River (south side), the Holash River (west side), the Balyktyg River (north side), the Right-Mugur River (north-east side) and the Shara-Khoragai river (east side). The graphs of the vegetation cover of different exposures of the massif slopes show that the highest values are represented at the western side of the massif (the Holash River), then on the southern side (the Tolaity River) and then on the northern side of the massif (the Balyktyg River). The valleys of the Shara-Khoragai River (east side) and the Right-Mugur River (north-east side) have the lowest indicators of vegetation cover. Different curves of the vegetation cover graphs for different exposures of the massif explain that the climate in this area is very complex. Terrain, slope exposures, humidity, strength and direction of winds, sunlight, temperature, slopes of selected points, as well as watercourses affect vegetation cover differently. For a more thorough study, it is necessary to obtain higher-resolution images and conduct ground-based measurement work to assess the state of the vegetation cover of the massif and obtain accurate meteorological data.

The relevance of the study of fungi of the Russulaceae family is determined by the fact that they play an important role in the life of temperate forest ecosystems as mycorrhizal symbionts of the main forest-forming tree species. In addition, this group of fungi is of great practical importance, as they are edible fungi. Despite this, they are one of the little studied groups of Agaricomycetes. The information about the fungi of the studied family in the conditions of the Russian Federation is limited, and therefore the data on their ecology are contained mainly in foreign literature. The purpose of this work is to study the species composition of fungi of the Russulaceae family and to establish the influence of the main environmental factors on the distribution of this group of fungi on the territory of some forest natural monuments of regional significance («Burchikhinsky slopes», «Zasursky blueberry forest», «Kichkleysky pine forest with oak», «Nikonovsky forest» and «Floodplain oak forest») in the conditions of the Penza region. The studies were carried out in 2016–2022 by methods of route and stationary studies. When determining fungi, the method of light microscopy was used. As a result, the species composition of fungi of the Russulaceae family of the studied natural monuments located in the Penza region was studied. Within the studied protected areas, 78 species of fungi of the Russulaceae family were identified. As a result of the taxonomic analysis of mycobiota, it was found that it included 24 species from the genus Lactarius, 3 from the genus Lactifluus, and 51 from the genus Russula. All of them belong to the ecological-trophic group of symbiotrophs. 19 species form mycorrhiza with various tree species, and 59 species have a narrow specialization in relation to partners in symbiosis (29 species are associated with Quercus robur, 15 with Betula pendula, 10 with Pinus sylvestris, 2 with Populus tremula, 1 with Tilia cordata, 1 with Alnus glutinosa and 1 with Corylus avellana). It has been established that the leading factors determining spatial distribution and productivity of fruiting bodies of fungi of the studied family are soil fertility and moisture. In megatrophic habitat conditions, acidity also has a significant effect on the distribution of fungi of the family under consideration. The species composition of fungi of the Russulaceae family for habitat types was determined in accordance with the edaphic grid. For different ecotopes, the composition of indicator species was revealed. An estimate of the yield of fruiting bodies of fungi of the Russulaceae family in various types of forests, depending on fertility and soil moisture, is given.

Tiny leaf-mining jewel beetle Trachys minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Trachysini), being a species with a wide food specialization and distributed throughout the Palearctic, causes periodic outbreaks in linden plantations. Larvae of tiny leaf-mining jewel beetle mine leaves and feed on their tissues, adults feed on leaves in the crown of trees. Up-to-date information obtained during the monitoring of the T. minutus number from the end of May to the beginning of September 2022 on the territory of the forest park site of the All-Russian Research Institute of Forest Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology and in squares and street plantings of the Soviet and Central districts of Voronezh is provided. Larvae mine leaves of white willow (Salix alba Crawford, 1914), goat willow (S. caprea Linnaeus, 1753), small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata Miller, 1768), Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata (Poiret) de Candolle (1825)) and common hawthorn (C. monogyna Jacquin, 1775) on the territory of Voronezh. The species is rare in the center, while on the northern city outskirts (on the territory of the forest park site) up to 10% of linden leaves were affected by mines of T. minutus. White willow, goat willow, small-leaved linden, large-leaved linden (T. platiphyllos Scopoli, 1772), Norway maple (Acer platanoides Linnaeus, 1753), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior Linnaeus, 1753) and hawthorn species were noted as fodder plants in the city.

Xylotrophic basidiomycetes are an essential component of any biogeocoenosis. It is due to these organisms that one of the most important processes occurs throughout the biosphere, namely the decomposition of organic substances and, first of all, cellulose, which is synthesized by producers. However, these phytopathogens bring significant losses to forestry, making wood unsuitable for industrial use. At the same time, sufficiently effective methods for diagnosing and assessing wood damage by heartwood rot, which are caused by xylotrophic basidiomycetes, have not been developed. The paper studies the peculiarity of the influence of these phytopathogens on the pigment apparatus of valuable small-leaved tree species using the methods of spectroscopy and electrophotocolorimetry, while comparing the rate of degradation of the main pigments of photosynthesis – chlorophylls a and b to pheophytin, as well as assesses the content of chlorophyll, and auxiliary pigments such as carotenoids and xanthophylls in healthy trees and trees with signs of damage by pathogenic xylotrophs. A significant number of effects of phytopathogens on leaf pigment apparatus of small-leaved tree species have been identified. Among those are rapid degradation of primary and secondary pigments, distortion of chlorophyll a concentration data caused by filter properties of photoelectric colorimeter and higher chlorophyll b concentration in affected trees in comparison to control sample. These methods and the results obtained can be actively used both in forestry to assess the phytosanitary state of small-leaved trees, and to further study the features of the interaction of xylotrophic basidiomycetes with woody plants.

The paper presents the results of the study of soils and vegetation cover of the Oruku-Shynaa cluster, a natural feature of the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve, which is a possible acquisition of the UNESCO heritage. The Ubsunur Hollow, the northernmost of the inland basins of Northwestern Mongolia, is the destination of Inner Asia, where nature preserves an exceptional «parade of landscapes» of unusual diversity, which predetermines the creation of biosphere reserves in Russia and Mongolia by a cluster approach. Nine clusters have been created on the territory of the Republic of Tuva (Russia). One of them is Oruku-Shynaa. The purpose of creating the Oruku-Shynaa cluster is to study natural complexes and objects, preserve biodiversity, and carry out long-term environmental monitoring of the reference territories of the Ubsunur Hollow. The background soils are brown desert-steppe soils, which have local hydromorphic manifestations of meadow, saline, and solonetsous soils. The study of the temperature of soils in the middle of summer showed that the most mobile dynamics of soil temperature is observed at a depth of 5 cm from the surface. The reaction of meadow-peaty soil is neutral, in solonchak soils it is strongly alkaline, the humus content in solonchak soil is negligible (0,42%), and in meadow-peaty-humus soil it is quite high (9,24%). There is quite a lot of magnesium in saline soils (up to 29 mmol/100 g of soil), and nitrogen (1,10%) in meadow-peat-humus soil. There is a lack of phosphorus in all soils. The cluster is characterized by a high complexity of vegetation cover, expressed in a combination of phytocoenoses of real (glycophytic), saline (halophytic) meadows, steppes, reed beds and woody shrub vegetation. The soil and vegetation cover of the Oruku-Shynaa cluster of the Ubsunur Hollow Nature Reserve generally reflects the regional specifics of the natural situation of floodplain-channel complexes of arid Central Asian territories. The largest areas are open spaces occupied by halophytic vegetation under brown meadow-desert-steppe soils on lake-alluvial deposits. The introduction of the protected regime caused a restructuring in the structure of phytocoenoses, where signs of waterlogging are observed, peat accumulation in the upper horizon of the soil profile, an increase in dead mass (mortmass) in plant communities; an active salinization process is underway in the soil cover.

The total contents of Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in foreshore soils and bottom sediments of 20 ponds have been investigated for the first time in Samara by the method of spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. It is shown that polymetallic pollution of coastal soils and bottom sediments of 16 ponds out of 20 considered is acceptable; 3 ponds, located in the 13^th microdistrict (small pond) and on the Solnechnaya street (large and small ponds), are characterized by moderately hazardous pollution with heavy metals; 1 pond, located in the area of the former Hippodrome, has a high level of pollution of coastal soils. Cu, Zn and Pb should be considered to be the main elements that significantly affected the ecological state of coastal soils and bottom sediments of the studied ponds. Their content in selected samples ranged: from 0,3 to 20,3 for Cu, from 0,2 to 14,9 units for Zn, from 0,2 to 25,2 units of background concentrations – to Pb. The analysis of heavy metals average levels in coastal soils and bottom sediments of Samara ponds showed, that bottom sediments were enriched with all analyzed metals except Mn in comparison with coastal soils, whereas Mn was accumulated to upper levels in coastal soils. The location of water bodies in various parts of the urban area relief caused differences between the levels of heavy metals accumulation. For instance, the coastal soils of the ponds located on the watershed between the Saratov reservoir and the Samara River accumulated heavy metals more actively than the coastal soils of the ponds on the Volga slope. The accumulation of heavy metals in bottom sediments on the watershed was more active for Mn, Cr, Zn and Cd whereas in the ponds on the Volga slope it was shown for Ni, Cu and Pb.

The world population growth postulates a necessity for food increase to provide mankind with edible products. A growing number of archaeobotanical finds of acorns indicates that they were important as a staple food for some regions. According to its characteristics, red oak is one of the promising species that can increase the resource potential of oak forests in the Middle Volga region. Compared to local oak one, red oak wood is more resistant to vascular and necrotic-cancerous pathologies. The red oak is also more resistant to oak powdery mildew. On the territory of the Middle Volga region, red oak is still rare, because of its limited use in plantations. The subject of the study is the quality of red oak seeds formed by trees from the arboretum of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga Basin (Togliatti city), where they were collected in an amount enough to assess the quality of seeds formed by an introduced species on a territory new to it. The study of the internal structure of oak seeds with dense shells was carried out by digital microfocus radiography using a PRDU installation. This method is included in international standards, primarily for assessing the formation of the seeds internal structure and grain damage by phytophages. X-ray screening allowed to categorize the red oak seeds: 1) seeds, fully formed, filled and not damaged by insects; 2) seeds that, when falling from a tree, retain their cupula (do not have a developed content); 3) seeds damaged by insects during the formation of cotyledons; 4) seeds without a cupula, but with varying severity of underdevelopment; 5) seeds with partial underdevelopment of the cotyledons, which do not fill the entire volume of the seed coats. The weight and size parameters of seeds formed in the Samara region correspond to the indicators from other regions of red oak growth and are: diameter – 1,76 ± 0,01 cm; length – 2,48 ± 0,02 cm; weight of 1000 seeds – 4224 ± 62,65 g (harvest 2021). At the same time, only from 55 to 39% of red oak seeds (harvests in 2021 and 2022, respectively) were of a sufficiently high quality to be used for sowing. Considering the prospects of red oak as an agent of biological invasion, the authors point to the variability of its seed harvest by years, the formation of a high proportion of low-quality seeds, as well as a small amount of self-seedings with increased demands to soil moisture.

The paper presents the results of the geographical analysis of the dendroflora of Cheboksary. The landscaping system of Cheboksary is represented mainly by woody vegetation, which grows in public areas, in limited-use plantings, as well as along the streets and main highways of Cheboksary. Woody vegetation is represented by 73 species, which, according to the generally accepted systematics of plants, belong to 43 genera and 20 families. The geographical analysis of the dendroflora of Cheboksary is based on archaeological data from various reports. In the dendroflora of Cheboksary, 7 groups of the area have been identified, depending on their natural distribution: 1) aboriginal group, 2) cultural group, 3) hybrid group, 4) North American group, 5) East Asian group, 6) Mediterranean group, 7) European group. The dendroflora of Cheboksary is dominated by introducents, which account for 44 species. The most numerous of the introducers is the East Asian group, which makes up 41% of the total, the North American and European groups – 25% each, the Mediterranean group – 9%. The geographical composition of the dendroflora, depending on the element of the system of green spaces, showed that the largest number of introducers were identified in public plantings, which were represented by 40 species of trees and shrubs, in limited–use plantings – 29 species, along streets and main roads – 28 species. The analysis of the dendroflora by the ratio of hygromorphs has revealed that mesophytes predominate in the dendroflora of Cheboksary – 54,7%, xerophytes – 17,8%, mesoxerophytes – 12,3%.

The research was carried out in order to assess the winter hardiness of apple varieties of the Oryol and Michurinsky selection, as well as the elite hybrids of the selection of the Scientific Research Institute of Horticulture and Medicinal Plants «Zhigulevskie Sady» in the conditions of the continental climate characteristic of the Samara region. Freezing of annual branches taken from trees of 10–11 years of age was carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions of a freezer at extreme negative temperatures for the 2^nd (−40°C) and 4^th (−35°C after thaw) components of winter hardiness. After freezing, their damage was assessed in April, the results were compared by years of research. Simultaneously with the assessment of winter hardiness in the laboratory, the general condition of trees of these varieties and elite hybrids was assessed in the field conditions of the experimental garden of the Scientific Research Institute of Horticulture and Medicinal Plants «Zhigulevskie Sady», in August 2020 and 2021. The general condition and adaptation to low temperatures of the objects of the study were compared with dependence on the agro-climatic conditions of the growing season on the basis of meteorological data of the Samara GMC. During the study, varieties and elites of apple trees of various breeding with high winter hardiness were identified, surpassing control varieties such as Antonovka obyknovennaya, Kutuzovets, Severniy Sinap and others in this indicator. It is quite logical that winter-hardy apple trees, in the absence of winter damage, may have stronger immunity to diseases and resistance to pests. Therefore, the widespread introduction of new varieties and hybrids into industrial gardening will contribute to the creation of a more favorable agroecological environment in the gardens of the Samara region and the Middle Volga region.

The trends of the coenoflora structure dynamics of the perennial grass crops communities were characterized on the gradient of restorative succession in the conditions of the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Southern Urals. Using an agglomerative cluster analysis, four community groups have been identified, which corresponds to the stages of succession and reflecting the age of the communities (from 1 to 16 years or more). It is demonstrated that the succession gradient complicates the species composition, the species richness of the communities increases by almost 2 times. An analysis of the activity index change for the coenoflora core species at each stage has been carried out. It has been revealed that the activity of sown herbs species decreases, while the total activity of well-eaten species as well as the feed value of the whole phytocoenoses increases with the age of communities. A community of each stage of succession is marked by a group of highly active species, the functional composition and coenotic affinity of which changes. The activity of apophyte species increases while the activity of synanthropic ones decreases. There is a natural complication of the phytosociological spectrum from species of affine to classes of synanthropic vegetation Sisymbrietea and Artemisietea to species of classes of natural vegetation – meadows (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) and steppes (Festuco-Brometea). At the same time, the most active substitution of synanthropic species for natural ones occurs after the second stage of succession, i.e. its significant acceleration is observed after the age of 11 years. According to the results of the ordination analysis (DCA-ordination) with an additional assessment of the contribution of environmental variables, the leading in the differentiation of the species composition of communities is the factor of the age of communities, the factor of humidification of habitats makes a smaller contribution. According to the results of the comparison of the studied phytocoenoses with the data of weed, meadow and steppe communities from the database of non-forest vegetation of the Southern Urals (1660 releves), the central position of perennial grass crop communities on the gradient of restorative succession from disturbed arable land vegetation to natural (steppes) (steppes) and quasi-natural (meadows) vegetation types is demonstrated. Thus, a high importance of perennial grass crops for the creation of stable phytocoenoses of high forage value, which can be used for the restoration of biodiversity in the forest-steppe and steppe regions, is revealed.

The paper presents an analysis of bone and stone industries of the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic of the Middle Trans-Urals. Researchers of the Neolithic usually consider that stone and bone inventories played an auxiliary role. But these features are basic for the Mesolithic where ceramic is absent. A comparison of industries of the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic, identification of their semblance and difference is the main indicator of the role of local Late Mesolithic traditions in the formation of Early Neolithic cultures. This research has showed a continuity of bone and stone industries of the Middle Trans-Urals from the Early Mesolithic to Early Neolithic. Main functional groups of bone artefacts, many tool types and methods of their manufacture existed during this whole time period. Transformation of bone industry during the Mesolithic – Early Neolithic manifested in emergence of new categories and types of artefacts at every stage of its development. Stone industries of the Middle and Late Mesolithic display great similarity. The continuity in the Mesolithic – Early Neolithic stone and bone industries of the Middle Trans-Urals indicates a formation of the Early Neolithic of this territory on the local substrate.

The paper deals with the materials of Luzhki II site, which is located in the stepping Volga region on the left side of the Sok River. This memorial was found in 2019. The excavation area of 96 meters was made in 2020. The common collection of artifacts includes 2394 things. The founded materials are from the Neolithic except small group of ceramics (21 fragments) of early middle centuries. The collection of stone inventory includes 568 things. 81 items are implements, they take up about 14,2% of all stone. 1359 things of ceramics were found. The thickness of fragments is from 0,5 to 1,2 sm. Almost all founded rims have a dimple-pearl belt under the cut, which was applied exclusively from the outside. There are four typological groups (without ornament, pinned, comb and ceramics with impression), which show stages of ornament tradition development in the region. A collection of animal bones has been collected, including 412 units. 12 bones have traces of processing or were used as tools. 5 small clay vessels were found in a cultural layer. Two sinkers and one shaft straightener for arrows were found too. According to the available radiocarbon definitions for similar complexes of the forest-steppe Volga region the discovered site could be second half VI – middle V thousands BC. The assemblage of pottery from the site reveals the closest analogies in materials from the sites of the developed and late Neolithic of the forest-steppe Volga region, attributed to the Srednevolzhskaya culture.

The paper describes the main types of pottery forms and some results of their analysis for vessels of the Srednedonskaya Neolithic culture from site Dobroe 9. Until recently, only a few settlements of the Srednedonskaya Neolithic culture with a traced stratigraphic position on the Upper Don were studied. At site Dobroe 9, a homogeneous lithological layer was revealed, containing only the materials of this culture: pottery, bones, stone products. At the moment, 109 m² of the site were researched by the excavations. We established the date of the pottery collection of the site as the last quarter of the VI millennium BC. Earlier, A.T. Sinyuk put forward the thesis that the cylindrical shape of vessels with a relatively smooth transition of the walls to a sharp bottom is characteristic of the Middle Don culture, but in the collection of site Dobroe 9 closed-type vessels predominate. The comparative analysis of the shapes of ceramic vessels of two settlements with the greatest variety of vessel shapes (site Universitetskaya 3 and site Dobroe 9) of the Srednedonskaya Neolithic culture has shown that its material culture influenced by other archaeological cultures is not particularly homogeneous. This is manifested not only in ceramics, but also in stone tools.

The period of 1941–1943 became a time when the American art was rapidly rebuilt into «war rails». Artists in every possible way reinforced the morale of American soldiers and were engaged in justifying various actions of the government with the help of a more accessible and understandable language of artistic storytelling to the wider masses. The paper will address specific films and their propaganda subtexts. A special role in this process was played by the USA Federal Bureau of Investigation, which quickly realized the propaganda potential of cinema and therefore quickly began building systemic work to control film production. As part of the paper, it will be examined on a specific example how the FBI was displayed in the cinema and how the Bureau began to build mechanisms for controlling the film industry through a special program «COMPIC». This program was aimed at countering the «communist influence» in the cinema. The close connection between the development of the COMPIC program and the COMRAP program, which provided for the opposition of federal agents to the Comintern, was also considered and the CINRAD program developed at the same time was mentioned, designed to protect USA developments in the field of nuclear weapons. The paper is based on archival materials and literature on the history of American cinema and the FBI.

The purpose of the paper is to consider the anti-communist component in the foreign policy of the Russian Federation during the first post-Soviet years. Based on the material of the socio-political periodicals of that time and the documents of the archive of the Presidential Center of Boris Yeltsin, the influence of the struggle against the threat of communist revenge inside the country on the foreign policy of the state is traced. The paper examines the international reaction to the persecution of the Communist Party in Russia and attempts to use this event to promote foreign policy interests. The specific steps of the Russian leadership in the fight against the international communist movement and the assessment of this activity by contemporaries are considered. Various conceptual approaches to overcoming the Soviet in the field of international relations, which were formulated in Russia at that time, are highlighted. The main directions of using anti-communist rhetoric in building relations with a number of states, successes and failures in this direction are outlined. The conclusion is made about the preservation of the ideological component in the Russian foreign policy of the first post-Soviet years, despite the declarations on the de-ideologization of this sphere. It is noted that the anti-communism of the new government has not always been an effective tool in achieving foreign policy goals and has not always found a positive assessment even in Western countries.

The quality of readiness of university graduates (majoring in «General Medicine») and residency graduates (majoring in «Therapy») to provide primary health care to the adult population is an objective problem in practical healthcare. In this regard, the goal of the study was set: to determine the level of knowledge of university graduates majoring in «General Medicine» and residency graduates majoring in «Therapy» of medical educational organizations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation on conducting medical, preventive medical examinations, dispensary observation of patients with diseases and (or) conditions according to the major «Therapy» and monitoring the effectiveness of measures for dispensary observation. The methodological basis of the study was a systematic and competent approach to determining the level of knowledge of graduates. The level of knowledge of graduates was determined by using a testing method. 1695 sixth-year students of medical faculties and 449 second-year residency students majoring in «Therapy» took part in the testing. The study has showed that the level of knowledge among graduates is heterogeneous. The identified problem in the development of knowledge in preventive activities among students majoring in «General Medicine» and residency students majoring in «Therapy» determined the directions for improving the system of students’ training.

Currently, environmental education is of great importance in the system of vocational education and training, which is interpreted by the fact that effective social formation is determined by the awareness of the need to correct the existing state of the natural environment. The critical state of nature leads to an alarming state, rather than the state of the economy, politics, morality and culture of society. The vital activity of an individual contributes to the fundamental transformations of nature, including the entire biosphere as a whole. Natural ecological systems in most countries become unfavorable for human habitation, and also negatively affect it. Today there is a dominant need for the formation of a harmonious interaction of the individual with the natural environment. Liberation from a critical bioecological situation cannot arise automatically, by chance, it, as a rule, projects sufficiently responsible socio-economic, political and socio-legal measures from the position of society, as well as world restructuring in the spiritual and practical relations of man to the natural environment. The formation of an ecological culture based on universal norms and motives is understood as an internal condition of pedagogical education and upbringing. The way out of this problem requires significant dynamic restructuring in almost all elements of the modern education system and upbringing of the younger generation, which directly relates to the personality of the prospective teacher, since the ability of young people to part with the position of boundless attitude to the environment depends for the most part on his universal, including ecological culture. The development of the ecological culture of prospective specialists is a psychological and pedagogical process focused on the multiplication of ecological ideas, concepts of the interaction of professional and environmental behavior, the formation of bioecological values and motivation of readiness for environmental-oriented life in the professional sphere. The acquisition of the necessary effectiveness of the development of ecological culture of pedagogical university students creates a set of psychological and pedagogical conditions. Following many researchers, we consider the development of ecological culture to be the task of environmental education. In the presented paper, the pedagogical concept of the formation of the ecological culture of prospective teachers in the process of their education at a pedagogical university, based on the leading ideas of the concept of sustainable development and three key approaches – desmoecological, synergetic and culturological, is formulated and well-substantiated.

This paper is the second one in the series «Portraits of subjects of the educational process» and is devoted to the second status subject of the educational process – the modern student. Despite the fact that schoolchildren and students are presented as a single group of students, their portraits are analyzed progressively in order, on the one hand, to identify features characteristic of a particular age period, and on the other one, to trace the changes that have occurred in them over time. A feature of material selection for the study was the emphasis on the negative aspects of the portrait, identified by theorists and practitioners. The general portrait of the student revealed the following features: pragmatism, desire for independence, high pace of life, infantilism, clip thinking, desire to receive benefits without effort, willingness to put pressure on others, etc. According to the author’s concept, consideration of the student’s portrait is formally constructed similarly to the teacher’s portrait presented in the first paper of the series, and also has an identical three-part structure, but with content relevant to the research subject. Key features are covered in three dimensions: professional is determined by the opinion of teachers and employers; personal is connected with family and family ties; public – with school, friends, mass media (media), social networks.

This paper deals with teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP), focused on the professional training of prospective economists of various fields of activity: managers, accountants, sociologists, specialists in the sphere of economic security. The authors indicate that the most difficult aspect of foreign language for students is the lexical aspect, the problem of enriching the active vocabulary precisely, since being under permanent growing flow of information; the students who already possess basic knowledge are not always motivated to memorize and actively use new lexical units. They prefer using the constructions, words, concepts and terms which they have learned before. It concerns mostly idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs, which differ in specific semantic characteristics and structure, as well as the complexity of their practical application. However, the use of such structures in speech ensures a successful improvement of a foreign language communicative competence and an integrative approach is proposed for the development and strengthening of motivation in the preparation of methodological textbooks and tasks. It is underlined that when preparing individual stages of the educational course, orientation to the professional use of a foreign language should be taken into account with the analysis of target situations and subsequent consideration of the compliance of tasks and applied forms of work with the needs of prospective economists in specific situations of their professional activities.

The paper substantiates the importance of modern youth’s value orientations formation for building a humanistic society. The role of the educational space of the university is indicated, in which training and education are optimally combined in introducing young people to values. The possibilities of using a national-regional component in physical education classes for modern youth’s value orientations formation at the university are revealed: the use of the national-regional component allows familiarizing a young person with the culture of his/her people, instill interest in its history, creating conditions for understanding the significance of traditional national spiritual values and their appropriation. The pedagogical significance of national sports use in the educational process is revealed, which consists in its capabilities in educating morality, character, volitional qualities, in creating a certain mood, in developing interest in ethnic creativity. The results of the study of the effectiveness of national-regional component implementation in the educational activities of physical education and sports departments of six largest universities of Tatarstan are presented. It is substantiated that within insufficient legal framework for the implementation of the national-regional component in the educational process of the university in general and in the course «Physical culture», in particular, a significant part of teachers implement the national-regional component in physical education classes by means of folk outdoor games and national sports which is an effective means of modern youth’s value orientations formation at a university.

The paper is devoted to the disclosure of the pedagogical and educational potential of the choral competition as a creative project aimed at improving their musical and performing competencies of prospective teachers-musicians. The paper substantiates the importance of cultural and educational environment of the choral collective, which has a direct controlling effect on the personality of a prospective teacher, his or her spiritual and moral upbringing in the educational process of a university. Preparation for a choral performance competition is considered in the form of stages of successive motivated actions of a teacher and students to achieve the planned result. The work on the competition program is carried out in an educational environment of creative interaction, creates prerequisites for personal growth of each participant and involves introducing students to choral music with a high level of spiritual content. Mastering the moral system, the «ethical code» in the works of Russian sacred music contributes to the awareness of the choir members of the power of the influence of sacred music on the development of their ethical sides. The bright emotional intensity of the competitive performance, creative enthusiasm enhance the productivity of creative solutions, the manifestation of the abilities, personal and professional qualities of students, the affirmation of the value of everyone in the conditions of the competition. Reflection and introspection of the competitive execution of the program develop the independence and critical thinking of the participants, confirms their professional position. Overcoming performing difficulties, solving problematic situations contribute to improving the level of professional training of prospective teachers-musicians, their «social hardening». The interaction of the choir members teaches the distribution of roles in society, gives an idea of the continuity of norms, rules, values of life.

This paper considers a linguoculturological approach to teaching a foreign language, a method of projects as one of the most effective methods in the process of developing a linguocultural competence among secondary school students. The authors consider the stages of work on short-term projects or lesson projects. The authors propose to comply with four stages: preparation, planning, research, presentation and assessment of the results of project activities. The analysis of the Spotlight 8 educational and methodological complex allowed the authors to propose a transformation of the tasks of the sections marked «Project» from tasks for the written skills development into full-fledged lesson projects, having developed all necessary stages, assessment criteria, options for implementation and development of the project. The paper proposes a development of short-term projects for the modules of the Spotlight 8 textbook. The development includes a full-fledged lesson scenario for a lesson project in a specific module, assessment criteria that can be useful to the teacher both for assessing an individual, and a paired, group project. The paper may be of interest to teachers of a foreign language, methodologists, teachers of educational organizations of additional education, teachers supervising project activities. The developed evaluation scheme, detailed stages of work on a lesson project will be interesting and useful for an English teacher.

The paper deals with the role of summer teaching practice in student’s personal and professional qualities development, in activating his/her work on himself/herself, in acquiring the student’s first professional experience, in professional and pedagogical development of the personality of the prospective teacher, and substantiates the need for purposeful, systematic and consistent training of students for the implementation of professional activities of the counselor during summer teaching practice. The authors have revealed possibilities of psychological and pedagogical academic courses and specialized academic courses implemented in different universities («Organization of educational work in a summer health camp», «Organization of summer holidays for children and adolescents», «Teaching for summer practice», «Fundamentals of counselor activities») as well as forms of practical training of students for professional activities of a leader (instructive camps, instructive and methodological camps, instructional fees, field workshops) in effective preparing students for summer teaching practice. The experience of Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education in teaching students – prospective teachers for summer pedagogical practice in the process of mastering the content of the academic course «Fundamentals of Leadership Activities» is presented. As a result students can carry out independent educational work with children and adolescents during summer holidays, they can implement forms, methods and techniques of educating schoolchildren in a summer health camp; they have a responsible and creative attitude to educational work with children and adolescents.

The paper discusses the types and features of school expeditions and their role in the meta-subject approach of teaching schoolchildren. An expedition is an off-site event that is conducted according to a developed program in order to learn and study the territory and/or several objects. Depending on the goals and objectives, research, educational, historical and local history school expeditions are distinguished. An educational expedition is understood as an extensive, well-designed event organized by teachers of various subjects to consolidate the knowledge of students acquired at school, to acquire skills to solve various problems in society. The educational expedition can be used both in regular and extracurricular activities in order to implement a meta-subject approach in teaching schoolchildren. Since 2021, the educational project «Interesting lessons in sneakers» has been implemented in Secondary School № 14 of Novocheboksarsk of the Chuvash Republic. A program, a scenario, didactic materials, feedback questionnaires are compiled for each educational expedition, and the necessary documents are prepared for the organization and holding of the event. Within the framework of the project, 6 field educational expeditions were conducted with a total coverage of more than 160 people: «Time to fly», «In the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe», «Sursky Frontier», «A visit to the marmots», «Tsvetik-semitsvetik», «BBK». Conducting educational expeditions increases the natural science functional literacy of students, develops cognitive and research skills.

The paper deals with the analysis of the concepts: «methodology», «author’s technique» and «teaching technology». The author’s methodology in music pedagogy is revealed through the concepts: «author’s concept», «teaching system», «innovative activity of the teacher», «a set of non-standard methods, techniques and teaching aids», which are aimed at developing musical abilities, revealing the creative potential of students, taking into account the personality of the teacher. The paper contains conclusions about the purpose of the author’s methodology, about its structural representation as a sequence of actions aimed at achieving the goal, about the content of specific methods and techniques, about the criteria and indicators of its effectiveness to determine the conditions that promote or limit its application. The paper presents brief characteristics of the author’s methods in music pedagogy: the author’s method of using musical instruments for the development of musical hearing among preschool children (E.I. Zotkina); the author’s technique (A.A. Piliciauskas), which uses a method of understanding the intoned meaning of a work and a method of understanding a personal meaning of a musical composition; the author’s technique (K.A. Martinsen), characterized by the transition from a technical education to an internal one and from the internal one to a private one; the author’s technique SITO (V.G. Razhnikova); the author’s technique Cheryl Porter «Cheryl Porter vocal method».