Pyotr Vtorov Explained

Pyotr Petrovich Vtorov
Birth Date:	1 August 1938
Birth Place:	Moscow, USSR
Death Date:	5 January 1979 (aged 40)
Death Place:	Moscow, USSR
Workplaces:	Central Research Laboratory for Nature Conservation
Alma Mater:	Moscow State University
Known For:	Synthetic Biogeography
Field:	Biogeography, Zoology

Pyotr Petrovich Vtorov (; 1938–1979) was a Soviet scientist biogeographer, ecologist, zoologist and nature conservation activist. He founded a new direction of scientific research called Synthetic Biogeography, and developed a scientific concept for the creation of reference areas of the biosphere. He was an author of textbooks, a guide to birds, scientific and popular books.^[1]

Biography

Born on August 1, 1938, in a family of architects of Stalin's high-rises in Moscow.

During the Great Patriotic War, he was evacuated to the city of Kuibyshev (now Samara). After returning, the house in Moscow was destroyed by a bomb and the family moved to their aunt in the village of Malakhovka near Moscow.

Since 1952 he actively attended the Club of Young Biologists of the State Darwin Museum. In 1955 he graduated from high school, and was winner of the Moscow Biology Olympiad.^[2]

In 1959, from the 3rd year of the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute, he was transferred to the second year of the Geography Faculty of the Moscow State University. Then he worked 8 years in field research in the Tien Shan, he published dozens of papers and several scientific monographs in biogeography and biogeophysics.^[3] In 1967 he received PhD in biological sciences under the guidance of Professor A. P. Kuzyakin.^[4] At the Tien Shan Physico-Geographical Station, he founded and headed the department of biogeography and wrote a number of monographs. In 1968 he developed a research program for the study of energy, chemical and information interactions in terrestrial ecological systems of various types.

In 1971, he returned to Moscow with his family and went to work as a senior researcher at the Central Scientific Research Laboratory for Nature Conservation.

He continued systematic field research using his own methods already throughout Soviet Central Asia.

Pyotr Vtorov collaborated with more than 30 scientists, taxonomists, who, using the materials he collected, described several dozen species of invertebrates that were new to science. Some of them were named after him:

• Collembola: Cryptopygus vtorovi, Martynova, 1978,^[5] Drepanura vtorovi, Martynova, 1970,^[6] Folsomia vtorovi, Martynova, 1971, Friesea vtorovi, Tshelnokov, 1977,^[7] Onychiurus vtorovi, Martynova, 1976,^[8] Parisotoma vtorovi, Martynova, 1977^[9]
• Pseudoscorpionida, Dactylochelifer vtorovi, Mahnert, 1977.^[10]
• Oribatida:^[11] Cultoribatula vtorovi, Krivolutsky, 1971, Furcoppia vtorovi, Krivolutsky, 1971,^[12] Oxyoppia vtorovi, Rjabinin, 1987^[13]
• Diptera,^[14] Campsicnemus vtorovi, Negrobov & Zlobin, 1978,^[15] Cheilosia vtorovi, Peck, 1969^[16]

Popularization of science

Vtorov independently learned English, Kyrgyz, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Czech. He actively translated and reviewed world literature in the Soviet Abstracts Journals. In 1969, he and his colleagues wrote a Russian-Kyrgyz phrasebook.^[17]

In 1978, according to the new Soviet School Program, a textbook for students of pedagogical institutes Biogeography was published. He proposed a new term Biofilotа.

In 1980, another textbook for students and teachers was published, in which P. Vtorov showed his long-standing passion for ornithology Identifier of birds of the USSR fauna. The book was illustrated by the ornithologist and artist Yu. V. Kostin.

Some of his textbooks with Nikolay Drozdov were translated from Russian:

• Bulgarian: Второв П. П., Дроздов М. М. Биогеография на континентите. София: Нар. просвета, 1978. 288 с.
• Polish: Wtorov P. P., Drozdow N. N. Biogeografia kontinentow. Warszawa: Panst. Wyd. Nauk, 1981. 284 p.; Wydanie II. 1988.
• Romanian: Второв П. П., Дроздов Н. Н. Бюгеографк. Кшв.: Вища школа, 1982. 240 с.
• Ukrainian: Второв П. П., Дроздов М. М. Біогеографія. Київ: Вища школа, 1987.

In 1970 Vtorov repeatedly appeared on the Soviet TV show In the World of Animals.

Nature Conservation

Since 1971, Pyotr Vtorov worked in the USSR's only Central Scientific Research Laboratory for Nature Conservation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR. He took part in the creation of the first Red Data Book of the USSR. He studied the nature of protected areas and scientifically substantiated the creation of reference areas of the biosphere. Developed a program for cenotic and ecosystem inventory of protected areas. He worked on problems of community protection, ecosystem protection, biosphere inventory and appraisal.

In 1975 Vtorov prepared and join the Soviet delegation at the 12 General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in Kinshasa (Zaire). As part of the Soviet delegation, he met with President Mabutu. Was elected as a member of the IUCN Commission. Visited the eastern part of Zaire, and the national parks Virunga and Kahuzi-Bega. For the first time a group of zoologists from the USSR was able to see in nature, photograph and describe mountain or eastern gorillas.^{[18] [19]}

In 1976 Vtorov studied the organization of nature conservation in Sweden (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency).^[20]

In 1978 he took part in the preparation and holding of the 14th General Assembly of the IUCN (Ashgabat. September 25 - October 5, 1978). This jubilee Assembly, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the IUCN, brought together leading scientists and conservationists from around the world.

On October 16, 1978, he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University.

On October 19 he was admitted to the Botkin hospital with a diagnosis of a blast crisis (the terminal stage of chronic myelogenous leukemia). He died on January 5, 1979, in this hospital. He was buried at the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery in Moscow.

Bibliography

Most books and papers were published in Russian^[21] Some papers published in other languages:

• Vtorov P. P. The bird population in some ecosystems of Central Tyan-Shan // Proceedings of the 15th International Ornithological Congress: The Hague. 30 Aug. - 5 Sept. 1970. Leiden: Brill, 1972.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. The Distribution of Microarthropods in Spruce Forests of the Chon-Kemin River (Tyan-Shan) // Zoological Journal. 1972. Vol. 51. N 3. P. 370—374.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Springtails (Collembola) and other microarthropods of the high mountains of the western part of the Terskei Ala-Tau range // Journal of Ecology. 1972. Vol. 3. N 4. P. 373—375.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Stratification of the complex of microarthropods of the moss spruce forest (Terskei Ala-Tau, Tien-Shan) // Zool. Anz. Jen. 1975. Vol 53. N 9. P. 1315—1323.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Microarthropods of the arid regions in the Issyk Кul Lake basin // Zoological Journal. 1976. Vol. 55. N 6. P. 1103—1107.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Microarthropods of the Babatag Mountain Ridge // Zoological Journal. 1977. Vol. 56. N 4. P. 502—509.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Complexes of microarthropods in the litter from Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. in two remote regions // Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists: Department of Biological. Vol. 86. N 1. 1981. P. 43-49.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Distribution of microarthropods under the Schrenk spruce (Picea eschrenkiana) at different altitudes in the Issyk Kul Kettle [basin] // Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists: Department of Biological. Vol. 86. N 2. P. 56-62.
• Vtorov P. P., Drozdov N. N., Klaro A., Rivero F. Experience of biogeographic characteristics of arid ecological systems of Cuba: [Vegetation cover, animal population] // Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists: Department of Biological. 1981. Vol. 86. N 5. P. 13-19.
• Vtorov P. P., Martynova E. F. Dynamique des populations de Collemboles du sol-Biomasse et quantite des especes des Monts Tain-Chan (Asie Centrale) // Zool. Anz., Jena, 1982. N 209. P. 47-59.

External links

• • Pyotr Vtorov on History of Russia in Photographs.
• Pyotr Vtorov photos on flickr.

Notes and References

1. In memory of Peter Petrovich Vtorov (1 VIII 1938 — 5 I 1979) // Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists: Department of Biological. 1979. Vol. 84. No 3, p. 110.
2. Drozdov N. N.Pyotr Petrovich Vtorov // Moscow Ornithologists. Moscow: Publishing house of Moscow University. 1999, pp. 84-99.
3. Vtorov I. P., Bakov E. K., Korotayev V. N. Glaciological Studies at the Tian Shan Physico-Geographical Station and R. D. Zabirov’s Contribution to Their Development // Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 41.1 (2020).:143-153.
4. Vtorov P. P. Bioenergetics and biogeography of some landscapes Tersky Alo-Too. Frunze: Ilim, 1968. 167 p.
5. https://www.collembola.org/taxa/anurinae.htm Checklist of the Collembola: Anurophorinae
6. https://www.collembola.org/taxa/entoinae.htm Checklist of the Collembola: Entomobryinae
7. https://www.collembola.org/taxa/frieinae.htm Checklist of the Collembola: Frieseinae
8. https://www.collembola.org/taxa/onycinae.htm Checklist of the Collembola: Onychiurinae
9. https://www.collembola.org/taxa/isotinae.htm Checklist of the Collembola: isotominae
10. Mahnert V.Pseudoskorpione (Arachnida) aus dem Tien-Shan // Berichte des Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinischen Vereins in Innsbruck. Vol. 64. 1977. P. 89-95. PDF
11. Krivolutsky D. A. Some New Oribatoid Mites From Eastern Kirgisia. 1971, pp. 939—942
12. http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/details/species/id/6946933 Furcoppia vtorovi Krivolutsky, 1971
13. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=739799 2004 world oribatid catalog
14. Web site: Campsicnemus vtorovi Negrobov & Zlobin 1978 - Encyclopedia of Life. eol.org.
15. Web site: Campsicnemus vtorovi - Wikispecies. species.wikimedia.org.
16. Cheilosia vtorovi sp. n. // Энтомологическое обозрение. Том 48. 1969. C. 203—204.
17. Abduldaev M., Vtorov P. P., Orozgozhoev B. We are traveling in Kyrgyziya: A short Russian-Kyrgyz phrasebook / Ed. Abduldaev M., Vtorov P.P. Frunze: publishing house Kyrgyzstan, 1969. 132 p. Printed in 14,000 copies.
18. Bannikov A. G., Vtorov P. P., Drozdov N. N. In Virunga National Park // Priroda. 1976. No 8, pp. 108-120.
19. Vtorov P. P., Drozdov N. N. Kakhuzi-Bega - the abode of the gorilla // Priroda. 1976. No 10, pp. 112-123.
20. Vtorov P. P. On nature protection in Sweden // Priroda. 1977. No 7.
21. http://www.ppsvoop.ru/pm.php?p=13 P. P. Vtorov bibliography