The genera Hymenolobus and Hornungia in the flora of the Caucasus occupy a special place among the Cruciferae. First of all, both genera are relatively close, hence the repeated attempts to unite them  in  one  genus  (Hayek,  1924;  Appel,  Al‑Shehbaz,  1997;  German,  2005);  secondly,  they  are spring  ephemerals;  thirdly,  the  plants  of  these  genera  are  of  extremely  small  size;  fourthly,  the ecological niches of representatives of these genera are very limited, although they are different among  themselves. Hymenolobus procumbens was  first  discovered  in  the  Manas‑Samur  region of the Eastern Caucasus. The northernmost known population of H. puberulus was found in the Verkhne‑Sulak botanical and geographical region of the Eastern Caucasus. Ecology of a Hornungia angustilimbata population in the Talginsky Canyon has been studied in detail.

An  examination  of  potential  forage  resources  for  snow  sheep,  or  Siberian  bighorn  sheep  (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz,  1829)  in  the  Polar  Urals,  where  the  introduction  of  these  animals  from  their natural  habitats  in  Northeastern  Yakutia  is  planned,  was  carried  out  at  the  initiative  of  the Governor of the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous District (Russian Federation). The mountain ranges of the Polar Urals have a high degree of similarity with the natural conditions prevailing within the area of the snow sheep, but in the historical past these ungulates were not recorded in the Polar Urals. Therefore, this experiment aimed at expanding the distribution area of snow sheep will involve some risks. In addition to other aspects of introduction, one of the most important is the sufficiency and compliance of the forage base in the new natural area to the snow sheep requirements. This issue is discussed in this publication. According to our observations and literature data, the diet of snow sheep in natural habitats includes 290 species of vascular plants, 21 species of mosses, 20 species of lichens, representatives of 6 genera of cap mushrooms. However, vascular plants, bushy lichens, and seasonal fungi, play the main role in the diet of snow sheep. Forage species of vascular plants belong to almost all of the Boreal region’s families that dominate in terms of diversity, i.e., Poaceae, Cyperaceae,  Salicaceae,  Betulaceae,  Polygonaceae,  Caryophyllaceae,  Ranunculaceae,  Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Ericaceae, and Asteraceae. In fact, the snow sheep consume almost the entire range of plants growing within its habitat to one degree or another. This makes it possible to assume that in the Polar Urals, snow sheep will widely use the substituting species which are closely related to the known forage plants. The known food ration of snow sheep in the Polar Urals includes 157 species of vascular plants, 13 species and representatives of 5 genera of leaf‑stem mosses, more than 20 species of ground lichens, representatives of 3 genera (11 species in total) of epiphytic lichens and 6 genera of fungi. In addition, it is predicted that among the replacement plant species distributed in the Polar Urals, the potential forage resources for these animals will include 166 species of vascular plants, a significant part (up to 99 species) of the 358 known species leaf‑stem mosses, and more than 40 species of lichens. The frequency of occurrence and diversity of cap mushrooms in the Polar Urals is high, and can have a positive effect on the feeding of animals in summer and autumn.

Richard Yazepovich Kondratovich was born in southeastern Latvia in the Saules Kalnes hamlet bordering Belarus. His father was the senior forester Yazep Kondratovich, and his mother Antonina was engaged in raising children, taking care of a big household and working part‑time in a local orphanage. In the period from 1939 to 1950 Richard went to school. From 1950 to 1955, he studied at the P. Stuchka Latvian State University (LSU). After graduating from the university, Richard Kondratovich was appointed director of the Botanical Garden of Latvian State University. In 1957, Richard started his  scientific  work  on  representatives  of  the  genus Rhododendron.  In  1964,  he  defended  his  Ph.D. thesis  on  the  topic  «Introduction  of  rhododendrons  in  the  Latvian  SSR».  In  1981,  two  books  by R. Kondratovich dedicated to rhododendrons were published in Russian. They aroused great inter‑est in this plant and have not lost their significance until now. In 1983, R. Kondratovich defended his doctoral thesis on the topic «Rhododendrons in the Latvian SSR». R. Kondratovich left the position of Director of the Botanical Garden in 1965 and later switched to teaching. Since 1957, R. Kondratovich has  been  carrying  out  research  in  rhododendron  breeding,  which  expanded  significantly  after  the opening of the «Babite» Rhododendron Breeding and Experimental Nursery. It covered an area of 12.1  hectares  and  was  officially  opened  on  July  1,  1980.  In  2018,  there  were  already  117  registered author’s varieties and 76 biological taxa (species and their forms) in the Nursery. The fruitful work was interrupted in February 2017 by illness. Richard Kondratovich passed away on February 17, 2017.