Long-term and recent dynamics of the yellow souslik (Spermophilus fulvus, Rodentia, Sciuridae) population from Yeruslan sands of Transvolga regionстатья
Статья опубликована в журнале из списка RSCI Web of Science
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Статья опубликована в журнале из списка Web of Science и/или Scopus
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 22 ноября 2015 г.
Аннотация:The comparative analysis of the yellow souslik population status in Yeruslan Sands of Transvolga region in the early twentieth and twenty-first centuries revealed that the general pattern of the species distribution, habitat preferences and abundance have not mainly changed over 80-year period. During the last 80 years, yellow souslik has maintained the stable population number and lives in dispersed colonies at the low density (<10 ind./ha
after the emergence of young). Yellow sousliks show a strong preference for less disturbed and non-transformed virgin steppe-like habitats on sandy soils. The variation of abundance in time and space is determined by the variation in habitat distribution and heterogeneity, weather conditions and grazing impact, but does not outranges the typical for the species low population densities. During the last decades, significant changes were observed in interspecific interactions with other ground squirrel species. At present,yellow sousliks form mixed hybridized colonies with Spermophillus major, which may threaten the preservation of “pure” settlement of the species at the northern border of the yellow souslik range. The stable long-term population dynamics of yellow souslik in Yeruslan Sands show the importance of the preservation of natural habitats favorable for the species existence