Dynamics of Mouse-Like Rodent Communities in Anthropogenically Disturbed Territories of the Southeast of Western Siberia (Kemerovo Region, Russia)

Abstract

We studied the dynamics of mouse-like rodent communities in the area of self-growing vegetation, which had undergone deforestation. The research is based on the results of continuous monitoring conducted from 1978 to 2019. Pitfall traps was the method of catching small mammals during the monitoring period. We used Simpson’s Diversity Index to quantify species diversity. The community similarity was evaluated by the percentage of species through Czekanowski-Sørensen Index. The studies were carried out near the “Azhendarovo” Biological Station (54°45ʹ N, 87°01ʹ E). The results of the studies showed that natural primeval communities of the taiga zone before deforestation were characterized by a multidominant structure. The dominant group included the Alexandromys oeconomus Pallas, 1776, and codominant species are represented by the genus Clethrionomys. A characteristic feature of the small mammals’ population of taiga forests is the preponderance of the Apodemus peninsulae (Thomas, 1907) over the Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771. On meadowlands, the genus Microtus voles prevailed. These were largely the Al. oeconomus, which accounted for 43% of all mouse-like rodents. After the deforestation, the structure changed. In the early stage of deforestation, the dominant species among rodents was the Al. oeconomus. The composition of dominant species in the recovering areas of cut-down taiga began to approach to the original state 40 years after the deforestation. Meadow communities followed the path of transformation, having no analogs in the initial period and were characterized by a significant amount of ruderal vegetation.

Water vole (Arvicola amphibious) as an object of long-term biomonitoring in a floodplain area (Western Siberia, Russia)

“…The total number of captured individuals was 1,139. Biotopic timing was estimated using the index of fidelity to biotopes proposed by Pesenko (1982), which is conventionally used in studies of small mammals (Ivanter et al, 2017;Ilyashenko et al, 2019Ilyashenko et al, , 2020Ivanter, 2020). The index is calculated using the following formula:…”

“…There are also studies on the transformation of the coastal-swamp complex of small mammals and works assessing the impact of deforestation on populations of small mammals (Bogdziewicz & Zwolak, 2014;Ofori et al, 2016Ofori et al, , 2018Ilyashenko et al, 2019;Sullivan et al, 2019). Only a few of the studies consider not only the negative effects of human activity but also the statuses of populations of small mammals (Raybuck et al, 2012;Attuquayefio et al, 2017;Ilyashenko et al, 2020). However, most studies are short-term; they do not examine population recovery processes.…”

Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) as an object of long-term biomonitoring in a floodplain area (Western Siberia, Russia)

“…There are also studies on the transformation of the coastal-swamp complex of small mammals and works assessing the impact of deforestation on populations of small mammals (Bogdziewicz & Zwolak, 2014;Ofori et al, 2016Ofori et al, , 2018Ilyashenko et al, 2019;Sullivan et al, 2019). Only a few of the studies consider not only the negative effects of human activity but also the statuses of populations of small mammals (Raybuck et al, 2012;Attuquayefio et al, 2017;Ilyashenko et al, 2020). However, most studies are short-term; they do not examine population recovery processes.…”

“…Moreover, the elimination of 20 rural settlements in the flood zone, and at the same time the almost complete cessation of agricultural activities (cultivation of fields and gardens, grazing, haymaking), led to a sharp decrease in the anthropogenic impact on meadow ecosystems. Currently, the territory is under a limited nature use regime, which has led to natural reforestation, overgrowth of arable land, hayfields and pastures (Ilyashenko et al, 2020).…”