Spatial population structure in forest voles of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clethrionomys</Emphasis> in the southern taiga of the Middle Irtysh region

A comparative analysis of spatial population structure in the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus Pall.) and large-toothed red-backed vole (Cl. rufocanus Sund.) has been performed in the middle taiga zone of the Middle Irtysh region (Omsk oblast). Populations of these species are represented by sets of territorial groups whose numbers and spatial distribution change from year to year depending on the ratio of these species in a biotope and their population density. There is no significant interspecific competition between cohabitant Cl. rutilus and Cl. rufocanus. In particular, this follows from the fact that the population density and distribution pattern of one species are independent of those of the other species. It has been found that the size of home ranges in Cl. rutilus inversely depends on its population density, with that in Cl. rufocanus remaining approximately the same at different population densities, and that the structure of the resident part of the population in both species changes during the season, as voles from neighboring habitats or dispersing voles settle in the study area.     

Changes in the structure of chortobiont invertebrate community exposed to emissions from a copper smelter

The aboveground phytomass of meadow plants and the density of chortobiont invertebrates in secondary upland meadows were estimated using a biocenometer in three areas differing in the level of pollution with emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter (Revda, Sverdlovsk oblast) in 2006 and 2007. As the smelter is approached, the total amount of phytomass (dry weight) decreases by a factor of 1.3–1.9, with the proportion of grasses reaching 100%; the total abundance of invertebrates increases two-to threefold due to sucking phytophages, which account for up to 80% of the invertebrate community. The abundance of gnawing phytophages near the smelter is reduced, with some taxa entirely missing (e.g., mollusks and phalangiid harvestmen). Rearrangements in chortobiont community structure are attributable to changes in the physiological state of plants and in the species diversity and architecture of the herbaceous layer, with consequent modification of hydrothermal conditions in it, as well as by the direct toxic effect of heavy metals.     

Long-Term Dynamics of Winter Communities of Forest Birds in the Ilmen Nature Reserve

Quantitative data of winter bird censuses in forest habitats of the Ilmen Nature Reserve (1986–2010) have been analyzed with regard to changes in the monthly average, maximum, and minimum temperatures and precipitation in the period from December to February. No warming trend has been revealed in the reserve over the study period, The dynamics of bird population structure in winter has proved to be independent of weather conditions, despite significant interannual fluctuations. The most significant factors of long-term dynamics of abundance of wintering birds include population density in the previous nesting period, the seed yield of the main food plants, and local migration of wintering species.     

The effect of quantitative variables of forage vegetation on the structure of ruminant guilds

An interrelation between the structure of ruminant guilds and forage species structure depend on food consumption/supply proportion. The success in competition is determined not only by adaptive advantages of consumer species but also by their specific food benefits, which root in habitat vegetation structure. It is proposed that consumer coexistence in the chronologically former guilds is rather neutral for lack of considerable benefits and advantages. Inversely, some species of further guilds are able to dominate others using adaptive advantages more than food benefits of pastures. Resource shortage and competition in consumer guilds may be an indicator of community transformation or at least feature of guild novelty.     

The status of mammal populations in the middle Urals and factors determining their distribution and density

Changes in the distribution and abundance of some game mammals have been analyzed over the past 100–150 years. Correlations between changes in the population density of species in slightly and strongly transformed habitats have been revealed, which show that the influence of anthropogenic factors on the population density of species has a highly complex pattern. Transformation of habitats leads to disturbances in the species composition of communities, changes in the population density of species, and disruption of functional relationships between them.     

Patterns of the formation of bird population in the lake-river system of the Asian Subarctic mountains based on the example of the Putorana Plateau

This paper analyzes the patterns of the formation of the aquatic and semiaquatic bird species population under the conditions of the altitudinal zonality of the Putorana Plateau. The population density and abundance of a number of background species was ascertained to decrease from the subalpine belt towards the forest and alpine belt. The bird population density in all the considered aquatic and semiaquatic habitats was revealed to change in a rather narrow range of values: the maximal population density indicator in aquatic and semiaquatic habitats is only 1.9 times higher than the minimal indicator. In the mountainous Subarctic region with a radial macrosymmetry, the spatial dynamics of abundance has a concentrically centrifugal nature in many aquatic and semiaquatic bird species.     

上海郊区三类典型生境的两栖类分布特征

上海郊区农田,林地,湿地(池塘)三类典型生境是两栖类最主要的栖息地,生境的差异以及两栖类生态特征的不同造成了两栖类在分布上的差异。2014年和2016年5~8月对上海郊区三类典型生境的30个研究样点两栖类生物多样性进行调查,并运用单因素方差分析对三类生境的两栖类群落结构进行比较,通过层次聚类法分析不同生境的两栖类组成相似性。结果显示:(1)两年间共记录到上海郊区两栖类动物1目4科4属5种5 397只,其中泽陆蛙(Fejervarya multistriata),金线侧褶蛙(Pelophylax plancyi)为优势种。黑斑侧褶蛙(Pelophylax nigromaculata),中华蟾蜍(Bufo gargarizans),饰纹姬蛙(Microhyla fissipes)为常见种。这5种两栖类都为广型分布种。(2)三类生境的两栖类物种丰富度无显著性差异,而两栖类多度差异显著。(3)泽陆蛙,饰纹姬蛙的种群密度在三类生境中差异显著,且在农田生境中最高。黑斑侧褶蛙,金线侧褶蛙的种群密度在三类生境中差异显著且在池塘生境中最高。中华蟾蜍在三类生境中的种群密度无显著性差异。(4)聚类结果为30个研究样点中林地生境与池塘生境被聚为一类,农田生境被单独聚为一类。建议通过对不同生境的保护与恢复达到对上海郊区两栖类生物多样性保护的目的。     

The relative importance of sexual reproduction and clonal propagation in rhizomatous herb Iris japonica Thunb. from two habitats of Jinyun Mountain, Southwest China

Reproductive behaviour of clonal plants might change in contrasting habitats. In field and simulated experiments, we studied the relative importance of sexual reproduction and clonal propagation in rhizomatous herb, Iris japonica Thunb. in two forest habitats (BF, bamboo forest and OAFE, open area of forest edge), and effects of population origin (BF vs. OAFE) and environmental effects (shading) on sexual vs. clonal reproduction. In field experiment, the relative importance of reproduction in I. japonica populations was different in two habitats, which showed predominantly sexual reproduction in OAFE and clonal propagation in BF. In simulated experiment, the effect of population origin and light treatment (shading) was significant for reproduction of I. japonica. Clonal propagation was only influenced by population origin, and sexual reproduction was determined both by population origin and light treatment. A trade-off between two reproductive modes exhibited in both experiments. The trade-offs was more obvious in OAFE than in BF because sexual reproduction, resource and inter-specific competition obviously lacked in BF. The results indicated that the selective forces shaping reproduction of I. japonica in contrasting habitats might demonstrate pronounce adaptive population differentiation among forest habitats. Thus, I. japonica populations formed local differentiation by adaptation of reproduction to local heterogeneous forest habitats.     

Trends in the formation of biotopic complexes of bumblebees (Hymenoptera, Apidae: Bombini) in northern taiga karst landscapes of the Western Russian Plain

Main trends in the formation of biotopic complexes of bumblebees in the northern taiga zone are analyzed. It is proposed that Eurasian forest species of bumblebees (Bombus (Th.) schrencki, B. (Mg.) consobrinus, etc.) are coadaptively connected with entomophilous plant species belonging to the synusia of Eurosiberian riverine-mountain meadow tall herbage, with the numbers of species in both biotic groups (pollinating insects and plants) and their abundance being greater in the landscape characterized by a high degree of karstification. In the biotopic bumblebee complex of a large river valley, the relative abundance of forest bumblebee species is 2.5–5.3 times lower than in other complexes, whereas that of meadow species is two orders of magnitude higher due to favorable thermal conditions and a large number of habitats with mesophilic herbage and legumes. Each of the distinct ecogeographic groups of bumblebees and the corresponding synusiae (each comprising entomophilous plants of different taxonomic groups) appear to be coadapted. This is probably a result of the diffuse coevolution of pollinators and plants belonging to the genetically unified biota.     

Grazing,forest density,and carbon storage: towards a more sustainable land use in Caatinga dry forests of Brazil

Grazing is the main land use in semi-arid regions of the world, and sustainable management practices are urgently needed to prevent their degradation. However, how different grazing intensities affect forest density and ecosystem functions is often not sufficiently understood to allow for management adaptations that safeguard the ecosystems and their functions in the long run. We assessed the aboveground carbon stocks and plant densities along a grazing gradient in the semi-arid seasonally dry tropical forest of north-eastern Brazil (Caatinga). On 45 study plots, we analysed the aboveground carbon stocks of the vegetation and determined forest density and recruitment as well as the population structure of the most abundant tree species. Grazing intensity was accounted for based on the weight of livestock droppings and classified as low, intermediate, or high. Mean aboveground carbon stock was 15.74?±?1.92 Mg ha^?1 with trees and shrubs accounting for 89% of the total amount. Grazing at high intensities significantly reduced aboveground carbon stocks of herbs but not of other plant functional types. Instead, aboveground carbon stocks of trees and shrubs were negatively related to altitude above sea level, which is a proxy for reduced water availability along with lower anthropogenic impact. The population structure of the most common tree species was characterised by abundant recruitment, irrespective of grazing, whereas the recruitment of less frequent woody species was negatively affected by grazing. Overall, our data imply that grazing and forage management need to be adapted, including the reduction of free-roaming livestock and storage of fodder, to maintain carbon storage and forest density.     

川东平行岭谷区野生春剑伴生植物群落特征研究

为了对春剑野生种群生物多样性保护和再引入生态重建提供理论和技术基础，采用典型样地调查法，对川东平行岭谷区野生春剑伴生植物群落特征进行了研究。结果表明：野生春剑主要分布在松科与壳斗科针阔混交林、壳斗科常绿 落叶阔叶混交林和松树林植物群落，伴生植物有40科58属70种，优势种主要是乔木层的马尾松、青冈、巴山松、油松等，灌木层的杜鹃花、马桑、山茶花等，草本层的蕨类和地被层的苔藓。其中，马尾松、杜鹃花、蕨类、苔藓具有较高的重要值，可作为野生春剑栖息地的指示植物。春剑伴生植物种类具有相对的特异性和选择性，与其它群落相比，群落3、群落4和群落6物种多样性指数H′和均匀度指数E都相对较低，松科和壳斗科植物个体数量较多并占有突出地位，春剑种群的生态密度也相对较高。虽然川东平行岭谷区野生春剑的适生生境条件依然存在，但春剑种群数量总体较小，种群的生态密度在11～60株/hm2，人为破坏性的滥采，是其濒危的直接原因。加强野生春剑资源的就地保护和生境保护，突破春剑种子野生环境共生萌发技术瓶颈，积极开展春剑的“再引入”工作，是春剑保育策略的重要方向     

Assessment of phytomass changes in an alpine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geranium-Hedysarum</Emphasis> meadow after the removal of dominants: The results of a ten-year experiment

Changes in the aboveground phytomass of a Geranium-Hedysarum meadow community and its constituent species after the removal of dominants, Geranium gymnocaulon and Hedysarum caucasicum, over ten years have been studied in the Northwestern Caucasus. Responses of individual species to this intervention have been revealed. It has been shown that the phytomass of nondominant species increases under such conditions, but this cannot fully counterbalance the loss of phytomass resulting from the removal of dominants. Dominant species of Geranium-Hedysarum meadows exert different influences on the community structure and also compete with each other. However, this competition is fairly weak, which is probably due to considerable divergence of these species with respect to resource consumption.     

Impact of urban anthropogenic pollution on seed production,morphological and biochemical characteristics of chamomile,Matricaria chamomila L.

It has been shown that the growth of technogenic dust pollution is accompanied by the accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plant phytomass, compared to the control, and that the morphometric and reproductive characteristics of Matricaria chamomila are most sensitive to the impact of these pollutants. The response of plants is manifested in increased variation in morphological characters, mobilization of compensatory protective biochemical mechanisms, and production of more viable seed progeny.     

Changes in the structure of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dactylorhiza incarnata</Emphasis> (L.) Soó population during the overgrowing of a meadow-bog community complex in the Moscow region

The overgrowing of meadow-bog communities by shrubs and trees (age 5–40 years, crown closure 0.4–0.9) leads to a decrease in incident illumination. As a consequence, juvenile and generative plants disappear from D. incarnata population loci, their average ecological density decreases, and the loci enter the state of regression. The digging activity of wild boars disrupts phytocenotically closed groups of longirhizomatous herbs, thereby creating favorable conditions for seed reproduction of D. incarnata. The species begins to form population loci with a complete ontogenetic spectrum and high ecological density, eventually restoring the normal (definitive) population structure.     

Variations in the annual increment and net production of Hylocomium splendens in the southern taiga forests of Krasnoyarsk krai

The dynamics of annual increments in the glittering wood-moss Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp. in B.S.G. has been studied in different forest types (Kezhemskii district, Krasnoyarsk krai). The linear increment and phytomass of mosses have been measured over 7 years. The density of moss mats has been determined, and parameters of annual aboveground production under different growing conditions have been compared.     

Micromosaic structure and phytomass of ground vegetation in main types of dark conifer forests in the Pechora-Ilych state nature reserve

The micromosaic structure of plant communities in dark conifer forests of dwarf shrub-true moss, boreal small herb-true moss, tall fern, and boreal tall herb subsections was studied in the Pechora-Ilych reserve. A typological scheme of microsites was constructed and the alpha-diversity of plants was assessed in microsites of different types; dominant and high-constancy species were identified. The proportions of area occupied by different microsites in test plots were calculated, and amounts of aboveground and belowground phytomass were estimated for every vascular plant species, dominant moss species, and the moss synusia as a whole in microsites of each type.     

Population of birds in the boreal mountain-valley landscape disturbed by gold mining

The article characterizes the changes in the species composition and population of birds of the boreal mountain-valley landscape in connection with disturbances caused by extraction of gold (based on researched material in the Bureya Mountains, Far East). It displays the ratio of faunal assemblages and layered bird groupings in the technogenic habitats (lixiviation and open-pit dump sites of 1–5 years of age and 35–40 years of age) and undisturbed sites of river valleys. On the basis of coefficient of inclusion and similarity, we compared the populations of birds of different habitats either on species composition or taking into account the density of species.     

Small mammals in the diets of the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) and Short-eared Owl (A. flammeus) in the south of Western Siberia

Diets of the Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, closely related species with overlapping ranges, have been studied in the south of Western Siberia (the Baraba Lowland) by analyzing bone remains in pellets. The results show that both species in the south of the Baraba Lowland employ similar strategies of food resource use, which, however, differ in some aspects. In the Short-eared Owl, the hunting range is apparently more restricted. During the nesting period, these birds occupy relatively moist habitats along riverbanks and protect their hunting grounds. The Long-eared Owl nests in mainly mesic habitats, in forest outliers, and can supplement its diet with shrews (Sorex) and steppe rodent species. The diets of both species largely consist of murine rodent species that are dominant or subdominant in the small mammal community of the Baraba forest-steppe. Seasonal and interannual variations in the food spectra of both species have been revealed.     

Land-use and land-cover effects on regional biodiversity distribution in a subtropical dry forest: a hierarchical integrative multi-taxa study

Latin American subtropical dry ecosystems have experienced significant human impact for more than a century, mainly in the form of extensive livestock grazing, forest products extraction, and agriculture expansion. We assessed the regional-scale effect of land use and land cover (LULC) on patterns of richness distribution of trees, birds, amphibians, and mammals in the Northern Argentine Dry Chaco (NADC) over c. 19 million hectares. Using species distribution models in a hierarchical framework, we modeled the distributions of 138 species. First, we trained the models for the entire Argentinean Chaco with climatic and topographic variables. Second, we modeled the same species for the NADC including the biophysical variables identified as relevant in the first step plus four LULC-related variables: woody biomass, distance to crops, density of livestock-based rural settlements (puestos), and vegetation cover. Third, we constructed species richness maps by adding the models of individual species and considering two situations, with and without LULC variables. Four, richness maps were used for assessing differences when LULC variables are added and for determining the main drivers of current patterns of species richness. We found a marked decrease in species richness of the four groups as a consequence of inclusion of LULC variables in distribution models. The main factors associated with current richness distribution patterns (both negatively) were woody biomass and density of livestock puestos. Species richness in present-day Semiarid Chaco landscapes is strongly affected by LULC patterns, even in areas not transformed to agriculture. Regional-scale biodiversity planning should consider open habitats such as grasslands and savannas in addition to woodlands.     

Expansion of invasive alien plant species in the republic of Bashkortostan, the Southern Urals: Analysis of causes and ecological consequences

The causes and ecological consequences of alien plant species invasions in the Southern Urals are analyzed. Aggressive invasive species of North American origin??Ambrosia trifida L., A. psylostachya DC., Cyclachaena xanthiifolia (Nutt.) Fresen., Hordeum jubatum L., Oenothera biennis L., Bidens frondosa L., etc.??have invaded synanthropic and natural plant communities and became dominant, with their proportion varying from 10 to 99%. The biomass of these plants may reach 6 kg/m²; density, more than 1000 shoots per square meter; and seed production, up to 30000 seeds per plant, which explains their dominance in communities. The ecological hazard they pose lies in the displacement of native species, overgrowing of disturbed land areas, and allergenicity of their pollen.