Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal. 2021. № 3(39). P. 59—74
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
UDC 599.323:574.3
Starikov Vladimir Pavlovich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor
Surgut State University Volodina Oksana Yurievna, Postgraduate student
Surgut State University
MATERIALS ON THE ECOLOGY OF THE FIELD VOLE Agricola agrestis L., 1761 IN THE FOREST-STEPPE TRANS-URALS
Abstract
For a long time, it was believed that the field vole of the forest-steppe Trans-Urals is a rare species, information about its ecology was practically absent. As a result of studies conducted in 2020 and partly of data obtained in the 1990s, it was found that in the surveys using ditch with pitfalls, this vole was, along with the common shrew Sorex araneus L., 1758, among the dominant species of small mammals of the forest-steppe Trans-Ural region. Here it prevails in forested and semi-open habitats, less of it in near-water habitats, and this animal completely avoids large open spaces. The beginning of reproduction of the field vole in 2020 fell on the end of March — beginning of April. During the observation period (May — August 2020), overwintered female field voles produced three litters, a fourth of them — four; young females bred twice during the same period, an insignificant part of them produced the third litter in August. The average fertility of overwintered females decreased from spring (6.3 embryos per female) to the end of summer (4.0). In May, most of the population is represented by adult overwintered animals. In the summer months, their share in the community structure steadily decreased and by the end of summer it was just over 10%. During May-August, males predominated among adult animals. This dominance is especially pronounced during the period of active reproduction (May, June). In the second half of summer (July-August), females slightly predominated in the counts. Among juveniles, the sex ratio is close to 1 : 1.
Key words
Field vole, forest-steppe Trans-Urals, spatial distribution, abundance, reproduction, population structure.
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Bibliography link to this article:
Starikov V. P., Volodina O. Yu. Materials on the ecology of the field vole Agricola agrestis L., 1761 in the forest-steppe Trans-Urals. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2021, no. 3 (39), pp. 59—74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2021.39.5.