СООБЩЕСТВА МЕЛКИХ МЛЕКОПИТАЮЩИХ СЕВЕРНОЙ ЛЕСОСТЕПИ ТОБОЛО-ИШИМСКОГО МЕЖДУРЕЧЬЯ

Abstract

The paper summarises the material on the communities of small mammals in the northern forest-steppe of the Tobol-Ishim interfluve (the South Trans-Ural region). A brief history of the study of this group of animals is reviewed. The use of two accounting methods (cones with guide systems and trap lines) made it possible to identify the species composition most fully. 18 species of insectivores and rodents have been registered in the studied territory. At the same time, the species composition, the group of background and dominant species, and the indicators of the total abundance of small mammals in the studied territory were largely determined by the specifics of the animal accounting method. The core of small mammals of the northern forest-steppe of the Tobolo-Ishim interfluve consisted of species tending to moistened habitats – common and pigmy shrew. In general, regardless of the method of accounting animals, they were characterized by low abundance in the study period.