ОСОБЕННОСТИ БИОТОПИЧЕСКОГО РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ ГНЕЗДЯЩИХСЯ ПТИЦ КАРАДАГСКОГО ПРИРОДНОГО ЗАПОВЕДНИКА (КРЫМ)

Abstract

The article gives a classification of biotopes and analyzes the features of the biotopic distribution of nesting birds of the Karadag nature reserve (2874.2 hectares), located in the extreme east of the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains and including the Karadag mountain group (2065.1 hectares) with the adjacent Black Sea water area (809.1 hectares). On the basis of previously developed schemes and taking into account our own research, the following main types of habitats were identified: 1) natural tree and shrub vegetation; 2) open grassy biotopes; 3) rocky landforms; 4) seashore (except for rocky forms); 5) anthropogenic biotopes. Seventy-nine bird species were recorded nesting in the reserve. Ornithocomplex of natural wood and shrub communities includes 52 species, including 40 in oak open woodlands, 21 in juniper open woodlands and 32 in forests. The ornithocomplex of rocks (13 species: 9 on seaside rocks and 10 on off-shore cliffs) is characterized by high specificity as 9 species nest exclusively in these biotopes. The ornithocomplex of open herbaceous habitats is depleted and sparsely specific (10 species, most of which are common with sparse woodlands). The species composition of nesting birds of the sea coast (ground cliffs in bays, beaches with coarse material) is extremely poor (2 species). Thus, the basis of the nesting avifauna of the reserve is formed by the species of tree-shrub and rocky biotopes (in total, 82,3 % of the species composition). These ornithocomplexes include 67–89 % of the species composition of the corresponding habitats in the eastern part of the Mountainous Crimea. On the other hand, the small area, peripheral location and isolation of the Karadag mountain group resulted in the absence of a number of rare species in these biotopes and the low abundance of some species common and numerous in other regions of Eastern Crimea. At least 37 species (46,8 % of nesting avifauna) use anthropogenic biotopes – forest plantations (21 species), park (18), buildings (11), freshwater reservoirs (2). Ten species listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation (7) and Crimea (9) nest in the reserve. Most of them (7 species) inhabit rock and rock-coastal biotopes, including 4 species nesting on coastal cliffs of the Beregovaya ridge. The role of the reserve is significant for preservation of Phalacrocorax aristotelis (about 10 % of the Crimean population) and Falco peregrinus (about 7 %).