Methodical approach to evaluating the significance of natural and anthropogenic factors of the abundance dynamics of ungulates within the impact zone of the Zeya Reservoir

Abstract

The role of natural and anthropogenic factors in the density dynamics of several model species of wild ungulates (musk deer, roe, and Siberian stag) within the impact zone of the Zeya Reservoir is evaluated according to our long-term data collected in the Zeya Nature Reserve during the years 1986–2010. All the model species have shown significant differences from their natural population density dynamics, including the deepest and longest depressions, and high fluctuations of the abundance. The difference between the average annual population density in the “experimental” (the reservoir boundary) and “reference” (outside the boundary) areas seems to be the most relevant quantitative index of the influence of the reservoir.