Willow and Rock Ptarmigan Monitoring in Russia: An Historic Overview.

Abstract

—The Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) and Rock Ptarmigan (L. muta) are among the most numerous species of ptarmigan in Russia. Their ranges cover most of the tundra zone and the alpine zone of some mountains. Willow Ptarmigan also breed in the bogs found in forest and forest-steppe zones of Russia and adjacent countries. During the Pleistocene, their ranges were much larger and extended as far south as 40oN, and in the Holocene, the ranges of both species experienced several episodes of shrinkage and expansion. Range shrinkage is currently evident in many areas of Russia; for example, several southern enclaves recently ceased to exist. The density of Willow Ptarmigan is substantial in the tundra zone, and the current advancement of shrubs to the north, evident throughout the Arctic, makes the habitat even more hospitable. In general, the effect of global warming on habitat appears beneficial for ptarmigan in the northern Palearctic. Current global climate predictions suggest that snow cover depth will be decreasing in the European part of Russia, and increasing in northeast Asia in the coming decade. This means that overwintering conditions for ptarmigan would be somewhat favorable in the European north because shrub parts would be more accessible. Deeper snow predicted for northeast Asia might cover most of the shrubs and limit the numbers of ptarmigan there. Ptarmigan were monitored in various localities throughout their range in Russia, but these efforts came to an end in the early 1990s with the cessation of the fur trade and the demise of the monitoring agencies. New restructured agencies have no monitoring schemes in place, or they exist only on paper and are not supported by funds and trained personnel. Received 1 March 2011, accepted 31 May 2011. POTAPOV, R., AND E. POTAPOV. 2011. Willow and Rock Ptarmigan monitoring in Russia: An historic overview. Pages 213–228 in R. T. Watson, T. J. Cade, M. Fuller, G. Hunt, and E. Potapov (Eds.). Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World, Volume II. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.4080/gpcw.2011.0221