Journal of Siberian Federal University. Biology / The Abundance and Spatial Structure of the Red-Backed Vole (Myodes rutilus Pallas, 1779) Populations in Undisturbed and Restored Tundra Biogeocenoses

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Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Biology. 2026 19 (3)
Authors
Petrov, Anatoly N.; Bykhovets, Natalia M.
Contact information
Petrov, Anatoly N.: Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Syktyvkar, Russian Federation); ; ORCID: 0000-0002-7118-1916; Bykhovets, Natalia M.: Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Syktyvkar, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0002-9102-0693
Keywords
Myodes rutilus; restored tundra biogeocenosis; Myodes rutilus; northern red-backed vole; spatial structure; relative abundance
Abstract

Using long-term data (1999–2003; 2018–2023), the abundance and population status of the northern red-backed vole (Myodes rutilus Pallas, 1779), the dominant species in zonal southern tundra communities, were studied in the undisturbed and restored zonal tundra biogeocenoses (the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra, the southern shrub tundra subzone). The negative impact of anthropogenic disturbance of the habitat on the abundance, spatial structure, and population dynamics of the species was revealed. A comparison of the undisturbed and restored zonal tundra biogeocenoses showed a decrease in the overall abundance of the red- backed vole and a significant redistribution of its population in space in the restored area. This redistribution, caused by the successional process, is associated with the trophic- ecological specialization of the species. The analysis demonstrates the negative impact of long-term anthropogenic factors on key characteristics of the abundance, spatial structure, and population dynamics of the red-backed vole, indicating that the demutation process at the ecosystem level has been incomplete for 60 years. The study demonstrates that the soil and plant components of the disturbed biogeocenosis recover faster than the population of small mammals. In our opinion, this is primarily due to the trophic and ecological specialization of the red-backed vole. Reduced phytomass of food groups such as mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs, and fungi in the restored tundra results in low numbers of rodents with a mixed diet, which include the red-backed vole. Increased grass biomass and some deterioration in protective conditions (a thin and unevenly distributed moss–lichen layer, a compacted upper soil horizon, a poorly developed microrelief) indicate that the microenvironmental conditions in the restored area remain lower in quality compared to the undisturbed tundra

Pages
561–579
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/160155

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