Том 44, № 9 (2017)

The species composition and spatial and trophic structures of the macrobenthos communities of the Ermolinskaya Bay were studied, and the main changes that had occurred since previous explorations (the 1960s) were analyzed. The most significant changes in the spatial structure of the macrobenthos community (species diversity, population density and biomass, and similarities of the species’ distribution) were observed with regard to the sea level zone: the most pronounced at the upper littoral, followed by the middle littoral, lower littoral, and sublittoral. The longitudinal gradient of the community structure (from the innermost area seaward) was pronounced less strongly. Altogether, four macrobenthos communities can be identified in Ermolinskaya Bay; they differ in species composition, diversity, population density and biomass, and trophic structure: (1) community of the upper littoral with the dominance of collecting deposit feeders, Hydrobia ulvae, and scrapers, Littorina saxatilis; (2) community of the middle littoral with the prevalence of deposit feeders, Hydrobia ulvae and Macoma balthica, seston feeders, Mya arenaria, and, to a lesser extent, Mytilus edulis; (3) community of the lower littoral with the domination of the filtering organisms, Mytilus edulis, to a lesser extent collecting deposit feeders, Hydrobia ulvae and Macoma balthica, and scrapers, Littorina littorea; and (4) community of the sublittoral, where the leading positions belong to the group of collecting deposit feeders, Macoma balthica, to a lesser extent also Hydrobia ulvae (in the innermost area) and Capitella capitata, Arenicola marina (in the marine part of the bay). The gradual siltation of the bay and the reduction of its connection to the sea have led to the development of a littoral complex of species in the sublittoral, whereas the species typical at the sublittoral in the 1960s are now mainly found at the outlet of the bay.

The apparent adult survival rate is one of the key population parameters of migratory birds. The widely used Cormack–Jolly–Seber capture–mark–recapture model has a number of disadvantages, the main one of which is the impossibility of discerning mortality and permanent emigration. The accuracy of survival estimates can be increased using a multistate capture–mark–recapture model, with the help of which it is possible to assess the survival of successful and unsuccessful birds separately. We used this model to estimate the apparent survival rates of adults in local populations of three ground-nesting passerines: Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata), Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra), and Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), all breeding on abandoned agricultural lands. We studied the reproductive success of 472 marked pairs and analyzed individual capture histories of 814 birds. The previous reproductive success was found to influence significantly the apparent survival of adults. This relation was best expressed in the Yellow Wagtail (apparent survival of successful birds, φ = 0.39 ± 0.06, vs. that of unsuccessful birds, φ = 0.19 ± 0.06) and the Whinchat (apparent survival of successful birds, φ = 0.32 ± 0.05, vs. apparent survival of unsuccessful birds, φ = 0.10 ± 0.05), but a little lower in the Booted Warbler (apparent survival of successful birds, φ = 0.33 ± 0.17, vs. apparent survival of unsuccessful birds, φ = 0.16 ± 0.13). Unsuccessful individuals leave the study area for good, while most of the successful birds return there the next year. Thus, the apparent survival rate of passerines evaluated with capture–recapture models is determined to a considerable degree by the previous reproductive success within local populations.

We studied the phenotypic composition of the populations and variability of songs in two bunting species in three localities on the western border of the sympatry zone: in the southern part of Tyumen’ oblast and in the center and southern of Kurgan oblast. Over the last several decades, the zone of contact of the studied species has expanded significantly. The pine bunting started breeding regularly in the area at the end of the 20th century, and at present it is considered a common species comparable in abundance to the yellowhammer. The share of phenotypic hybrids varies from 25 to 50% reaching its maximum at the boundary of the pine bunting’s nesting range. East of this boundary, the hybridization level is reduced, this being seen in a sharp decrease in the share of “leucocephala hybrids.” An analysis of the phenotypic variability of the hybrids shows that they can be divided into two groups similar in coloration to the parental species. The study results let us presume that the hybridization is limited and hybrids return mostly to backcrossing with the parental species. This presumption also finds support in an analysis of the song structure: the yellowhammer and the pine bunting have songs of different, easily distinguishable dialects.

The geographic variability of the morphological and bioacoustic characteristics of the long-tailed bushtit, or long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus), was studied, and the validity of the selection of the controversial subspecies Ae c. japonicus Prazak 1897 was evaluated., Ae. c. brachyurus Portenko 1954 and Ae. c. sibiricus (Seebohm 1890), distributed from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to the Pacific coast. On the basis of a study of nine metric characters and three signs of coloration, we showed that in the space of the range of white-head long-tailed tits from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia to Primorye and Sakhalin, the majority of morphological characters slightly fluctuate or change in a clinal mode; i.e., they change gradually. The vocalization of the nominative subspecies of long-tailed tits is analyzed for the first time. When comparing samples from neighboring regions, no significant differences were revealed, either morphologically and acoustically, so the names Ae. c. sibiricus and Ae. c. brachyurus should be synonymous with the nominative subspecies Ae. c. caudatus. Only the populations of long-tailed tits of the southern Kuril Islands and Hokkaido Islands can be isolated as an independent subspecies Ae. c. japonicus.

Our work is the first study on the vocal repertoire of one of the babbler species, Elliot’s laughingthrush. Field studies were carried out in Hupingshan Nature Reserve, Hunan Province, China. There are three types of signals in the repertoire: songs, calls (chattering), and duets. Songs and calls are used by both males and females. The song consists of a quiet introduction (short note) and a louder main part (two or three tonal notes). There are up to four song variants in the repertoire of a given pair. All songs can be classified into three types. Types I and II represent songs with the main part consisting of three notes, while type III consists of two notes. Types I and II differ from each other in certain features of the frequency modulation shape of the first two notes. All song types can be used during the spontaneous vocalization of a single bird. However, their usage in other contexts differs. Songs of types I and II are more often uttered during vocal interactions of neighbor males. Songs of type III appear to be characteristic of male–female duets. Chattering (calls) is a continuous series of broadband notes. There are several (two to five) note variants in each series. Chattering can be used both during a male–female interaction and as an alarm call. We found an inverse correlation between (1) the duration of pauses between notes, and (2) the number of note variants (“repertoire size”) in a series. Both parameters probably reflect the internal state of an individual at a given moment.

The body size, longevity, growth rate, and the intensity of breeding in a peripheral population of the edible dormouse from the Zhiguli Mountains are analyzed from the standpoint of life cycle theory. A breeding peculiarity of the species lies in periodically repeated years of reproductive failure, i.e., the total absence of young, seen throughout the species range. In reproductively successful years, anticipatory reproduction is observed, when the birth of posterity precedes a period of maximum food abundance. In the optimum of the distribution range, in Central and Western Europe, the mechanism of reproductive control in unfavorable years is based on the suppressing of the male reproductive activity at the beginning of the active season. In the Zhiguli population, natality regulation is rooted in mass resorption of embryos in the vast majority of females. In that population, the body size and weight are the minimum, while the difference from individuals from other populations studied may reach three times. The peculiarities of the edible dormouse biology in the peripheral population are related to the life cycle parameters. In contrast to the Central European populations, reproduction in the Zhiguli occurs every year, but in pregnant females, the death of embryos is observed in lean years. In males of that population, which are reproductively active every year, no significant costs of reproduction related to weight loss have been identified. The lower growth rate in comparison with more western European populations is shown in four age groups conventionally distinguishable based on morphometric parameters. In yearling males whose growth is not yet finished, the onset of the mating period depends on the body mass. Typically, the lifespan in the study population does not exceed four years, this being much shorter than in other populations where it lasts seven to nine years.

Gray voles of the “maximowiczii” group of the genus Alexandromys were found in the Argi River of the Amur region (northeastern part of Verkhnezeiskaya Plain). Analysis of mtDNA showed its similarity to A. evoronensis. The karyotype was 2n = 36, and NFa = 51–52. The karyotypes of these individuals did not contain the marker chromosome typical for Alexandromys maximowiczii.

The scale of anthropogenic transformation of the Caucasian chamois population is shown based on the example of a local grouping of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra caucasica Lydekker 1910) from the Lagonaki Plateau (northwestern Caucasus). It has been established that the theoretical area of the range of the local chamois grouping under study is 58000 ha and the fodder capacity is 45 individuals/1000 ha. The actual area of the range is currently approximately 20000 ha, thereby having decreased by 66% over the last 100 years. At the present time, the density of the grouping does not exceed five individuals/1000 ha; i.e., it is nine times lower than its theoretically possible value. No positive dynamics of the population is observed, despite the nature reserve status of this area over the past 23 years. It has been concluded that the metapopulation structure of chamois is gradually simplified and the prospect of the long-term conservation of the species in the northwestern Caucasus is under threat.