Impact of agrocenoses on the populations of small mammals of recreational pine forests in the Tom River Valley

Abstract

The paper is devoted to studying the influence of agricultural land on the formation of small mammal communities in the pine forests of the Tom River Valley. For the analysis, we took sites of natural and artificial pine forests of different areas experiencing various anthropogenic pressures. It was revealed that species composition, species richness and species diversity of small mammalian communities depend on a whole complex of factors. Thus, the population of right-bank forests is largely determined by the influence of mountain-taiga complexes of mammals in the adjacent territories. Cutting down taiga forests and using the vacant spaces for agricultural purposes lead to the introduction of species that prefer open biotopes to the initial community. A correlation was found between the size of the pine forest and its resistance to invasive species. The creation of artificial pine forests in the forest-steppe does not lead to the formation of typical forest communities of small mammals, due to their limited ability to resettle. Quite extensive, but to varying degrees isolated natural and artificial pine forests within the city and along the boundaries of the city are unique ecological “islands” that play a significant role in maintaining the diversity of the urban fauna ofmammals.