Vol 45, No 9 (2018)

Abstract—The structure of and long-term fluctuations in the wintering mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) population were studied from 1985 to 2016 in the city of Moscow. The number of wintering mallards was counted annually on the same day at all ice-free ponds and rivers of Moscow. The total winter population of mallards increased 1.6–3.3 times compared to the summer one. The growth of the wintering group continued from 1985 (17 200) to 1990 (27 900). From 1991 to 1998 its size decreased to 7500, remained low until 2002–2003, after which it began to grow up to 29 700 in 2015. The freezing season has decreased from 132 to 104.5 days (Z = 3.8, p = 0.0001, n = 32) during the study period. At the same time, the average air temperatures of November and December have increased significantly. Mallards gather at the southeastern urban section of the Moscow River exclusively in the cold season. There is no correlation between mallard numbers and interurban winter clusters. This gave grounds to divide the total bird numbers conditionally into the riverine and interurban groups, which were analyzed separately. The size of the interurban group correlates with the duration of the freezing season (r = –0.47, p = 0.006, n = 32), while that of the riverine group correlates with the average (r = 0.41, p = 0.02, n = 32) and minimum (r = 0.54, p = 0.001, n = 32) winter temperatures. The proportion of mallards that wintered in the Moscow Zoo changed in the opposite direction compared to the size of the interurban group (r = –0.83, p < 0.01, n = 32). The numbers of mallards wintering at internal water bodies correlates with the purchasing power (r = 0.44, p = 0.012, n = 31) and welfare of citizens from 1985 until 2015. The more rapid growth in the size of the wintering interurban group compared to the riverine group indicates the advantages of living in urban conditions. These are the lack of permanent human persecution, additional food sources, and a milder climate.

Abstract—This paper reports the results of investigation on the food of free-grazing Bactrian camels in a forb–grass steppe pasture, including anthropogenically disturbed areas with dominance of ruderal annuals. We identified the composition of consumed plants using a microhistological analysis of the feces; the digestibility coefficient based on inert (indigestible) silicon contained both in the diet and feces; the quantity of the forage consumed based on the mass of the feces and the digestibility coefficient; and the energy balance based on interrelations between the actual consumption and the existing requirement norms of camels and wild ungulates in energy. In spring, camels mainly consume graminoids (Stipa sp. and Festuca valesiaca), switching to forbs, largely ruderal annuals, in summer and autumn. The forage digestibility is low in spring (56%), increasing to 69–70% in summer and autumn. Low daily consumption rates of dry forage mass in winter and spring (8–9 kg) are changed to high in summer and autumn (20–26 kg), this reflecting the animals’ winter hypophagy. The amount of energy received during the warm season (1.2–1.8 MJ/kg W ^0.75) considerably exceeds the requirements, thus explaining the ability of camels to accumulate a safety store of fat in the humps.

Abstract—Chiroptera is the order of the only mammals to have acquired flapping flight. Their musculoskeletal system is significantly reorganized. In addition, their four-legged locomotion is fundamentally different from that in typical mammals. The most up-to-date information on the terrestrial locomotion concerns the species expressing this type of movement as an integrated component of foraging behavior. Quadrupedal locomotion of other bats remains practically unstudied. This paper presents the results of experimental analysis of four-legged terrestrial locomotion in five species of vespertilionid bats. The study is based on a combination of two methods: two-angle high-speed video recording and animals’ trackways and traces analysis. The temporal, metric, and speed parameters for locomotion in different species are estimated. The dependence of the characteristics between each other is proven. This is the first time that such parameters have been studied in Chiroptera. A diagonal symmetry for the pattern of the sequential movement of limbs has been detected, while it involves a wide range of deviations atypical for quadrupedal vertebrates.

Abstract—The diet of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) is described for the territory of the southern taiga subzone illustrated by the example of the Central Forest Nature Reserve (West-European Russia) and the protection zone surrounding it. Based on an analysis of 474 scat samples, we established the most commonly consumed food items and food groups and determined their proportions, nutritional value, and importance in the total diet of the species using basic techniques widely adopted abroad for processing the data. The investigation revealed 26 food items, including 18 plant (FO = 97.9%) and eight animal items (9.1%). Correction factors were used for each diet item. Food habits were assessed separately for the spring, summer, summer–autumn, and autumn periods. The frequency of scat occurrence per 10 km averaged 1.30. The most important in the bears’ diet were apples (EDEC = 31.1%), hazelnuts (19.1%), oats (12.5%), blueberries (6.8%), and forbs (4.3%). Mammal food had a certain value (EDEC = 11.1%), but mostly in the spring season. The width of the trophic niche decreased from spring to autumn. The diet composition varied greatly throughout the year, except for a hyperphagia period, which included summer and autumn. The territory of the moderately disturbed protection zone was more attractive to bears than the intact area of the reserve. Overall, scat analysis in the study area adequately reflects the basic preferences of the species, but underestimates the values of individual food groups, primarily insects, overestimates the value of apples, and poorly characterizes the feeding habits in the first half of the year.

Abstract—The Yamskie Islands archipelago is regarded as a key marine bird area of global importance and since 1982 has been part of the Magadanskii Nature Reserve. The first survey of seabird numbers was conducted there in 1974 by A.G. Velizhanin. So far, his data for the Atykan, Baran, and Khatemalyu islands remain the only available information. On August 3, 2016, full photo surveys of the colonies of seabirds on these islands were carried out. The species list of all three islands includes six seabird species breeding in open nests: the Northern Fulmar, Pelagic Cormorant, Slaty-backed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, and Common and Thick-billed murres. Breeding of six auklet species in hidden nests and screes was confirmed: the Spectacled Guillemot, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Parakeet Auklet, and Crested and Least Auklets. The total numbers of seabirds nesting on Atykan, Baran, and Khatemalyu islands amount to more than 305 900, 103 500, and 102 000 individuals, respectively. In comparison with the previous counts, the following numerical trends have been noted. Considerable growth in the abundance of the Northern Fulmar on Atykan and Baran islands, the expansion of this species to Khatemalyu Island, and its presently high numbers on this island have been observed. The nesting population of the Black-legged Kittiwake has grown on all islands by more than twice. The abundance of the Pelagic Cormorant, which is the rarest species on the archipelago, has grown on Baran and Khatemalyu islands, which are both located closer to the mainland, with the first nests having already appeared on the most remote Atykan Island. A growing abundance of murres is noted only for Atykan Island. The stable numbers of murres on the small Baran and Khatemalyu islands possibly reflects the maximum saturation of nesting rocks accessible to murres.

Abstract—A field survey of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) habitats was carried out in the southeastern part of the Eastern Sayan Mountains (Okinskii and Tunkinskii districts of the Republic of Buryatia and the Kaa-Khemskii district of Tuva Republic). Seven or eight adult snow leopards were observed as constant inhabitants of the Tunkinskie Gol’tsy, Munku-Sardyk, and Bol’shoi Sayan mountain ridges. The presence of eight snow leopards was confirmed using DNA-based analyses of scats collected in 2014–2016. The main prey species of the snow leopard in Eastern Sayan is the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), but its abundance has steadily decreased over the past 20 years. The red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the wild boar (Sus scrofa), which were some of the most numerous ungulates in the survey area, are replacing the Siberian ibex in the snow leopard’s diet. In addition, the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) is also of importance to the snow leopard’s diet.