amphibians

MYELOGRAMS OF MARSH (PELOPHYLAX RIDIBUNDUS) AND POOL FROGS (PELOPHYLAX LESSONAE) (AMPHIBIA: RANIDAE) OF CONVENTIONALLY “BACKGROUND” AND ANTHROPOGENOUSLY TRANSFORMED TERRITORIES IN THE NIZHNIY NOVGOROD REGION

Authors: Romanova E. B., Shapovalova K. V., Mar’in I. A.

Our comparative analysis of the myelograms of these lake and pond frogs has revealed a higher erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow in the conditionally "background" amphibians (group 1) as compared to the individuals from urbanized (group 2) territories. Restructuring of the bone marrow cellular composition and activation of the myeloid cells were the adaptive reaction of the amphibians to living in polluted conditions of their aquatic environment. The response variability of particular myelopoiesis elements reflected the plasticity of the organism’s compensatory abilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION OF THE SPATIAL-TYPOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF COMMUNITIES OF AMPHIBIANS, REPTILES AND SMALL MAMMALS IN THE WEST SIBERIAN PLAIN

Authors: Ravkin Y. S., Bogomolova I. N.

The differences in estimates of the relation of the population diversity of amphibians, reptiles and small mammals with environmental factors were analyzed by the species’ abundance and contributions to the Shannon index on the basis of their energy indices, as well as the difference in general representations of the spatial-typological variability of the communities of these animal groups with the West Siberian Plain as an example.

ON THE CASTOR FIBER (CASTORIDAE, MAMMALIA) ACTIVITY INFLUENCE ON THE ECOSYSTEM BIODIVERSITY OF SMALL RIVERS IN THE FOREST-STEPPE ZONE

Authors: Osipov V. V., Bashinsky I. V., Podshivalina V. N.

Preliminary data on the Castor fiber activity influence on the ecosystem biodiversity of small rivers in three steppe clusters within the State Nature Reserve “Volga forest-steppe” were obtained. With zooplankton, amphibians and fish as examples, it was shown that after beaver-made ponds had appeared, the abundance of all these groups increased. In old ponds, the fish abundance decreases whilst the amphibian one continues to increase. In drained ponds, the zooplankton and amphibian abundance decreases while the fishes become more numerous, due to the appearance of better flowability.