New data on the faunal history of small herbivorous mammals in the Northern Urals during the Lateglacial and Holocene

The fauna of small mammals from two cave localities (Figurny and Ilych grottos) in the western slope of the Northern Urals (Komi Republic, Russia) was studied. The study of taxonomic composition and dental morphology of small mammals from the Figurny grotto revealed Late Glacial and Early Holocene assemblages. Late Glacial assemblages include tundra and tundra-steppe species (76-82 %), forest (15 %) and intrazonal (3-8 %) forms. Species composition indicates open spaces occupied by forest-tundra or forest-steppe vegetation with a relatively low snow cover in winter and also a cold, dry climate in the Late Glacial period. By the Early Holocene, due to the transformation of climate and composition of vegetation, in the communities of small herbivorous mammals, there was a change in the dominant species from tundra-steppe to forest (71 %). The share of tundra and tundra-steppe species was still relatively significant (up to 25 %).