Small mammal communities of the Iset-Pyshma interfluve (the south Trans-Ural region)

The article presents a new assessment of the small mammal communities in the sub-taiga of the Iset-Pyshma interfluve (the Kurgan Oblast). It shows that the species composition, groups of common and dominant species, and indicators of the total abundance of insectivores and rodents are largely determined by the specificities of the animal recording method. The use of ditches with pitfalls or polyethylene guide fences is more effective than the use of trap-lines. A total of 19 small mammal species were recorded, including 18 that were captured using ditches with pitfalls or polyethylene fences, and 14 that were recorded using trap-lines. The common species group in the subtaiga included the common shrew, Laxmann's shrew, root vole, common vole, and field vole, while the dominant species were the common shrew, Laxmann's shrew, root vole, and common vole (recorded using ditches with pitfalls and polyethylene guides). In trap-line records, no common species were identified. In this case, common and abundant species were absent, and the dominant species were the common shrew and the herb wood mouse. The pattern of small mammal species ratios in the study areas in 2021 and 2024 was influenced by the different proportions of forested and open areas. Regardless of weather conditions in spring and summer of a particular year, small mammals were most densely concentrated in near-water and forested biotopes. Total abundance was lower in pine forests and open spaces. The faunistic composition of the small mammal population in the subtaiga of the South Trans-Ural region is European-Transpalaearctic, both in terms of species diversity and individual numbers. The proportion of Siberian and tundra-forest-steppe species is much smaller.