Distribution and habitat use of the endangered Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Background Understanding the habitat characteristics of the endangered Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans is the first step in conserving and managing the forests it requires for nesting, gliding, and feeding. Therefore, in the present study, we characterized the habitats of P. volans using GIS analysis of 411 forest sites in South Korea where fecal droppings were found. Results Fecal signs of P. volans were found in various regions in South Korea, including the Baekdudaegan Mountains. GIS analysis with six environmental layers (vegetation type, wood-age class, diameter at breast height [DBH], crown density, elevation, and distance from stream) revealed that fecal signs of P. volans were more frequently found in broad-leaved deciduous forests (42%) located 200–399 m above sea level (43.1%) and 0–199 m from the nearest stream (53%), with 5th class wood-age (35.3%), middle size class DBH (51.1%), and high crown density (71%). Conclusions The present study provides information on the biotic and abiotic characteristics of P. volans habitats. In South Korea, the fecal droppings of P. volans were found predominantly old deciduous broadleaf forests. Further studies are needed to reveal whether the more frequent occurrence of P. volans dropping in broadleaf forests may be due to a particular preference of this species for the forests or to a simple reflection of the area of the broadleaf forests occupying a much larger area than other forest types in Korea.

Revisiting «Malaya Sosva» state reserve characteristics of fauna and population structure of small mammals

The paper deals with the study of species composition and small mammals population structure of Malaya Sosva (Little Sosva) state nature reserve, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Yugra, Russia. The research was conducted within the last ten days of June, 2019 on the Malaya Sosva River flood plain (Shukhtungort ranger station neighborhood, northern taiga). The animals were registered in typical biotopes of the research area: a herb-oxalis pinery, a lingonberry-lidum pinery, a lingonberry-pleurocarpous moss pinery, a herb-oxalis spruce forest, a herb-woodreed pinery, on the skirts of a mixed forest around the ranger station on the border of a mowed secondary meadow. In the course of investigation, the following five species of small rodents and insectivores were registered: Myodes rutilus, Myodes rufocanus, Sorex caecutiens, Talpa europaea, Pteromys volans. M. rutilus was an absolute dominant species in terms of numbers in the majority of the studied biotopes. S. caecutiens is co-dominating in the herb-oxalis pinery and herb-oxalis spruce forest, and M. rufocanus is co-dominating in the lingonberry-lidum pinery. In the herb-woodreed pinery, only individuals of S. caecutiens species were caught in a pitfall trap. Communities of small mammals in different types of habitats show low values of species diversity and sustainability due to harsh natural-climatic conditions of the region. A small mammals community of mature herb-oxalis pinery on the bank of Svyatoy Sor Lake, where the protected species, Pteromys volans, was registered, shows the highest values of abundance of small mammals and a maximum level of overall welfare index. It suggests that the habitat under study should be studied further and protected.