Are population cycles recovering?

Abstract

The dynamics of populations of small mammals of Central Siberia was analyzed. The studies were carried out at the Yenisei ecological station “Mirnoye” of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences. The time series analysis was performed by the wavelet transform using the statistical data processing language R. In the 20th century, the dynamics of the population of the community and some of its constituent species (Sorex araneus; S. caecutiens; S. isodon; S. tundrensis; S. minutus; Craseomys rufocanus; Clethrionomys rutilus; Microtus oeconomus; M. agrestis) were characterized by a 4‐year periodicity. The type of dynamics changed to noncyclic by the nineties, but by 2022, four species (S. araneus, S. isodon, C. rutilus, and M. oeconomus) and the community as a whole showed a tendency toward recovery of population cycles. The remaining species were characterized by consistently low numbers with irregular low amplitude fluctuations.

Recovery of small rodents from open‐pit marble mining: effects on communities, populations, and individuals

“…Sentinel species are highly informative for monitoring ecological restoration (Grove et al 2009). Wild rodents provide informative bioindicators for assessing climate change ecosystem health, biodiversity, and effective habitat management (Mason-Romo et al 2017;Yakushov & Sheftel 2023) and are particularly valuable for investigating environmental degradation and pollution (Demir & Yavuz 2020). Small rodents offer the advantages of being easy to monitor, highly diverse, and widely distributed mammals with a high reproductive rate, broad diet, and short lifespan, enhancing their sensitivity to indicate environmental change (Yakushov & Sheftel 2023).…”

“…Wild rodents provide informative bioindicators for assessing climate change ecosystem health, biodiversity, and effective habitat management (Mason-Romo et al 2017;Yakushov & Sheftel 2023) and are particularly valuable for investigating environmental degradation and pollution (Demir & Yavuz 2020). Small rodents offer the advantages of being easy to monitor, highly diverse, and widely distributed mammals with a high reproductive rate, broad diet, and short lifespan, enhancing their sensitivity to indicate environmental change (Yakushov & Sheftel 2023). Small rodents contribute valuable ecosystem services; for example, they disperse seeds by caching any surplus seeds they do not consume (Meng et al 2023), where these seeds are harvested within the limited range of the rodent's territory (Lobo 2014).…”