A study of the distribution ranges of small mammals from South-Eastern Transbaikalia with ecological niche modeling methods
Distribution models were constructed for 36 species of small mammals from South-Eastern Transbaikalia. Distribution of environmental factors (climatic data and remote sensing of the earth surface) in the set of localities where each of the species was caught was taken as initial data for modeling. Species distribution ranges can be explained by distribution of environmental factors only in 30 cases out of 36. Seventeen of them can be explained by one or two environmental factors only. In 6 cases notable influence of historical factors or interspecific competition on present species distribution was found out. For these 6 species, modeling results make it possible to suggest hypotheses about reasons behind present distribution, which could not be advanced without modeling approach.