Ecological and biological monitoring of small mammals in the Kaluga region
The article presents the results of ecological and biological monitoring of small mammals in the territory of the Kaluga region. It was found that the dynamics of the population size varies depending on the climatic features of the area. Temperature changes and precipitation play a large role for the life of rodents. Identified the most common species of small mammals in the study area. Rodents occupy the main position in all climatic zones of the Russian Federation with their variety of landscapes and azonal components. Small mammals serve as host hosts for many bloodsucking arthropods (ixodid ticks, mosquitoes), which are reservoirs of pathogens and support natural foci of disease. Often there is a combination of natural foci of disease as a result of territorial combination and the presence of common carriers and carriers. Zoo-anthroponotic diseases require continuous monitoring of the dynamics of the population numbers of small mammals in a certain studied climatic territory. The most numerous mammals that inhabit the territory of the Russian Federation are mostly mouse-like rodents. In the foci of disease, voles, forest mice, house mice and other mammals are of paramount importance. The following species of rodents are of paramount importance in the Kaluga region: gray vole, red-backed vole (Myodes glareolus), field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), small forest mouse (Apodemus uralensis), gray rat (Rattus norvegicus), house mouse (musus musus musculus mouse), gray rat (Rattus norvegicus), house mouse (musus musus musculus muscarus musculosus mouse) In natural biotopes, the red vole, gray vole and field mouse occupy a special place. The exceptional role of climatic conditions on the number of small mammals populations was confirmed. The most favorable is the temperature and humidity in winter, which do not allow the soil to freeze. Unfavorable cold spring, which makes it impossible to get a good harvest because of insufficiently heated soil for sowing cereals, therefore, with insufficient nutritional prospects, the number of small mammals decreases. For small mammals characterized by maximum reproduction rates (reproduction index) in the summer season.