Through a collapse to restoration: the non-stationary dynamics of the rodent community in a new cycle of desertification in Kalmykia

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Abstract

The grazing ecosystems of Kalmykia are extremely dynamic, this being associated with the high variability of grazing pressure in the region: a drastic reduction in the number of livestock in the 1990’s led to the restoration of pastures and the transition of their functioning from the “desert” to the “steppe” regime. Since the late 2000’s, new desertification processes have been gaining momentum, these being caused by increased grazing pressure and droughts. The vegetation cover of pastures quite quickly began to respond to the increase in livestock numbers by reducing the projective cover, while the species composition of plants sharply changed to “desert” only a few years later. Against the background of increasing desertification, the rodent community first collapsed and then recovered. Apparently, the collapse is a belated reaction to the steppefication of pastures that preceded desertification, this leading to a reduced number of desert species and an impoverished community, thereby slowing down its revival during a new cycle of desertification. Thus, both vegetation cover and rodent community demonstrated non-stationary dynamics with changing the regimes and a delayed response (inertia) in response to landscape desertification.

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About the authors

E. N. Surkova

Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: tiusha2@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

L. E. Savinetskaya

Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: tiusha2@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

A. V. Chabovsky

Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: tiusha2@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Dynamics of structural characteristics of the vegetation cover of Kalmykia pastures (mean values ±95% CI)

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3. Fig. 2. Dynamics of plant species richness and relative abundance of ecological groups of plants characteristic of pastures in Kalmykia

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4. Fig. 3. Trajectory of rodent community dynamics in the phase space of abundance (Ln N) and diversity (gamma-diversity, Shannon index, H'). The years of the beginning and end of the periods are marked in bold: 1994-2003. - high abundance and diversity, 2004-2016. - low abundance and diversity, 2017-2020. - community collapse, 2021-present - community recovery. White circles show transitions between periods. The black circle indicates 1982 (desertification period), when similar abundance surveys were conducted in the same habitats

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5. Fig. 4. Species composition and abundance of the rodent community of Kalmykia pastures by periods: 1982 - period of high abundance and diversity during desertification of the 1980s, 1994-2003 - period of high abundance and high diversity after the beginning of desertification, 2004-2016 - period of high abundance and high diversity after the beginning of desertification. - period of high abundance and high diversity after the onset of desertification; 2004-2016. - Period of low abundance and low diversity with maximum development of high grass steppe; 2017-2020. - community collapse after the beginning of a new desertification cycle; 2021-2023. - period of community recovery against the background of further development of desertification. Mic.r. - Microtus rossiaemeridionalis, A.w. - Apodemus witherbyi, C.m. - Cricetulus migratorius, Mus - Mus musculus, Mic.s. - Microtus socialis, M.t. - Meriones tamariscinus, M.m. - Meriones meridianus

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