SPECIES ADAPTATION TO THE PERIPHERAL HABITATS OF DISTRIBUTION RANGE: A REVIEW OF PECULIARITIES OF THE UTMOST EASTERN POPULATION OF THE EDIBLE DORMOUSE (GLIS GLIS L., 1766)

В.А. Вехник

Abstract


Marked peculiarities in the biology of a species that may be observed, possibly regardless of genetic changes, on the periphery of the species habitat may provide for species survival under extreme conditions. The same may be relevant to populations that are isolated, marginal, or remote from the main distribution range of a species. With this in mind, several biological features of the edible dormouse were studied. This rodent species features a vast distribution range in Europe and partly in Asia. Differentiation into subspecies is mostly not observed within the range. This allows comparing the biology of a single species over significantly distant areas. The range of biotope preferences of the dormice on the periphery of their distribution is wider than in the central areas. In the former cases, these rodents were found in forests featuring a significant proportion of birch and aspen in the forest stand. These observations are similar to those on the northern boundary of the dormouse distribution range in Poland and Lithuania. Some specific features of the diet of the species are associated with these habitats. In the Zhiguli Mts. (Russia) and Lithuania, the main diet includes birch seeds. At the same time, fruits and berries, which are of major importance in the other parts of dormice distribution range, are completely absent among the juicy forages. These differences probably underlie the development of a unique mechanism of reproduction control, which is not observed in other mammalian species. On the periphery of the distribution range, the number of sources of the basic forages for the highly specialized species under study is increased compared to the rest of the distribution area, and the reproductive activity of dormice is annual. However, upon the absence of a sufficient amount of the high-calorie food, mass embryonic resorption in most of females occurs. In addition, in the easternmost population, a higher territoriality is featured by females rearing offspring, and the phenomenon of communal nesting by related females is not observed. To confirm whether the genetic or environmental factors are at the base of the biological features described, large-scale population genetic studies are warranted. At the present stage, field studies allow tracing analogous features in other parts of the species habitat and thus help illustrating the ecological plasticity of the oligophagous species under suboptimal conditions.

Keywords


the edible dormouse, peripheral population, the Zhiguli Mountains, mass embryonic resorption, nutrition

References


1. Айрапетьянц АЭ. Сони. Л.: Издательство Ленинградского университета; 1983.

2. Вехник ВА. Формирование поведенческих реакций сони-полчка в онтогенезе. Труды молодых ученых Поволжья. 2009;2:220-5.

3. Вехник ВА. Репродуктивная активность самцов полчка (Glis glis L., 1766) в периферической популяции. Самарский научный вестник. 2016;2(15):15-9.

4. Вехник ВА. Соня-полчок (Glis glis, Gliridae, Rodentia) на периферии ареала: размеры тела и параметры жизненного цикла. Зоол журн. 2017;965:569-80.

5. Вехник ВА. Обзор биологии и экологии полчка (Glis glis: Gliridae, Rodentia) на Жигулевской возвышенности. Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука. 2020;5(1):1-20.

6. Вехник ВА, Вехник ВП. Опыт исследований биологии полчка (Glis glis: Gliridae, Rodentia) с использованием искусственных гнездовий. Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука. 2018;3(3):86-91.

7. Воронцов НН. Эволюция пищеварительной системы грызунов (мышеобразные). Новосибирск; 1967.

8. Гептнер ВГ. Соня-полчок. М.-Л.: Внешторгиздат; 1932.

9. Грекова ВХ. Особенности питания полчка в Северо-Западной части Кавказа. Материалы IV научной конференции зоологов пединститутов. Горький; 1970.

10. Донауров СС, Попов ВК, Хонякина ЗП. Соня-полчок в районе Кавказского государственного заповедника. Труды Кавказского государственного заповедника. 1938;1:227-79.

11. Лозан МН, Белик ЛИ, Самарский СЛ. Сони Юго-Запада СССР. Кишинев: Штиинца; 1990.

12. Милишников АН. Популяционно-генетическая структура бобровых сообществ (Castor fiber L., 1758) и оценка эффективной репродуктивной величины Ne элементарной популяции. Генетика. 2004;40:949-60.

13. Огнев СИ. Звери СССР и прилежащих стран. Т. 5. М.-Л.: Издательство Академии наук СССР; 1947.

14. Оленев ГВ. Эколого-генетические особенности внутрипопуляционных структурно-функциональных группировок грызунов. В кн.: Экология популяций: Сборник научных статей. Под ред. ИА Шилова. М.: Наука; 1991, с. 54-68.

15. Попова ЮВ, Григорьева ОО, Кривоногов ДМ, Щегольков АВ, Стахеев ВВ, Сычева ВБ, Орлов ВН. Морфометрическая изменчивость верхних коренных зубов и митохондриальная филогеография сони-полчка Glis glis L. (Gliridae) Восточной Европы и Кавказа. Известия Российской академии наук. Сер биол. 2021;(2):168-76.

16. Россолимо ОЛ, Потапова ЕГ, Павлинов ИЯ, Крускоп СВ, Волцит ОВ. Сони (Myoxidae) мировой фауны. М.: Изд-во Московского ун-та; 2001.

17. Формозов АН. Об особенностях ареалов русских сонь (Myoxidae) и бурундука (Eutamias asiaticus). Бюллетень Московского общества испытателей природы. 1928;(3-4):189-290.

1. Airapetyants AE. Soni [The Dormice]. Leningrad: LGU; 1983. (In Russ.)

2. Vekhnik VA. [Development of behavioral reactions of the edible dormouse during ontogenesis]. Trudy Molodykh Uchenykh Povolzhya. 2009;2:220-5. (In Russ.)

3. Vekhnik VA. [Reproductive activity of male edible dormice (Glis glis L., 1766) in a peripheral population]. Samarskiy Nauchnyi Vestnik. 2016;2(15)15-9. (In Russ.)

4. Vekhnik VA. The edible dormouse (Glis glis, Gliridae, Rodentia) on the Periphery of its distribution range: Body size and life history parameters. Biology Bulletin. 2017;44:1104-14. (In Russ.)

5. Vekhnik VA, Vekhnik VP. [An experience of studying the edible dormouse (Glis glis: Gliridae, Rodentia) biology using nestboxes]. Nature Conservation Research. 2018;3(3):86-91. (In Russ.)

6. Vekhnik VA. [Comparative analysis of biology and ecology of Glis glis (Gliridae, Rodentia) in the Zhiguli State Nature Reserve (Russia) and adjacent territories]. Nature Conservation Research 2020;5(1):1-20. (In Russ.)

7. Vorontsov NN. Evoliutsiaya Pischevaritelnoy Sistemy Gryzunov (Mysheobraznye). [Evolution of the Digestive System of Rodents (Myomorpha)]. Novosibirsk: Nauka; 1967. (In Russ.)

8. Geptner VG. [The edible dormouse]. Moscow-Leningrad: Vneshtorgizdat; 1932. (In Russ.)

9. Grekova VKh. [Nutritional features of the edible dormouse in the North-Western part of the Caucasus]. In: Materialy IV Nauchnoy Konferentsii Zoologov Pedinstitutov. Gorky; 1970. P. 83-4. (In Russ.)

10. Donaurov SS, Popov VK, Khonyakina ZP. [The edible dormouse in the territory of the Caucasian State Reserve]. Trudy Kavkazskogo Gosudarstvennogo Zapovedsnika. 1938;1:227-79. (In Russ.)

11. Lozan MN, Belik LI, Samarsky SL. [Dormice of the South-West of the USSR]. Kishinev: Shtiintsa; 1990. (In Russ.)

12. Milishnikov AN. [Population-genetic structure of beaver (Castor fiber L., 1758) communities and estimation of effective reproductive size Ne of an elementary population]. Russ J Genet. 2004;40(7):772-81. (In Russ.)

13. Ognev SI. Zveri SSSR i Prilezhaschikh Stran T. 5. [Mammals of the USSR and Adjacent Countries. Vol. 5]. Moscow-Leningrad: Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk USSR; 1947 (In Russ.)

14. Olenev GV. [Ecological and genetic features of intrapopulation structural and functional groups of rodents]. In: Shilov IA, ed. Ekologiya Populiatsiy: Sbornik Nauchnykh Statey. [Ecology of Populations: Collection of Scientific Papers]. Moscow: Nauka; 1991. P. 54-68. (In Russ.)

15. Popova YuV, Grigoryeva OO, Krivonogov DM, Shchegolkov AV, Stakheyev VV, Sycheva VB, Orlov VN. [Morphometric variability of the upper molars and mitochondrial phylogeography of the dormouse Glis glis L. (Gliridae) of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus]. Izvestiya Rossiyskoy Akademii Nauk Ser Biol. 2021;(2):168-76. (In Russ.)

16. Rossolimo OL, Potapova EG, Pavlinov IYa, Kruskop SV, Voltzit OV. [Dormice (Myoxidae) of the World]. Moscow: MGU; 2001. (In Russ.)

17. Formozov AN. [On the characteristics of the habitat areas of Russian dormice (Myoxidae) and the chipmunk (Eutamias asiaticus)]. Bulleten Moskovskogo Obschestva Ispytateley Prirody Otdeleniye Biologicheskoye. 1928;3-4:189-290. (In Russ.)

18. Adamík P, Poledník L, Poledníková C, Romportl D. Mapping an elusive arboreal rodent: Combining nocturnal acoustic surveys and citizen science data extends the known distribution of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in the Czech Republic. Mamm Biol. 2019;99:12-8.

19. Bieber C. Population dynamics, sexual activity and reproduction failure in the fat dormouse (Myoxus glis). J Zool (London). 1998;244:223-9.

20. Bieber С, Ruf T. Habitat differences affect life history tactics of a pulsed resource consumer, the edible dormouse (Glis glis). Populat Ecol. 2009;51(4):481-92.

21. Burgess M, Morris P, Bright P. Population dynamics of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in England. Acta Zool Acad Sci Hungaricae. 2003;49(1):27-31.

22. Carpaneto G, Cristaldi M. Dormice and man: a review of past and present relations. Hystrix. 1994;6(1-2):303-30.

23. Edwards PD, Frenette-Ling C, Palme R, Boonstra R. Social density suppresses GnRH expression and reduces reproductivity in voles: A mechanism for population self-regulation. J Anim Ecol. 2021;90:784-95.

24. Fietz J, Pflug M, Schlund W, Tataruch F. Influences of the feeding ecology on body mass and possible implications for reproduction in the edible dormouse (Glis glis). J Comp Physiol. 2005;175 B:45-55.

25. Fietz J, Schlund W, Dausmann KH, Regelmann M, Heldmaier G. Energetic constraints on sexual activity in the male edible dormouse (Glis glis). Oecologia. 2004;138:202-9.

26. Fietz J, Tomiuk J, Loeschcke V, Weis-Dootz T, Segelbacher G. Genetic consequences of forest fragmentation for a highly specialized arboreal mammal – the edible dormouse. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(2):e88092.

27. Gauffre B, Estoup A, Bretagnolle V, Cosson JF. Spatial genetic structure of a small rodent in a heterogeneous landscape. Mol Ecol. 2008;17:4619-29.

28. Gigirey A, Rey LM. Faecal analysis of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. Z Säugetierkunde. 1999;64:376-9.

29. Hoelzl F, Bieber C, Cornils JS, Gerritsmann H, Stalder GL, Walzer C, Ruf T. How to spend the summer? Free‑living dormice (Glis glis) can hibernate for 11 months in non-reproductive years. J Compar Physiol B. 2015;185:931-9.

30. Holišová V. Notes on the food of Dormice (Gliridae). Zoologické Listy 1968;17:109-14.

31. Hürner H, Kryštufek B, Sara M, Ribas A, Ruch T, Sommer R, Ivashkina V, Michaux J. Evidence of “refugia within refugia” for the European edible dormouse (Glis glis). J Mammalogy. 2010;91:233-42.

32. Ishibashi Y, Saitoh T, Kawata M. Social organization of the vole Clethrionomys rufocanus and its demographic and genetic consequences: A review. Popul Ecol. 1998;40:39-50.

33. Iwińska K, Boratyński JS, Trivedi A, Borowski Z. Daily roost utilization by edible dormouse in a managed pine-dominated forest. Forest Ecol Manag. 2020;468:118172.

34. Juškaitis R, Augutė V. The fat dormouse, Glis glis, in Lithuania: living outside the range of the European beech, Fagus sylvatica. Folia Zool. 2015;64(4):310-5.

35. Juškaitis R, Balčiauskas L, Baltrūnaitė L, Augutė V. Dormouse (Gliridae) populations on the northern periphery of their distributional ranges: a review. Folia Zool. 2015;64(4):302-9.

36. Kryštufek B. Glis glis (Rodentia: Gliridae). Mammalian Species. 2010;42(1):195-206.

37. Kryštufek B, Flajšman B. Polh in Človek. Ljubljana: Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica; 2007.

38. Kryštufek B, Hudolkin A, Pavlin D. Population biology of the edible dormouse Glis glis in a mixed montane forest in central Slovenia over three years. Acta Zool Acad Sci Hungaricae. 2003;49(1):85-97.

39. Kryštufek B, Naderi M, Janžekovič F, Hutterer R, Bombek D, Mahmoudi A. A taxonomic revision of fat dormice, genus Glis (Rodentia). Mammalia 2021;85(4):362-78.

40. Lebl K, Kürbisch K, Bieber C, Ruf T. Energy or information? The role of seed availability for reproductive decisions in edible dormice. J Comp Physiol. 2010;180:447-56.

41. Marin G, Pilastro A. Communally breeding dormice, Glis glis, are close kin. Anim Behav. 1994;47:1485-7.

42. Michaux JR, Hürner H, Krystufek B, Sarà M, Ribas A, Ruch T, Vekhnik V, Renaud S. Genetic structure of a European forest species, the edible dormouse (Glis glis): consequence of past anthropogenic forest fragmentation? Biol J Linnean Soc. 2019;126:836-51.

43. Milazzo A, Faletta W, Sarà M. Habitat selection of fat dormouse (Glis glis) in deciduous woodlands of Sicily. Acta Zool Acad Sci Hungaricae 2003;49(1):117-24.

44. Morris P. Dormice. Suffolk: Whittet Books Ltd; 2004.

45. Moska M, Mucha A, Wierzbicki H, Nowak B. Edible dormouse (Glis glis) population study in south-western Poland provides evidence of multiple paternity and communal nesting. J Zool. 2021;314(3):194-202.

46. Nowakowski WK, Godlewska M. The importance of animal food for Dryomys nitedula and Glis glis (L) in Bialowieza forest (East Poland): analysis of faeces. Pol J Ecol. 2006;54:359-67.

47. Nowakowski WK, Remisiewicz M, Kosowska J (2006) Food preferences of Glis glis (L., 1766), Dryomys nitedula (Pallas, 1779) and Graphiurus murinus (Smuts, 1832) kept in captivity. Pol J Ecol. 2006;54:369-78.

48. Ortega J, Maldonado JE (Eds). Conservation Genetics in Mammals. Integrative Research Using Novel Approaches. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020.

49. Pilastro A, Missiaglia E, Marin G. Age-related reproductive success in solitarily and communally nesting female dormice. J Zool. 1996;239(3):601-8.

50. Pilastro A, Marin G, Tavecchia G. Long living and reproduction skipping in the fat dormouse. Ecology. 2003;84:1784-92.

51. Pilāts V, Pilāte D, Dzalba I. The use of nest boxes to survey marginally distributed Fat dormouse Glis glis in Latvia. Acta Univ Latviensis Biol. 2009;753:7-18.

52. Ruf T, Bieber C. Use of social thermoregulation fluctuates with mast seeding and reproduction in a pulsed resource consumer. Oecologia. 2020;192(4):919-28.

53. Ruf T, Fietz J, Schlund W, Bieber C. High survival in poor years: life history tactics adapted to mast seeding in the edible dormouse. Ecology. 2006;87:372-81.

54. Sabino-Marques H, Ferreira CM, Paupério J, Costa P, Barbosa S, Encarnação C, Alpizar-Jara R, Alves PC, Searle JB, Mira A, Beja P, Pita R. Combining genetic non-invasive sampling with spatially explicit capture-recapture models for density estimation of a patchily distributed small mammal. Eur J Wildlife Res. 2018;64:44.

55. Sailer MM, Fietz J. Seasonal differences in the feeding ecology and behavior of male edible dormice (Glis glis). Mamm Biol. 2009;74:114-24.

56. Schlund W, Scharfe F, Ganzhorn JU. Long-term comparison of food availability and reproduction in the edible dormouse (Glis glis). Mamm Biol. 2002;67(4):219-32.

57. Ściński M, Borowski Z. Influence of oak and hornbeam mast fruiting on reproduction and foraging of the fat dormouse Glis glis in North-eastern Poland. Abstr 6th Int Dormouse Conf; 2005 Sept 20-24; Siedlce, Poland. 2005.

58. Thompson HV. The edible dormouse (Glis glis L.) in England, 1902–1951. Proc Zool Soc. 1953;122:1017-25.

59. Vekhnik VA. Effect of food availability on the reproduction in edible dormice (Glis glis L., 1766) on the eastern periphery of the range. Mamm Res. 2019;64:423-34.

60. Vietinghoff-Riesch A. Der Siebenschläfer (Glis glis L.). Monographien der Wildsäugetiere, vol 14. Jena: Veb Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena; 1960.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24855/biosfera.v14i1.665

© ФОНД НАУЧНЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ "XXI ВЕК"