Holarctic Marmots as a factor of Biodiversity.
Rumiantsev V.Yu;, Nikol'skii A.A. & Brandler O.V. eds.,
Abstracts, 3d Conference on Marmots (Cheboksary, Russia, 25-30 August 1997),
Moscow ABF 1997, 216p., 106 (Russian), 159-160 (English).


ON THE SETTLING OF MARMOTA CAMTSCHATICA IN THE NORTH SUBBAIKAL IN THE BASIN OF THE MOLOKON RIVER


N.Yu. Kholodnaya, V.V. Uzhik

Kharkov State University, Kharkov, Ukraine


Marmota camchatica inhabits practicaly all mountain systems of Subbaikal. However the available information on its distribution on the given territory is not complete. Marmota camchatica has been described in the northern parts of the Baikal and Ikat ranges and also on Sannir, Kicher, Highangarsk, Bargusin, North and South ranges, but information on its distribution in each range is of a fragmental character. The region of inhabitance has been most completely described and the counting of population has been made on the territory of the Bargusin reserve, sush data are given by Savosh (1926), Zharov (1970, 1972) and others. There is also information on Marmota camchatica settlings in the High Angara river basin on Stanovoe highland (Polyakov 1873, Novicov 1937, Suvorov 1986 ). Badmaev in 1991 explored settlings of Marmota camchatica in the upper reaches of the High Angara river on the North- Muysky range and the results of the local population inquest have been also published.

In July 1996 we have made an expedition in the region of m. Muzhinai on the region of m. Muzhinai on the hunting territory TOO" A ". We were moving from the shore of the Baikal along the canyon of the Molokon river. The valley of the left tributory falling into the Molokon at the distanse of about 15 km from the Baikal shore was explored.

At the height of 1500 m above the sea level there is a circus whose slopes are covered by brush woods of crawling cedar and dwarf birch. On the botton there are some small lakes supplied by snow. The lakes and the stream are surrounded by an alp meadow. Settlings of Marmota camchatica are situated in screes along the circus slopes. We have found 28 families. Next we explored the circus behind the pass upper the tributory and it was about 1.5 times larger than the former. In it 35 families have been found.

Table

Total number of familiesTotal number of individualsNumber of adultsNumber of current years bornAverage number of individuals in a familyAverage number of adults in a familyAverage number of current year bornAverage of current year born per 1 adult individualNumber of reproduced familiesAverage number of current year born in reproduced families
1-st circus28139894753,41,60,5163
2-nd circus35172129435,44,21,20,3182,5

All the mentioned characteristics of Marmota camtschatica population and namely: high indices of birth-rate, the ratioof the number of adult individuals to the number of current-year-born demonstrate that the given population is the normal "healthy" state.

It should also be noted that using the results of observations and inquests of local people the population of Marmota camtschatica in this region does not only decrease but during the past years it even increased. Marmotas appear in places where they were not found before. It can probably be connected with a complete cease of economic activity of the man and tourism in this region and also with absence of hunting on the given territory.

The data obtained during this expedition were included into the plan of hunting.

We are greatly thankful to the director of the TOO"AYa" Malygin M.S. for the assistance in organising this expedition.

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