The spatial placement of the steppe marmot (Marmota bobak Muller, 1776) in the Pervomaisky District of the Orenburg Region

Abstract

This paper deals with the spatial placement of the marmot in the Pervomaisky District of the Orenburg Region within the steppe zone of the Southern Urals. The spatial structure of steppe marmot settlements is characterized by a typical ravine-girder (ribbon) type of territorial distribution of family groups and is determined mainly by the presence of habitable areas. The settlements of marmots on this territory are located mainly along ravines and gullies of small rivers and streams, and to a lesser extent on agricultural land. It has been revealed that marmots prefer to settle on the gentle slopes of the southern exposure mainly in the middle part of the gullies occupied by fescue-feather grass steppe, sagebrush-grass steppe and mixed grass communities used as pastures. The results of the research show that the burrow mound of the marmot, located in different parts of the studied territory and having different degrees of anthropogenic load, differ both in height and diameter of the burrows, and the distance between the burrows. At the same time, there is a clear, direct dependence of the degree of anthropogenic impact on the aggregation of marmot settlements. A significant factor in the distribution of marmot settlements and its spatial structure of populations is the degree of impact on the territory of the anthropogenic press.