| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of the work was to investigate small mammal community changes due to early forest succession (meadow – forest plantation – forest stand) and to assess the effect of the non-vegetative period of the year on small mammal communities in Lithuania. The small mammal community changes in early forest succession stages, analysed in this work contribute to the understanding of small mammal community changes in forests of different age, the effect of forest cover enlargement on small mammals and on predators preying on them. Investigations carried out in non-vegetative periods of the year contribute to the knowledge of the impact of the non-vegetative period on small mammals and of changes in small mammal community indices in the course of the year and allows comparing the data from different seasons within the same geographical region. Investigation showed that: (1) in the process of succession when a meadow through forest plantation develops into a forest stand, biological indices of a small mammal community change: the number of species decreases, the order of species dominance changes, relative abundance increases, meadow species disappear due to transformation of the forest plantation to the forest stand. (2) Biological indices of small mammal communities differ between natural and human-induced succession. (3) The species diversity of small mammals does not change in the non-vegetative period of the year and decreases only in the beginning of spring. The breeding of some species takes place in winter. (4) Changes in small mammal diversity due to meadow-to-forest stand succession do not cause reduction in the abundance and biomass of small mammals; therefore, feeding conditions for predators preying on them do not become worse. |
