Kachamakova Maria, Koshev Yordan, Rammou Dimitra-Lida, Spasov Svetoslav
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Sofia Bulgaria.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece.
Biodivers Data J. 2022 Jun 17;10:e83321. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e83321. eCollection 2022.
The current publication gives a detailed assessment of the results from a population reinforcement of a European ground squirrel's () colony in south-eastern Bulgaria. The reinforcement was planned and implemented along with multidisciplinary research of the adaptation process (including radiotelemetry, parasitological study and assessment of the stress in the animals) and regular monitoring (yearly burrow counting). Although the donor and recipient populations were genetically similar, morphometrical data indicated variations in the body size probably due to the difference in population densities in the two sites. The monitoring revealed that the burrows were aggregated and there was a positive correlation in the spatial distribution of the ground squirrels' burrow holes and the colonies of Harting's vole () - another social ground-digging rodent that co-inhabits the study area. The first results showed successful reinforcement according to the three classical evaluation criteria: the individuals survived the translocation process, they successfully reproduced and an initial population growth was observed, based on the burrow entrances' count - from 36 in 2017 to 280 in 2020. In 2021, however, a considerable decline in the abundance of the population was recorded - 58.5% decline in the burrow number and 36% decline in the colony area. A decrease was also observed in the abundance of the Harting's voles' colonies. A review of all the collected information suggests it is unlikely that the decrease is due to helminth parasites, translocation stress or other behaviour issues. The most probable explanation is the bad weather conditions - unusually high rainfalls combined with relatively high temperatures in January 2021. In conclusion, we strongly emphasise the need for detailed and long-term monitoring after conservation translocation and careful evaluation of all the influencing factors before, during and after such actions.
当前的出版物详细评估了保加利亚东南部欧洲地松鼠（）种群强化的结果。种群强化是与适应过程的多学科研究（包括无线电遥测、寄生虫学研究和动物应激评估）以及定期监测（每年统计洞穴数量）一起规划和实施的。尽管供体和受体种群在基因上相似，但形态测量数据表明体型存在差异，这可能是由于两个地点种群密度不同所致。监测发现洞穴是聚集分布的，地松鼠洞穴的空间分布与哈廷田鼠（）的栖息地之间存在正相关，哈廷田鼠是另一种共同栖息在研究区域的群居掘地啮齿动物。初步结果显示，根据三个经典评估标准，强化是成功的：个体在转移过程中存活下来，成功繁殖，并且根据洞穴入口数量观察到种群初步增长——从2017年的36个增加到2020年的280个。然而，2021年记录到该种群数量大幅下降——洞穴数量下降了58.5%，栖息地面积下降了36%。哈廷田鼠的栖息地数量也有所减少。对所有收集到的信息进行审查表明，数量下降不太可能是由于蠕虫寄生虫、转移应激或其他行为问题。最可能的解释是恶劣的天气条件——2021年1月降雨量异常高且气温相对较高。总之，我们强烈强调在保护转移后需要进行详细和长期的监测，并在这类行动之前、期间和之后仔细评估所有影响因素。
