Comparative Analysis of Small Mammal Communities in the Altitudinal Zones of the Southern Slope of the Munku-Sardyk Ridge (Mongolia)

This paper provides an analysis of long-term data on the ecology of rodent and insectivorous mammalian communities of different altitudinal zones of the southern slope of the Munku-Sardyk ridge in Mongolia. A description of the fauna, population, and diversity of communities of small mammals within different altitudinal zones is presented. It is shown that the composition and structure of the communities of high-altitude zones depend on the vertical distribution of plant associations, micro landscape, and ecological specialization of species in the community. A comparison of the diversity parameters of communities of small mammals in mountainous altitudinal zones in adjacent territories in the Baikal region is given. A comparison of the mountain and lowland steppe rodent communities of southern Siberia reveals a high similarity in the dominance structure of the communities of the Munku-Sardyk ridge and Tazheran steppe (Baikal region).