[Adaptability of habitats for Marmota bobak (Rodentia, Sciuridae) related to plant cover structure. Adaptabilité des habitats pour Marmota bobac en fonction de la couverture végétale].

Résumé

The foraging behavior and diet of the steppe marmot (Marmota bobak Mull.) were studied in two hand-reared animals (male and female) in three habitats (northeastern part of Ukraine). The habitats differ in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the plant cover due to anthropogenic impact. The main plant species as well as the feeding preference of the steppe marmot were identified on the plots selected. The share of feeding species comprised from 27 to 86% of the total phytomass. The availability of food, related to the share of the plants which are not used as food, is of great importance for nutrition of the steppe marmot. The rate of food intake by animals was chosen as a main criterion for estimating the foraging quality of habitat. The dependence of the intake rate on the percentage of the species, which are not used as food, and the litter is approximated by the equation: y = -18.0051n(x) + 92.605; R-2 = 0.92. The intake rate (in natural pasture), expressed as percentage of the maximum one (obtained in the experiment) varied from 9 to 59%.