COMPARATIVE RESEARCH OF POPULATION STRUCTURE OF THE ORTHOPTEROUS (INSECTA: ORTHOPTERA) IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEADOW-STEPPE VEGETATION IN PENZA REGION

Dobrolyubova Tat'yana Vasil'evna, Candidate of biological sciences, leading researcher, State nature reserve “Privolzhskaya lesostep” (12A Okruzhnaya street, Penza, Russia), tv_dobr@bk.ru

595.72: 574.47

Background. The orthopterous are one of the major links in trophic chains of steppe and meadow biocoenoses. In Penza region the fauna of the orthopterous communities has not been sufficiently studied and the ecology thereof has not been examined virtually at all. The aim of the work is to study the fauna and structure of populations of orthopteroid insects (mantes and the orthopterous) in main types of meadow-steppe vegetation in Penza region.
Materials and methods. In the state nature reserve “Povolzhskaya lesostep” and in the outskirts of Volokhonshchino village (Penza district) in 2012–2014 there were studied the population structure of orthopterous communities (species composition, chorologic characteristics, biological spectrum, relative domination size and structure) in 5 main types of meadow-steppe vegetation: true (TS) and meadow steppes (MS), steppe meadows on the open territory (SM) and on forest glades (GSM), true meadows (TM). The researcher used the generally applied methods of quantitative recording of the orthopterous by cutting on specifically allocaed areas of 10 × 10 square meters in size with combined recording of insects by a number of sweeps and time of cutting.
Results. The author revealed a single species of mantid and 46 species of the orthopterous. One species – Montana stricta – was recorder for the first time in Penza region. The researcher discovered 11 life froms, the percentage of all chortobionts was 76 %. The author marked that the fauna is significantly more “steppe-like” (72 % of north steppe, steppe and south steppe species) than in Kursk region (56 % respectively). In the range from MS to TM the percentage of south steppe species decreases with a simultaneous increase of north steppe and steppe ones. By the longitudinal characteristics the fauna is close to the one in meadow steppes of Saratov region. The orthopterous communities of various types of vegetation are quite different between each other. Relatively similar in pairs are the communities of MS – SM and the communities of TM – GSM. The amount of mass species from MS to TM increases from 3 to 6. The main dominant of TS and MS is E. pulvinatus, in more mesophytic association in MS and MS the dominant is Ch. gr. biguttulus, in GSM and TM the spectrum of dominants is prevailed by several species including Eu. brachyptera and B. bicolor. General abundance of the orthopterous in various types of vegetation varies from 22 to 36 specimen/record, but these differences are statistically unreliable.
Conclusions. 1. One may observe significant differences in abundance of certain species and dominant composition of the orthopterous communities due to high diversity of ecological conditions inside one type of vegetation not only in different locations of the research, but in different plant associations in one and the same area. At the same time between various types of vegetation, reargless of their geographical position in the region, there are common regularities of specific and chorologic population structures and of biological spectra. 2. The orthopterous population of meadow-steppe vegetation in Penza region is an intermediate one between the orthopterous populations of meadow steppes in Kursk and Saratov regions.

orthopterous, meadow-steppe vegetation, population structure.

1. Sprygin I. I. Raboty po izucheniyu Penzenskikh zapovednikov [Works on the study of Penza nature reserves]. Penza, 1923, iss. 1, 45 p.
2. Bayshev N. F. Vrediteli sel'skogo khozyaystva Penzenskoy gubernii i mery bor'by s nimi [Agricultural pests of Penza province and measures against them]. Penza, 1927, 109 p.
3. Kazachenko B. V. Priroda [Nature]. Penza: Penzenskoe knizhn. izd-vo, 1955, pp. 428–452.
4. Dobrolyubova T. V. Biologicheskoe raznoobrazie i dinamika prirodnykh protsessov v zapovednike «Privolzhskaya lesostep'»: tr. Goszapovednika «Privolzhskaya lesostep'» [Biological diversity and dynamics of natural processes in the nature reserve “Privolzhskaya lesostep”: proceedings of the state nature reserve “Privolzhnskaya lesostep”]. Penza, 1999, iss. 1, pp. 81–88.
5. Stojko T. G. Letopis' prirody GPZ «Privolzhskaya lesostep'» [Chronicle of the nature in the state nature reserve “Privolzhskaya lesostep”]. Penza, 1999, iss. 10, pp. 31–32.
6. Stojko T. G. Krasnaya kniga Penzenskoy oblasti. T. 2. Zhivotnye [The red book of Penza region. Vol. 2. Animals]. Penza, 2005, pp. 14–15.
7. Morunov A. G., Kitaev N., Permyakov A. POLE. Ekologicheskoe obrazovanie i vospitanie: materialy 4-y obl. nauch.-prakt. konf. shkol'nikov po ekologii [FIELD. Ecological education and fostering: proceedings of 4th Regional scientific and practical conference in ecology for pupils]. Penza, 2000, pp. 40–42.
8. Ladanov S. V. POLE [FIELD]. Penza, 2001, pp. 91–92.
9. Penzenskaya entsiklopediya [Penza encyclopedia]. Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya entsiklopediya,2001,759p.
10. Stojko T. G., Bystrakova N. V. Okhrana rastitel'nogo i zhivotnogo mira Povolzh'ya i sopredel'nykh territoriy: materialy Vseros. nauch. konf., posvyashch. 130-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya I. I. Sprygina [Protection of flora and fauna of Volga region and the adjacent areas: proceedings of the All-Russia scientific conference commemorating 130th jubilee of I. I. Sprygin]. Penza, 2003, pp. 78–80.
11. Kudryashov D. V., Polumordvinov O. A. Entomol. i parazitol. issledovaniya v Povolzh'e: sb. nauch. tr. [Entomological and parasitologic research in Volga region: collected articles]. Saratov: Izd-vo Sarat. un-ta, 2006, iss. 5, pp. 123–124.
12. Dobrolyubova T. V. Biologicheskoe raznoobrazie i dinamika prirodnykh protsessov v zapovednike «Privolzhskaya lesostep'». Ostrovtsovskaya lesostep': tr. Goszapovednika «Privolzhskaya lesostep'» [Biological diversity and dynamics of natural processes in the nature reserve “Privolzhskaya lesostep”. Ostrovskaya lesostep: proceedings of the state nature reserve “Privolzhskaya lesostep”]. Penza, 2012, iss. 2, pp. 213–216.
13. Dobrolyubova T. V. Lesostep' Vostochnoy Evropy: struktura, dinamika i okhrana: sb. st. Mezhdunar. nauch. konf., posvyashch. 140-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya I. I. Sprygina (g. Penza, 10–13 iyunya 2013 g.) [Forest-steppe of Eastern Europe: structure, dynamics and protection: proceedings of the International scientific conference commemorating 140th jubilee of I. I. Sprygin]. Penza: Izd-vo PGU, 2013, pp. 292–294.
14. Dobrolyubova T. V., Yakushov V. D. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Estestvennye nauki [University proceedings. Volga region. Natural sciences]. 2013, no. 4, pp. 76–90.
15. Polumordvinov O. A. Entomol. i parazitol. issledovaniya v Povolzh'e [Entomological and parasitologic research in Volga region]. Saratov: SGU, 2014, iss. 11, pp. 78–91.
16. Pravdin F. N. Trudy VEO [Proceedings of Free Economic Society].Leningrad:Nauka,1974,vol.57,pp.38–65.
17. Gause G. F. Ecology. 1930, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 307–325.
18. Derevitskaya V. V. Tr. Naurzumskogo zapovednika [Proceedings of the Naurzumsky nature reserve]. 1938, no. 2, pp. 250–268.
19. Pravdin F. N., Guseva V. S., Kritskaya I. G., Chernyakhovskiy M. E. Fauna i ekologiya zhivotnykh: sb. st. [Fauna and ecology of animals: collected article]. Moscow: Izd-vo MGPI im. V. I. Lenina, 1972, pp. 3–16.
20. Sergeev M. G. Zakonomernosti rasprostraneniya pryamokrylykh nasekomykh Severnoy Azii [Distribution regularities of orthopterous insects of North Asia]. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1986, 238 p.
21. Chernyakhovskiy M. E. Fauna i ekologiya zhivotnykh. Uchenye zapiski MGPU im. V. I. Lenina [Fauna and ecology of animals. Proceedings of MSPU named after V. I. Lenin]. 1970, no. 394, pp. 47–63.
22. Savitskiy V. Yu. Saranchovye (Orthoptera, Acridoidea) polupustyn' i pustyn' Nizhnego Povolzh'ya (fauna, ekologiya, akusticheskaya kommunikatsiya i organizatsiya soobshchestv): avtoref. dis. kand. biol. nauk [Locusts Orthoptera, Acridoidea of semideserts and deserts of Lower Volga region (fauna, ecology, acoustic communication and organization of communities): author’s abstract of dissertation to apply for the degree of the candidate of biological sciences]. Moscow, 2004, pp. 1–25.
23. Storozhenko S. Yu. Dlinnousye pryamokrylye nasekomye (Orthoptera: Ensifera) Aziatskoy chasti Rossii [Longicorn orthopterous insects (Orthoptera: Ensifera) of the Asian part of Russia]. Vladivostok: Dal'nauka, 2004, 280 p.
24. Bey-Bienko G. Ya. Opredelitel' nasekomykh Evropeyskoy chasti SSSR [Identification guide of insects of the European part of USSR]. Moscow; Leningrad: Nauka, 1964, vol. 1, pp. 205–284.
25. Bey-Bienko G. Ya. Zhurnal obshchey biologii [Journal of general biology]. 1970, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 30–46.
26. Kritskaya I. G., Litvinova N. F. Ekologo-faunisticheskie issledovaniya tsentral'noy lesostepi Evropeyskoy chasti SSSR [Ecological-faunistic research of the central foreststeppe of the European part of USSR]. Moscow, 1984, pp. 17–29.
27. Zinenko N. V. Sravnitel'noe issledovanie struktury naseleniya pryamokrylykh nasekomykh v tselinnykh i zalezhnykh ekosistemakh stepi Evropeyskoy Rossii: avtoref. dis. kand. biol. nauk [Comparative research of population structure of orthopterous insects in virgin and fallow ecosystems of the steppe of European Russia: author’s abstract of dissertation to apply for the degree of the candidate of biological sciences]. Moscow,2011,22p.
28. Guseva V. S., Litvinova N. F., Kritskaya I. G. Ekologiya zhiznennykh form pochvennykh i nazemnykh chlenistonogikh [Ecology of life forms of soil and ground arthropoda]. Moscow, 1986, pp. 111–118.
29. Zinenko N. V., Striganova B. R. Zool. zhurn. 2009, vol. 88, no. 3, pp. 308–319.
30. Bey-Bienko G. Ya. Zhurnal obshchey biologii [Journal of general ecology]. 1966, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 5–21.
31. Guseva V. S. Uspekhi entomologii v SSSR: ekologiya i faunistika, nebol'shie otryady nasekomykh [Progress of entomology in USSR: ecology and faunistics, small orders of insects]. Saint-Petersburg, 1993, pp. 15–16.
32. Litvinova N. F. Fauna i ekologiya bespozvonochnykh zhivotnykh [Fauna and ecology of invertebrates]. Moscow, 1976, part 1, pp. 163–175.
33. Zinenko N. V., Korsunovskaya O. S., Striganova B. R. Povolzhskiy ekologicheskiy zhurnal [Volga region ecological journal]. 2005, no. 1, pp. 12–28.
34. Adakhovskiy D. A. Vestnik Udmurtskogo un-ta. Biologiya [Bulletin of Udmurt university. Biology]. 2006, no. 10, pp. 119–128.
35. Zinenko N. V. Ekologiya, evolyutsiya i sistematika zhivotnykh: materialy Vseros. nauch.-prakt. konf. s mezhdunar. uchastiem [ecology, evolution and taxonomy of animals: proceedings of the All-Russia scientific and practical conference with international participation]. Ryazan: NP «Golos gubernii», 2009, pp. 83–84.