Scientific Journal of KubSAU

This article is devoted to the study of small mammal communities (species composition, daily activity and spatial distribution) in the agrocoenosis. The fields of winter crops that were surrounded by similar fields or by winter crops with meadow vegetation were researched. The Mus musculus became the dominant species in the winter crops agrocoenosis. The R. Sylvaemus living near the border with field-protective forest belts (and 25 meters field around) are subdominant group. Marked single finds Mus musculus in the forest and R. Sylvaemus in the field (at a distance before 50 meters). It is shown that the presence of meadow vegetation increases the species diversity of mice in the agrocoenosis. In the middle of this field a subdominantion group is Microtus arvalis s.l. and Cricetulus migratorius. The both species prefer a neighborhood with meadow vegetation. The method of recapture, followed by labeling with animals, made it possible to fix the movement for a distance of about 400 m. during the night (maximum values were males Mus musculus). The activity of small mammals in the winter crops was timed to coincide with the day-night cycles, with high activity from 01:00 to 04:00 am, and minimum activity after 09:00 hours of the morning before 08:00 pm