F. A. Danilov, V. A. Prelovskiy

The Munku-Sardyk mountain range is an important link in the Eastern Sayan mountain system, performing a barrier and refugial role for various mammalian species, in the transition zone between the Central Asian steppe and the Siberian taiga. Thus, the southern steppe slopes are the northern limit in the distribution of the Tuvan and Mongolian voles, Tarbagan marmot, tolai hare, mountain weasel and manul. For the Altai mole, brown bear, sable, Siberian musk deer, reindeer and elk, the southern border of their distribution lies in the forest zone of the Khubsugul region. The paper presents the basic information about the features of the vertical distribution of mammals on the southern and northern slopes of the massif. The complex structure of the vertical zonation of the mountain range and the harsh habitat conditions are of paramount importance in the distribution and number of mammals inhabiting it. The species composition of communities in five high-altitude belts is presented: forest-steppe, mountain- taiga, subalpine, alpine and nival. A comparative analysis of the degree of similarity of mammalian communities, depending on the altitudinal zonality and exposure of the slope, using the Jaccard coefficient, based on the analysis of qualitative data, has been carried out. A high degree of similarity of the lower belt with the higher one was revealed on both slopes of the mountain range. The highest degree of similarity between the mountain-taiga and subalpine belts was noted, and the lowest degree was observed in the forest-steppe and nival belts that were separated from each other. The low species diversity in the nival belt is associated with the harsh habitat conditions associated with the absence of protective feeding stations and mechanisms of adaptation to hypoxia in most mammals living in the lower part. When comparing the community of mammalian faunas between the belts of the southern and northern slopes, a high similarity of mountain-taiga belts and a decrease in the proportion of common species with height were noted. The obtained information eliminates the existing gaps in the territory poorly studied in the zoogeographic plan and makes it possible to form a unified environmental policy in the transboundary region.

Danilov Firs Alexandrovich, Graduate Student, V. B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS, 1, Ulan-Batorskaya st., Irkutsk, 664033, Russian Federation, e-mail: danilovfirsaleks@mail.ru

Prelovskiy Vladimir Alexandrovich, Candidate of Sciences (Geography), Senior Research Scientist, V. B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS, 1, Ulan-Batorskaya st., Irkutsk, 664033, Russian Federation, e-mail: amadeo81@mail.ru, Researcher ID: I-6549-2018

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