Gn. Tikhonova et al., On ecology of sibling species Microtus arvalis Pallas, 1779 and Microtus rossiaemeridionalis Ognev, 1924 (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in tsimlyansk sands, IAN BIOL, (3), 1999, pp. 309-318
Ecological features and circadian activity of the common vole sibling speci
es were studied upon joint and separate occurrences. Both species had a sim
ilar abundance but different biotopical distribution. Microtus arvalis-chro
mosome form "obscurus" populated the studied territory more uniformly the s
tudied territory. M. rossiaemeridionalis tended to occur in humid coenoses.
In case of joint occurrences, the sibling species occupied different regio
ns of biotopes and the rhythms of their activity change, as a rule, in anti
phase. Separation of the spatial and temporal niches of these species is co
nsidered as possible avoidance of competition between the closely related s
pecies.