Some Traits of Ecology and Demography in Settlements of the Common Hamster (Cricetus cricetus, Cricetidae, Rodentia) under Different Levels of Environmental Comfort in a Simferopol City Park

The spatial and demographic structure of two common hamster settlements was studied in two adjacent areas in a park of Simferopol, Crimea, one differing in a lower vegetation story (protective factor) and the other, in the frequency of human visits (disturbance factor). We counted environmental comfort as the sum of scores (on a ten-point scale) of safe conditions (positive value) and disturbance factors (negative value). A strong positive relation was found between environmental comfort and the following characteristics of the settlements: (a) the number of burrows per area unit, (b) a nonrandom number of aggregative burrows, and (c) the percentage of juveniles in the population. Places seldom visited with a dense cover of grass and bushes appear to be the most favorable habitats, yet these are not typical of an urban landscape. However, it is those places that seem to serve as the sources that support the existence of hamster populations in less favorable urban territories. Preservation of such places is one of the essential factors determining the survival of urban populations of the hamster.