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The ecological, physiological and species-specific characteristics of the leukocyte profile of two species of cyclomorphic rodents, the bank vole Myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780) and the pygmy wood mouse Apodemus uralensis (Pallas, 1811), were studied for the first time in the adjacent territories of the Kologriv and Kostroma districts of the Kostroma Oblast. It was established that the leukocyte profiles of the studied rodents are different in different species and vary significantly among individuals inhabiting the Kologrivsky Forest Reserve and the Kostroma Forestry. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that the white blood cell differential parameters largely correlate with the following factors: “location of capture,” “taxonomic species,” “gender,” “stage of the population cycle,” and “year of study.” The relatively high degree of deviation of the splenic index in the studied species indicates the heterogeneity of populations for this trait. At the same time, no reliable association was found between the risk of developing splenomegaly in mouse-like rodents, and the characteristics of their reproductive strategy and susceptibility to invasions.

The study was conducted in 2016–2017 on three sites in the Belogorye State Nature Reserve (Russia) located in the forest-steppe zone. These sites are 1) «Les na Vorskle», upland oak (Quercus robur) forest; 2) «Ostrasyevy Yary», ravine oak forest, grass-meadow steppe; 3) «Yamskaya Step'», Sury valley, shrublands and forb meadow steppe, Eremkin Log valley, upland oak forest, forb meadow steppe. The small mammals investigated in this present parasitological study were caught using snap traps. These traps were established in lines of 50 or 100 traps per line. In addition, single traps and cone-shape pitfall traps (average length of 30 m) were used. The caught rodents (118 specimens) concern five species: Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Sylvaemus flavicollis, Sylvaemus uralensis, and Apodemus agrarius. The total prevalence by helminthes was 72%. About 91% of the Muridae animals were infected, while the prevalence of infestation was 55.6% among the Cricetidae specimens. We registered 20 helminth taxa belonging to three classes, six orders, and 12 families. Among the trematodes only eurixenous species were found. Among the cestodes, eurixenous species predominated. Among the nematodes, eurixenous and stenoxenous species were present in almost equal proportion. Dominant species are characterised by maximal values of prevalence of infestation. There were Hymenolepis sp. (17%) among Plathelminthes, species of Syphacia (35.6%) and Heligmosomoides (27.1%) among Nematoda, including Syphacia stroma (17%) and Heligmosomoides polygyrus (14.4%). The other helminth species registered in the present study were either small in number (with prevalence of invasion from 2% to 14%) or rare (with prevalence of invasion less than 2%). Platynosomum muris (Trematoda, Dicrocoeliidae) and Pterothominx sadovskoi (Nematoda, Capillariidae) were reported for the first time in the Central Chernozem Region of Russia.

Results of a 8-year-long monitoring study of micromammals in the "Holy Mountains" National Nature Park are presented. Data accumulated from 2006 to 2014 within 3 monitoring plots were analized. In sum, during 20 672 trap-days 1111 specimens were collected. Studies mainly concerned the most typical biotopes of the park, namely pine and oak forests. The composition and structure of the micromammal community within the studied area are described. There were 14 micromammal species recorded in NNP “Holy Mountains.” The yellow-necked wood mouse is a dominant species, while the wood mouse and the bank vole are subdominants. The obtained data were analyzed by using the Shannon and Simpson indexes. It was shown that the biodiversity indexes change as a result not only fluctuations in the number of micromammals, but also the anthropogenic transformation of habitats. The lowest values of diversity indexes are in biotopes with the highest abundance of rodents.