Spatial and Temporal Heterogeneity of the Reptile Аssemblage in Western Siberia.

The results of estimating the number and distribution of reptiles (which are poorly studied in this regard as compared with birds and mammals in general and, in particular, with hunting and commercial species) are presented. Consequently, data on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the reptile assemblage are unique and are of a particular value. This study was conducted on the West Siberian Plain and on the territory of the Altai–Sayan mountain country. The number of reptiles was calculated, and the dynamics on the territory of Western Siberia is given. At the same time, the method of bootstrap analysis was used, which allows us to obtain more reliable conclusions on the dynamics of animal numbers in the absence of sufficient data. However, the main aim of this study was to detect the main trends in the variability of the reptile assemblage in general. Information about the numbers of these animals is used only as a basis for solving this main problem. In addition, the collected data allow us to judge the dynamics of the number of reptiles for certain periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]