D.Sc. (Biol.), Head of the Lab,
Principle Researcher
tchabovsky@gmail.com
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Research interests:
My current research focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying the colonization of new territories by animals. Colonization and range expansion are rapidly developing interdisciplinary fields, but most studies have traditionally examined these processes retrospectively, reconstructing past expansions from historical, genetic, or biogeographic data.
In contrast, our research provides a rare opportunity to observe colonization in real time. We study the ongoing range expansion of the Midday Gerbil (Meriones meridianus) in Kalmykia, where a new cycle of desertification has created conditions favourable for population expansion. This long-term study allows us to address a fundamental question in ecology and evolution: Do colonizing individuals differ from inhabitants of the source population, and if so, how do these differences influence the establishment and development of new populations?
The project "The Colonists: Who Are They?" builds upon more than 30 years of research on rodent populations and communities in the grazing ecosystems of Kalmykia. These studies were initiated by S. A. Shilova in 1993 and have continued within the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology of Mammals and, since 2003, the Laboratory of Population Ecology at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences.
A major focus of this long-term programme has been understanding how environmental changes, particularly variation in grazing pressure, affect rodent communities. Our studies revealed that rodent population dynamics in grazing ecosystems may undergo abrupt, step-like transitions between alternative stable states, demonstrating the importance of landscape processes and human impacts in shaping population regimes.
Another major research direction (together with Nina Vasilieva and Ludmila Savinetskaya ) has been the behavioural ecology and life-history evolution of the Yellow Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus fulvus), one of the most unusual hibernating rodents. Through long-term individual-based observations, following animals from emergence from the nest to death, we have investigated patterns of development, reproduction, mating systems, sexual conflict, and life-history strategies associated with the exceptionally rapid life cycle of this large hibernator.
Ground squirrels have also served as a model system for my research in population genetics and phylogeography. Between 2007 and 2012, we studied genetic variation and population structure of Long-tailed Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus undulatus) across extensive areas of southern Siberia, including Tuva, Buryatia, Mongolia, and the Baikal region. These studies explored how landscape structure and spatial isolation shape genetic differentiation among natural populations.
Throughout my scientific career, I have focused on animals inhabiting open landscapes, particularly gerbils and ground squirrels. My D.Sc. thesis, "Ecological Aspects of the Evolution of Sociality in Rodents of Open Landscapes" (2006), summarized my long-term research on social evolution in rodents. This research originated from my early studies of gerbil social organization, which began during my Ph.D. work on comparative sociality in gerbils and continued through international collaboration with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel, 1999–2003).
By combining comparative ecology, long-term population studies, behavioural observations, and evolutionary approaches, my research aims to understand how ecological conditions shape population organization, social systems, and evolutionary trajectories in mammals.