Doctor habil., Head of the Lab,
Principal Researcher
tchabovsky@gmail.com
ResearchGate
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Research interests:
My current research interests are focused on the studying the process of colonization of new spaces by animals. Research in this rapidly growing interdisciplinary field tends to take a historical approach, examining colonization and its consequences from a historical perspective. We, on the other hand, currently observe the colonization process in real time. This is the opportunity given to us by the midday gerbils, which are now actively expanding their range in Kalmykia due to a new cycle of desertification. In our project we are trying to answer the main question: do colonists differ from the inhabitants of the maternal population and, if so, in what way?My project “The colonists: what are they?” continues my earlier (more than 30-years long) research of populations and communities of rodents in pasture ecosystems of Kalmykia, initiated by S. A. Shilova in 1993. Since 1993 these studies were performed in the Laboratory of landscape ecology of mammals IPEE RAS, and since 2003 – in the Laboratory of population ecology. As a result, we described and explained abrupt shifts between stable modes in rodents’ population dynamics resulting from variation in stocking level.
Alongside with that, I participated (first as a supervisor together with S. A. Shilova, later – as a researcher) in a long-term study of behavior and life cycles in yellow ground squirrel – one of the most specific hibernators among the terrestrial Sciurids. Following the lives of animals from leaving the burrow to death we described the specific patterns of development, life and reproductive strategies, mating and conflict of sexes directly related to the pace of life unusually fast for big winter-hibernating rodent.
Ground squirrels were also the model objects in my population genetic research in 2007-2012. We collected data from the big territories in Southern Siberia (Tyva, Buryatia, Mongolia, Baikal region) and studied phylogeography and population genetic structure in the populations of long-tailed ground squirrel with different extent of spatial isolation.
All my life in science is related in some way with open landscapes and gerbils and ground squirrels inhabiting them. This is presented in my Dr. Habil. Thesis “Ecological aspects of an evolution of sociality in rodents inhabiting open landscapes” (2006 IPEE RAS). In this work I summarized the research on sociality, which is where my academic work began under the supervision of S. V. Popov, S. A. Shilova and M. Ye. Goltzman after graduating in 1984 the biological faculty of Moscow State University. Comparative analysis of sociality in gerbils (that’s how my PhD Thesis were entitled, defended in 1993, IPEE RAS) -was the main direction of my research first in the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after N. F. Gamaleya and then (since 1993) in IPEE RAS. A significant contribution to this research was made by collaboration with Ben Gurion University (Israel) in 1999-2003. As a result, ecologically sound hypotheses were proposed to explain social divergence in closely related and ecologically similar rodent species.
Publications (articles in the journals with rank Q1 are shown in bold)
Бурканова О.А., Чабовский А.В., Сапельников С.Ф., Сапельникова И.И., Батова О.Н., Скобеев С.В., Савинецкая Л.Е., Шекарова О.Н. Крапчатый суслик (Spermophilus suslicus Güld., 1770) возвращается в Тамбовскую область (организация центра сохранения и реинтродукции крапчатого суслика в Воронинском заповеднике) //В сборнике: Проблемы популяционной биологии. материалы XIII Всероссийского Популяционного семинара с международным участием памяти Н. В. Глотова (к 85-летию со дня рождения). Уфа, 2024. С. 64-69.
Шекарова О.Н., Савинецкая Л.Е., Бурканова О.А., Суркова Е.Н., Чабовский А.В., Роговин К.А. Стресс у крапчатых сусликов (Spermophilus suslicus Güld., 1770) при переселении из природной популяции в условия полувольного содержания // Зоологический журнал. 2024. Т. 103. № 12. С. 77-90.
Surkova E. N., Savinetskaya L. E., Tchabovsky A. V. Validation of a Method for Measuring the Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in the Midday Gerbil (Meriones meridianus Pallas 1773, Muridae, Rodentia): Biological and Physiological Approaches //Biology Bulletin. – 2024. – Т. 51. – №. 7. – С. 2327-2335.
Tchabovsky A. V., Surkova E. N., Batova O. N. Colonization: Individual Traits of Colonists and Population Processes //Biology Bulletin. – 2024. – Т. 51. – №. 7. – С. 2221-2239.
Tchabovsky A. V. et al. Flexible males, proactive females: increased boldness/exploration damping with time in male but not female colonists //Royal Society Open Science. – 2024. – Т. 11. – №. 12. – С. 240842.
Суркова Е.Н., Савинецкая Л.Е., Чабовский А.В. Видовая специфика реакции грызунов на развитие процессов остепнения и опустынивания в Калмыкии // Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology. - 2024. - Т. 9. - № 2. DOI: 10.21685/2500-0578-2024-2-1
Суркова Е.Н., Савинецкая Л.Е., Чабовский А.В. Через крах к возрождению: нестационарная динамика сообщества грызунов в новый цикл опустынивания в Калмыкии // Зоологический журнал. - 2024. - Т. 103. - №4. - C. 70-79.
Batova, O.N., Markov, N.I., Titov, S.V., Tchabovsky, A.V. Does the Colonizing Population Exhibit a Reduced Genetic Diversity and Allele Surfing? A Case Study of the Midday Gerbil (Meriones meridianus Pallas) Expanding Its Range. // Animals.- 2024.- Т.14. - 2720. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182720
Surkova E. N. et al. Flexible males, reactive females: faecal glucocorticoid metabolites indicate increased stress in the colonist population, damping with time in males but not in females //Journal of Comparative Physiology B. – 2024. – С. 1-10.
Vasilieva N. A., Savinetskaya L. E., Tchabovsky A. V. Juvenile survival curves in a solitary ground squirrel with a prolonged hibernation: effects of individual characteristics, environment, and maternal investment //Current Zoology. – 2024. – V. 70. - I. 1. - P. 13–23.
Tchabovsky A. V., Surkova E. N., Savinetskaya L. E. Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species //PloS one. – 2024. – Т. 19. – №. 4. – С. e0296214.
Tchabovsky A. V. et al. Range Expansion and Population Patterns on the Wave of Colonization: The Midday Gerbil (Meriones meridianus Pallas 1773, Muridae, Rodentia) in Kalmykia Taken as a Model //Biology Bulletin. – 2023. – Т. 50. – №. 9. – С. 2552-2560.
Чабовский А.В., Суркова Е.Н., Батова О.Н. Колонизация: индивидуальные особенности колонистов и популяционные процессы // Зоологический журнал. - 2023. - Т. 102. - № 10. - С. 1152-1171.
Суркова Е.Н., Савинецкая Л.Е., Чабовский А.В. Валидация метода определения метаболитов глюкокортикоидов в экскрементах полуденной песчанки (Meriones meridianus Pallas 1773, Muridae, Rodentia): биологический и физиологический подходы // Зоологический журнал. - 2023. - Т. 102. - № 9. - С. 1072 - 1080.
Суркова Е. Н. и др. Черные земли Калмыкии: пустыня возвращается //Природа. – 2022. – №. 8. – С. 13-20.
Batova O. N. Vasilieva, N. A., Titov, S. V., Savinetskaya, L. E., Tchabovsky, A. V. Female polyandry dilutes inbreeding in a solitary fast-living hibernator //Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. – 2021. – Т. 75. – С. 1-13.
Titov S. V. Batova, O. N., Vasilieva, N. A., Savinetskaya, L. E., Tchabovsky, A. V. Development and characterization of new polymorphic microsatellite markers for Eurasian ground squirrel Spermophilus fulvus (Lichtenstein, 1823) //Russ J Theriol. – 2020. – Т. 19. – С. 131-135.
Vasilieva N. A., Tchabovsky A. V. Early predictors of female lifetime reproductive success in a solitary hibernator: evidence for “silver spoon” effect //Oecologia. – 2020. – Т. 193. – №. 1. – С. 77-87.
Tchabovsky A., Savinetskaya L., Surkova E. Breeding versus survival: proximate causes of abrupt population decline under environmental change in a desert rodent, the midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) //Integrative Zoology. – 2019. – Т. 14. – №. 4. – С. 366-375.
Surkova E., Popov S., Tchabovsky A. Rodent burrow network dynamics under human‐induced landscape transformation from desert to steppe in Kalmykian rangelands //Integrative Zoology. – 2019. – Т. 14. – №. 4. – С. 410-420.
Tchabovsky A. V. Savinetskaya L.E., Ovchinnikova N.L., Safonova A., Ilchenko O.N., Sapozhnikova S.R., Vasilieva N.A., Sociability and pair-bonding in gerbils: a comparative experimental study //Current Zoology. – 2019. – Т. 65. – №. 4. – С. 363-373.
Vasilieva N. A., Tchabovsky A. V. Reproductive decisions in a “Fast-Living” sciurid: a case study of the yellow ground Squirrel (Spermophilus fulvus) //Biology Bulletin Reviews. – 2018. – Т. 8. – С. 12-22.
Pavlova E. V. Alekseeva, G. S., Erofeeva, M. N., Vasilieva, N. A., Tchabovsky, A. V., Naidenko, S. V. The method matters: The effect of handling time on cortisol level and blood parameters in wild cats //Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology. – 2018. – Т. 329. – №. 3. – С. 112-119.
Tchabovsky A. V. et al. Delayed threshold response of a rodent population to human-induced landscape change //Oecologia. – 2016. – Т. 182. – С. 1075-1082.
Vasilieva N. A., Tchabovsky A. V. A shortage of males causes female reproductive failure in yellow ground squirrels. Sci Adv 1: e1500401. – 2015.
Vasilieva N. A., Tchabovsky A. V. Timing is the only thing: reproduction in female yellow ground squirrels (Spermophilus fulvus) //Canadian journal of zoology. – 2014. – Т. 92. – №. 8. – С. 737-747.
Vasilieva N. A. Pavlova E.V., Naidenko S.V., Tchabovsky A.V. 2014. Age of maturation and behavioral tactics in male yellow ground squirrel Spermophilus fulvus during mating season //Current Zoology. – 2014. – Т. 60. – №. 6. – С. 700-711.