System ecology of the common adder. Facts and models

      Аннотация: Nature-lovers know that the common adder (Vipera berus L., 1758) has spread over the vast area stretching far to the North. However, only few of them imagine all the variety of the adaptive mechanisms providing existence of this species in various conditions including polar areas. The list of such unique properties includes both the ability of an organism of the adder (toxicity, nonspecific diet, tissues resistance to cold, effective thermoregulation), and the features of population structure (two- and even a multi-year reproductive cycle, multiple copulation, ovoviviparity, long lifetime). On the basis of our 18 years investigations, we have a possibility to carry out a system research on biology of the adder. We are going to display in detail the integrity of these various biological properties of the adder in relationship providing its existence in the North.

Ключевые слова: Age Composition, Growth, Mortality, Reproduction, Simulating, spatial distribution, Survival, thermoregulation, common adder, island biology, dynamic of population