Coenotic relations within heterotrophic consortions on the example of some animal key species

The role of animal key species in forest, wetland and fresh-water ecosystems as the concentrators of species diversity of the individuals of different taxa (consorts) is described in the article from the heterotrophic determinated paradigm point of view. The analysis of consortive relations was based on the research of key species’ representatives trophics mainly, less attention was paid to other relation types (topic, fabric and foric). Mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, mollusks and the representatives of zooplankton were the study objects of our key species research. In particular, our attention was paid to Asplanchna trophic relations, which largely determine the trophic dynamics of the investigated hydroecosystems, as well as topic relations of the littoral key zooplankton taxa with plants were in our research focus. All the types of consortive relations in various species’ habitats were analyzed on the example of Lymnaea stagnalis. It was determined that over 30 species of oligolectic bees are connected with over 14 feeding plant taxa by trophic relations. Feeding of two the most numerous Amphibia species in the forest habitats of the research territory (Bufo bufo and Rana temporaria) witness the relations with at least 13 taxa of Invertebrates, moreover their trophic preferences are largely species-specific. The pellet analyses of Asio otus and Athene noctua show the victim identity to 19 and 28 Vertebrate taxa with the dominance of Muridae and Arvicolidae, respectively. Our research describes the tight trophic relations of 10 Carnivora species (Mustelidae and Canidae) with 65 plant and animal species. Besides, the analysis of brown bear trophics shows its seasonal character and euryphagy, with much higher part of plant components in the diet contra animal ones along the year. Thus, the obtained data show that the key species are connected with dozens of other heterotrophic and autotrophic species by consortive, first of all trophic, relations. The disappearance of key species can lead to the significant changes in the ecosystem structure. There is drawn a conclusion that the consortive approach to the key species research gives us an opportunity to dive deeply into the problem of ecosystem components functioning and their changes in uncertain environmental conditions.