Developmental Stability, Population Dynamics, and Climate Change, with Particular Reference to the Common Shrew (Sorex areneus L. 1758) in Central Siberia

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The temporal variation of the degree of fluctuating asymmetry of the characters of skull morphology, as a measure of the developmental stability, is evaluated in the common shrew (Sorex araneus L., 1758) in Central Siberia. Four-year cycles in this population under conditions of climatic stability in the past century were accompanied by significant changes in the level of developmental stability, suggesting a negative impact under a high density. Population fluctuations under the conditions of climatic instability in this century commonly occur without essential changes in the developmental stability, which can be related to both the impact of oscillations in the environmental conditions and an increase in the carrying capacity of the habitat due to the increase in temperature. Deterioration of developmental stability takes place occasionally in the case of an adverse overpopulation impact in the year of peak population abundance that is beyond the certain threshold level, which has increased due to climate change. The results indicate the importance of simultaneous monitoring of population abundance and developmental stability to provide information on possible mechanisms of changes in the population dynamics that occur due to climate change.