Azerbaijan

2.4. Trophic aspects

According to feeding the living organisms of the coastal zone are divided into the primary producers of organic matter, its consumers and reducers.

The producers of the caspian ecosystem are mainly algae (phytoplankton and phytobenthose). Herbivorous invertebrates, the majority of fish youth and some adult fishes, testudines, birds are corresponded to the consumers of the first order; the consumers of the second and the next orders are such zoophagous as ravenous invertebrates; catfish, pike-pearch, pike, sturgeons, etc. from fishes; water snake from amphibians; cormorants from birds; caspian seal from the mammals.

The producers of the near-water ecosystems are algae and higher plants. The later are subdivided into two classes of formations - amphibian and water. The consumers are a complex animal kingdom beginning from zooplankton, herbivorous invertebrates and vertebrates and completing with ravenous and parasitic species.

The main reducers of water and near-water ecosystems are detritus bacteria and fungus.

The producers of the land ecosystems are the higher plants, producing the primary organic production from non-organic matters. Concumers-phytophagous from the invertebrates and animals exist by the primary production making the secondary production at the same time. The consumers-zoophagous of various orders feed with the secondary production. All the macroconsumers partially return the nutritive into the environment as waste of living processes. But the main reducers are the corresponding bacteria and fungus.

Fishes are represented by marine and fresh-water species having the following fodder supply:

  • Gobiidae - cankerous, mollusks, fish youth

  • Stizostedion - small fish, cankerous, plankton

  • Atherina mochon Eichwald - plankton, benthose, insect larvas, young fish

  • Syngnathus migrolineatus Eichwald - planktonic crayfishes

  • Anguillidae anguilla L. - mollusks, insect larvas, cankerous

  • Gasterosteidae - insect larvas, benthonic organisms, small cankerous, worms, roe and young fish

  • Silurus glanis L. - fish, insect larvas

  • Gobitidae - roe and young fish, water insects, sometimes diatomic algae

  • Cypriniday - cankerous, mollusks, worms, algae, insects and their larvas, roe, young fish, vegetative detritus, seeds and fragments of plants, including Aspius aspius taeniatus Eichwald - fishes only

  • Esox Pucius L. - cankerous, fish, frogs

  • Salmonidae - sprats, silverside, herring youth, cankerous

  • Clupeonella - small cankerous, mollusk larvas, roe and young fishes

  • Anoca - cankerous, fishes (sprats, silverside, gobies, herring youth and youth caught in thick net)

  • Acipenseridae - cankerous, worms, fishes; including Huso huso L. - fishes only

  • Caspiomyzon wagneri kessier - organic matters, smallest organisms, meat of live and dead fishes

The main acclimatized species have the following fodder supply:

  • Carassius carassius L. - zooplankton, zoobenthose, rare vegetation

  • Gambusia affinis Boejardet Girard - insect larvas, roe and young fish

  • Liza - cankerous, mollusks and their larvas, ooze

Amphibians feed mainly with various invertebrates including the pests. Very seldom there are various kinds of grassy vegetation in their fodder supply. The fodder supply of amphibians living in the coastal zone consists of:

  • Triturus vulgaris Laur. - the majority of bad insects and their larvas

  • T.cristatus L. - earthworm, mollusks, insects and their larvas, roe of amphibians and cankerous, the cases of cannibalism had been observed sometimes

  • Pelobates syriacus Boett. - insects, mollusks, earthworms

  • Polebytes caucasicus Boul. - various invertebrates

  • Bufo viridis Laur. - non-flying forms of land invertebrates, mainly bugs, caterpillars, bedbugs, ants

  • B.bufo L. - majority of bad insects, spiders, ants, slogs, caterpillars, earthworms

  • Hyla arborea L., H.savigni Audouin - various insects mainly flying forms

  • Rana ridibunda Pall. - various insects, sometimes nestling of small birds, mouse-like rodents, tadpoles, fish youth

  • R.macrocnemis Boul. - flying insects

Reptiles of the coastal zone distinguish with great variety of species and feed with vegetative and animal food, exactly:

  • Testudines - lush grassy vegetation, sometimes mollusks and insects (Testido graeca L.) - insects, tadpoles, cankerous, frogs, fishes, algae, sedge, fruits (Mauremys casrica Gmel. and Emys orbicularis L.).

  • Sauria - the majority of species feed with insects, caterpillars, other small invertebrates, besides Cyrtopodion caspius Eichw - scorpions, phalanx, spiders, wood louse, small lizards, Stellio caucasius Eichw - plants, Pseodopus apodus Pall. - nestling, small rodents, Andius fragilis L. - earthworms, mollusks

  • Serpentes - feed with very various animals: from worms, mollusks and insects to fishes, birds and rodents. All snakes hunt after living bag (quarry) swallowing it whole. The feed ration depends upon snake size and changes very with age: young snakes feed with small invertebrates, but the adult ones - with vertebrates. Only small species feed with worms, insects and other invertebrates all life around.

Birds of the coastal zone are characterized by great quantity of the subspecies variety mainly by migrating and wintering species and subspecies. The local birds make fewer a third of species and subspecies observed in region. Fodder supply of birds is very extensive and includes various vegetative and animal food, and also the waste and remnants of food products. Fodder supply of birds of the coastal zone consists of:

  • Podicipediformes - water insects, mollusks, small fish, sometimes water plants

  • Pelewcaniformes - small and middle fish

  • Ciloniformes - frogs, tadpoles, near-water invertebrates and amphibians

  • Phoenicopterus rose us Pall. - small mollusks, water invertebrates and cankerous, one-celled algae

  • Anseriformes - water and near-water vegetation, small fish, water invertebrates, ooze

  • Falconiformes - fish, webbed, rodents, frogs, snakes, lizards, big insects, small and middle birds, small animals, rabbits, foxes, carrion

  • Galliformes - young shoots, buds, flowers, seeds and leafs of various plants, cereals, beans, fruits, berries, insects, caterpillars, worms

  • Gruiformes - insects, worms, mollusks, seeds of plants, water plants, small fish

  • Charadriiformes - insects and their lavras, land and water invertebrates, mollusks, small cankerous, and the family of Lariidae - young fishes, small fish, rodents, birds and their eggs, food waste

  • Columbiformes - insects, seeds and shoots of plants, food waste

  • Coculus canorus L. - insects

  • Strigiformes - mouse-like rodents, rabbits, small birds, rare insects and lizards

  • Caprimulgus europacus L. - night insects

  • Coraciformes - insects, worms, lizards, small rodents

  • Piciformes - insects and their chrysalises, plant seeds

  • Passeriformes - insects, worms, seeds, berries and fruits of plants, mollusks, and the genus of Corvus - bird eggs, nestling, small birds, rodents, frogs, lizards, fish, carrion, food waste

According to feed character the mammals of the coastal zone are divided into omnivorous, herbivorous and carnivorous. The theriofauna is represented by 7 orders, which are characterized by the following fodder supply:

  • Insectivora - animal fodder, especially insects and their lavras, and also the earthworms, mollusks, toads, lizards, snakes, small birds, mouse-like rodents, fruits, plant shoots, cereals

  • Chiroptera - majority of bad insects

  • Lepus europacus Pallas - seeds and shoots of plants, fruits, berries, vegetable and melon cultures

  • Rodentia - grass, seeds, cereals, nuts, chestnut, acorns, fruits, berries, young shoots, bulbs and roots of grassy plants, melon cultures, insects, bird eggs, nestling, and the genus of Rattus - fish, mollusks, carrion, food waste, fecal

  • Carnivora are represented by all the families with exception of civets use the following food:

  • Canis aureus L. - birds, mammals (rabbit, coypu, mouse-like rodents, weasel), plants, carrion

  • Canis lupus L. - wild and domestic ungulates, rabbit, mouse-like rodents, fish

  • Vulpus - mouse-like rodents, insects, birds, reptiles, plants, rabbit, coypu

  • Martes - mouse-like rodents, squirrel, small birds, big insects, various vegetation

  • Meles meles L. - worms, insects, mollusks, small vertebrates, bird eggs, mouse-like rodents, various vegetation

  • Felis silvestris Schreber - mouse-like rodents

  • F.libyca Forster - coypu, bids, mouse-like rodents

  • F.lynx L. - ungulates, rabbit, mouse-like rodents, birds

  • Pinnipedia - Caspian seal (Phoca caspica Gmelin) - small and middle fishes, cankerous

Ungulates are represented by three families - pig (wild boar), deer (roe deer) and hollow-horned (gazel), their fodder base is:

  • Sus serofa L. - acorns, nuts, roots, tubers, seeds, fruits, berries, shoots of cereals and melon cultures, lavras and chrysalises of insects, bird eggs, nestling, carrion

  • Capreolus capreolus L. - various grasses, leafs and shoots of bushes and trees

  • Gazella subgutturosa Gulbenstaedt - semidesert and desert grasses

Acclimatized species have the following fodder supply:

  • Myocastor coypus Mollina - near-water vegetation, insects, bird eggs

  • Procyon lotor L. - small vertebrates, bird eggs

Reference

  1. Agamaliyev F.G. Caspian Sea infusoria. – Leningrad; "Nauka", 1983.

  2. Alekperov A.M. Amphibians and reptiles of Azerbaijan. – Baku; "Elm", 1978.

  3. Amirov F.A. Forests and forestry of Azerbaijan Republic. – Baku; "Azerbaijan", 1997.

  4. Atlas of Azerbaijan SSR. – Baku-Moscow; GUGK, 1963.

  5. Babayev G.B. Characteristics of the systematic composition of phytoplankton of the Middle and South Caspian western part. – News of Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR, series of Biological sciences, 1970, ?1, p.70-73.

  6. Babayev I.R. Rare birds and birds being under thread of extinction of Azerbaijan north part and their protection in 1991-1993. Report of Zoology Institute of Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Republic. – Baku, 1993.

  7. Babayev I.R. Rare birds and birds being under thread of extinction of Azerbaijan south-eastern part and their protection in 1994-1995. Report of Zoology Institute of Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Republic. – Baku, 1995.

  8. Bagirov R.M. Azov-Black Sea species artificially settled and their role in benthose and overgrowing of the Caspian Sea. – Abstract for Ph.D. – Baku, 1989.

  9. Biology of the Middle and South Caspian. – Moscow; "Nauka", 1968.

  10. Vereshyagin N.K. Catalogue of Azerbaijan animals. – Baku; Publishers of Azerbaijan Branch of Academy of Sciences, 1942.

  11. Vereshyagin N.K. Mammals of the Caucasus. – Moscow; Publishers of Academy of Sciences of USSR, 1959.

  12. Gajiyev V.D. Azerbaijan vegetative cover. – Baku; "Ishyg", 1976.

  13. Gasanov V.M. Long-standing changes of benthonic fauna of the South Caspian western part. – Publishers of Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR, series of Biological sciences, 1978, ?6, p.83-88.

  14. Gasanov V.M. Benthonic fauna of the South Caspian western part in conditions of oil contamination. Abstract for Ph.D. – Sevastopol, 1984.

  15. Azerbaijan animal kingdom, v.I, Unicellulars and multicellulars (without arthropoda and vertebrates). – Baku; "Elm", 1995.

  16. Azerbaijan animal kingdom, v.II, Arthropoda. – Baku; "Elm", 1996.

  17. Azerbaijan animal kingdom, v.III, Vertebrates. – Baku; "Elm", 2000.

  18. Caucasus reserves. – Moscow; "Misl", 1990.

  19. Zenkevich L.A. Biology of the USSR seas. – Moscow; Publishers of Academy of Sciences of USSR, 1963.

  20. Zenkevish L.A., Zevina G.B. Fauna and flora. From book: Caspian Sea. – Moscow; Publishers of Moscow State University, 1969.

  21. Kazantsev E.N. Caspian Sea fishes. – Moscow, 1981.

  22. Kasymov A.G. Animal kingdom of the Caspian Sea. – Baku; "Elm", 1987.

  23. Kasymov A.G. Caspian Sea. – Leningrad; Gidrometeoizdat, 1987.

  24. Kasymov A.G. Ecology of the Caspian lake. – Baku; "Azerbaijan", 1994.

  25. Kasymov A.G., Bagirov R.M. Biology of the present Caspian. – Baku; "Azerneshr", 1983.

  26. Red Book of Azerbaijan SSR. – Baku, 1989.

  27. Prilipko L.I. Forest vegetation of Azerbaijan. – Baku; "Elm", 1954.

  28. Salmanov M.A. Ecology and biological productivity of the Caspian Sea. – Baku; "Ismail", 1999.

  29. Safarov I.S. Subtropical forests of Talysh. – Baku; "Elm", 1979.

  30. Tuayev D.G. Catalogue of Azerbaijan birds. – Baku; "Elm", 1996.

INTRODUCTION

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

SECTION 5

APPENDIX 15

APPENDIX 16

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