CONTAMINATION OF LANDS AND HABITATS OF WILD UNGULATES BY EGGS AND LARVIES OF HELMINTHS OF THE STRONGYLATA SUBORDER

Abstract

Different types of forest land are not the same, as are the places of circulation of eggs and larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder. Plant formations with a low risk of infection are young pine forests, middle-aged and old pine forests, old mixed forests, spruce forests. Potentially dangerous in terms of infection are bushes of river floodplains and forest meadows. Plant formations with a high risk of infection are young mixed forests, middle-aged mixed forests with undergrowth. The most dangerous for infection are swampy forests and forest swamps. The degree of contamination and accumulation of invasive larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder in different lands and habitats is different and differs depending on the season of the year. The most favorable for mass infection is the end of summer, the beginning of autumn, namely August-September. The distribution of eggs and larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder in forest lands has a mosaic character. The number of plots depends on the areas preferred by wild ungulates. The movement of wild ungulates across the land occurs also under the influence of the anthropogenic factor, which affects the distribution of infection. If we know the habitats of wild ungulates, we can assess the degree of contamination by eggs and larvae of species and characterize the risk of infecting wild ungulates with them. The number of eggs and larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder in excrement may vary over time depending on weather conditions. Infection with helminths of the suborder Strongylata occurs through the trophic links of wild ungulates. The addition of young grass vegetation to the diet of wild ungulates in spring leads to an increase in eggs and larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder in excrement. In the autumn season, when wild ungulates switch to rough forages, the number of eggs and larvae of helminths of the Strongylata suborder in excrement decreases.