The article provides a study of the population dynamics and adaptive mechanisms of rodents in conditions of a gradient of anthropogenic load within the boundaries of the Polistovsky Nature Reserve and adjacent territories. The monitoring of the number of small mammals in 2022–2024 was carried out. using the trap line method on a permanent accounting network. 6275 hours worked out trap-days, 142 individuals were caught. The accounting lines were located in biotopes with varying degrees of anthropogenic impact. The results of the study showed that the dominant species in the studied population is the red vole (Myodes glareolus). An ambiguous reaction of rodents to anthropogenic impact has been revealed. In areas with moderate load, the number increased from 0.89 to 3.17 individuals per 100 trap days. In the territory with minimal anthropogenic load, the indicators remained stable (1–3 individuals/100 trap days). An increase in the number of rodents has been recorded in the territory of the ecotropics “Forests and People”. It has been established that the ecosystem demonstrates a certain adaptive potential to recreational stress. The data obtained underline the need for regular monitoring in order to timely identify critical levels of anthropogenic impact on populations of small mammals.

Keywords: adaptation, anthropogenic impact, environmental monitoring, protected areas, recreation, rodents, small mammals