Reed bed ecosystems are crucial for the survival of complex animal communities in Europe and Western Asia, but have been subjected to considerable decline, especially in beds in eutrophic shallow lakes, throughout Europe during the last decades. In Western Asia, however, these ecosystems are still wide and ecologically intact, and support highly biodiverse communities of species, including some highly threatened taxa. Here, we studied the spatio-temporal community dynamics of semi-aquatic reptiles in a wide reed bed biotope in Azerbaijan, and present conservation considerations for its optimal management for the survival of the authochtonous reptile species. Three reptile species (two snakes, Natrix natrix and Natrix tessellata, and one turtle Emys orbicularis persica) were found in the study area. Activity intensity was not even throughout the years, and was significantly more related to ambient temperatures in 2016 than in 2017. Interestingly, amphipod abundance was also significantly different between years, and correlated well with the differences in activity patterns observed in a turtle species. There were complex spatio-temporal patterns exhibited by the reptile species at the study area, with an excess of reptile individuals in the high density reed bed habitat during summertime whereas there was an excess of individuals in the open reed bed habitat in spring and autumn. This evidence suggests that there should be seasonal interhabitat movements of reptiles at the study area, and that the reed beds are not perceived as a homogeneous habitat by reptiles. Several hypotheses are presented to explain these unexpected spatio-temporal patterns by reptiles in reed beds. Our study clearly shows that, in order to enhance the conservation of reptiles, it is important to keep a mosaic of areas with dense reed stands (high density of young stems) and of open reed stands (lower density of older stems), thus increasing habitat heterogeneity and favouring small-scale ecological key-structures.

芦苇床生态系统对于欧洲和西亚复杂动物群落的生存至关重要，但过去几十年来，芦苇床生态系统尤其是在富营养化浅水湖泊的床中遭受了相当大的下降。然而，在西亚，这些生态系统仍是广泛的，并且在生态上完好无损，并支持高度生物多样性的物种群落，包括一些高度濒危的生物分类。在这里，我们研究了阿塞拜疆宽阔的芦苇床生物群落中的半水生爬行动物的时空群落动态，并提出了对其进行最佳管理以保护活生爬行动物物种的保护措施。三种爬行动物种类（两条蛇，Natrix natrix和Natrix tessellata，以及一只乌龟Emys orbicularis persica）被发现在研究区域。这些年来的活动强度甚至都没有，而且与2016年相比，与2017年的环境温度之间的关系更为显着。有趣的是，两栖动物的丰度在不同年份之间也存在显着差异，并且与在乌龟物种中观察到的活动模式的差异密切相关。研究区的爬行动物物种表现出复杂的时空格局，夏季高密度芦苇床生境中有大量的爬行动物个体，而春季和秋季，开放芦苇床生境中有大量的爬行动物个体。该证据表明研究区域应该有季节性的爬行动物栖息地间运动，并且爬行动物不会将芦苇床视为同质的栖息地。提出了几种假说来解释芦苇床上爬行动物的这些意想不到的时空模式。我们的研究清楚地表明，为了增强爬行动物的保护，重要的是要保持芦苇密集的区域（幼茎的高密度）和开放的芦苇架子（较低的老茎的密度）的区域的镶嵌，从而增加生境的异质性和有利于小规模生态关键结构。