Fig. 1

Map of the Erkuta tundra monitoring site in southern Yamal, Russia. The inset indicates the location of the area in the western Eurasian Arctic (represented by the red star) and shows the five bioclimatic subzones of the Arctic according to [2]. Subzones A–C represent the high Arctic whereas subzones D and E represent the low Arctic. The hatched ellipses show the three replicate areas (units), where herbivore faeces counts and small rodent trapping were carried out. All fox dens are shown. Red dots represent dens where pups have been observed during the study period, and red lines link dens between which fox families have moved. The green lines show the extent of the study area in the first year of the study (2007) and the maximal extent of the study area. Note, however, that in most years the area actually surveyed was somewhat less than this maximal area