A comparison of food resources used by Mongolian gazelles and sympatric livestock in three areas in Mongolia

Botanical and particle size compositions of the feces of sympatric Mongolian gazelles, sheep/goats, and horses collected in southern Mongolia in autumn 2002 were analyzed. The botanical composition of Mongolian gazelles was similar to that of sheep/goats where dicotyledonous plants (64.6% for Mongolian gazelles, 65.6% for sheep/goats), particularly woody fibers were important (39.5% for Mongolian gazelles, 19.5% for sheep/goats). In contrast, horse feces were exclusively composed of graminoids (93.2%). Consequently, food overlap was great between Mongolian gazelles and sheep/goats (Pianka's index: 0.977) but was small between Mongolian gazelles and horses (0.437) and sheep/goats and horses (0.421). Particle size distributions were also similar between Mongolian gazelles and sheep/goats, whereas they were different between horses and Mongolian gazelles and horses and sheep/goats. These results support our expectation based on the Jarman‐Bell principle. Although interspecific competition cannot be inferred from a mere food overlap, our analyses suggest that sheep and goats are potential competitors for Mongolian gazelles. Therefore, the increase in the numbers of domestic sheep/goats might pose a risk for Mongolian gazelle populations.

Winter habitat of Mongolian gazelles in areas of southern Mongolia under new railroad construction: An estimation of interannual changes in suitable habitats

Contributions of sandy lands and stony deserts to long-distance dust emission in China and Mongolia during 2000–2006

The Mongolian gazelle is one of the few CentralAsian ungulates that have retained high numbers andvast geographic ranges. To date, there is no commonopinion on the population structure of this species. Toclarify this issue, we analyzed tissue samples ofgazelles from eastern Mongolia and neighboringregions with respect to two fragments of mtDNA differ-ing from each other in mutation rate: a fragment of thecytochrome b gene and the hypervariable fragment ofthe D-loop. We obtained the first data on the nucleotidesubstitution accumulation rates in these fragments ofthe genome of this species. It was found that the cur-rent, single population of gazelles is genetically hetero-geneous and includes two differentiated phylogeneticgroups. The two genetically different groups wereprobably formed within this steppe species more than100 000 years ago, when the gazelle geographic rangewas split by a forest zone during the interglacial epoch.The molecular genetic analysis of the fragments ofthe cytochrome b gene and D-loop was performed insamples of different tissues (muscles, dry skins, andhorns) of 13 Mongolian gazelles collected in Russia,Mongolia, and China between 1999 and 2005. We alsoused tissues of the Mongolian gazelle horn from thecollection of Zoological Institute of the Russian Acad-emy of Sciences (no. 8343) collected in 1914. ATibetan gazelle (goa or Tibetan gazelle, Procapra pic-ticaudata) from the collection of Zoological Institute(no. 602) obtained in 1874 and a Persian gazelle(Gazella subgutturosa) obtained from Mongolia in2005 were used as outgroups. The DNA isolation andthe amplification of the D-loop fragment were per-formed as described earlier [2–3]. The PCR of the cyto-chrome b gene fragment was carried out with the use ofthe primers Glu-(L14724) (TGATATGAAAAAC-CATCGTTG) and Cb2-(H15174) (CCCTCAGAAT-GATATTTGTCCTCA) as follows: (I) 3 min at 94°C;(II) 15 s at 94°C, 15 s at 50°C, and 45 s at 72°C(35 cycles); (III) 6 min at 72°C. The nucleotidesequence in the mtDNA fragment studied was deter-mined by means of an ABI 310 automatic analyzerusing a Big Dye kit (Applied Biosystems). The Mega3.0 and Arlequin 2.000 software was used for statisticaltreatment [4–5].We found seven haplotypes of a 375-bp fragment ofthe cytochrome b gene, five of which were unique, in asample of 13 specimens. The nucleotide diversity (π)was 0.5 ± 0.3%. In the same specimens, we found12 unique haplotypes of a 644-bp fragment of theD-loop; the nucleotide diversity was there 5.2 ± 0.7%.All nucleotide sequences have been inputted to theinternational genetic database GenBank (DQ266310,DQ266321– DQ266324, DQ266326, DQ266332–DQ266334, DQ266336, DQ266337, DQ266352, andDQ269150–DQ269162). Phylogenetic analysisshowed that all haplotypes from the studied sample fellinto two groups (Figs. 1, 2). It is noteworthy that thedistribution of the specimens between these two groupswas the same for the cytochrome b gene and the D-loophypervariable fragment. In neither case did we foundany association between the current territorial distribu-tion and genetic relationship between the animals.Therefore, we hypothesized that, in the past, there weretwo isolated populations of gazelles, which intermixedafterwards. The intergroup genetic distance (Net dis-tance, D) between these two clusters calculated for thecytochrome b gene fragment was 0.4%. Comparisonwith outgroups showed that the genetic distancebetween the Tibetan and Mongolian gazelles was 3.2%and that between all gazelles and the Persian gazellewas 11.4%.According to paleontological data, there were twoevolutionary lineages of gazelles in the late MioceneEpoch. One of them has led to the currently existingMongolian and Tibetan gazelles and the other, to thePersian gazelle [6]. Gazella gaudryi from the lateMiocene and early Pliocene Yushi sediments in China

Objective: A retrospective survey was designed to determine the prevalence and factors involved in surgical cases at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH), Bangladesh Agricultural University from June 2014 to June 2017. Materials and materials: In total, 1042 surgical cases of food animal (large ruminants: n=564, and small ruminants: n=493) and 26 non-food animal (mono-gastric animal) were recorded from patient register book and case recording card. Data were analyzed by Epi Info TM software and frequencies were calculated for different variables using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Result: In large ruminant, hernia (16.13%) ranked top (90% umbilical and 10% lateral) followed by fracture (14.89%), abscess (14.54%), umbilical myasis (10.46%), atresia ani (5.85%) and naval ill (4.07%). Among the reported cattle, 87.41% were crossbred and 12.59% were indigenous. Calf, heifer and adult cattle were 55.32, 10.29 and 34.39% respectively. In small ruminants, castration (32.94%; n=138) ranked top followed by myasis (10.55%) naval ill (10.31%), abscess (7.44%), dystocia (6.24%) and urolithiasis (5.49%). Based on surgical classification in large and small ruminants, 37.56 and 42.50% were reported for general surgery, whereas 28.71 and 7.15% for congenital, 11.18 and 13.12% for gynecological and 2.65 and 37.23 % for andrological problems, respectively. Male and female ratio was 1:1.31 and 2:1 respectively in large and small ruminants, respectively. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the factors related to successful surgical cases management at VTH. The results may help in controlling surgical related cases in Mymensingh region of Bangladesh.

A gazelle's extraordinary, 18,000-km-long journey through the steppes of Mongolia.

1. The Mongolian gazelle Procapra guttorosa is legally hunted, but has no scientifically‐based management strategy. It has suffered a range contraction in recent years, but the reasons for this are unclear. This paper addresses both of these issues. 2. The available data on the population dynamics and human influences on the Mongolian gazelle are presented and evaluated. Districts which currently contain Mongolian gazelles had a significantly lower human population density in 1969 than those which no longer contain gazelles. 3. A discrete‐time age‐ and sex‐structured model is developed for the Mongolian gazelle. The model includes stochastically determined mortality rates, depending on whether the winter is harsh and/or the summer has a disease epidemic. The model results suggest that given the poor data available, a relatively safe strategy for managers, producing reasonable yields, would be to hunt at a low hunting mortality rate, taking up to 6% of the population each year, while selecting strongly for males. 4. A simpler lumped‐parameter model is developed using the climate and disease‐determined rates of population increase derived from the age‐ and sex‐structured model. Comparison between the two models shows that the lumped parameter model is an adequate simplification of the age‐ and sex‐structured model, although it underestimates equilibrium population sizes somewhat. 5. The simplified model is used to investigate the available data on the Mongolian gazelle. It is shown that the population must have been larger than previous estimates in order to have sustained the level of recorded hunting over the last 64 years. 6. The model suggests that the population declined rapidly from 1979 to 1986, then stabilized. Variation in natural mortality rates has had an effect on the rate of decline since 1932, but recorded hunting has not. It is not possible to tell whether the rates of unrecorded hunting or habitat degradation have changed since 1932. The results are robust to parameter variation.

We compared a local clustering and a cluster morphology statistic using anthrax outbreaks in large (cattle) and small (sheep and goats) domestic ruminants across Kazakhstan. The Getis-Ord (Gi*) statistic and a multidirectional optimal ecotope algorithm (AMOEBA) were compared using 1st, 2nd and 3rd order Rook contiguity matrices. Multivariate statistical tests were used to evaluate the environmental signatures between clusters and non-clusters from the AMOEBA and Gi* tests. A logistic regression was used to define a risk surface for anthrax outbreaks and to compare agreement between clustering methodologies. Tests revealed differences in the spatial distribution of clusters as well as the total number of clusters in large ruminants for AMOEBA (n = 149) and for small ruminants (n = 9). In contrast, Gi* revealed fewer large ruminant clusters (n = 122) and more small ruminant clusters (n = 61). Significant environmental differences were found between groups using the Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Logistic regression was used to model the presence/absence of anthrax outbreaks and define a risk surface for large ruminants to compare with cluster analyses. The model predicted 32.2% of the landscape as high risk. Approximately 75% of AMOEBA clusters corresponded to predicted high risk, compared with ~64% of Gi* clusters. In general, AMOEBA predicted more irregularly shaped clusters of outbreaks in both livestock groups, while Gi* tended to predict larger, circular clusters. Here we provide an evaluation of both tests and a discussion of the use of each to detect environmental conditions associated with anthrax outbreak clusters in domestic livestock. These findings illustrate important differences in spatial statistical methods for defining local clusters and highlight the importance of selecting appropriate levels of data aggregation.

Much of Mongolia’s rangelands are under state control and managed via traditional land use practices and are habitat for numerous wildlife species harvested for their meat and fur. Political and economic transformations that have been occurring since the early 1990’s continues to affect all aspects of Mongolian society. To cope during periods of economic hardship, many turned to harvesting wildlife resources for income and subsistence and this resulted in precipitous declines of some populations, marmots for example. Interviews with herding households in Mongolia’s eastern steppe region were conducted to better determine how wildlife resources (Mongolian gazelle, Siberian marmot, red foxes, corsac foxes, and gray wolf) are utilized and valued by herding families. Hunting, carried out by 65% of interviewees, returned an average of $103±172 dollars per household. The number of individuals hunted of any particular species during the previous year ranged widely - 46% of households hunted an average of 8±9 Mongolian gazelles (the equivalent of a small cow), 31% hunted 5±5 corsac foxes, 29% hunted 42±47 marmots, 22% hunted 3±3 red foxes, and 17% hunted 3±2 gray wolves. Differences in mean annual income between hunting and non-hunting households were similar ($1,292±1,132 vs. $1,080±1,196) however the median difference was greater ($1,009 vs $749). However, non-hunting households owned significantly more livestock than hunting households (168±183 vs. 93±92 Livestock Units), and the proportion of hunting households living below the poverty line was higher. Households that were larger or had few numbers of livestock were more likely to engage in hunting than smaller households with more livestock. Household and livestock variables were also significant predictors of a households likelihood of hunting Mongolian gazelle, Siberian marmot, and corsac fox, but not for red fox or gray wolf. Wildlife management policies will likely receive greater acceptance and compliance if subsistence hunting needs were incorporated.

The study of the current ecology of Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa Pallas, 1777), a typical inhabitant of steppe ecosystems of Eastern Mongolia, and a comparison of the obtained data with previously collected data are required to improve the Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan for the Daurian Steppe ecoregion, which was included into the list of the 200 most important regions in the world by the World Wide Fund for Nature. A comparative analysis of long-term data collected by authors in Eastern Mongolia shows significant changes in the Mongolian gazelle distribution and probably a significant decrease in its population, which occurred over the last 20–25 years. The intensive development of mineral resources, the construction of new roads across migration paths, and frequent epizootics represent additional threats to the stability of the Mongolian gazelle population. To prevent this species from being moved to the critically-endangered-species category of the IUCN Red List, it is necessary to develop and implement a special international program for protecting Mongolian gazelle.

The species composition of nematodes found at autopsy of abomasa and small intestines of 24 Mongolian gazelles in Eastern Mongolia is studied. Orloffia bisonis, Marshallagia mongolica, Nematodirus archari, N. andreevi, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, T. probolurus were registered. N. archari and N. andreevi were detected in Mongolian gazelle for the first time. All species of gastrointestinal nematodes found in Mongolian gazelles have already been registered in domestic ruminants of Mongolia. The validity of Orloffia genus is confirmed based on our own observations and literature data. Orloffia is monotypic genus with the only species O. bisonis represented by two morphs where “O. bisonis” is major and “O. kasakhstanica” is minor.

Landscape in southern Mongolia, specifically the Govi shows an outstanding variety as the result of the region’s long-term geotectonic evolution and climate changes over geological time scales. In southern Mongolia, the number of lakes is second in the country (24.7%), and they are mainly aeolian, volcanic, and tectonic lakes. Lakes in the Govi are important and useful archives for reconstructing paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes in southern Mongolia because they preserve information on hydrological and geomorphological processes. The recent significant changes of lake areas in southern Mongolia indicate how rapid the Govi landscape has been responding and how sensitive the lakes are to the present climatic warming. The warming-induced aridity strengthened in the Govi region during the last century has been controlling the landscape evolution and also disappearance and reappearance of the lakes. Sedimentological and geochronological data obtained from the Govi contribute to our understanding of the paleogeographical histories in Mongolia and Central Asia.KeywordsGovi desertGovi AltaiValley of LakesPaleolakesPlaya lakesSouthern Mongolia

A classic discussion of large mammalian herbivore population dynamics would focus on top-down and bottom-up drivers. Yet what is often forgotten, is that many of these species are also highly mobile, covering hundreds or thousands of kilometers in a year, and that this mobility can also influence population dynamics, although the mechanisms are still understudied. While the top-down and bottom-up drivers are more researched, global change will alter how all three drivers impact population dynamics. Of particular concern are habitat fragmentation, which alters movement patterns, and climate change through its direct impact on large herbivore physiology but also its indirect influence through impacts on vegetation dynamics. Understanding these potential effects remains challenging, so the goal of my dissertation was to show that one approach to understanding the effects of global change is by modeling both plant and herbivore ecophysiology. To do this I made new additions to a dynamic global vegetation model coupled to a physiological model of herbivores, using Mongolian gazelle in the steppes of eastern Mongolia as a case study. To parameterize the ecophysiological model for Mongolian gazelle, I needed to better understand how gazelle move to select for forage during the growing season and snow cover during winter. I also wanted to understand if selection differs between the individual and population level. To do this I combined gazelle movement data with satellite data on vegetation greenness and snow cover and used resource and step-selection functions to test for selection. At the population level, gazelle selected for higher-than-average vegetation greenness during the growing season indicating that they select areas of higher forage cover in a landscape where forage cover is often sparse. In winter, at the population level, gazelle selected for intermediate snow cover, striking a balance between staying hydrated and being able to move through the snow. At the individual level, in both seasons and across various spatial scales, I was not able to detect selection for most individuals. This was likely because vegetation, even up to 35 km away, is still very similar to where a gazelle currently is. Therefore, once gazelle are in a good foraging patch, they can move within it for a long time before they must decide where to move to next. In such a landscape, random searches might be the best foraging strategy. For the ecophysiological herbivore-vegetation model, this meant using the ~45 x 45km grid cell size of the vegetation model and a simple random search movement pattern was adequate to describe gazelle movements. Based on the results of the habitat selection study I added movement to an existing ecophysiological herbivore-vegetation model and adapted it to work for temperate ungulates. I used this model it to ask how movement drives the population dynamics of Mongolian gazelle. I did this by running the model once allowing gazelle to move freely within the landscape and once restricting movement to ~45 x 45km areas. Not only were gazelle more than two times more abundant when they were allowed to move, their population also increased more during years of abundant forage and decreased less during drought, indicating that movement also stabilized population dynamics. Restricting movement resulted in local extinctions because gazelle were vulnerable to boom-bust dynamics or harsh winters. The results suggest that for highly mobile species, protected areas are not an adequate conservation measure and that the focus must be on creating permeable landscapes. For many arctic and temperate herbivores, including Mongolian gazelle, harsh winters decrease survival. Yet with warmer winters due to climate change this fundamental population control might change. Simultaneously, many areas are experiencing vegetation greening trends which have been linked to the plant-physiological effects of increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations (CO2 fertilization). Both changes could positively influence temperate herbivores but are not well studied and so I examined their effects with the ecophysiological herbivore-vegetation model by modifying it to better account for large herbivore energy expenditures like thermoregulation. I then ran with model with climate data for two contrasting socio-economic future scenarios. Gazelle abundance increased in both future scenarios, driven equally by increases in forage biomass and decreases in winter thermoregulation costs. Increases in forage biomass were due to increases in growing season length and CO2 fertilization effects. While ultimately negative consequences of climate change might cancel out these positive effects, the results show these positive effects are large and cannot be ignored like they currently are. While there are detailed ecophysiological models of herbivores or vegetation, the combination is still rare. My PhD shows that the combination is key. Gazelle respond to environmental conditions by moving and these movements influence energy intake and expenditure, scaling up to influence population abundance and stability. Under climate change, accounting for both the physiological response of plants and herbivores, showed that both contribute equally to increases in gazelle abundance. Therefore, unlike most climate change studies which examine distribution, I was able to examine abundance. Most importantly, because the herbivore part of the model can simulate any terrestrial ungulate and the vegetation part works globally, I hope the model, whose code is freely available, will be applied to a variety of other questions and herbivore systems in the future.

The dust storm of April 14–17, 1998 in China was mainly associated with the frontal systems and the Mongolia cyclonic depression, which caused heavy dust fall at Beijing on April 16. In nearly fifteen hours, approximately 38.3 g/m² of dust fell on Beijing. This dust storm was of strong intensity, long duration, and with a wide coverage; it not only affected southern Mongolia and the central and southeastern China, but also the North Pacific Ocean. The source areas of the dust storm were from the Gobi areas of southern Mongolia and the Gobi and desert areas of Inner Mongolia, China. This dust storm is a good example of long‐range transport and deposition of airborne materials, which provides a useful analogue for studying the dust sources and deposition in the geological record.

There are major changes in livestock production and red meat consumption trends throughout the world, particularly in emerging and developing countries due to various factors. The livestock sector as a source of red meat production has significant potential and an important contribution to the agro-economy development of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Most of the farm animals are reared in the Sulaymaniyah governorate. Mainly, Cattle (6.7%), Sheep (72.45%), goats (20.7%), and buffalo (0.15%) are the most farm animals in the Sulaymaniyah governorate. Although The area has vast pastures which can make it capable to make progress in the livestock industry, currently livestock farming is declining and the number of large and small ruminants has decreased meanwhile importing animals from abroad for red meat has increased to meet the market demand. Furthermore, a further decline in the number of small and large ruminants may harm the sustainability of the agricultural sector Kurdistan region in general and in particular Sulaymaniyah governorate. This paper reviews ten years (2009 to 2018) records of slaughtered cattle, sheep and goats in Sulaymaniyah governorate, Kurdistan region – Iraq aiming to determine trends in production and consumption patterns of red meat products in Sulaymaniyah city, Kurdistan region and identify opportunities for developing livestock production industry in Kurdistan region.