Abstract
The Mongolian–Transbaikalian region of the Central Asia is known for its wide range of intracontinental ecosystems from desert through steppe to taiga forest and mountain tundra. Data on the isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen in the bone and dental tissues of herbivorous animals inhabiting the desert, steppe, and forest–steppe landscapes of Outer Mongolia and Western Transbaikalia are presented. The maximum values of the carbon isotope ratio are observed in animals from the desert (Gobi Desert) and the semi-desert landscapes, median (mean) δ13C is -17.9‰. The minimum values of δ13C were obtained by herbivorous animals of the forest-steppe and the forest landscapes (Transbaikalia), which median δ13C is -23‰. The fauna of the steppes (median δ13C is -21.7‰) has intermediate values of the carbon isotopic composition. According to the isotope composition of nitrogen, the isotope-geochemical isolation of ecosystems is less pronounced.
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