Mongolian Gazelle Research Articles

Assessment of the global population size of the Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa

Abstract The Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa is a wild ungulate ubiquitous across the largest remaining temperate grasslands of Mongolia, Russia and China. The species is nomadic and ranges over long distances, resulting in widely fluctuating abundance in any given location. Therefore, a comprehensive and range-wide survey is required to accurately estimate its global population size, but challenges are posed by the expansive geographical distribution and the political boundaries across the species’ vast range. To obtain an estimate of the total population, we compiled data from recent range-wide surveys. During 2019–2020, we estimated the population size in Mongolia by conducting line transect distance surveys and total counts, and by deriving numerical predictions for unsurveyed areas through data analysis. The gazelle's population in Russia was surveyed in 2020 across its summer range using simultaneous counts, transect surveys and expert knowledge. The distance sampling surveys in Mongolia revealed that slightly more than half of the gazelles along the transects were detected. Our assessment of the gazelle population, although probably an underestimate, suggests there are c. 2.14 million individuals in Mongolia and c. 30,000 in Russia. These results confirm that the Mongolian gazelle is the most abundant nomadic ungulate in the open plains across its range. However, to obtain more accurate estimates across all range states and effectively monitor the gazelle's population status, it is essential to implement standardized survey protocols that correct for imperfect detection. At present, the management of the Mongolian gazelle is inadequate, as there is a lack of regular monitoring to identify any adverse population changes that could necessitate conservation interventions.

Nomadic ungulate movements under threat: Declining mobility of Mongolian gazelles in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia

Increasing habitat fragmentation and disturbance threaten long-distance movements of ungulates. While the effects of impermeable barriers on ungulate migrations have been well researched, quantitative evidence for gradual, long-term changes of mobility remains rare.We investigated changes in movement behavior of Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa using GPS tracking data collected from 62 gazelle individuals between 2007 and 2021. We quantified 16-day displacement distances as a metric for long-distance movements before using linear mixed models, generalized additive models and quantile regressions to assess how anthropogenic and environmental factors affected gazelle movement behavior.Long-distance 16-day movements decreased by 36 %, from 142 km in 2007 to 92 km in 2021. Changes in mobility were affected by increasing vehicle numbers in Mongolia, but could not be explained by concurrent changes in other environmental factors like temperature, precipitation or vegetation greenness. Gazelle movement decreased close to roads, and gazelles stayed further away from roads during the snow-free season, when traffic likely is most intense.Conserving landscape permeability is essential for maintaining populations of highly mobile species. Our study provides evidence for a gradual decline in gazelle mobility over fifteen years as a response to increasing anthropogenic impact. The transportation infrastructure permeating the Eastern Steppe does not pose physical barriers, yet our findings suggest that increasing traffic volume may create semipermeable barriers to gazelle movement. As human activity is increasing, interactions between ungulates and vehicle traffic need to be closely monitored to identify and mitigate semipermeable barrier effects before landscape permeability is severely altered.

Genetic diversity and structure of mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) populations in fragmented habitats

BackgroundThe Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) population has shown a considerable range of contractions and local extinctions over the last century, owing to habitat fragmentation and poaching. A thorough understanding of the genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian gazelle populations in fragmented habitats is critical for planning effective conservation strategies.ResultIn this study, we used eight microsatellite loci and mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) to compare the levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure of Mongolian gazelle populations in the Hulun Lake National Nature Reserve (HLH) with those in the China-Mongolia border area (BJ). The results showed that the nucleotide diversity and observed heterozygosity of the HLH population were lower than those of the BJ population. Moreover, the HLH and BJ populations showed genetic differentiation. We concluded that the HLH population had lower genetic diversity and a distinct genetic structure compared with the BJ population.ConclusionThe genetic diversity of fragmented Mongolian gazelle populations, can be improved by protecting these populations while reinforcing their gene exchange with other populations. For example, attempts can be made to introduce new individuals with higher genetic diversity from other populations to reduce inbreeding.

Mongolian gazelle (Procapra cf. gutturosa Pallas, 1777) in the Pleistocene of Transbaikalia and Altai

More than 1500 bones of the skull and postcranial skeleton of the Mongolian gazelle (Procapra cf. gutturosa Pallas, 1777) from 4 Paleolithic sites of Western Transbaikalia (Varvarina Gora, Kamenka, Khotyk, Tolbaga) and 3 cave localities of the northwestern Altai (Denisova, Strashnaya, Kaminnaya) were studied. For comparison, a large collection of skeletal bones from 56 individuals of modern P. gutturosa, collected on the territory of the “Dzeren Valley” nature reserve, was used. A number of morphometric differences in the structure of the lower jaw and bones of the postcranial skeleton between modern and fossil Mongolian gazelle have been revealed. Pleistocene P. cf. gutturosa had shorter and relatively massive limb bones and was significantly smaller in body size than the modern one. At the sites of Transbaikalia, Mongolian gazelle bones can account for up to half of all megafauna remains, in the Middle-Late Pleistocene layers of Altai caves, up to 3–4%. During the periods of glaciation, the Mongolian gazelles of Transbaikalia and Altai lived in conditions of cold, dry and little snow steppe or mountain-steppe landscapes. In the interglacial and interstadials, they continued to live here in the conditions of steppe or forest-steppe landscapes.

ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ОБРАБОТАННОГО НЕПОЛНОГО РОГОВОГО СТЕРЖНЯ ДЗЕРЕНА PROCAPRA GUTTUROSA ИЗ ПЯТОГО КУЛЬТУРНОГО СЛОЯ СУХОТИНСКОЙ МАСТЕРСКОЙ

The article is devoted to the functional analysis of the tool of Procapra gutturosa Mongolian gazelle, made on an incomplete horn rod, found during excavations in 2019. The Sukhotinskaya workshop has been known since the 1970s. For the first time it is mentioned in the scientific reports of I.I. Kirillov as a place of collection of numerous lifting material. For the first time, a test pit at the site was laid in 2013, and in 2019 it was expanded. In the course of these works, at the base of the section, a processed horn rod of Procapra gutturosa of an average degree of preservation was found, which was subjected to functional analysis. In the course of studying the object under binocular and metallographic microscopes, five microsections were identified on the largely destroyed treated surface of the horn rod, which retained individual areas of focal micropolishing and thin linear traces directed along the axis of processing. The direction vector of these microtraces coincides with the visual profile of the horn rod processed into a wedge by cutting. These areas are preserved on the heights of the furrowed surface in places where the bone substance of the horn shaft has not undergone significant changes. Of particular interest are individual microchip of hornfels and micaceous rock/pyrite, which are stuck directly in the bone substance at an angle of about 30°, which clearly indicates the angle and direction of processing. Based on the results of the functional analysis of the tool, an extraordinary tool was determined, carrying two generations of trimming by cutting off the knocked-off edge.

Movement drives population dynamics of one of the most mobile ungulates on Earth: Insights from a mechanistic model.

Long-distance movements are hypothesized to positively influence population size and stability of mobile species. We tested this hypothesis with a novel modeling approach in which moving herbivores interact with the environment created by a dynamic global vegetation model using highly mobile Mongolian gazelles in the eastern Mongolian grasslands as a case study. Gazelle population dynamics were modeled from 1901 to 2018 under two scenarios, one allowing free movement and one restricting movement. Gazelles were 2.2 times more abundant when they could move freely and were extirpated in 71% of the study area when mobility was restricted. Mobility resulted in greater population increases during times of abundant forage and smaller population decreases during drought. Reduced thermoregulatory costs associated with climate change, combined with an increase in vegetation biomass, increased gazelle abundance. Since high abundances often resulted in overgrazing and, thus, extirpation when movement was restricted, mobility had an important role in maintaining higher densities. The novel modeling approach shows how accounting for not just herbivore but also plant ecophysiology can improve our understanding of the population dynamics of highly mobile herbivores, in particular when examining the effects of habitat and climate change. Since the model simulates herbivores based on general physiological mechanisms that apply across large herbivores and the vegetation model can be applied globally, it is possible to adapt the model to other large-herbivore systems.

When are bacteria really gazelles? Comparing patchy ecologies with dimensionless numbers.

From micro to planetary scales, spatial heterogeneity—patchiness—is ubiquitous in ecosystems, defining the environments in which organisms move and interact. However, most large‐scale models still use spatially averaged ‘mean fields’ to represent natural populations, while fine‐scale spatially explicit models are mostly restricted to particular organisms or systems. In a conceptual paper, Grünbaum (2012, Interface Focus 2: 150–155) introduced a heuristic, based on three dimensionless ratios quantifying movement, reproduction and resource consumption, to characterise patchy ecological interactions and identify when mean‐field assumptions are justifiable. We calculated these dimensionless numbers for 33 interactions between consumers and their resource patches in terrestrial, aquatic and aerial environments. Consumers ranged in size from bacteria to whales, and patches lasted from minutes to millennia, with separation scales from mm to hundreds of km. No interactions could be accurately represented by naive mean‐field models, though 19 (58%) could be partially simplified by averaging out movement, reproductive or consumption dynamics. Clustering interactions by their non‐dimensional ratios revealed several unexpected dynamic similarities. For example, bacterial Pseudoalteromonas exploit nutrient plumes similarly to Mongolian gazelles grazing on ephemeral steppe vegetation. We argue that dimensional analysis is valuable for characterising ecological patchiness and can link widely different systems into a single quantitative framework.

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

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

Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota of Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) Under Fragmented Habitats.

The existence of man-made facilities such as pasture fences makes the grassland ecosystem fragmented and endangers the survival of local wild animals. The Mongolian gazelle is highly sensitive to hunting and habitat destruction, and is one of the most threatened artiodactyls in Eurasia. It provides a critical model to studying gut microbiota under fragmented habitats. Therefore, we applied metagenomics sequencing to analyze the gut microbiota communities and functions of Mongolian gazelle under fragmented habitats. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in gut microbial communities between the different groups at both the phylum and genus level. The functional analyses showed that the Mongolian gazelle in fragmented habitat had a stronger ability to degrade naphthalene, but their ability to absorb carbohydrates was weaker. This study provided fundamental information about the gut microbiota of Mongolian gazelle, and we recommend reducing habitat fragmentation to better protect the Mongolian gazelle.

Body mass of Procarpa gutturosa (Bovidae) calves: influence of climatic conditions and occurrence of pathogens in the group of the Daursky State Nature Reserve (Russia)

Procapra gutturosa (hereinafter – Mongolian gazelle) is one of the last large migratory mammal species in Asia, which population has declined considerably over the past century due to various anthropogenic factors. In Russia, the Mongolian gazelle inhabits the north of its natural range, which supposes suboptimal conditions for this species, and it is listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. The physiological status of its calves was studied in the Daursky State Nature Reserve in 2015–2021 by assessing their body mass and the presence of antibodies to several pathogens. It was found that the body mass of Mongolian gazelle calves averaged from 2.85 kg to 6.14 kg and varied depending on such factors as sex, age and year of data collection. It was also related to climatic conditions, especially during the last third of pregnancy. In addition, Mongolian gazelle individuals were identified, which are seropositive to foot-and-mouth disease and peste des petits ruminants, but not to pasteurellosis and brucellosis. The number of positive reactions to the pathogens varied from year to year. So, the highest number of seropositive individuals was detected in 2018, representing 63.3%. Being still connected with the main range, the Mongolian gazelle group in Russia (surroundings of the Daursky State Nature Reserve) is gradually increasing. The study of animals’ physiological condition makes it possible to predict changes in the status of this ungulate group.

Rapidly increasing migratory activity of Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) and the sightings of Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in Transbaikalia as an alarm

Rapidly increasing migratory activity of Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) and the sightings of Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in Transbaikalia as an alarm

Resource selection of a nomadic ungulate in a dynamic landscape.

Nomadic movements are often a consequence of unpredictable resource dynamics. However, how nomadic ungulates select dynamic resources is still understudied. Here we examined resource selection of nomadic Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia. We used daily GPS locations of 33 gazelles tracked up to 3.5 years. We examined selection for forage during the growing season using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). In winter we examined selection for snow cover which mediates access to forage and drinking water. We studied selection at the population level using resource selection functions (RSFs) as well as on the individual level using step-selection functions (SSFs) at varying spatio-temporal scales from 1 to 10 days. Results from the population and the individual level analyses differed. At the population level we found selection for higher than average NDVI during the growing season. This may indicate selection for areas with more forage cover within the arid steppe landscape. In winter, gazelles selected for intermediate snow cover, which may indicate preference for areas which offer some snow for hydration but not so much as to hinder movement. At the individual level, in both seasons and across scales, we were not able to detect selection in the majority of individuals, but selection was similar to that seen in the RSFs for those individuals showing selection. Difficulty in finding selection with SSFs may indicate that Mongolian gazelles are using a random search strategy to find forage in a landscape with large, homogeneous areas of vegetation. The combination of random searches and landscape characteristics could therefore obscure results at the fine scale of SSFs. The significant results on the broader scale used for the population level RSF highlight that, although individuals show uncoordinated movement trajectories, they ultimately select for similar vegetation and snow cover.

ENDOPARASITOFAUNA OF MONGOLIAN GAZELLE IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE DAURSKY RESERVE

Currently, government agencies are increasing interest in the conservation of wild ruminants which are either listed in the Red Book or kept in reserves and national parks. This type of ruminant includes dzeren, or Mongolian gazelle that lives on the territory of the Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve between the Tel and Utogi cordons. For purposes of studies for helminths that form the endoparasitofauna, 57 samples of feces were taken which were frozen and delivered for the studies to the Department of Parasitology and Veterinary Inspection of the FSBEI HE MGAVMiB – MBA named after K.I. Scryabin. The studies were carried out according to generally accepted methods, and the following data were obtained - for dzerens that live in the conditions of the Daursky Reserve, there are 2 types of helminths that belong to the class of nematodes Nematodirus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. The infection intensity of the studied samples was 47.4%. The genus Nematodirus spp. prevails, helminth eggs were found in 23 samples, which is 40.4% of the total number of the samples. In turn, eggs of Trichostrongylus spp. were found in 4 samples, which is 7.0% of the total number of the samples.

Palaeoenvironmental and hunting activity of the Upper Palaeolithic population in Western Transbaikalia: A case study on the Podzvonkaya Settlement, South Siberia

AbstractPaleontological data from Palaeolithic sites in the Transbaikal region are frequently interpreted from the viewpoint of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. This research describes faunal material from one of the largest Initial Upper Palaeolithic settlements in Transbaikalia Podzvonkaya and the general characteristics of ancient human hunting activity there. The archaeological context of the faunal remains (located near hearths and in the kitchen midden) indicates the bones at the site are kitchen waste. The species composition indicates which species Podzvonkaya's inhabitants preferred to hunt. The largest number of remains belongs to horse, argali, bison, and Mongolian gazelle—animals that prefer open steppe and dry‐steppe landscapes. The results of a spore‐and‐pollen analysis of Podzvonkaya deposits reveal the domination of grass flora. The Tamir River valley could have been the habitat of the main target species, and ancient people probably hunted in the territory within the valley and in the valley's vicinity. Intraregional correlation with data on the species composition of the large mammals within other Palaeolithic remains of the Western Transbaikal region supports a conclusion regarding the identity of fauna at the final stage of the late Neopleistocene. Data from sites belonging to the same culture and period reveal identical prey lists, with certain preferences explained by site type (ie, long‐term base settlement or short‐term hunting camp).

The benefit and strategy of spring movements in Mongolian gazelles

Abstract Animal movement is predicted to be nomadic in areas with low temporal predictability of environmental conditions, but it remains unclear whether the costs of nomadic movement outweigh the benefits received. To examine the spring movement strategy of Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) in Mongolia, where predictability of vegetation conditions is relatively low, we identified the type of each movement, evaluated the preferred vegetation conditions for gazelles, and quantified the benefit achieved through each spring movement. The surveyed gazelles continuously preferred areas with intermediate normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from May to July, and spatial and temporal shifts of the distribution of preferred areas explain the long-distance movements of many gazelles in spring. Three movement types, sedentary, linear, and nomadic movement, were identified. The period when benefit varied most greatly among individuals differed between the linear and nomadic movement types. During the spring movement period, the variance of benefit was larger for the nomadic movement type, whereas during the summer it was larger for the linear movement type, suggesting the existence of different movement strategies in the Mongolian gazelle. Linear long-distance movements over a short period in the linear movement type suggest the so-called jumper strategy, whereas other movement patterns might represent the searcher strategy. Benefit loss through movements of individuals in both strategies indicate low interannual predictability of vegetation conditions in the study area, and it would explain the co-existence of multiple movement types or strategies used by Mongolian gazelles in spring.

Antlions (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae) along the North Caspian shore; distributional analysis and zoogeographical division of Caspian coast of Russia

Abstract. Krivokhatsky VA, Kerimova IG, Anikin VV, Astakhov DM, Astakhova AS, Ilyina EV, Plotnikov IS, Samartseva JV. 2020. Antlions (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae) along the North Caspian shore; distributional analysis and zoogeographical division of Caspian coast of Russia. Biodiversitas 21: 258-281. Zoogeographically regionalization of Northern Caspian territory, adjacent Eastern Caucasian and Volga-Ural regions were carried out by using the original cladistic program (CLA) based on faunistic investigations of Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae. A total of 47 of elementary districts of physical geography or geobotanical mapping and 41 species of antlions were used for analyses in the Matrix. 46 elementary faunas were combined in the region into seven concrete faunas. The ConCaspian and Volga-Ural antlion faunas were mixed. Aspoeckiana uralensis Hölzel, 1969 was considered as superspecies with a complex of five subspecies with overlapping areas of distribution, associated in its origin with the spread of Northern antelopes (Saiga tatarica (Linnaeus, 1766), Gazella subgutturosa Guldenstaedt, 1780, Procapra gutturosa Pallas, 1777). At the North Caspian Shore Aspoeckiana uralensis uralensis Hölzel, 1969, and Aspoeckiana uralensis jakushenkoi Zakharenko, 1983, cohabited with the saiga antelope, using their paths for larval colonies. The dynamics of Macronemurus bilineatus Brauer, 1868 area over the past 100 years was described in detail. For some paleoenvironmental conditions of their origin and colonization of the Caspian region are reconstructed. The leading role of Turan in the formation of the fauna of the antlions is determined.

Variability in nomadism: environmental gradients modulate the movement behaviors of dryland ungulates

AbstractStudying nomadic animal movement across species and ecosystems is essential for better understanding variability in nomadism. In arid environments, unpredictable changes in water and forage resources are known drivers of nomadic movements. Water resources vary temporally but are often spatially stationary, whereas foraging resources are often both temporally and spatially variable. These differences may lead to different types of nomadic movements: forage‐ vs. water‐driven nomadism. Our study investigates these two different types of nomadism in relation to resource gradients from mesic steppe to xeric desert environments in Mongolia's Gobi‐Steppe Ecosystem. We hypothesized that in the desert, where water is a key resource, animals are more water‐dependent and may show water‐driven nomadism with frequent revisits to spatially fixed resources, while in the steppe, animals are less water‐dependent and may show forage‐driven nomadism, tracking high‐quality foraging patches with infrequent revisits to previously used resources. We utilized GPS movement data from 40 individuals of four ungulate species (Mongolian gazelle, goitered gazelle, saiga antelope, and Asiatic wild ass) in the Gobi‐Steppe Ecosystem. We calculated displacement distances and recursion metrics and subsequently performed a principal component analysis to quantify the variation in movement patterns. The satellite‐derived vegetation greenness served as a proxy for the resource gradient and was associated with variation in movement behaviors described by the first principal component, demonstrating that the variability in movements was closely related to the resource gradient from mesic to xeric habitats. We showed that ungulates in the resource‐rich steppe tended to move long distances with few revisits (forage‐driven nomadism), while ungulates in the resource‐poor desert tended to move shorter distances with more revisits (water‐driven nomadism). Our results suggest that xeric and mesic habitats promote different types of nomadic strategies. These results have important implications for conservation strategies: Forage‐driven nomads primarily require a high degree of landscape‐level permeability, and water‐driven nomads additionally require the protection of ephemeral water bodies and actions to maintain the functional connectivity between them.

Opportunistic bacteria and mass mortality in ungulates: lessons from an extreme event

AbstractMass mortality events in wildlife are a growing concern. Under conditions of rapid global change, opportunistic responses in bacterial commensals, triggered by environmental stressors, may be increasingly implicated in die‐offs. In 2015, over 200,000 saiga antelope died of hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the pathogen Pasteurella multocida serotype B. We use this case to explore die‐offs from commensal bacteria more broadly, looking at factors which might favor such extreme events. We review other recorded disease outbreaks caused by Pasteurellaceae organisms, firstly in saiga and secondly in other wild ungulates, and ask whether the 2015 die‐off was unprecedented in terms of mortality rates, numbers dead, spatial scale, and in the nature of the predisposing or environmental factors involved. We also compare these outbreaks with mass mortality events associated with commensal bacteria in wildlife more generally. We identify three additional major die‐offs in saiga in which Pasteurellaceae organisms may be implicated, of which one in 1988 closely resembles the 2015 hemorrhagic septicemia event. No other recorded cases in wild ungulates approach the magnitude of these cases for any of the metrics considered, possible exceptions being die‐offs in Mongolian gazelles, in which the role of these pathogens is poorly substantiated. Environmental triggers were the most commonly suggested factor leading to pathogenesis, with warm humid conditions most commonly associated with hemorrhagic septicemia. Life history may also be significant—saigas are migratory and the largest pasteurellosis outbreaks outside this species also occur in migratory species of bird or other temperate ungulates aggregating in large numbers. Cases provoked by other commensals tend to be small in magnitude. Exceptions involve interactions between multiple pathogens and climatic conditions or sets of climatic conditions acting on different stages of the host–pathogen life cycle, leading to time lags between infection and subsequent disease. Overall, the scale and rapidity of the saiga die‐offs appear unprecedented among mortality events caused by bacterial commensals in wild mammals. Experimental research into the genetics and microbiology of host–pathogen interactions upon changes in the external environment, and monitoring of animals and conditions at calving sites, may eventually reveal the underlying causes of these die‐offs.

Challenges in the conservation of wide‐ranging nomadic species

Abstract Conservation of nomadic species presents significant conservation challenges because of unpredictability in their movements and space use. Long‐term studies on nomadic species offering insights into the variability in space use within and between years are largely missing but are necessary to develop effective conservation strategies. We examined the temporal variability in space‐use of Mongolian gazelle, a nomadic species. We tracked 22 individuals for 1–3 years with GPS and used the resulting movement patterns to evaluate conservation strategies associated with their nomadic movements in the intact open plain grasslands of Mongolia. Individuals exhibited a high degree of variability in space use within and between years, often using different wintering areas in different years. The individual range size varied as much as threefold between years, with an estimated average annual individual range size of ~19,000 km2 and a lifetime range of ~100,000 km2. Comparing simulated and empirical GPS trajectories for the Mongolian gazelle showed that they avoided disturbed areas (e.g. oil fields) and did not prefer protected areas. Importantly, no single protected area in the region was large enough to cover the annual range of any of the tracked gazelle. Because of their wide‐ranging movements, the presence of linear infrastructure and the resulting barrier effects are a particular concern. We found that fences along the national border were absolute barriers affecting movements of about 80% of all tracked individuals. When gazelle encounter the border fence, they moved a median distance of 11 km along fences, suggesting frequent crossing options are needed to make barriers permeable. Synthesis and applications. We show that for nomadic species whose space use varies greatly across years, multiyear movement data are essential for sound conservation planning. We emphasize that place‐based approaches alone are insufficient to conserve wide‐ranging nomadic species and that linear infrastructure, including fences, highways and railroads, is of particular concern. Because nomadic species lack defined movement corridors, we advocate integrated land use planning that prioritizes permeability across the entire landscape and facilitates long‐distance movements. We suggest that conservation strategies for nomadic species in arid and semi‐arid regions be reconsidered based on multiyear connectivity assessments at the landscape scale.

Nomadic Movement of Mongolian Gazelles Identified through the Net Squared Displacement Approach

The Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) that inhabit Mongolia's steppe and semi-desert travel several hundred kilometers each year. Their movement pattern has been considered nomadic, but the details of their movement patterns remain unclear. The aim of this study is to gain an overall perspective of the movement of Mongolian gazelles, which experience diverse environmental conditions with large interannual variations across their continuous distribution range. Based on net squared displacement (NSD) modeling approach, the mixed migration type was the most observed type in the statistical assignment among five movement types, and some movements were assigned into the migration or sedentary. However, NSD seasonal change was irregular in the most annual movements of gazelles, suggesting the nomadic movements of individuals. Most gazelles tracked for more than a year changed their movement types annually, and the movement period differed among individuals. These results also support nomadic movement of the species, although some difficulties of modeling nomadism by the NSD approach were revealed.