North-central Kazakhstan Research Articles

A population survey of the endangered White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala in Kazakhstan shows an apparently increasing Eastern population

ABSTRACTCapsuleSurveys of the White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala at key breeding and staging sites in Kazakhstan suggest a positive trend for the migratory Eastern population and an underestimation of the global population.AimsTo review and update the population estimate and distribution status of the White-headed Duck in Kazakhstan using the most recent survey data.MethodsDistribution and population estimates were derived from a compilation of all published and unpublished data and a series of targeted surveys in 2013–17, covering breeding, post-breeding and migration periods at key sites in north-central Kazakhstan.ResultsNumbers of White-headed Ducks were particularly high in the post-breeding and autumn migration period. There was a positive population trend across the past two decades, including high counts in 2016 and 2017, with more than 20 000 and about 7500 individuals, respectively, suggesting a population increase. Breeding records were scattered and overall low in numbers, but likely partly overlooked.ConclusionThe global population size of the White-headed Duck is currently considerably underestimated. The positive trend reflects the overall improvement in the status of the Eastern population. However, aggregation at relatively few sites represent a potential conservation concern. The breeding sites that are a source for the migratory aggregations in north-central Kazakhstan are still to be discovered.

Causes of energy poverty in a cold and resource-rich country: evidence from Kazakhstan

ABSTRACTKazakhstan is an upper-middle-income country and one of the coldest countries in the world with rich energy resources and energy prices considerably lower than in developed countries. This paper presents the first comprehensive overview of household fuel use in Kazakhstan and assesses the causes and extent of energy poverty using the Households Living Conditions Survey dataset of 12,000 households. The results show that there is an overwhelming reliance on coal in Kazakhstan: 40% of all surveyed households use coal for heating, cooking and other needs. In general, liquefied petroleum gas is mainly used for cooking, coal and firewood for heating, while electricity is rarely used for heating. Energy poverty was less prevalent in oil and gas rich regions, due to low gas prices and higher income levels in those regions, while households located in the North Kazakhstan, Central and East Kazakhstan mainly suffer from lack of cleaner fuel options, income poverty, longer and colder winters and consequently energy affordability. Despite low energy prices in Kazakhstan, the results demonstrate that 28% of surveyed households spend more than 10% of their income on energy. Gas and district heating infrastructure coverage and income inequality across its regions contributed the most to energy poverty in Kazakhstan. Energy prices are regulated and indirectly subsidised. Removing energy subsidies alone may worsen energy affordability of households. Offering direct subsidies to cover part of the energy expenditures may not fully solve the problem, but subsidies, interventions for efficient technologies and fuels, dwelling energy-efficiency improvements are necessary.

Late Ordovician trilobites from the Mayatas Formation, Atansor area, north-central Kazakhstan

ABSTRACTTwo trilobite faunas of Late Ordovician (Katian) age are described from the Mayatas Formation in the Stepnyak region of north-central Kazakhstan. The older, oligotaxic fauna derives from flanks of a carbonate build-up, and is dominated by numerous Sphaerexochus specimens. Amphilichas is also relatively common, with Pliomerina and indeterminate asaphids present as rare components. The overlying unit of siliceous argillites contains a different assemblage, representing the raphiophorid biofacies and comprising seven genera. The poorly preserved fauna is dominated by blind trilobites (a new genus of trinucleid, the three-segmented raphiophorid Pseudampyxina, Malongullia?, Lonchodomas and Arthrorhachis) and at least two species of large-eyed Telephina, suggesting that they occupied the disphotic zone in deep water offshore. A single cranidium of the odontopleurid Primaspis is also present. The trinucleid, Iputaspis stepnyakensis gen. et sp. nov., has an unusual pit arrangement, with E1 and E2 aligned in sulci and all I arcs irregularly arranged. The Atansor area is located within the Stepnyak tectonostratigraphical unit, which probably represented an Ordovician active margin of the Kalmykkol–Kokchetav Microplate. Some of the genera represented in the faunas have affinities with Australia and South China and, also, there is a possible link to European peri-Gondwana.

Ecological factors influencing the breeding distribution and success of a nomadic, specialist predator

Ecological specialization can explain the declining status of many species in the face of current global changes. Amongst specialists, nomadic predators present conservation biologists with many challenges, mainly because of the difficulty of studying highly mobile individuals over time and across very large areas. For these species, the relative influence of prey abundance, habitat heterogeneity and arrival time at the breeding grounds on breeding parameters remains poorly understood. We studied the factors influencing variation in breeding numbers and performance of a declining nomadic specialist raptor, the Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, in north-central Kazakhstan. During a 5-year period, we recorded large inter-annual variation in vole abundance in the main study area, and differences between habitats. We also recorded a strong numerical response of breeding Pallid Harriers to inter-annual changes in local vole abundance. From a 13-year dataset on breeding harriers in the same area, harrier numbers appeared to vary cyclically, with an interval between peaks of approximately 6 years. At a broader, regional scale, variations in Pallid Harrier abundance appeared asynchronous, suggesting a regional redistribution of harriers between years. Reproductive success depended on local vole abundance, but also on timing of breeding and nesting habitat. Clutch size, nest success and fledged brood size increased with vole abundance. Late breeders had smaller clutches and apparently lower hatching rates than early ones, possibly as a result of the interplay between their probable poorer body condition and habitat-specific variation in predation rates. In true nomadic specialist predators, such as Pallid Harriers, breeding success may therefore depend on a complex interplay between spatial variation in prey abundance, habitat composition and timing of breeding attempts. One of the factors influencing the start of breeding is the length of time taken to prospect between different breeding sites, which in turn may depend on the predictability of spatial and temporal variation in vole abundance. These results have important conservation implications, as changes in climate and habitat could affect spatial and temporal variations in vole abundance, with possible consequences for timing of breeding, food availability and, ultimately, the reproductive success of this declining nomadic predator.

Unraveling the early–middle Paleozoic paleogeography of Kazakhstan on the basis of Ordovician and Devonian paleomagnetic results

It is a common concept that different tectonic units in the western part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt were united into the landmass of the Kazakhstania continent in the Paleozoic but many important details of its history remain enigmatic and controversial. Recently published paleomagnetic data from this region demonstrate that the ~2000km long horseshoe-shaped Devonian Volcanic Belt was created by oroclinal bending of an originally rectilinear active margin of Kazakhstania. Still, the Silurian and Devonian paleomagnetic results which this interpretation is based upon are limited and unevenly spread along the belt, and additional middle Paleozoic data are highly desirable. Accordingly, we studied three mid-Paleozoic objects from different segments of this volcanic belt. Two of the three new objects yielded paleomagnetic directions that fit perfectly into the oroclinal scenario, whereas the third one provided no interpretable data. The earlier history of Kazakhstania, however, remains misty. We obtained three new Ordovician results in north–central Kazakhstan and found similar inclinations but widely dissimilar declinations. Previously published data show a large scatter of Ordovician declinations in South Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well. We analyzed all seven Middle–Late Ordovician paleolatitudes and came to the conclusion that a nearly E–W trending active margin of the Kazakhstania landmass had existed at low (~10°S) latitudes at that time. We hypothesize that this margin of the Kazakhstania landmass collided with another island arc, called Baydaulet–Akbastau, and with the Aktau–Junggar microcontinent by the Ordovician–Silurian boundary. As a result of this collision, subduction ceased, and regional deformation, magmatism, and rotations of crustal fragments took place in most of Kazakhstania. In Silurian time, Kazakhstania moved northward crossing the equator and rotating clockwise by ~45°. This changed the orientation of the Kazakhstania to NW–SE, and thereby established the (rectilinear) predecessor of the modern curved Devonian Volcanic Belt.

Breeding biology of Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus in north-central Kazakhstan

The ecology and conservation status of Central Asian populations of Montagu’s Harriers Circus pygargus are poorly known. We studied the breeding biology of this species during 3 years in the Naurzum region, north-central Kazakhstan. Most Montagu’s Harriers in the study area nested in the forest-steppe transition area, in bushy areas dominated by dogrose Rosa canina, which was apparently the nesting vegetation type providing highest and densest nest cover in the study area. Laying occurred from 26 April to 7 June (average 13 May, n = 49) and, although it varied significantly between years, was earlier than in western European populations of similar latitude. Mean (±SD) clutch size was 4.44 ± 0.86 (range 2–6; n = 50), in the higher range observed for the species. There was no significant interannual variation in clutch size, despite large variations in the abundance of small mammals in the area. Diet was mainly composed of lizards (54.2%, n = 533 identified prey in all 3 years), with small mammals (17.1%), passerine birds (14.3%) and insects (13.6%) also being consumed. Mean brood size at the last visit was 2.55 ± 2.10 (range 0–6; n = 51). Failure rate was relatively high; the main identified cause of nest failure was predation. We compare the data obtained in this population breeding in natural steppes with breeding parameters from the well-studied western European populations, and discuss the implications for the conservation of this species.

Burdens of mercury in residents of Temirtau, Kazakhstan: I: Hair mercury concentrations and factors of elevated hair mercury levels

Mercury (Hg) is released either naturally in the environment or by anthropogenic activities. During its global circulation, Hg presents in a diversity of chemical forms and transforms between each other. Among Hg species, methylmercury (MeHg) is readily absorbed by humans via the aquatic food chain and thus it is very neurotoxic to exposed populations including fetuses due to perinatal exposure. In 2005, a survey was carried out in Temirtau, an Hg-contaminated site in North Central Kazakhstan, to investigate Hg concentrations in the hair samples of the residents and the relationship between Hg exposure levels and the related factors. Among the 289 hair samples, Hg concentrations ranged from 0.009 to 5.184 µg/g with a mean of 0.577 µg/g. Nearly 17% of the population exceeded 1 µg/g for hair Hg, which corresponds to the reference of dose (RfD) 0.1 µg/kg body weight/day developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Subgroups of males, people aged over 45 and fishermen or anglers were found to have elevated Hg exposure levels in their hair. A positive correlation was found between Hg concentrations in hair and frequencies of river fish consumption. As a result, the finding that people were exposed to high levels of Hg was expected due to the frequent consumption of fish caught from the polluted River Nura or the neighbouring lakes. A regression model showed that approximately 41% of variance of Hg concentrations in the study population's hair was attributed to the variables of gender, residential location, age and fishery occupation. The model implied that demographic characteristics together with dietary behaviour should be taken into account in studies associated with Hg exposure risk, in order to clearly define the group potentially sensitive to Hg exposure.

Breeding biology of the pallid harrier Circus macrourus in north-central Kazakhstan: implications for the conservation of a Near Threatened species

We studied a breeding population of pallid harrier Circus macrourus in 2000 and 2006 in north-central Kazakhstan to evaluate the relationships between breeding parameters and breeding habitat in the species’ core breeding range. Pallid harrier nests were found in a wide variety of vegetation types and heights belonging to three main types: steppe, riverine and agricultural. The proportion of nests found in each habitat type (corrected for search effort) differed between 2000 and 2006, with agricultural habitats being more used in 2000, when fallow land was abundant, than in 2006. Highest densities were observed in riverine habitats but hatching success seemed to be lower there because of greater predation. There was apparently lower productivity (smaller broods) in agricultural than in other areas. Laying was spread over 2 months, with a bimodal pattern of laying dates. Birds laid earlier in agricultural and steppe habitats and later in riverine habitats. These differences may be linked to spatio-temporal habitat heterogeneity, and possibly to intra-population heterogeneity in wintering areas implying different arrival dates on the breeding grounds. We discuss the implications of the findings for the conservation of this Near Threatened species.

COEXISTENCE IN A MULTISPECIES ASSEMBLAGE OF EAGLES IN CENTRAL ASIA

Abstract We evaluated factors that permit species coexistence in an exceptional assemblage of similar raptor species at the Naurzum Zapovednik (a national nature reserve) in north-central Kazakhstan. White-tailed Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Golden Eagle (A. chrysaetos), and Steppe Eagle (A. nipalensis) all breed at the Zapovednik. Steppe Eagle use of nesting resources was distinct from that of tree-nesting species. We evaluated differences in nest tree and nest habitat characteristics, nest dimensions and positions, and nest spacing among the three forest-dwelling eagle species to distinguish between the effects of inter- and intraspecific resource limitations on species coexistence. Although the different species bred in similar habitat and sometimes reused other species' nests, the dimensions, positions and locations of their nests often differed. These differences did not appear to result from interspecific competition. Nest spacing trends were also species specif...

SELECTION OF AN OPTIMAL SPECTRAL RESOLUTION FOR MULTISPECTRAL IMAGING OF ARID LANDSCAPES

Two Russian remote sensing specialists investigate the problem of selecting the most informative spectral bands for multispectral remote sensing investigations of natural features and vegetation associations typical of arid environments in the Turgay Lowland of north-central Kazakhstan. More specifically, they investigate which among the four bands of a summertime Landsat-TM image yields the most information about topographic, hydrographic, and vegetational shrub and grass communities typical of the area. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, Virginia, from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 2000, No. 2, p. 144-145.

Late Ordovician linguliformean microbrachiopods from north-central Kazakhstan

A Late Ordovician (late Caradoc) linguliformean microbrachiopod assemblage from north-central Kazakhstan contains 12 taxa of acrotretides, lingulides and paterinides including two new genera: Atansoria (type species Atansoria concava sp. nov.) and Naimania (type species Isedonia procera Popov, 1980) plus the new species Conotreta? chernovi. It also provides a first record of the presence of Dictyonites, Foveola, Acrotreta and Ephippelasma in the Caradoc, and Acrotretella is reported for the first time outside Baltoscandia in the Ordovician. The assemblage retains some distinctive characters of microbrachiopod faunas known from the late Arenig and Llanvirn of central Kazakhstanian terranes, and is clearly distinct from the Llandeilo and early Ashgill assemblages of the Chingiz-Tarbagatay terrane (east Kazakhstan). The latter demonstrate more similarity to the Baltoscandian faunas.

Late Ordovician (Ashgill)linguliformean microbrachiopods from the Bestyube Formation, north-central Kazakhstan

A moderately diverse linguliformean microbrachiopod assemblage from the upper BestyubeFormation (Ordovician, lower Ashgill) contains 12 taxa including one new genus Tasbulakia (with T. tenuis nov. sp. as a type species) and three new species Biernatia prominens, Scaphelasma zharykensis and Veliseptum pulchrum. The fauna includes the first record of the occurrence of Nushbiella, Cyrtonotreta, Ephippelasma and Veliseptum in the Ashgill. The co-occurrence of the this assemblage with the Ovalocephalus trilobite fauna suggests deep water biofacies of Benthic Assemblage 4 or 5. The acrotretide component of the assemblage demonstrates greatest similarity with late Ordovician (Llandeilo to early Ashgill) linguliformean brachiopod faunas of Baltoscandia.

ICBMs and the Environment: Assessments at a Base in Kazakhstan

A paper by two U.S. scientists explores the environmental/health hazard posed by abandoned missile launch sites and control facilities (dismantled by 1998 as part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program) at an ICBM base in north-central Kazakhstan. It summarizes the findings of Environmental Site Assessment Reports based on a program of water and soil sampling at the sites, with a particular focus on testing for the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls, various toxic metals, and radiation. The study is important in that it documents levels of contamination (and describes abatement measures) at a former Soviet missile base. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H50, 110, Q20, 7 figures, 10 references.