Reindeer Population Research Articles

Deer of the forest-tundra of the Magadan region

Purpose: to study the morphological and economically useful traits of domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) in the forest-tundra zone of the Far North-East of Russia.Materials and methods. The study used zootechnical information from annual reports on completed research projects by employees of the Laboratory of Selection and Breeding in Reindeer Husbandry of the Magadan Zonal Research Institute of Agriculture of the North-East for the 1970-1980s and 2000s. The model for the research was the reindeer population of the Markovsky state farm, typical for the forest-tundra zone of the North-East. The area of ​​reindeer pastures on the farm exceeded 5 million hectares, with 142.8 hectares per head. The average size of the production herd was 2,500 individuals.Results. The article presents data on morphological and economically useful traits of reindeer in the forest-tundra of the North-East — a pasture-geographical space on the border of the ranges of two large groups of reindeer — tundra and taiga. In the Markovsky state farm, typical for the forest-tundra zone, out of 35 thousand reindeer in the main herd, 25 % were Even, 44 % were Chukchi and 31 % were crossbred Chukchi-Even animals. In the forest-tundra, a hybrid population of reindeer was formed as a result of crossing two sympatric populations of the Even and Chukchi breeds. The intermediate phenotype had characteristic differences from the original breeds in morphological traits — color, exterior and constitution (linear measurements, body indexes), and meat productivity indicators. The conclusion is made about the origin of the forest-tundra ecotype based on hybrids from crossing sympatric populations of Chukchi and Even reindeer of different generations, backcrossing, introgression, stabilizing selection, microevolution under the influence of natural conditions and anthropogenic factors.

The role of indirect interspecific effects in the stochastic dynamics of a simple trophic system.

Indirect interspecific effects (IIEs) occur when one species affects another through a third intermediary species. Understanding the role of IIEs in population dynamics is key for predicting community-level impacts of environmental change. Yet, empirically teasing apart IIEs from other interactions and population drivers has proven challenging and data-demanding, particularly in species-rich communities. We used stochastic population models parameterized with long-term time series of individual data to simulate population trajectories and examine IIEs in a simple high-arctic vertebrate food chain consisting of the wild Svalbard reindeer, its scavenger (the Arctic fox) and the barnacle goose, a migratory prey of the fox. We used the simulated population trajectories to explore co-fluctuations between the species within the food chain. Additionally, we adjusted the model in two ways: first, to isolate the impact of fluctuations in the abundance of a species by keeping its abundance constant; and second, to isolate the impact of a trophic interaction on the dynamics of other species by setting the abundance of the influencing species to zero. We found that fluctuations in reindeer carcasses shaped fox abundance fluctuations, which subsequently affected goose population dynamics. Reindeer and goose population growth rates were nevertheless only weakly correlated, probably in part due to demographic and environmental stochasticity, density dependence and lagged dynamics in the geese. However, removing the fluctuations in reindeer abundance or setting reindeer abundance to zero indeed demonstrated strong underlying IIEs on goose population dynamics and extinction probability. This study thus highlights the importance of species interactions, including IIEs, on species coexistence and communities in the long-term, that is beyond immediate effects and covariation in short-term fluctuations.

GREATER BIOMASS FROM ARCTIC GREENING ABSORBS INCREASED GRAZING PRESSURE FROM A LARGE HERBIVORE

Arctic warming is causing widespread “greening” of tundra ecosystems. What this means for plant-herbivore relations, including the grazing pressure herbivores exert on increasingly productive tundra ecosystems, is poorly understood. Svalbard is one of the fastest warming places on Earth, with concomitant increases in both forage biomass and reindeer numbers. In 11 years between 1998 and 2023, we measured grass biomass and the proportion of shoots grazed in mesic grass-dominated tundra to evaluate whether increased forage biomass of grass absorbed the grazing pressure of more reindeer. Also, we used GPS data from adult female reindeer (2009-2023) to identify if grazing pressure was relieved by spillover into other habitats. During the study period, reindeer abundance, estimated by annual capture-mark-recapture, tripled, while grass biomass only doubled. Grazing pressure increased from 4% to 8%, which was lower than expected from the increased reindeer density. This discrepancy was not caused by spillover into other habitats, but rather by increased grazing in higher-biomass patches that have emerged with summer warming. Our findings support the notion that increased summer forage has contributed to Svalbard reindeer population growth, notably by making available higher biomass grass swards that allow for greater food offtake.

Pure wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) or hybrids? A whole-genome sequencing approach to solve the taxonomical status

AbstractIn Finland, the geographic distribution of domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and Finnish wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) partly overlap in the vicinity of the southern border of the reindeer herding area. Additionally, domestic reindeer are occasionally kept as pets within the distribution range of the wild forest reindeer. Hybridisation of these two subspecies is one of the major threats for the wild forest reindeer population. Concerns about potential hybridisation served as the catalyst also for this study, which we aimed to clarify the taxonomic status of presumed wild forest reindeer individuals intended as founder individuals for a reintroduction project. To do this, we resequenced genomes of four Rangifer tarandus individuals with unknown taxonomical status and investigated their ancestries by comparing the genomic data with the existing resequenced data of the Finnish domestic reindeer and Finnish wild forest reindeer. The genetic relationship investigations indicated that all individuals we analysed were pure wild forest reindeer, making them suitable as founder individuals for the reintroduction project. Thus, our study provided critical knowledge for practical conservation action, where it was essential to recognise each individual’s origin. In the future, it will also offer novel insights into the spread of native wild forest reindeer to new geographic regions in Finland. For subsequent studies, additional resequenced genomic data of Rangifer individuals will be needed to develop an ancestry information marker panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms for rapid and cost-effective identification of hybrid individuals of these subspecies.

ОЦЕНКА ГЕНЕТИЧЕСКОЙ СТРУКТУРЫ СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННЫХ ПОПУЛЯЦИЙ ОЛЕНЕЙ ЧУКОТСКОЙ И ЭВЕНСКОЙ ПОРОД КРАЙНЕГО СЕВЕРО-ВОСТОКА РОССИИ

The preservation of the allelofund and increasing the productivity of domestic reindeer in the Far North-East of Russia is currently an urgent problem against the background of a decrease in the number of livestock in agricultural populations. The research work was carried out during 2014-2023 in the reindeer herding farms of the Magadan region - Agricultural complex "Irbychan" and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug - breeding farms of the Municipal Unitary Enterprise agricultural complex "Khatyrskoye", "Amguema". The total number of deer involved in the work was 17,356. The aim is to study the genetic structure of populations of Even and Chukchi breeds in domestic reindeer husbandry in the Far North-East of Russia. The plucked ears of deer served as the material for molecular genetic studies. The most common genotypes of the Even breed are those with loci in their composition №3 (240-330), №5 (350-430), №6 (440-520), №7 (520-570) and No. 9 (700-770). 99% of the Chukchi deer breed has a fragment with a length of 240-330 bp (locus No. 3). Loci No. 6 (440-520) and No. 7 (520-570) were found in 93% of individuals, locus No. 5 (350-430) – in 95%. The frequency of ISSR markers made it possible to determine the parameters of the general population for the Even and Chukchi rocks, which are characterized by polymorphism of all detected loci. Since individual DNA fragments were present in deer of all populations, it can be concluded that for the Even breed the spectrum consists of 3 amplicons No. 3, 5, 6, and for the Chukchi breed it consists of 4 amplicons: №3, №5, №6, №7 it is typical. The genetic variability of ISSR markers in populations indicates a significant similarity between them in most allelic frequencies, which confirms the common origin, economic and breeding use of Even and Chukchi deer. For the first time, long-term, long-term monitoring of the genetic characteristics of the populations of domestic reindeer of the Magadan region and Chukotka was carried out in a comparative aspect, which has urgent scientific and practical significance for further improvement of breeding work in reindeer husbandry.

The content of reindeer male vocalisations: acoustic cues to age and size

ABSTRACT Some acoustic parameters of animal vocalisations have been shown to reliably indicate male quality and play a role in mate and rival assessment. Reindeer possess a peculiar vocal tract anatomy involving a laryngeal air sac which probably acts as an additional filter, making it a candidate species for novel investigations in the field of bioacoustics. We investigated whether some acoustic parameters of male rutting vocalisations were good indicators of age and body weight (used as an index for body size). We did this by performing acoustic analyses using recordings collected from a semi-domesticated reindeer population in northern Finland. We found the age of subadult males (aged 2.5–4.5 years) to be negatively correlated with formant F3 and formant spacing, suggesting that their vocalisations convey information on the caller’s age. Individual formant frequencies were not affected by male body weight, but formant spacing was lower in heavier males. Despite the presence of the laryngeal air sac, formant spacing seems to be an acoustic parameter influencing mate and rival assessment in reindeer as it gives an honest indication of male body size. We discuss the importance of reliable acoustic cues to quality indices in sexual selection contexts.

Genetic Structure of Domesticated Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) Populations in the Central Siberian Plateau and Adjacent Areas

On the basis of 16 microsatellite markers, the genetic structure of the domesticated reindeer of two breeds, Evenk and Even, bred on the territory of the Central Siberian Plateau and adjacent territories, was studied. Genetic flows between modern domesticated reindeer populations of two breeds were analyzed. Significant differences were found between the Evenk taiga and Even breeds of domestic deer. Using a historical sample from the middle of the last century, a high degree of stability in time of the gene pool of domesticated populations was revealed. It has been established that genetic flows between wild and domesticated forms in the study area are insignificant. Statistically significant genetic differences between wild and domesticated reindeer populations are shown.

Harvest and decimation affect genetic drift and the effective population size in wild reindeer.

Harvesting and culling are methods used to monitor and manage wildlife diseases. An important consequence of these practices is a change in the genetic dynamics of affected populations that may threaten their long-term viability. The effective population size (N e) is a fundamental parameter for describing such changes as it determines the amount of genetic drift in a population. Here, we estimate N e of a harvested wild reindeer population in Norway. Then we use simulations to investigate the genetic consequences of management efforts for handling a recent spread of chronic wasting disease, including increased adult male harvest and population decimation. The N e/N ratio in this population was found to be 0.124 at the end of the study period, compared to 0.239 in the preceding 14 years period. The difference was caused by increased harvest rates with a high proportion of adult males (older than 2.5 years) being shot (15.2% in 2005-2018 and 44.8% in 2021). Increased harvest rates decreased N e in the simulations, but less sex biased harvest strategies had a lower negative impact. For harvest strategies that yield stable population dynamics, shifting the harvest from calves to adult males and females increased N e. Population decimation always resulted in decreased genetic variation in the population, with higher loss of heterozygosity and rare alleles with more severe decimation or longer periods of low population size. A very high proportion of males in the harvest had the most severe consequences for the loss of genetic variation. This study clearly shows how the effects of harvest strategies and changes in population size interact to determine the genetic drift of a managed population. The long-term genetic viability of wildlife populations subject to a disease will also depend on population impacts of the disease and how these interact with management actions.

The current status of the Lena-Olenek population of wild reindeer (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i> L., 1758, Cervidae, Artiodactyla)

The rational use of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L., 1758) based on reliable data on the number, distribution, age-sex composition, and herd size of the population is a challenging problem for hunting management. The purpose of this study was to characterize the current state of the Lena-Olenek tundra wild reindeer (LOWR) population. The counting of LOWR was based on the aerial census conducted from July 10 to 12, 2018; coordinate data from the GLONASS/Argos satellite tracker collars; stock materials from previous aerial surveys in the tundra of Yakutia. From the data obtained, the livestock of the LOWR was estimated to be 83,260. We specified that deer are housed in three distinct groups: broodstock, mixed, and male. The main livestock in the LOWR were females (44.2 %), calves (22.4 %), and juvenile animals 1–2 years old (17.5 %). Over 32 years, there was a decrease in 62.2% in the number of adult males and an increase in the number of fingerlings and juvenile animals. Since the middle of the last century, there has been a gradual increase in the number of LOWR from 21,000 to 95,000 deer in 2009 and a slight decrease to 83,200 deer in the last decade due to the exclusion of Taimyr reindeer migrants. The results of this study can be used to rationalize the use of wild reindeer resources and the allocation of quotas for production. Further census work will make it possible to monitor the state of the population over time.

Feralization: A threat to conservation of wild reindeer

AbstractConservation reintroduction is an increasingly applied tool for population restoration. The choice of source population is important from a conservation genetic perspective, but there is ambiguity in IUCN policies surrounding reintroductions from (semi‐)domestic sources. After the depopulation of an entire wild reindeer population due to detection of chronic wasting disease in Norway, the plan is to re‐establish reindeer after years of fallowing. Establishing wild reindeer has become challenging due to arguments for disease control favoring a semidomestic origin of the reintroduced stock. Selection is strong during domestication, and feralization does not lead to a full reversal towards wild traits. From a conservation perspective, we advocate future guidelines to include a ranking when wild, captive, semidomestic, and domestic stocks are available for reintroductions, in order to avoid feralization whenever possible during reintroductions and rewilding efforts.

Resequencing of reindeer genomes provides clues to their docile habits.

Reindeer have long been served as vital subsistence resources for inhabitants of Arctic and subarctic regions owing to their domestication. However, the evolutionary relationships and divergence times among different reindeer populations, genetic traits that distinguish domesticated reindeer, and factors that contribute to their relative docility compared with that of other Cervidae specie, remain unclear. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of 32 individuals from wild and domestic reindeer populations that inhabit Arctic and subarctic regions. We found that reindeer experienced 2 or more independent domestication events characterized by weak artificial selection pressure and limited significant differences in genomic parameters between wild and domestic populations. Alterations in conserved noncoding elements in the reindeer genomes, particularly those associated with nervous system development, may have contributed to their domestication by rendering the nervous system less responsive. Together, our results suggest that inherent species-specific traits, rather than intense artificial selection, may have played a significant role in the relatively docile behavior of reindeer and offer valuable insights into the domestication process of these animals.

Securing the boundaries of wilderness in northern Alaska, 1892–1950

This paper examines the socio-ecological implications of reindeer-caribou hybridization during the rise and collapse of the reindeer industry in Alaska. Following their introduction in the late nineteenth century, reindeer populations increased dramatically as herds spread throughout the territory. As populations increased, domesticated reindeer often escaped from their herds and ran off with migratory caribou. By the 1920s, Alaskan wildlife managers and scientists came to view feral reindeer as a form of biological pollution and a threat to the health and purity of the region's wild caribou. Despite divergent evolutionary histories, reindeer and caribou are related at the subspecies level and can interbreed to produce hybridized offspring. I argue that managerial anxieties about reindeer-caribou hybridization were bound up with broader concerns regarding race and related efforts to protect ostensibly pure spaces of wilderness and nature. Throughout the paper, I consider managerial attempts to mitigate reindeer-caribou hybridization in northern Alaska, which included the demarcation and reinforcement of conceptual and spatial boundaries between wild and domesticated forms of life. However, between the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, feral reindeer and hybridized caribou repeatedly demonstrated the violability of the biological categories and conceptual boundaries that wildlife managers employed as they sought to order life on the northern tundra.

A palaeogenomic investigation of overharvest implications in an endemic wild reindeer subspecies.

Overharvest can severely reduce the abundance and distribution of a species and thereby impact its genetic diversity and threaten its future viability. Overharvest remains an ongoing issue for Arctic mammals, which due to climate change now also confront one of the fastest changing environments on Earth. The high-arctic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), endemic to Svalbard, experienced a harvest-induced demographic bottleneck that occurred during the 17-20th centuries. Here, we investigate changes in genetic diversity, population structure, and gene-specific differentiation during and after this overharvesting event. Using whole-genome shotgun sequencing, we generated the first ancient and historical nuclear (n = 11) and mitochondrial (n = 18) genomes from Svalbard reindeer (up to 4000 BP) and integrated these data with a large collection of modern genome sequences (n = 90) to infer temporal changes. We show that hunting resulted in major genetic changes and restructuring in reindeer populations. Near-extirpation followed by pronounced genetic drift has altered the allele frequencies of important genes contributing to diverse biological functions. Median heterozygosity was reduced by 26%, while the mitochondrial genetic diversity was reduced only to a limited extent, likely due to already low pre-harvest diversity and a complex post-harvest recolonization process. Such genomic erosion and genetic isolation of populations due to past anthropogenic disturbance will likely play a major role in metapopulation dynamics (i.e., extirpation, recolonization) under further climate change. Our results from a high-arctic case study therefore emphasize the need to understand the long-term interplay of past, current, and future stressors in wildlife conservation.

Lessons learned and lingering uncertainties after seven years of chronic wasting disease management in Norway

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is well known among cervids in North America. Nevertheless, management faced different types and degrees of uncertainty when CWD was first detected in reindeer Rangifer tarandus in Nordfjella, Norway in 2016. We present a timeline of the efforts to control CWD, and identify how the process, measurement, environmental, and implementation uncertainties developed from the onset (2016) to the current situation (2023) after seven years of CWD management. In the ‘acute' phase (2016–2019), political ambitions were high and depopulation of the Nordfjella reindeer area involving marksmen aimed at eradicating CWD. Subsequently, increased surveillance and increased male harvest was used to enable early detection or to achieve ‘freedom‐from‐CWD' status of the adjacent populations. The second phase (2020‐now) came when cases were detected in the large reindeer population in Hardangervidda. Management authorities postponed culling using marksmen, signifying an important change, with more emphasis on socio‐political acceptance and consideration of the negative long‐term consequences of conflicts with local stakeholders. The subsequent dialogue processes between scientists and local management ended in joint advice. However, the Ministry set aside all advice in 2022, halting further actions, after pressure and negative media attention. During this period, there was no clear research plan to increase knowledge of CWD to reduce process uncertainty; however, large surveillance investments were made to reduce measurement uncertainty. Despite this, detecting and estimating CWD among reindeer at low prevalence remains a key challenge. Governance challenges have emerged as significant implementation uncertainties, partly due to the uncertain occurrence of CWD.

On the critical abundance of the taimyr population of wild reindeer

The critical population for the existence of the Taimyr population of wild reindeer has been established. The processing of the initial information about the population size was performed using the apparatus of mathematical biology. The main practical task is to identify the lower limits of abundance and the critical load for the population, after which the collapse of this commercial population will occur. Also, regression equations were calculated for the total livestock of the population, the reproductive core (mature females) and juveniles (calves of the year) at different time intervals of the economic use of the resources of this population - Soviet and post-Soviet. For the Soviet period of using the resources of the population in 1969-1990 the parameters of the equation look like: y = 21.867x + 316.77 thousand (R2 = 0.886, Ᾱ = 6, rxy= - 0.41, p<0.05). For adult females, the trend equation for this segment of the reproductive cycles: y = 5.157x + 73.879 thousand, (R2 = 0.836). The total number of the population did not decrease: the average realized reproduction in this segment of the biological cycles is 61 calves per 100 mature females. In the post-Soviet period 1990–2021 equation of the linear trend of the Taimyr population: y = - 36.96х + 624.51 thousand (R2 = 0.75, Ᾱ = 5.18, rxy = 0.46, р<0.05). Evaluation by the straight-line trend equation of the juvenile group (calves of the year) gives a negative calculated value of the linear regression equation within y = - 21.4x + 175.51 thousand. (R2 = 0.944, Ᾱ = 2.9, rxy = 0.98, p<0.01). Such facts unequivocally signal the excess of the optimal intensity of fishing, because there is a gradual decrease in recruitment. The estimated critical number of the Taimyr population is 88.77 thousand wild deer, the critical limit of the fishery with a similar number is the removal of 71.9 thousand individuals. From here, hypothetically, only 16.87 thousand heads remain from the Taimyr population, which will lead to the collapse of this biological population.The critical population for the existence of the Taimyr population of wild reindeer has been established. The processing of the initial information about the population size was performed using the apparatus of mathematical biology. The main practical task is to identify the lower limits of abundance and the critical load for the population, after which the collapse of this commercial population will occur. Also, regression equations were calculated for the total livestock of the population, the reproductive core (mature females) and juveniles (calves of the year) at different time intervals of the economic use of the resources of this population - Soviet and post-Soviet. For the Soviet period of using the resources of the population in 1969-1990 the parameters of the equation look like: y = 21.867x + 316.77 thousand (R2 = 0.886, Ᾱ = 6, rxy= - 0.41, p<0.05). For adult females, the trend equation for this segment of the reproductive cycles: y = 5.157x + 73.879 thousand, (R2 = 0.836). The total number of the population did not decrease: the average realized reproduction in this segment of the biological cycles is 61 calves per 100 mature females. In the post-Soviet period 1990–2021 equation of the linear trend of the Taimyr population: y = - 36.96х + 624.51 thousand (R2 = 0.75, Ᾱ = 5.18, rxy = 0.46, р<0.05). Evaluation by the straight-line trend equation of the juvenile group (calves of the year) gives a negative calculated value of the linear regression equation within y = - 21.4x + 175.51 thousand. (R2 = 0.944, Ᾱ = 2.9, rxy = 0.98, p<0.01). Such facts unequivocally signal the excess of the optimal intensity of fishing, because there is a gradual decrease in recruitment. The estimated critical number of the Taimyr population is 88.77 thousand wild deer, the critical limit of the fishery with a similar number is the removal of 71.9 thousand individuals. From here, hypothetically, only 16.87 thousand heads remain from the Taimyr population, which will lead to the collapse of this biological population.

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ НЕЧЕТКО-ВОЗМОЖНОСТНОГО ПОДХОДА ПРИ МОДЕЛИРОВАНИИ БИОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ПОПУЛЯЦИЙ

Deterministic methods of building mathematical models of biological populations are being replaced by new ones based on the fuzzypossibility approach (FPA) using expert knowledge and their professional experience. The advantage of FPA is that the expert acts as an «intellectual informationdiagnostic system» with the content of all necessary information when solving a particular problem. This allows to reduce the time of model creation by orders of magnitude and does not require, as in deterministic approaches, their subsequent intellectualization, since the FPA uses directly the information from the expert. The article presents a synthesized mathematical model in a fivedimensional factor space of fuzzy linguistic variables, systematically describing a hardtoformalize phenomenon – change in the number of wild reindeer. The factor space was composed of fuzzy linguistic variables X1 – tension of food relations, qualitative variable; X2 – food competition with domestic reindeer, qualitative variable; X3 – natural mortality (mortality coefficient from 0,04 to 0,12; X4 – climatic impacts (annual trend of air temperature); X5 – anthropogenic impacts, qualitative variable. Y – population growth rate, as a percentage of the previous year's population (from –10 to 10%). The necessity of the conducted research is caused by the fact that since the beginning of the XXI century, there is a decrease in the number of deer to 700–750 thousand by 2009, to 417 thousand by 2017 and to 241 thousand in 2021. The catastrophic decline in the number of wild reindeer is a global trend. However, there is no consensus on the causes of such degradation. The created model quantitatively confirmed all five stages in the global development of the Taymir population for the last period from the 50s of the previous century to the present. It is suggested that the approach proposed in the article may be useful in identifying the causes of degradation of wild reindeer populations and developing measures to stabilize and restore the numbers of these animals.

Whole-genome sequencing provides novel insights into the evolutionary history and genetic adaptation of reindeer populations in northern Eurasia

Domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) play a vital role in the culture and livelihoods of indigenous people across northern Eurasia. These animals are well adapted to harsh environmental conditions, such as extreme cold, limited feed availability and long migration distances. Therefore, understanding the genomics of reindeer is crucial for improving their management, conservation and utilisation. In this study, we have generated a new genome assembly for the Fennoscandian domestic reindeer with high contiguity, making it the most complete reference genome for reindeer to date. The new genome assembly was utilised to explore genetic diversity, population structure and selective sweeps in Eurasian Rangifer tarandus populations which was based on the largest population genomic dataset for reindeer, encompassing 58 individuals from diverse populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed distinct genetic clusters, with the Finnish wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) standing out as a unique subspecies. Divergence time estimates suggested a separation of ~ 52 thousand years ago (Kya) between the northern European Rangifer tarandus fennicus and Rangifer tarandus tarandus. Our study identified four main genetic clusters: Fennoscandian, the eastern/northern Russian and Alaskan group, the Finnish forest reindeer, and the Svalbard reindeer. Furthermore, two independent reindeer domestication processes were inferred, suggesting separate origins for the domestic Fennoscandian and eastern/northern Russian reindeer. Notably, shared genes under selection, including retroviral genes, point towards molecular domestication processes that aided adaptation of this species to diverse environments.

Detection of antibodies to the hepatitis E virus in domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Although domestic pigs and wild boars are the main reservoir of zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes in temperate countries, the presence of antibodies to HEV (anti-HEV) in the indigenous population of circumpolar territories, i.e. outside the habitat of wild and domestic pigs, indicates the presence of an alternative reservoir of the virus. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) may be a potential reservoir for HEV in the polar regions. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of anti-HEV among domestic reindeer in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Sera from 497 domestic reindeer from the Oymyakon (n = 425) and Ust-Yansky districts (n = 72) of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) were tested for anti-HEV. A commercial ELISA kit DS-ELISA-ANTI-HEV-G (Diagnostic Systems-Stolitsa LLC, Russia) was used for detection of anti-HEV IgG, but a rabbit polyclonal antibody against deer IgG labeled with horseradish peroxidase (KPL, USA) at a dilution of 1 : 100 in phosphate-buffered saline were used instead of the human specific conjugate from the kit. The average detection rate of anti-HEV in reindeer sera was 15.5% (95% CI: 12.6-19.0%). The detection rate of anti-HEV significantly increased with age, from 3.5% (95% CI: 1.1-9.0%) in calves aged 3-6 months to 25.0% (95% CI: 1.6 -36.5%) in deer aged 2-4 years (p < 0.0001). From this age group, anti-HEV detection rates reached a plateau, not differing significantly between older age groups (p > 0.05). The average anti-HEV detection rate among reindeer 2 years of age and older was 19.0% (95% CI: 15.3-23.4%). There were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of anti-HEV detection between female and male reindeer, both among adult animals and among calves. The observed anti-HEV detection rates among domestic reindeer in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) indicate that infection caused by HEV or an antigenically similar virus is common in these animals. The dynamics of antibody accumulation in the reindeer population indicates that infection apparently occurs during the first two years of life.

Biometric Characteristics of Live Weight in Reindeer Populations of the Eastern Arctic and Subarctic

Purpose: the study of biometric data on live weight and their significance for artificial selection in the population of the northern deer (Rangifertarandus L.) ..Materials and methods. Information was used from annual reports of reindeer herding of the North of the Far East. The methods of variation statistics that are generally accepted in zootechnical research were applied. Extreme (LIM) and average values (M) of the sign, trust boundaries of the general average (M ± t ∙ m), the average square deviation (σ), the coefficient of variation (CV), the boundaries of the extreme class variation (M ± 2σ) are determined. Associations of a live mass of sexual age groups in the population of the northern deer were established by calculating the correlation coefficients (R) and rectilinear regression (B).Results. The consolidated correlation coefficient (RSV), reflecting the level of direct linear connection of the live weight of calves with a mass of uterus and manufacturers, was ≈ 0.7, which relates to the degree of close dependence. Using the regression equation (y = a+bx) calculated the predicted average size of the live weight of young animals in the average live weight of the importance. The data allow you to establish the threshold of selection of tribal animals in order to obtain offspring with a given value of the sign. In the study, the impact on the live mass of the season, year, range, and farms is leveled. It was established that throughout the generations a living mass is a stable phenotypic sign. Biometric data on live weight, as a quantitative attitude, indirectly reflect the state and movement of group genetic information in the populations of deer of the Far North-East of Russia.

Tracing the footprints of Arctic pollution: Spatial variations in toxic and essential elements in Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) faeces

The Arctic is an accumulation zone of long-range transported pollution. In addition, local anthropogenic activities further contribute to regional pollution levels. The Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is a suitable organism for studying and monitoring exposure to anthropogenic pollutants at the base of the terrestrial Arctic food web, and reindeer faeces have been promoted as non-invasive means of biomonitoring contaminant exposure. This study used HR-ICP-MS to analyse levels and composition of 16 elements in Svalbard reindeer faeces (n = 96) and soil (n = 9) from two locations on Svalbard, with the aim to assess whether local anthropogenic pollution influences element bioavailability. One of the sampling areas, the Nordenskiöld coast, is situated on the west coast of Spitsbergen, close to the Arctic Ocean and relatively far from local anthropogenic sources. The other sampling area, Adventdalen, is located further inland and close to Longyearbyen, the largest settlement of the archipelago. There was a significant difference in faecal elemental concentration and composition between the Adventdalen and Nordenskiöld coast reindeer populations. Elements of geogenic origin (e.g., Al, Cu and Fe) were found at higher levels in faeces from Adventdalen. In comparison, levels of Ca, Se and the toxic elements Cd and Pb were higher in faecal samples from the Nordenskiöld coast. The significantly higher levels of faecal Cd and Pb at Nordenskiöld coast may be due to marine input, dietary differences between the populations, or possible anthropogenic influence from the nearby settlement of Barentsburg. There was, however, a decoupling in elemental composition between faecal and soil samples, which may derive from a selective vegetational uptake of elements from the soil. The results suggest that reindeer are exposed to a range of elements and that faeces can be used to monitor the exposure to bioavailable environmental levels of both essential and toxic elements in terrestrial ecosystems.