Modeling Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) occupancy in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia

As the world becomes increasingly populated, humans continue to modify habitats to suit their needs. Mongolia is one of many Asian countries currently undergoing human-induced landscape change, namely in the form of increased grazing pressure on the land by domesticated animals. There is uncertainty as to how wildlife will be impacted by this change. The Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) is an ungulate classified as IUCN Near Threatened in Mongolia and an important species for tourism. I developed an occupancy model for the species based on radio- telemetry locations (n = 920) collected in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, then estimated the effect of habitat reductions as expected under increasing levels of grazing. I developed 13 candidate models that include combinations of habitat and human variables, and used model selection techniques to evaluate the best-supported model in the set. The model with the most support indicated that rocky outcrop, open plain, and their interaction best described ibex occupancy. Average occupancy was 5.7% across the northern Ikh Nart landscape, 7.4% within the borders of the reserve, and 17.4% within the reserve’s core protected area. Simulations showed that in the absence of open plain habitat, average occupancy declined to 1.9%, 2.1%, and 5.0% respectively in these areas. The results provide a description of how landscape factors shape the distribution of the species. Because livestock grazing is concentrated in open plain habitats, these results may be used to inform decision-making about ibex conservation in the region

Temporal Dynamics of Group Size and Sexual Segregation in Ibex

Group size is an important variable describing behavioral ecology of animals. A variety of factors such as habitat characteristics, life history, spatio-temporal resource dynamics, population density, predation risk, competition with kin, and social learning often determine group size in large mammals. We studied temporal dynamics of group size in Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) in a protected area in Mongolia. We measured monthly and yearly variations in typical group size and used the sexual segregation and aggregation statistic to assess sexual segregation. Ibex formed the largest groups in November and smallest groups in July. However, group sizes did not significantly differ between the sexes. There was marked sexual segregation during the summer months and within all years segregation increased with temperature. We show that grouping behavior is a complex phenomenon and is probably determined by a combination of factors, such as species’ life history, habitat and environmental characteristics, and behavioral strategy against predation risk

Genetic analysis of mitochondrial ND5 gene of siberian ibex (Capra Sibirica, Pallas, 1776) population in Mongolia

The Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) from Central Asia is believed to be the most ancient species of the genus Capra. In Mongolia, it is distributed in the areas of Mongolian Altai, Gobi-Altai, Dzungaria, Altai, Khan Khuhii, Khoridal Saridag and Ulaan Taiga as well as in the desert and semi-desert steppe zones of Dundgobi and Dornogobi aimags (provinces). In the current study, we investigated the mitochondrial ND5 gene fragments of the Siberian ibex population from different parts of Mongolia. Nine haplotypes, including 6 shared and 3 unique haplotypes were identified among these populations. Furthermore, Tajima’s statistics and Fu’s statistics did not reveal significant positive value across the population, indicating population decline and balancing selection.In the phylogenetic tree by 9 haplotypes, no separated clusters were generated. In addition, nucleotide diversity was 0.015, haplotype diversity was 0.86 and the average number of differences in nucleotides was 8.2 in the overall population. These results suggest that genetic diversity across all the populations was low, while haplotype diversity and the average number of differences in nucleotides were high

High mitochondrial diversity of domesticated goats persisted among Bronze and Iron Age pastoralists in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor

Goats were initially managed in the Near East approximately 10,000 years ago and spread across Eurasia as economically productive and environmentally resilient herd animals. While the geographic origins of domesticated goats (Capra hircus) in the Near East have been long-established in the zooarchaeological record and, more recently, further revealed in ancient genomes, the precise pathways by which goats spread across Asia during the early Bronze Age (ca. 3000 to 2500 cal BC) and later remain unclear. We analyzed sequences of hypervariable region 1 and cytochrome b gene in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of goats from archaeological sites along two proposed transmission pathways as well as geographically intermediary sites. Unexpectedly high genetic diversity was present in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor (IAMC), indicated by mtDNA haplotypes representing common A lineages and rarer C and D lineages. High mtDNA diversity was also present in central Kazakhstan, while only mtDNA haplotypes of lineage A were observed from sites in the Northern Eurasian Steppe (NES). These findings suggest that herding communities living in montane ecosystems were drawing from genetically diverse goat populations, likely sourced from communities in the Iranian Plateau, that were sustained by repeated interaction and exchange. Notably, the mitochondrial genetic diversity associated with goats of the IAMC also extended into the semi-arid region of central Kazakhstan, while NES communities had goats reflecting an isolated founder population, possibly sourced via eastern Europe or the Caucasus region

Novel Insights into the Bovine Polled Phenotype and Horn Ontogenesis in Bovidae

Despite massive research efforts, the molecular etiology of bovine polledness and the developmental pathways involved in horn ontogenesis are still poorly understood. In a recent article, we provided evidence for the existence of at least two different alleles at the Polled locus and identified candidate mutations for each of them. None of these mutations was located in known coding or regulatory regions, thus adding to the complexity of understanding the molecular basis of polledness. We confirm previous results here and exhaustively identify the causative mutation for the Celtic allele (PC) and four candidate mutations for the Friesian allele (PF). We describe a previously unreported eyelash-and-eyelid phenotype associated with regular polledness, and present unique histological and gene expression data on bovine horn bud differentiation in fetuses affected by three different horn defect syndromes, as well as in wild-type controls. We propose the ectopic expression of a lincRNA in PC/p horn buds as a probable cause of horn bud agenesis. In addition, we provide evidence for an involvement of OLIG2, FOXL2 and RXFP2 in horn bud differentiation, and draw a first link between bovine, ovine and caprine Polled loci. Our results represent a first and important step in understanding the genetic pathways and key process involved in horn bud differentiation in Bovidae

Using species distribution modelling to guide survey efforts of the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Central Kyrgyz Ala-Too region

Listed as Vulnerable (IUCN 2017), the snow leopard is declining across much of its present range. One of the major reasons for the snow leopard population decline in the last two decades is a reduction in large prey species that are the cornerstone of the conservation of the snow leopard; in the Central Kyrgyz Ala-Too region such species is primarily the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica). Understanding factors affecting basic requirement of ibex and shaping its distribution is essential for protecting the prey species snow leopards rely on the most. Using a niche modelling approach we explored which environmental features are best associated with ibex occurrence, how well do models predict ibex occurrence, and does the potential distribution of highly suitable ibex habitat correlate with records of snow leopard. A PC analysis was used to capture aspects of ibex ecology and niche. Results of such analysis agree with the herbivore character of the species and bioclimatic habitat requirements of the vegetation it feeds upon, richer in flatter areas, and where plants may benefit from more sunlight. The niche model based on maximum entropy (Maxent) had “useful” discrimination abilities (AUC = 0.746), enabling to produce a map, where a contour line is drawn around areas of highly predicted probability (> 0.5) of ibex occurrence. In terms of nature conservation planning and setting snow leopard research priorities these areas represent the most interest. With one outlier, most of snow leopard records made in the study area (n = 15) fell within the 10 percentile presence threshold (0.368). Predicted probability of ibex occurrence in places where records were made of snow leopard presence (pugmarks, scrapes etc.) was 0.559 expectedly suggesting areas of high ibex habitat suitability attract the predator.Сніговий барс є у списку вразливих видів (IUCN 2017) і його чисельність продовжує знижуватися на більшій площі його сучасного ареалу. Однією з основних причин цього за останні два десятиліття є зниження чисельності крупних видів-жертв, присутність яких є умовою збереження барса; в регіоні Центрального Киргизького Ала-Тоо таким видом є сибірський гірський козел (Capra sibirica). Розуміння факторів, що впливають на екологічні вимоги козла та формування його поширення, є важливим для захисту цих тварин, від яких барси є трофічно залежними. Використовуючи підхід, заснований на моделюванні ніш, ми намагалися з’ясувати, які екологічні особливості найкраще асоціюються з оселищами козлів, наскільки добре моделі прогнозують перебування козлів, та чи корелює розподіл територій, сприятливих для козлів, з розподілом реєстрацій барса. Для екологічного аналізу був застосований метод головних компонент. Його результати узгоджуються з травоїдним характером цього виду та біокліматичними вимогами рослинності, якими козли живляться. Ця рослинність є багатшою на плоскогір’ї та там, де рослини можуть отримати вигоду від більшої кількості сонячного світла. Модель ніші, що була побудована на принципах максимальній ентропії (Maxent), мала «корисні» дискримінаційні здібності (AUC = 0,746), що дало змогу створити карту, де контурна лінія окреслює території з високою прогнозованою ймовірністю (> 0,5) перебування козлів. З точки зору планування природоохоронної діяльності та встановлення пріоритетів досліджень барса ці території представляють найбільший інтерес. Майже всі реєстрації барса в досліджуваній зоні (n = 15) потрапили в межі 10 процентильного порогу (0,368). Прогнозована ймовірність перебування козлів в місцях, де були відмічені сліди барса (відбитки лап тощо), в середньому становила 0,559, тобто, як очікувалось, сприятливі для жертв місця є привабливими для хижака

A Reevaluation of the Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions Associated with \u3cem\u3eHomo erectus\u3c/em\u3e from Java, Indonesia, Based on the Functional Morphology of Fossil Bovid Astragali

The Middle Pleistocene sites of Trinil and Kedung Brubus, Java, Indonesia have provided extensive faunal remains that are classified as part of a larger biostratigraphic framework. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions, associated with early hominids on Java, have been constructed based on the composition and perceived shared habitat preference of fossil and modern animal taxa. Research of the African members of the family Bovidae has shown that a more effective way of examining past environments is through the study of morphological traits that are characteristic of functional adaptations to different environmental conditions. This research represents the successful extension of this method by testing several parametric and nonparametric statistical models for habitat prediction based on bovid astragali from Southeast Asia. The results of the fossil analysis indicate the paleoenvironment at the Trinil site (ca. 1 Ma) was dominated by densely vegetated river valleys and upland forests, broken by open grasslands. These grasslands probably expanded during the period associated with the Kedung Brubus locality, approximately 0.8 Ma. This environmental change, coupled with the immigration of new species, was important to the appearance and future evolutionary success of Homo erectus during the Middle Pleistocene

Dietary evidence from Central Asian Neanderthals: A combined isotope and plant microremains approach at Chagyrskaya Cave (Altai, Russia)

Neanderthals are known primarily from their habitation of Western Eurasia, but they also populated large expanses of Northern Asia for thousands of years. Owing to a sparse archaeological record, relatively little is known about these eastern Neanderthal populations. Unlike in their western range, there are limited zooarchaeological and paleobotanical studies that inform us about the nature of their subsistence. Here, we perform a combined analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on bone collagen and microbotanical remains in dental calculus to reconstruct the diet of eastern Neanderthals at Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains of Southern Siberia, Russia. Stable isotopes identify one individual as possessing a high trophic level due to the hunting of large- and medium-sized ungulates, while the analysis of dental calculus also indicates the presence of plants in the diet of this individual and others from the site. These findings indicate eastern Neanderthals may have had broadly similar subsistence patterns to those elsewhere in their range