Estimating Amur tiger (\u3ci\u3ePanthera tigris altaica\u3c/i\u3e) kill rates and potential consumption rates using global positioning system collars

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified all subspecies of tigers (Panthera tigris) as endangered and prey depletion is recognized as a primary driver of declines. Prey depletion may be particularly important for Amur tigers (P. t. altaica) in the Russian Far East, living at the northern limits of their range and with the lowest prey densities of any tiger population. Unfortunately, rigorous investigations of annual prey requirements for any tiger population are lacking. We deployed global positioning system (GPS) collars on Amur tigers during 2009–2012 to study annual kill rates in the Russian Far East. We investigated 380 GPS location clusters and detected 111 kill sites. We then used logistic regression to model both the probability of a kill site at location clusters and the size of prey species at kill sites according to several spatial and temporal cluster covariates. Our top model for predicting kill sites included the duration of the cluster in hours and cluster fidelity components as covariates (overall classification success 86.3%; receiver operating characteristic score of 0.894). Application of the model to all tiger GPS data revealed that Amur tigers in this study made a kill once every 6.5 days (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 5.9–7.2 days) and consumed an estimated average of 8.9 kg of prey biomass per day (95% CI 8.8–9.0 kg/day). The success of efforts to reverse tiger declines will be at least partially determined by wildlife managers’ ability to conserve large ungulates at adequate densities for recovering tiger populations

Space Use by Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Sikhote-Alin

Грамотное управление популяцией бурого медведя (Ursus arctos L.) требует знания его экологии, в том числе использования животными пространства. Данный вопрос на Дальнем Востоке России изучен недостаточно из-за небольшого количества программ, применяющих телеметрические методы исследования бурых медведей. Целью работы являлось изучение особенностей использования пространства бурыми медведями на Сихотэ-Алине. В 1993– 2002 гг. на Среднем Сихотэ-Алине с помощью радиотелеметрии вели наблюдения за восемью взрослыми и одним молодым самцами, пятью взрослыми и одной молодой самками, оснащенными ошейниками с УКВ-радиопередатчиками. У взрослых особей средний размер годовых участков обитания, полученный с помощью метода «фиксированный кернел», был больше у самцов (891,34 ± 346,99 км2) по сравнению с самками (349,94 ± 543,06 км2). Молодые животные в течение года занимали участки площадью 237,24 и 333,64 км2 у самца и самки соответственно. Максимальный размер имел двухлетний участок самца (9217,36 км2). Размер ядерных зон участков обитания варьировал в широких пределах (6,12–358,45 км2). Структура и географическое расположение участков обитания и их ядерных зон зависели от сезонного выбора медведями местообитаний, распределения, обилия и доступности кормов. Между собой перекрывались участки обитания как самцов с самками, так и особей одного пола. Полученные результаты важны для управления популяцией бурого медведя на Сихотэ-АлинеProper management of brown bear populations (Ursus arctos) requires knowledge of their ecology, including space use. Brown bear spatial patterns are particularly poorly understood in the Russian Far East, due to lack of telemetry studies. The aim of this work was to study space use by brown bears in the Sikhote-Alin region. From 1993 to 2002, we used VHF radiocollars to collect spatial data from nine males (eight adults and one juvenile) and six females (five adults and one juvenile) in the Middle Sikhote-Alin. Fixed Kernel home range size estimates were larger for males (891.34 ± 346.99 km2) than for females (349.94 ± 543.06 km2). The juvenile home range sizes were 237.24 and 333.64 km2 for the male and female, respectively. The maximum home range size was for the two-year area of one male (9217.36 km2). The core area sizes varied over a wide range (6.12–358.45 km2). The structure and location of home ranges and their core areas depended upon the seasonal habitat selection of bears, as well as the distribution, abundance, and accessibility of foraging resources. Bears’ home ranges overlapped between males and females, as well as between same sex individuals. The results of this work are important for the management of the brown bear population in the Sikhote-Ali

Genetic structure of wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations from East Asia based on microsatellite loci analyses

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.Abstract Background Wild boar, Sus scrofa, is an extant wild ancestor of the domestic pig as an agro-economically important mammal. Wild boar has a worldwide distribution with its geographic origin in Southeast Asia, but genetic diversity and genetic structure of wild boar in East Asia are poorly understood. To characterize the pattern and amount of genetic variation and population structure of wild boar in East Asia, we genotyped and analyzed microsatellite loci for a total of 238 wild boar specimens from ten locations across six countries in East and Southeast Asia. Results Our data indicated that wild boar populations in East Asia are genetically diverse and structured, showing a significant correlation of genetic distance with geographic distance and implying a low level of gene flow at a regional scale. Bayesian-based clustering analysis was indicative of seven inferred genetic clusters in which wild boars in East Asia are geographically structured. The level of genetic diversity was relatively high in wild boars from Southeast Asia, compared with those from Northeast Asia. This gradient pattern of genetic diversity is consistent with an assumed ancestral population of wild boar in Southeast Asia. Genetic evidences from a relationship tree and structure analysis suggest that wild boar in Jeju Island, South Korea have a distinct genetic background from those in mainland Korea. Conclusions Our results reveal a diverse pattern of genetic diversity and the existence of genetic differentiation among wild boar populations inhabiting East Asia. This study highlights the potential contribution of genetic variation of wild boar to the high genetic diversity of local domestic pigs during domestication in East Asia

Distemper, extinction, and vaccination of the Amur tiger

Canine distemper virus (CDV) has recently emerged as an extinction threat for the endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). CDV is vaccine-preventable, and control strategies could require vaccination of domestic dogs and/or wildlife populations. However, vaccination of endangered wildlife remains controversial, which has led to a focus on interventions in domestic dogs, often assumed to be the source of infection. Effective decision making requires an understanding of the true reservoir dynamics, which poses substantial challenges in remote areas with diverse host communities. We carried out serological, demographic, and phylogenetic studies of dog and wildlife populations in the Russian Far East to show that a number of wildlife species are more important than dogs, both in maintaining CDV and as sources of infection for tigers. Critically, therefore, because CDV circulates among multiple wildlife sources, dog vaccination alone would not be effective at protecting tigers. We show, however, that low-coverage vaccination of tigers themselves is feasible and would produce substantive reductions in extinction risks. Vaccination of endangered wildlife provides a valuable component of conservation strategies for endangered species

Coat Polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx: Adaptation to Environment or Phylogeographic Legacy?

We studied the relationship between the variability and contemporary distribution of pelage phenotypes in one of most widely distributed felid species and an array of environmental and demographic conditions. We collected 672 photographic georeferenced records of the Eurasian lynx throughout Eurasia. We assigned each lynx coat to one of five phenotypes. Then we fitted the coat patterns to different environmental and anthropogenic variables, as well as the effective geographic distances from inferred glacial refugia. A majority of lynx were either of the large spotted (41.5%) or unspotted (uniform, 36.2%) phenotype. The remaining patterns (rosettes, small spots and pseudo-rosettes) were represented in 11.0%, 7.4%, and 3.9% of samples, respectively. Although various environmental variables greatly affected lynx distribution and habitat suitability, it was the effect of least-cost distances from locations of the inferred refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum that explained the distribution of lynx coat patterns the best. Whereas the occurrence of lynx phenotypes with large spots was explained by the proximity to refugia located in the Caucasus/Middle East, the uniform phenotype was associated with refugia in the Far East and Central Asia. Despite the widely accepted hypothesis of adaptive functionality of coat patterns in mammals and exceptionally high phenotypic polymorphism in Eurasian lynx, we did not find well-defined signs of habitat matching in the coat pattern of this species. Instead, we showed how the global patterns of morphological variability in this large mammal and its environmental adaptations may have been shaped by past climatic change.publishedVersio

Marking activity of the Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos piscator )

The marking activity of brown bears was studied in the Kronotsky Reserve (eastern shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula) between 2002 and 2005. The goal of this investigation was to document communication mechanisms within the species. We recorded descriptions of bears rubbing and marking trees, as well as individual marking behaviour of bears in the Valley of the Geysers. We recorded 203 marked trees in an area of 2.5 km2 . Bears marked mostly stone birches (Betula ermanii ) with a mean diameter at breast height of 24 cm. Most trees were freshly marked with scratches or teeth marks and also exhibited scarring from previous years. Well-worn tracks were often recorded approaching marked trees. Regarding tree markings, 10.3% of trees were marked intensively, and 32% of trees were clustered. In addition, 88.9% of marked trees were located on ridges, and 79.3% were located on bear trails. The most intensive marking period was between May and June, which corresponded to bear mating season. The most commonly observed behaviour prior to marking was a rigid walking approach, rubbing on the trunk, and biting and removing tree bark. The high density and diversity of rubbed trees in the reserve should be considered a model for monitoring. The conservation of the Valley of the Geysers is intricately related to the wellbeing of the regions bears. Monitoring human impact on bears in the Valley of the Geysers, specifically tourism traffic, should include monitoring of the intensity and frequency of bear marking activity

Behavior of Brown Bears During Feeding in the Sikhote-Alin

Feeding methods and habits of brown bear in Sikhote-Alin are varied and specific for each type of feeding behavior depending on the composition and condition of food, its availability and abundance, season, animals sex, age, physical condition, personal preferences and experience, the presence of competitors and disturbance from other predators and humans. A feature of the feeding behavior of bears in Sikhote-Alin is consumption of the remains of meals of tigers

Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus ) Population Density Based on Pellet Group Count Method in Sikhote-Alin

As a component of a complex program studying musk deer ecology in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve, a survey of the musk deer population density, based on pellet group count method, was carried out at stationary posts from 2012 to 2014. The use of this method in the snowless season provides a means of surveying the most hard-to-reach areas of the musk deer habitat

New Data Regarding the Helminth Fauna of Wild Ruminants in Primorsky Krai

The results of an investigation of the helminth fauna of musk deer, Siberian roe deer and Manchurian deer in Primorsky Krai are provided. Regarding the musk deer, the nematodes Spiculopteragia spiculoptera, Nematodirus filicolis, Pygarginema skrjabini and Trichuris sp. have been registered. The intensities of the infections ranged from 1 to 6 specimens. In one case, 66 specimens of P . skrjabini were found in the omasum of a musk deer. S . spiculoptera was registered in the musk deer for the first time. All of the examined roe deer were infected with helminths, S . spiculoptera dominated, and N . filicolis, P . skrjabini, Mazamastrongylus dagestanica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum were also recorded. Ostertagia antipini species and the minor morph of S . spiculoptera, “Rinadia mathevossiani ”, were registered for the first time in Primorsky Krai. The Manchurian deer carried S . spiculoptera and D . dendriticum

Pulsar Satellite Radio Beacon Application Experience in the Telemetry of Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos L.)

This study shows application experience of pulsar satellite radio beacons (Russian production) in studying brown bear ecology. During 2011–2013 three brown bears were equipped with satellite collars fitted with a radio beacon in the Primorsky region and the Kostroma region. The animals were tracked using satellite technology and telemetry. We obtained data on brown bear space use and daily and seasonal movements. Our results show possibility of using this method for the study and conservation of wild animals