Methods and Routes of two German-Mongolian Zoological Expeditions thr ough the S teppe, Semi-Deser t and Deser t Zones of Mongolia in 1995 and 2002

Routes, methods and key results of two mammalian expeditions undertaken by German and Mongolian zoologists in 1995 and 2002 are described. The 1995 expedition trapped a sample of Mongolian gerbils ( Meriones unguiculatus) (n = 167) with high genetic diversity for further breeding of a new wild gerbil strain in Germany . The 2002 expedition collected 265 mammals from 23 species during an extended west-eastern survey from 96°to 1 13°E along the transient zone of the semi-desert to the Gobi desert near 44°to 45°N. Methods applied included dissections, behavioural experiments, vocalization recording, determination of dominant plants and livestock. New techniques were introduced to record surface activity of small mammals. Most mammals trapped in the steppe were Mongolian gerbils with an estimated density of 2400 - 6600 individuals per km 2 . The highest diversity was found in the desert and semi-desert region and included Hemiechinus auritus, Meriones unguiculatus, Salpingotus crassicauda, Pygeretmus pumilio and Cardiocranius paradoxus , which were restricted to southern Mongolia. The need for further complex expeditions through the arid zones of Mongolia are discussed

A review on herring, Clupea harengus (Actinopterygii: Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) recruitment and early life stage ecology in the western Baltic Sea

Herring, Clupea harengus L., is an important commercial fish species in the Baltic Sea region since medieval times. The western Baltic spring spawning herring (WBSS) is one of three major Baltic Sea herring stocks, supporting a significant over-regional fishery in the western Baltic Sea as well as in the Kattegat and Skagerrak area. One major component spawns in the vicinity of the German island of Rügen and the associated major spawning ground, the Greifswalder Bodden (GWB), a shallow, semi-enclosed sub-system of estuarine character. Research of herring biology and ecology has an extensive history in the area probably due to the long fishery tradition and the importance of this particular herring stock for the local Baltic coast economy. In this review most of the scientific findings about WBSS in its spawning areas, mainly the GWB, is summarized. This study is based on critical review of over 120 publications and scientific sources from the past 100 years containing relevant information on possible consequences of multiple environmental and anthropogenic induced stressors of herring recruitment and productivity. Besides current peer reviewed literature a significant amount of grey literature was included, consisting primarily of papers and reports written in German language and representing the only historical data sources and published documentation of regional western Baltic herring ecology