Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Feeding Ecology Of Asiatic Wild Ass Equus Hemionus, Jochen Lengger, Frieda Tataruch, Christian Walzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The Mongolian wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus) is a potential competitor for forage to reintroduced Przewalski’s horses. To evaluate the major foraging plants of khulan we chose the alkane method that was first described by Mayes in 1984. Different plant species contain varying amounts and proportions of n-alkanes. This fact allows the determination of diet composition by comparing the plant alkane to the fecal alkane pattern. The major advantage is that the method is non-invasive and has been shown to be a reliable method in captive trials. Fecal and plant samples were collected simultaneously and preserved by …

Numbers, Distribution And Social Structure Of Kiang (Equus Kiang Moorcroft 1841) Population In The Southwestern Part Of Tibet, China, Natalia V. Paklina, Chris Van Orden

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In September - October 1998 we made an extensive survey in southwest Tibet to study numbers, distribution and social structure of the kiang population in this remote part of its range. Kiangs were sighted between 29º 40’ and 32º 50’ N, and 81º- 86º E. They preferred broad flat valleys with lakes at an altitude from 4,000 up to 5,000 m. Small kiang groups and solitary animals were sighted in Transhimalaya. There were no kiangs in Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River valley, in the sand desert near Ali and in the Clay Mountains near Tsada. Seven old kiang corpses were found along …

Some Information On The Ecology Of Khulan (Equus Hemionus Pallas, 1775) In The Western Part Of The South Gobi Province, Mongolia, D. Tsendjav, S. Purevsuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This short study provides information on the density and distribution of khulans in September 2003 and speculates about factors that negatively influence the khulan population in the sums of Khurmen, Bayandalai, Noyon, Sevrei, and Gurvantes in the South Gobi province.

Turkmenian Kulan (Equus Onager Kulan) Captive Population, Anna Mekarska

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The Turkmenian kulan (Equus onager kulan) is critically endangered, fewer then 1,500 animals are left in the wild. In 2004, there were additional 570 Turkmenian kulans living in captivity: 156 specimens in Euro-Asian zoos, 83 in Askania Nova Reserve and 331 in Canyon Colorado Equid Sanctuary. Population size in EAZA region is decreasing both in terms of numbers and genetic parameters. Those facts underline the urgent need for coordinating development of Eurasian kulan’s captive population. From 2004 onwards, large efforts to create healthy breeding groups in zoos raised bigger interest in this species in European zoos.

Identification Of Herder-Wild Equid Conflicts In The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area In Sw Mongolia, Petra Kaczensky, N. Enkhsaihan, O. Ganbaatar, Christian Walzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In protected areas of Mongolian overgrazing, competition with wild ungulates and poaching are important management concerns. The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in SW Mongolia is a re-introduction site for the Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), a stronghold of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), and remains an important grazing area for seminomadic herders. We show the power of simple inventory and monitoring methods to assess herder-wildlife conflicts, by combining data of: (1) human and livestock demographic data, (2) migration patterns, of semi-nomadic herders, (3) monthly surveys of wild- and domestic ungulates, and (4) …

Kiangs (Equus Kiang, Moorcroft 1841) In Sikkim, India, Natalia V. Paklina, Chris Van Orden

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Between the 5^th and 10^th of March 2001 we completed a 450 km route by car in Northern Sikkim. During the trip along the southern slopes of the Himalayas and Sikkim Plateau we didn’t see a single kiang. According to the local people and military personnel in Sikkim, kiangs are known only in the outer limits of the Sikkim Plateau, where wild animals have a possibility to migrate free over the Chinese-Indian border. In winter only small groups of kiang incidentally come to the Sikkim Plateau from South Tibet. But in May more of them come there and …

Current Status Of The Khulan (Equus Hemionus) In The Trans-Altai Gobi, Enkhbileg Dulamtseren, Adiya Yadamjav, Dovchindorj Ganbold, Mijidorj Batmunkh

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Since 1975, 25 wildlife surveys have been conducted in the Trans-Altai Gobi. In this paper we summarize results from the last 11 surveys, conducted between October 2000 and April 2005, and discuss our findings together with results from previous surveys.

Assessment Of Non-Metric Skull Characters And Age Determination In The Asiatic Wild Ass Equus Hemionus: A Methodological Approach, Hermann Ansorge, Annegret Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Michael Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The report presents the first information on the use of non-metric skull characters and age determination by tooth section for Asiatic wild asses. It was initiated by a collection of more than 400 skulls of the Asiatic wild ass from the Bordzongijn-Gobi 2002-2004. The methodological overview gives a first research prospect in Asiatic Wild Ass concerning the use of non-metric skull characters as a morphological tool for assessing genetic variability, determining epigenetic divergences and evaluating fluctuating asymmetry. The time course of tooth eruption and replacement in the Asiatic wild ass is described with regard to its use for age determination. …

Territorial Behaviour Of Kiang (Equus Kiang Moorcroft, 1841) In Ladakh (India), Natalia V. Paklina, Chris Van Orden

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The observations of kiang behavior were made in Navokar Valley northeast of Tso Kar Lake (Ladakh, India) between July 30 and November 22, 2001. In the breeding season (end of July until the end of August) adult kiang males kept not overlapping, protected territories (about 10 km²), and marked by single defecation and urination marks. There were adult females with and without offspring on the territories (up to 12 animals, including the male). The distance between male and females on the territories was usually hundred times bigger, then a distance between stallion and his harem in horses. Females …

Semi-Wild Population Of Kulans In The Bukhara Breeding Centre And Their Co-Habitation With Przewalski’S Horses, Karim Bahloul, Olga B. Pereladova, Natalia V. Soldatova, Ekaterina V. Sidorenko, Antoine J. Sempere

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski's horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski's horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans are under threat of disappearance. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for conservation and reintroduction of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females) from Barsa-Kelmes Island on the Aral lake were introduced to the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1995-1998, when five Przewalski's horses from Moscow and St. Petersburg zoos were introduced to the same territory. We analyzed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions …

Social Networks In Wild Asses: Comparing Patterns And Processes Among Populations, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Siva Sundaresan, Ilya Fischhoff, David Saltz

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Asiatic wild asses inhabit some of the most arid environments in the world. All live in fissionfusion societies, but demography varies and the deserts in which they live often differ in subtle ways. Characterizing details of social structure of wild ass populations has been a challenge and has made it difficult to determine causes and consequences of any differences that might exist. We use network theory to compare the social structures of two populations of Asiatic asses/ onagers inhabiting the Negev desert, Israel and khur of the Little Rann of Kuch, India and show that populations differ in important structural …

An Overview On The State Of Equus Hemionus In Whole China, Weikang Yang

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The wild ass in China is divided into two species: Gobi khulan (Equus hemionus) and kiang (Equus kiang). Maps and charts of the distribution and population sizes in China and Mongolia of each species are shown from the 1980s through the early 2000s.

The Effects Of Deer And Non-Native Invasive Plants On Native Plants: Demonstration Area In The Gordon Natural Area On The Campus Of West Chester University Of Pennsylvania, West Chester, Chester County: Base-Line Plant Data, Kim Tesoriero, Harry Tiebout, Gerard Hertel

Deer and Non-native Invasive Plant Impact Study Documents

No abstract provided.

Pathways Of Anaerobic Carbon Cycling Across An Ombrotrophic–Minerotrophic Peatland Gradient, Jason K. Keller, Scott D. Bridgham

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Peatland soils represent globally significant stores of carbon, and understanding carbon cycling pathways in these ecosystems has important implications for global climate change. We measured aceticlastic and autotrophic methanogenesis, sulfate reduction, denitrification, and iron reduction in a bog, an intermediate fen, and a rich fen in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for one growing season. In 3-d anaerobic incubations of slurried peat, denitrification and iron reduction were minor components of anaerobic carbon mineralization. Experiments using 14C-labeled methanogenic substrates showed that methanogenesis in these peatlands was primarily through the aceticlastic pathway, except early in the growing season in more ombrotrophic peatlands, …

Current Status And Long-Term Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Tributaries And Chesapeake Bay Mainstem From 1985 Through 2005, Daniel M. Dauer, Harold G. Marshall, John R. Donat, Michael F. Lane, Suzanne C. Doughten, Frederick A. Hoffman

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

A marked decline in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has occurred over the past several decades. The disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation in certain regions of the Bay, declines in the abundance of some commercially and recreationally important species, increases in the incidence of low dissolved oxygen events, changes in the Bay's food web, and other ecological problems have been related to the deteriorating water quality. The results of concentrated research efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s stimulated the establishment of Federal and state directives to better manage the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By way of the …

Grotius, Ocean Fish Ranching, And The Public Trust Doctrine: Ride 'Em Charlie Tuna, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Seventy percent of the world's fish populations are in serious decline; some have been fished to near extinction. While domestic and international efforts are underway to curb the rate at which the remaining fish are being depleted, the demand for fish appears to be outstripping these initiatives--before they can take hold, the fish may be gone. In response to this increasingly dire situation, many countries, including the United States, have turned to fish farming in hope of taking pressure off of certain wild stocks of fish while still meeting consumer demands for them. More recently, non-U.S. fish farmers have moved …

Winter 2007, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Possible Use Of Foresight, Understanding, And Planning By Wolves Hunting Muskoxen, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

On Ellesmere Island in 2006, arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) were observed making a two-pronged approach to a herd of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and, on another occasion, ambushing muskoxen. Both observations seemed to provide evidence that the wolves were using foresight, understanding, and planning. Although the possible use of insight and purposiveness has been documented in captive wolves, the present report is one of the few to document the possibility that freeranging wolves use these other three mental processes.

En 2006, sur l’île Ellesmere, des loups arctiques (Canis lupus arctos) ont été observés en …

Annual Arctic Wolf Pack Size Related To Arctic Hare Numbers, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

During the summers of 2000 through 2006, I counted arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) pups and adults in a pack, arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) along a 9 km index route in the area, and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) in a 250 km² part of the area near Eureka (80° N, 86° W), Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Adult wolf numbers did not correlate with muskox numbers, but they were positively related (r² = 0.89; p < 0.01) to an arctic hare index. This is the first report relating wolf numbers to non-ungulate prey.

Pendant les étés 2000 à 2006, j’ai compté les jeunes loups arctiques et les adultes (Canis lupus arctos …

Eastward Ho: Phylogeographical Perspectives On Colonization Of Hosts And Parasites Across The Beringian Nexus [Guest Editorial], Eric Waltari, Eric P. Hoberg, Enrique P. Lessa, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The response of Arctic organisms and their parasites to dramatic fluctuations in climate during the Pleistocene has direct implications for predicting the impact of current climate change in the North. An increasing number of phylogeographical studies in the Arctic have laid a framework for testing hypotheses concerning the impact of shifting environmental conditions on transcontinental movement. We review 35 phylogeographical studies of trans-Beringian terrestrial and freshwater taxa, both hosts and parasites, to identify generalized patterns regarding the number, direction and timing of trans-continental colonizations. We found that colonization across Beringia was primarily from Asia to North America, with many events …

Chlorophacinone Baiting For Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Craig A. Ramey, George H. Matschke, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The efficacy of using 0.01% chlorophacinone on steam-rolled oat (SRO) groats applied in CA alfalfa by spot-baiting/hand baiting around burrow entrances (~11.5 g) to control free-ranging Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) were compared in 6 randomly assigned square treatment units (TUs). Four TUs were given the rodenticide and 2 treated with placebo bait. Each TU was a 0.4 ha square surrounded by a similarly treated 5.5 ha square buffer zone. Baits were applied on May 13 and re-applied, on May 20 and May 22, after 7 days of un-forecasted cool wet weather greatly reduced their above ground activity. Pesticide (EPA …

Hydrologic Connectivity And The Contribution Of Stream Headwaters To Ecological Integrity At Regional Scales, Mary C. Freeman, Catherine M. Pringle, C. Rhett Jackson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Cumulatively, headwater streams contribute to maintaining hydrologic connectivity and ecosystem integrity at regional scales. Hydrologic connectivity is the water-mediated transport of matter, energy and organisms within or between elements of the hydrologic cycle. Headwater streams compose over two-thirds of total stream length in a typical river drainage and directly connect the upland and riparian landscape to the rest of the stream ecosystem. Altering headwater streams, e.g., by channelization, diversion through pipes, impoundment and burial, modifies fluxes between uplands and downstream river segments and eliminates distinctive habitats. The large-scale ecological effects of altering headwaters are amplified by land uses that alter …

Vegetation Re-Establishment Of Mojave Desert Plant Communities After 2005-2006 Wildland Fires, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella

Fire Science Presentations

Examine biotic and abiotic patterns that determine vegetative regrowth after wildfires to better inform land managers about what to expect after fires and how to manage restoration efforts.

Seeding Effectiveness For Eight Mojave Desert Perennials After A 2005 Wildfire, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Christina L. Lund

Fire Science Presentations

To assess BLM seeding effectiveness in a mid-elevation burn where pre-burn plant communities were dominated by blackbrush, Joshua trees, and creosote.

Glow Sticks As Effective Bait For Capturing Aquatic Amphibians In Funnel Traps, Kristine L. Grayson, Andrew W. Roe

Biology Faculty Publications

Funnel traps of various designs have been used to capture adults and larvae of aquatic amphibians (e.g., Buech and Egeland 2002; Richter 1995). Most studies use unbaited funnel traps to capture amphibians while others have used shrimp or salmon eggs (Adams et al. 1997). Light traps and light sticks are commonly used in studies of fish, particularly larvae (Doherty 1987; Marchetti et al. 2004), but have not been widely used to capture amphibians. Glow sticks have been mentioned briefly in the literature as a means to increase capture rates of aquatic amphibians (Smith and Rettig 1996), but no studies have …

Chumming On The Chesapeake Bay And Complexity Theory: Why The Precautionary Principle, Not Cost-Benefit Analysis, Makes More Sense As A Regulatory Approach, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay ("Bay") and Puget Sound are in grave trouble. They each suffer from poor water quality, loss of habitat, and declining biodiversity, and efforts to restore their health are straining both public and private resources. While accomplishments are often recorded in the fight against these ills, it is clear these accomplishments "are not yet equal to the scale of the problems." The focus of this article is on the nation's largest estuary, the Bay. Despite the investment of billions of dollars to improve water quality, the Bay continues to suffer from severe environmental degradation that impairs …

Administering The Clean Water Act: Do Regulators Have "Bigger Fish To Fry" When It Comes To Addressing The Practice Of Chumming On The Chesapeake Bay?, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Chesapeake Bay is one of the country's most productive estuaries. However, for decades the health of the Bay has been declining due in large part to nutrification. Excessive nutrients encourage algal blooms, which lower dissolved oxygen and increase turbidity in the Bay's waters. More than 40% of the Bay's main stern is now dead largely as a result of this problem. The practice of chumming, the discarding of baitfish, usually menhaden, over the sides of fishing boats to attract game fish like striped bass, is contributing to the Bay's nutrification problem because the decomposing chum raises the waters biological …