Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Remarks On The Social System Of The Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Hemionus), Gertrud Neumann-Denzau, Helmut Denzau

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

So far the social system of Mongolian wild asses is non-uniformly interpreted. The authors describe their own observations from different parts of Mongolia and review data from available publications. The arguments support a territorial social system, which agrees with the social system of all other wild asses in Asia and Africa.

The Birth Of A Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Khur) In India’S Little Rann Of Kutch, Gertrud Neumann-Denzau

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

The birth of a wild ass was completely described and photographed in the wild for the first time. It happened in the daytime, in the open desert, and in the vicinity of other wild asses. The mother isolated her foal afterwards for an entire day. After birthing she drove away her male yearling, which did not join her any longer from this moment on.

Capture And Anaesthesia Of The Mongolian Wild Ass (E. Hemionus), Chris Walzer, Petra Kaczensky, Oogii Ganbaatar, Namtar Enkhsaikhan, Davaa Lkhagvasuren

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

Science-based conservation efforts in general and wide-ranging equid conservation specifically, often require capture and subsequent handling of the subject animal. Safe and animal-welfare appropriate wild equid capture and anesthesia is a complex operation necessitating a multitude of skills that require appropriate veterinary training. In order to develop management plans for the Mongolian wild ass (Equus hemionus), which range over vast areas the use of radiotelemetry, is an essential tool. Radio-telemetry allows the researchers to better understand the habitat requirements and to delineate the areas of potential wildlife-human conflicts. To date we have successfully captured 16 wild ass in …

Biodiversity In Mongolia, Photos, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe

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

Pictures of wildlife in Mongolia in 2007.

Asiatic Wild Asses In The Literature: What Do We Need To Know Now?, Sarah R.B. King

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

Asiatic wild asses were once found across central Asia, but over time their range has been reduced until today all subspecies are under threat. This paper examined the literature about wild asses with an aim to illustrating gaps in our knowledge as a target for future research.

A search was made on BIOSIS ISI for the following strings: Equus hemionus, wild ass, khulan, kulan, kiang, khur, and onager. In total 61 relevant references were found, published between 1900 and 2005. Most of these references were published in the 1990s, with only one published between 1900 and 1970. Khur and …

Comparative Demography And Dietary Resource Partitioning Of Two Wild Ranging Asiatic Equid Populations, Ellen Schulz, Thomas Kaiser, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Joachim Wussow

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

Tooth wear signatures allow inference on the dietary traits of herbivorous ungulates. Comparing dietary regimes of taxonomically closely related populations further allows inference on habitat structure and food availability. The mesowear method of tooth wear evaluation has opened up a pathway to reconstruct subtle differences in dietary behavior and resource partitioning based on skeletal material as the only source of information. Eighty cheek dentitions of Asian wild asses (Equus hemionus) from the Southern Gobi (Mongolia) and 61 dentitions of African free ranging donkeys (Equus asinus) from the Emirate Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) were investigated for their …

Population Assessment Of Khulan (Equus Hemionus) In Mongolia, Badamjav Lkhagvasuren

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

The data presented here suggest that 18,411 (± 224) khulan inhabit southern Mongolia with a density of 1.4 individuals per 1,000 km² within the 157,525 km² territory of its actual distribution. The Dornogobi province contains the highest number of khulan with a mere 67%, while 20% are found in the Ömnögobi province, 12% are in Djungarian Gobi and only 1% in the Gobi-Altay and Bayankhongor provinces. According to the proportion of foals and yearlings within each aimag, the Dornogobi, Ömnögobi east and Khovd populations have an average reproduction rate.

Kulan (Equus Hemionus Pallas 1775) In Turkmenistan, Victor S. Lukarevskiy, Yu. K. Gorelov

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

The kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) is the only odd-toed ungulate left in the wild in northern Eurasia. In the 1930s, the kulan survived in southern Turkmenistan only. In the 1940s, kulans were found only in an area named Badkhyz in Turkmenistan. To conserve the last natural population of this subspecies of kulan the Badkhyz Natural Reserve was established in 1941. The historical and contemporary distribution, fluctuation in numbers, conservation and sci research of kulan populations in the Badkhyz Natural reserve are reviewed in this paper.

Zum Vorkommen Ausgewählter Bembidion-Arten In Der Mongolei (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Bembidiinae): 2. Beitrag Zur Carabidenfauna Der Mongolei, Peer Haro Schnitter

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

To the occurrence of some Bembidion-species in Mongolia (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Bembidiinae) - Second contribution to the carabid fauna of Mongolia.

The distribution of four Bembidion-species, Bembidion (Asioperyphus) infuscatum DEJEAN, 1831, B. (Asioperyphus) ovale MOTSCHULSKY, 1844, B. (Bracteon) conicolle MOTSCHULSKY, 1844 und B. (Bracteon) lapponicum ZETTERSTEDT, 1828, in Mongolia are discussed, and new data are given.

Investigation Of The Kiang (Equus Kiang, Equidae) Skull From Ladakh, India, Natalia Spasskaya

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

The species-rank of Equus kiang was recently supported by molecular and genetic studies (RYDER & CHEMNICK 1990). Three subspecies are currently recognized in this species: eastern - E. k. holdereri, southern - E. k. polyodon and western - E. k. kiang, differing in some cranial and external features (GROVES & MAZAK 1967). Kiang populations are scarce and widely separated at present; which was a reason for a reassessment of the taxonomic status and distribution of at least one or two of these three races.

An interesting skull of kiang was recovered by N. Paklina and C. van Orden …

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.

Winter 2007, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

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 …

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 …