ENDOPARASITOFAUNA OF MONGOLIAN GAZELLE IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE DAURSKY RESERVE

Currently, government agencies are increasing interest in the conservation of wild ruminants which are either listed in the Red Book or kept in reserves and national parks. This type of ruminant includes dzeren, or Mongolian gazelle that lives on the territory of the Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve between the Tel and Utogi cordons. For purposes of studies for helminths that form the endoparasitofauna, 57 samples of feces were taken which were frozen and delivered for the studies to the Department of Parasitology and Veterinary Inspection of the FSBEI HE MGAVMiB – MBA named after K.I. Scryabin. The studies were carried out according to generally accepted methods, and the following data were obtained - for dzerens that live in the conditions of the Daursky Reserve, there are 2 types of helminths that belong to the class of nematodes Nematodirus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. The infection intensity of the studied samples was 47.4%. The genus Nematodirus spp. prevails, helminth eggs were found in 23 samples, which is 40.4% of the total number of the samples. In turn, eggs of Trichostrongylus spp. were found in 4 samples, which is 7.0% of the total number of the samples.

The benefit and strategy of spring movements in Mongolian gazelles

Animal movement is predicted to be nomadic in areas with low temporal predictability of environmental conditions, but it remains unclear whether the costs of nomadic movement outweigh the benefits received. To examine the spring movement strategy of Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) in Mongolia, where predictability of vegetation conditions is relatively low, we identified the type of each movement, evaluated the preferred vegetation conditions for gazelles, and quantified the benefit achieved through each spring movement. The surveyed gazelles continuously preferred areas with intermediate normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from May to July, and spatial and temporal shifts of the distribution of preferred areas explain the long-distance movements of many gazelles in spring. Three movement types, sedentary, linear, and nomadic movement, were identified. The period when benefit varied most greatly among individuals differed between the linear and nomadic movement types. During the spring movement period, the variance of benefit was larger for the nomadic movement type, whereas during the summer it was larger for the linear movement type, suggesting the existence of different movement strategies in the Mongolian gazelle. Linear long-distance movements over a short period in the linear movement type suggest the so-called jumper strategy, whereas other movement patterns might represent the searcher strategy. Benefit loss through movements of individuals in both strategies indicate low interannual predictability of vegetation conditions in the study area, and it would explain the co-existence of multiple movement types or strategies used by Mongolian gazelles in spring.

On gastrointestinal nematodes of Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa)

The species composition of nematodes found at autopsy of abomasa and small intestines of 24 Mongolian gazelles in Eastern Mongolia is studied. Orloffia bisonis, Marshallagia mongolica, Nematodirus archari, N. andreevi, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, T. probolurus were registered. N. archari and N. andreevi were detected in Mongolian gazelle for the first time. All species of gastrointestinal nematodes found in Mongolian gazelles have already been registered in domestic ruminants of Mongolia. The validity of Orloffia genus is confirmed based on our own observations and literature data. Orloffia is monotypic genus with the only species O. bisonis represented by two morphs where “O. bisonis” is major and “O. kasakhstanica” is minor.

Genetic Structure of Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa): The Effect of Railroad and Demographic Change

The Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) is a representative ungulate species of Mongolia that inhabits steppes. Their number and range decreased during the last century, and the population has been suffered from occasional demographic changes caused by human and environmental factors. During the summer of 2005, we obtained genetic samples from gazelle carcasses encountered along the international railroad between Russia and China, to examine genetic diversity and its changes in relation to historical demographic shifts. Gazelle genetic structure and diversity were investigated using mitochondrial control region sequence. In the phylogenetic analysis, we confi rmed that there are two genetic groups unrelated to geographical location. We also showed the genetic structure of gazelles was unrelated to existence of the railroad. Based on the genetic diversity indices and demographic parameters, the population was suggested to have experienced demographic expansion historically, and effect of known demographic decline was not detected.