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Xu W, Liu W, Ma W, Wang M, Xu F, Yang W, Walzer C, Kaczensky P. Current status and future challenges for khulan (Equus hemionus) conservation in China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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2
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Comparative Analysis of Microbiome Metagenomics in Reintroduced Wild Horses and Resident Asiatic Wild Asses in the Gobi Desert Steppe. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061166. [PMID: 35744684 PMCID: PMC9229091 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome offers important ecological benefits to the host; however, our understanding of the functional microbiome in relation to wildlife adaptation, especially for translocated endangered species, is lagging. In this study, we adopted a comparative metagenomics approach to test whether the microbiome diverges for translocated and resident species with different adaptive potentials. The composition and function of the microbiome of sympatric Przewalski’s horses and Asiatic wild asses in desert steppe were compared for the first time using the metagenomic shotgun sequencing approach. We identified a significant difference in microbiome composition regarding the microbes present and their relative abundances, while the diversity of microbe species was similar. Furthermore, the functional profile seemed to converge between the two hosts, with genes related to core metabolism function tending to be more abundant in wild asses. Our results indicate that sympatric wild equids differ in their microbial composition while harboring a stable microbial functional core, which may enable them to survive in challenging habitats. A higher abundance of beneficial taxa, such as Akkermansia, and genes related to metabolism pathways and enzymes, such as lignin degradation, may contribute to more diverse diet choices and larger home ranges of wild asses.
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3
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Blackburn RC, Barber NA, Jones HP. Reintroduced bison diet changes throughout the season in restored prairie. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C. Blackburn
- School of Forestry Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ 86011 U.S.A
| | - Nicholas A. Barber
- Department of Biology San Diego State University San Diego CA 92182 U.S.A
| | - Holly P. Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy Northern Illinois University 155 Castle Drive DeKalb IL 60115 U.S.A
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4
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Šturm MB, Smith S, Ganbaatar O, Buuveibaatar B, Balint B, Payne JC, Voigt CC, Kaczensky P. Isotope analysis combined with DNA barcoding provide new insights into the dietary niche of khulan in the Mongolian Gobi. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248294. [PMID: 33780458 PMCID: PMC8006982 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
With increasing livestock numbers, competition and avoidance are increasingly shaping resource availability for wild ungulates. Shifts in the dietary niche of wild ungulates are likely and can be expected to negatively affect their fitness. The Mongolian Gobi constitutes the largest remaining refuge for several threatened ungulates, but unprecedentedly high livestock numbers are sparking growing concerns over rangeland health and impacts on threatened ungulates like the Asiatic wild ass (khulan). Previous stable isotope analysis of khulan tail hair from the Dzungarian Gobi suggested that they graze in summer but switch to a poorer mixed C3 grass / C4 shrub diet in winter, most likely in reaction to local herders and their livestock. Here we attempt to validate these findings with a different methodology, DNA metabarcoding. Further, we extend the scope of the original study to the South Gobi Region, where we expect higher proportions of low-quality browse in the khulan winter diet due to a higher human and livestock presence. Barcoding confirmed the assumptions behind the seasonal diet change observed in the Dzungarian Gobi isotope data, and new isotope analysis revealed a strong seasonal pattern and higher C4 plant intake in the South Gobi Region, in line with our expectations. However, DNA barcoding revealed C4 domination of winter diet was due to C4 grasses (rather than shrubs) for the South Gobi Region. Slight climatic differences result in regional shifts in the occurrence of C3 and C4 grasses and shrubs, which do not allow for an isotopic separation along the grazer-browser continuum over the entire Gobi. Our findings do not allow us to confirm human impacts upon dietary preferences in khulan as we lack seasonal samples from the South Gobi Region. However, these data provide novel insight into khulan diet, raise new questions about plant availability versus preference, and provide a cautionary tale about indirect analysis methods if used in isolation or extrapolated to the landscape level. Good concordance between relative read abundance of C4 genera from barcoding and proportion of C4 plants from isotope analysis adds to a growing body of evidence that barcoding is a promising quantitative tool to understand resource partitioning in ungulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Burnik Šturm
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steve Smith
- Konrad-Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oyunsaikhan Ganbaatar
- Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area Administration, Takhin Tal, Gobi Altai Province, Mongolia
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology and Biotechnology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | | | - Boglarka Balint
- Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area Administration, Takhin Tal, Gobi Altai Province, Mongolia
| | - John C. Payne
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Petra Kaczensky
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research–NINA, Trondheim, Norway
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5
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Lundgren EJ, Schowanek SD, Rowan J, Middleton O, Pedersen RØ, Wallach AD, Ramp D, Davis M, Sandom CJ, Svenning JC. Functional traits of the world's late Quaternary large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores. Sci Data 2021; 8:17. [PMID: 33473149 PMCID: PMC7817692 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00788-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prehistoric and recent extinctions of large-bodied terrestrial herbivores had significant and lasting impacts on Earth's ecosystems due to the loss of their distinct trait combinations. The world's surviving large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores remain among the most threatened taxa. As such, a greater understanding of the ecological impacts of large herbivore losses is increasingly important. However, comprehensive and ecologically-relevant trait datasets for extinct and extant herbivores are lacking. Here, we present HerbiTraits, a comprehensive functional trait dataset for all late Quaternary terrestrial avian and mammalian herbivores ≥10 kg (545 species). HerbiTraits includes key traits that influence how herbivores interact with ecosystems, namely body mass, diet, fermentation type, habitat use, and limb morphology. Trait data were compiled from 557 sources and comprise the best available knowledge on late Quaternary large-bodied herbivores. HerbiTraits provides a tool for the analysis of herbivore functional diversity both past and present and its effects on Earth's ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick J Lundgren
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Simon D Schowanek
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Owen Middleton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | - Rasmus Ø Pedersen
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Arian D Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Matt Davis
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | | | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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6
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Wilkin S, Ventresca Miller A, Miller BK, Spengler RN, Taylor WTT, Fernandes R, Hagan RW, Bleasdale M, Zech J, Ulziibayar S, Myagmar E, Boivin N, Roberts P. Economic Diversification Supported the Growth of Mongolia's Nomadic Empires. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3916. [PMID: 32127564 PMCID: PMC7054399 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60194-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations in Mongolia from the late second millennium B.C.E. through the Mongol Empire are traditionally assumed, by archaeologists and historians, to have maintained a highly specialized horse-facilitated form of mobile pastoralism. Until recently, a dearth of direct evidence for prehistoric human diet and subsistence economies in Mongolia has rendered systematic testing of this view impossible. Here, we present stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements of human bone collagen, and stable carbon isotope analysis of human enamel bioapatite, from 137 well-dated ancient Mongolian individuals spanning the period c. 4400 B.C.E. to 1300 C.E. Our results demonstrate an increase in consumption of C4 plants beginning at c. 800 B.C.E., almost certainly indicative of millet consumption, an interpretation supported by archaeological evidence. The escalating scale of millet consumption on the eastern Eurasian steppe over time, and an expansion of isotopic niche widths, indicate that historic Mongolian empires were supported by a diversification of economic strategies rather than uniform, specialized pastoralism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shevan Wilkin
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Alicia Ventresca Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- University of Michigan, Department of Anthropology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Bryan K Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - Robert N Spengler
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - William T T Taylor
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- University of Colorado, Department of Anthropology, Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Richard W Hagan
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeogenetics, Jena, Germany
| | - Madeleine Bleasdale
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jana Zech
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
| | - S Ulziibayar
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Jukoviin orgon chuloo 77, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | | | - Nicole Boivin
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany.
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
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7
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Lazzerini N, Coulon A, Simon L, Marchina C, Noost B, Lepetz S, Zazzo A. Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high-resolution isotope (δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2019; 33:1512-1526. [PMID: 31148256 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope time series performed in continuously growing tissues (hair, tooth enamel) are commonly used to reconstruct the dietary history of modern and ancient animals. Predicting the effects of altitudinal mobility on animal δ13 C and δ15 N values remains difficult as several variables such as temperature, water availability or soil type can contribute to the isotope composition. Modern references adapted to the region of interest are therefore essential. METHODS Between June 2015 and July 2018, six free-ranging domestic horses living in the Mongolian Altaï were fitted with GPS collars. Tail hairs were sampled each year, prepared for sequential C and N isotope analysis using EA-IRMS. Isotopic variations were compared with altitudinal mobility, and Generalized Additive Mixed (GAMMs) models were used to model the effect of geographic and environmental factors on δ13 C and δ15 N values. RESULTS Less than half of the pasture changes were linked with a significant isotopic shift while numerous isotopic shifts did not correspond to any altitudinal mobility. Similar patterns of δ13 C and δ15 N variations were observed between the different horses, despite differences in mobility patterns. We propose that water availability as well as seasonal availability of N2 fixing type plants primarily controlled horse hair δ13 C and δ15 N values, overprinting the influence of altitude. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that altitudinal mobility is not the main factor that drives the variations in horse tail hair δ13 C and δ15 N values and that seasonal change in the animal dietary preference also plays an important role. It is therefore risky to interpret variations in δ13 C and δ15 N values of animal tissues in terms of altitudinal mobility alone, at least in C3 -dominated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Lazzerini
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Coulon
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (UMR 7204 CESCO), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP135, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurent Simon
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Charlotte Marchina
- Institut Français de Recherche sur l'Asie de l'Est (IFRAE), FRE 2025, Inalco/Université de Paris/CNRS, 2 rue de Lille, 75007, Paris, France
| | - Bayarkhuu Noost
- Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History and Archaeology, Mongolia
| | - Sébastien Lepetz
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Zazzo
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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8
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Hofman-Kamińska E, Bocherens H, Drucker DG, Fyfe RM, Gumiński W, Makowiecki D, Pacher M, Piličiauskienė G, Samojlik T, Woodbridge J, Kowalczyk R. Adapt or die-Response of large herbivores to environmental changes in Europe during the Holocene. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:2915-2930. [PMID: 31298814 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming and human landscape transformation during the Holocene resulted in environmental changes for wild animals. The last remnants of the European Pleistocene megafauna that survived into the Holocene were particularly vulnerable to changes in habitat. To track the response of habitat use and foraging of large herbivores to natural and anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions during the Holocene, we investigated carbon (δ13 C) and nitrogen (δ15 N) stable isotope composition in bone collagen of moose (Alces alces), European bison (Bison bonasus) and aurochs (Bos primigenius) in Central and Eastern Europe. We found strong variations in isotope compositions in the studied species throughout the Holocene and diverse responses to changing environmental conditions. All three species showed significant changes in their δ13 C values reflecting a shift of foraging habitats from more open in the Early and pre-Neolithic Holocene to more forest during the Neolithic and Late Holocene. This shift was strongest in European bison, suggesting higher plasticity, more limited in moose, and the least in aurochs. Significant increases of δ15 N values in European bison and moose are evidence of a diet change towards more grazing, but may also reflect increased nitrogen in soils following deglaciation and global temperature increases. Among the factors explaining the observed isotope variations were time (age of samples), longitude and elevation in European bison, and time, longitude and forest cover in aurochs. None of the analysed factors explained isotope variations in moose. Our results demonstrate the strong influence of natural (forest expansion) and anthropogenic (deforestation and human pressure) changes on the foraging ecology of large herbivores, with forests playing a major role as a refugial habitat since the Neolithic, particularly for European bison and aurochs. We propose that high flexibility in foraging strategy was the key for survival of large herbivores in the changing environmental conditions of the Holocene.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Research Area Paleobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dorothée G Drucker
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ralph M Fyfe
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Witold Gumiński
- The Institute of Archaeology, Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Daniel Makowiecki
- Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Martina Pacher
- Institut für Paläontologie, Universität Wien, Geozentrum, UZA II, Wien, Austria
| | | | - Tomasz Samojlik
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Jessie Woodbridge
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Rafał Kowalczyk
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
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9
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Li Y, Zhang K, Liu Y, Li K, Hu D, Wronski T. Community Composition and Diversity of Intestinal Microbiota in Captive and Reintroduced Przewalski's Horse ( Equus ferus przewalskii). Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1821. [PMID: 31440229 PMCID: PMC6693443 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Large and complex intestinal microbiota communities in hosts have profound effects on digestion and metabolism. To better understand the community structure of intestinal microbiota in Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) under different feeding regimes, we compared bacterial diversity and composition between captive and reintroduced Przewalski’s horses, using high-throughput 16S-rRNA gene sequencing for identification. Reintroduced Przewalski’s horses were sampled in two Chinese nature reserves, i.e., Dunhuang Xihu Nature Reserve (DXNR; n = 8) in Gansu Province and Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR; n = 12) in Xinjiang Province, and compared to a captive population at the Przewalski’s Horse Breeding Center in Xinjiang (PHBC; n = 11). The composition of intestinal microbiota in Przewalski’s horses was significantly different at the three study sites. Observed species was lowest in DXNR, but highest in KNR. Lowest Shannon diversity was observed in DXNR, while in KNR and PHBC had a moderately high diversity; Simpson diversity showed an opposite trend compared with the Shannon index. Linear Discriminant Analysis effect size was used to determine differentially distributed bacterial taxa at each study site. The most dominant phyla of intestinal microbiota were similar in all feeding regimes, including mainly Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Spirochaetes. Differing abundances of intestinal microbiota in Przewalski’s horses may be related to different food types at each study site, differences in diversity may be attributed to low quality food in DXNR. Results indicated that diet is one of the important factors that can influence the structure of intestinal microbiota communities in Przewalski’s horse. These findings combined with a detailed knowledge of the available and consumed food plant species could provide guidelines for the selection of potential future reintroduction sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Li
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Liu
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Li
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Defu Hu
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Torsten Wronski
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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10
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Burnik Šturm M, Ganbaatar O, Voigt CC, Kaczensky P. Sequential stable isotope analysis reveals differences in multi-year dietary history of three sympatric equid species in SW Mongolia. J Appl Ecol 2017; 54:1110-1119. [PMID: 28717255 PMCID: PMC5510718 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Competition among sympatric wild herbivores is reduced by different physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits resulting in different dietary niches. Wild equids are a rather uniform group of large herbivores which have dramatically declined in numbers and range. Correlative evidence suggests that pasture competition with livestock is one of the key factors for this decline, and the situation may be aggravated in areas where different equid species overlap. 2. The Dzungarian Gobi is currently the only place where two wild equid species coexist and share the range with the domesticated form of a third equid species. In the arid and winter cold Gobi, pasture productivity is low, highly seasonal, and wild equids additionally face increasing livestock densities. 3. We used stable isotope chronologies of tail hairs to draw inferences about multi-year diet seasonality, isotopic dietary niches, and physiological adaptations in the Asiatic wild ass (khulan), reintroduced Przewalski's horse, and domestic horse in the Mongolian part of the Dzungarian Gobi. 4. Our results showed that even in the arid Gobi, both horse species are predominantly grazers, whereas khulan are highly seasonal, switching from being grazers in summer to mixed feeders in winter. The isotopic dietary niches of the two horse species were almost identical, did not vary with season as in khulan, and were narrower than in the latter. Higher δ15N values point towards higher water use efficiency in khulan, which may be one reason why they can exploit pastures further away from water. 5. Synthesis and applications: The high degree of isotopic dietary niche overlap in the two horses points towards a high potential for pasture competition during the critical nutritional bottleneck in winter and highlights the need to severely restrict grazing of domestic horses on the range of the Przewalski's horses. Khulan are less constrained by water and seem more flexible in their choice of diet or less successful in exploiting grass dominated habitats in winter due to human presence. Providing additional water sources could increase the competition between khulan and livestock, and should therefore be only done following careful consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Burnik Šturm
- Research Institute of Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
| | - Oyunsaikhan Ganbaatar
- Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area AdministrationTakhin TalGobi Altai ProvinceMongolia
- Department of ZoologySchool of Biology and BiotechnologyNational University of MongoliaUlan BatorMongolia
| | | | - Petra Kaczensky
- Research Institute of Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
- Present address:
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research – NINATrondheimNorway
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11
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Stable isotopes reveal diet shift from pre-extinction to reintroduced Przewalski's horses. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5950. [PMID: 28729625 PMCID: PMC5519547 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05329-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), the only remaining wild horse within the equid family, is one of only a handful of species worldwide that went extinct in the wild, was saved by captive breeding, and has been successfully returned to the wild. However, concerns remain that after multiple generations in captivity the ecology of the Przewalski’s horse and / or the ecological conditions in its former range have changed in a way compromising the species’ long term survival. We analyzed stable isotope chronologies from tail hair of pre-extinction and reintroduced Przewalski’s horses from the Dzungarian Gobi and detected a clear difference in the isotopic dietary composition. The direction of the dietary shift from being a mixed feeder in winter and a grazer in summer in the past, to a year-round grazer nowadays, is best explained by a release from human hunting pressure. A changed, positive societal attitude towards the species allows reintroduced Przewalski’s horses to utilize the scarce, grass-dominated pastures of the Gobi alongside local people and their livestock whereas their historic conspecifics were forced into less productive habitats dominated by browse.
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