A small neighborhood well-organized: seasonal and daily activity patterns of the community of large and mid-sized mammals around waterholes in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Abstract

Background Animal communities have complex patterns of ecological segregation at different levels according to food resources, habitats, behavior, and activity patterns. Understanding these patterns among the community is essential for the conservation of the whole ecosystem. However, these networks are difficult to study nowadays, due to anthropic disturbances and local extinctions, making it difficult to conclude if segregation patterns are natural or human-induced. We studied ecological segregation in a community of large and mid-sized mammals in the Great Gobi Desert, a remote arid area free from recent extinctions and human disturbances. Activity patterns of 10 sympatric mammal species were monitored around 6 waterholes through camera-trapping over a two-year period, and analyzed them primarily through circular statistics. Results Complex patterns of spatial, seasonal, and daily segregation were found. Overlap in seasonal activity was detected in only 3 of the 45 possible pairs of species. Four species used the waterholes all-year-round, while others peaked their activity during different periods. The Bactrian camel showed continuous daily activity, the grey wolf had bimodal activity, and the argali and Siberian ibex were diurnal, while the others had nocturnal peaks during different hours. Daily and spatial overlap were both detected in only 6 of the 45 pairs. Only one species pair (snow leopard and Eurasian lynx) showed an overlap at two levels: seasonal and daily. Climate and moon phase significantly affected the activity of certain species. Conclusions Altogether, the results showed complex patterns of ecological segregation at different levels in the use of the key resource in arid environments: waterholes. These results are important for understanding the biology of these species under natural conditions, as well as potential changes in altered ecosystems, and may help to design conservation strategies.

Assessing environmental DNA metabarcoding and camera trap surveys as complementary tools for biomonitoring of remote desert water bodies

“…The Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in Trans‐Altai Gobi was created in 1975, covers 44,000 km 2 and hosts emblematic species such as the snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ), the brown bear ( Ursus arctos ), the Asian wild ass ( Equus hemionus ) and the Bactrian camel ( Camelus ferus ). For a detailed description of the environmental conditions of this ecosystem, see Nasanbat et al (2021).…”

“…This approach is particularly relevant for desert ecosystems with extreme conditions, where waterholes are small and scattered, leading to a spatial concentration of terrestrial animals that must gather and use the few available water sources (Davis et al, 2017; Razgour et al, 2018; Vale et al, 2015). Albeit the close association of water resources and desert species, there are also numerous adaptations to reduce their dependence and some species, such as gazelles, do not always comply with this expectation, as documented in the Trans‐Altai Gobi (Nasanbat et al, 2021).…”

“…Albeit the close association of water resources and desert species, there are also numerous adaptations to reduce their dependence and some species, such as gazelles, do not always comply with this expectation, as documented in the Trans-Altai Gobi (Nasanbat et al, 2021).…”

Spatiotemporal behavior of predators and prey in an arid environment of Central Asia

“…The Mongolian Gobi Desert hosts a unique mammal community adapted to this environment. Only recently, mammal communities in the Gobi ecosystem ( Augugliaro et al 2019 ; Mas-Carrió et al 2021 ), as well as observations on their temporal activity patterns ( Nasanbat et al 2021 ), have been described overall. Previous studies conducted in the Gobi Desert were mainly focused on single species rather than on interactions between species ( Sharma et al 2014 ; Tumursukh et al 2016 ).…”

Waterhole use and diel activity pattern of ocelots in Calakmul rainforest, Mexico

“…Animals must balance trade-offs between foraging or hydratation with risk predation (Monterroso et al, 2013;Nasanbat et al 2021); as such, the time of the day when they are active in sites with key resources, such as water, has important implications for their survival (Stoner & Timm, 2010). Environmental -rainfall, temperatureand ecological -prey, predation risk-characteristics can affect mammals' activity patterns (Beltran & Delibes, 1994;Di Bitetti et al, 2010).…”