Distribution structure of the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Licht, 1823) in the western part of the Betpakdala desert of Kazakhstan: biotransformation of arid lands

Abstract

It is well known that the earth's climate changes that occur as a result of global climate change are changing the biosphere of our planet as a whole. As a result, many animal species change their geographical ranges, seasonal activity, migration patterns, abundance and interaction with other species, including microorganisms, the facts of which are observed in the deserts of Kazakhstan. The main carrier of the causative agent of the plague in the desert natural focus of the Betpakdala plague of Kazakhstan is the great gerbil (Rhombonus opimus), where the plague epizootic was first discovered in 1959, the area of which was then 30.0 thousand. km2 until 1990. Due to the rapid industrial development of the Betpakdala desert, the impact of global climate change on earth and other factors over the past 30 years, the area of this natural plague outbreak has increased by 50.12% (60.14 thousand km2) in the northern direction due to the biological transformation of the area of the main carrier, which led to the expansion of plague epizootics among rodents. At the same time, the plague microbe was also involved in the transformation process, increasing its natural area of the pistil (the area of distribution of the microbe), which increased the risk of infection of people with plague infection. The paper presents our results of epizootological monitoring for the period 2009–2022 (50.0 thousand km2) and laboratory studies of 522376 samples of field material for plague. The structure of the focus was shown, and the reason for the expansion of the settlement area of the rodent population was revealed. The number of sectors with different levels of epidemic danger and epizootic activity were determined, and the main phenotypic and genotypic properties of Yersinia pestis strains circulating in this natural plague focus were also given.