Factors that lead to a decline in numbers of Mongolian marmot populations

Колесников, В. В.; Брандлер, О. В.; Бадмаев, Б. Б.; Zoje, D.; Adiya, Ya.

doi:10.1080/08927014.2009.9522492

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Skin production underwent a slow decline until new markets developed, particularly in China. The high price of a pelt (as much as $7.64) increased the number of hunters and hunting pressure [9]. Hunting occurred during the reproductive season, which reduced recruitment.…”

Section: Current Conservation Responses Of Threatened Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ban is ignored in some areas, but the population appears to have stabilized in other areas. The survival of the species seems assured because it thrives in areas where hunting is banned or does not occur for religious reason [9]. Over the long term, regulation of hunting must consider the use of marmots by local populations for food, fur, and medicinal products.…”

Section: Current Conservation Responses Of Threatened Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change and the conservation of marmots

Armitage¹

2013

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Conservation of marmots, large ground-dwelling squirrels restricted to the northern hemisphere, was impacted by direct human activity through hunting or modifying ecosystem dynamics. Regulating human activities reduced the threat of extinction. Climate change, an indirect human impact, threatens marmot survival through global warming and extreme weather events. Most marmot species occupy a harsh environment characterized by a short growing season and a long, cold season without food. Marmots cope with seasonality by hibernating. Their large size increases the efficiency of fat accumulation and its use as the sole energy source during hibernation. Marmot physiology is highly adapted to coping with low environmental temperatures; they are stressed by high heat loads. Global warming since the last ice age reduced the geographic distribution of some of the 15 species of marmots. Recent warming resulted in a movement upslope of their lower elevation boundary. This process likely will continue because warming is associated with drier unpalatable vegetation. Drought reduces reproduction and increases mortality; thus decreased summer rainfall in the montane environments where marmots live may cause local extinction. Snow cover, a major environmental factor, is essential to insulate hibernation burrows from low, stressful temperatures. However, prolonged vernal snow cover reduces reproduction and increases mortality. Montane areas currently lacking marmot populations because vernal snow cover persists beyond the time that marmots must begin foraging may become colonized if warming causes earlier snow melt. This benefit will be short-lived because decreased precipitation likely will result in unpalatable vegetation. Although some marmot populations are physiologically adapted to a warmer climate, global warming will increase too rapidly for any significant evolutionary response to dryness. The species that live in high, alpine meadows where tree and shrub invasions occur are most threatened with extinction. Captive breeding can preserve marmot species in the shortrun, but is impractical over the long-term. Widespread species are unlikely to be endangered in the foreseeable future, but local, low elevation populations will be lost

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Section: Current Conservation Responses Of Threatened Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Current Conservation Responses Of Threatened Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and the conservation of marmots

Armitage¹

2013

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“…Vegetation is dominated by bunch grass (Stipa krylovi), with Artemisia adamsii, Artemisia frigida, Agropyron cristatum and Cymbario dahurica as typical species [23]. Marmot density was higher in the park than surrounding areas, with the population density of marmots 70.6 families/km 2 with 100% of colonies occupied in Hustai, whereas only 3 km from the park border the density was 32.5 marmot families/km 2 with only 30% of identified colonies inhabited [2].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, this abundant and widely distributed the species occurred throughout much of the steep, lowland valleys, hills, and mountain slopes of eastern and northeastern Mongolia [1]. Highly endangered in Mongolia (IUCN Red List 'EN'; criteria A2 ad) Siberian marmots have experienced a >75% decline across Mongolia in the 1990s [2]. The burrows of Siberian marmot are complex, with branching tunnels and a variable number of chambers used for food storage, sleeping, and as latrines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mongolian Racerunners (Eremias argus) Occupancy in Active and Inactive Siberian Marmot (Marmota sibirica) Colonies

Suuri¹,

Baatargal²,

Rp³

2017

J Biodivers Endanger Species

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Habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic activities alters the distribution, abundance and diversity of wildlife species worldwide. As one example, Siberian marmots have experienced a >75% decline across Mongolia since the 1990s due to human harvests. Burrowing mammals are keystone; ecosystem engineers in many communities because burrowing can directly and indirectly alter the availability of resources, have effects at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and have a significant role in community organization. The deep and complex burrow systems of marmots provide underground shelters with stable microclimates that other vertebrate and invertebrate animals exploit. Our general hypothesis was that marmot colonies positively influence racerunner occupancy probability because burrows offer shelter from environmental conditions, refuges for predation, and a high diversity and number of insects and other prey items. Using occupancy modeling, we showed that the presence of a Siberian marmot colony influenced racerunner occupancy. Marmot active colony + inactive colony-ψ (AMC+IMC), p (temp+temp 2 ) were the best approximating model. Racerunner detection was highest at approximately 24.3°C. For the aspect and elevation model, foothills had an important influence on lizard occupancy. Our results showed that marmot burrows greatly influence Mongolian racerunner occurrence and suggest that habitat modification by rodent ecosystem engineers exert ecological influence on biodiversity.

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“…Gray or Altai marmot (M. baibacina) and Tarbagan or Mongolian marmot (M. sibirica) are closely related, relatively recent divergent species which have inherited significant morphological similarity (Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2013) despite appreciable genetic differences (Brandler et al, 2010a;Steppan et al, 2011). The chromosomal sets of both species have similar parameters (2n = 38, NF = 70) and minimal differences (Brandler et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study of Hybridization Between Marmota baibacina and M. sibirica in Their Secondary Contact Zone in Mongolian Altai

et al. 2021

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The role of hybridization as one of the factors of speciation in mammals has been underestimated for a long time, but now there is a lot of data on its impact in mammalian evolution. Hybridization of species often occurs in their secondary contact zones, which is a natural model for testing factors that ensure species integrity. Studies of hybrid zones are increasingly revealing the essential role of ecological and behavioral features both in initiating crossbreeding and in maintaining interspecific barriers. We studied the hybridization of two species of marmots Marmota baibacina and M. sibirica in the zone of sympatry in Mongolian Altai Mountains. We used a bioacoustic approach to determine the localization of individuals of different species and their cohabitation sites. Genetic typing with two diploid nuclear markers and one marker each of paternal and maternal lines was used to identify hybrids. Habitat preferences of marmots were studied to understand the conditions for the formation of heterospecific pairs. We found a high proportion of hybrid individuals in boulder screes where conditions for the formation of heterospecific pairs probably exist. Our data indicate the viability and fertility of F1 hybrids and their descendants. We hypothesize that the environmental preferences and behavioral features of both species of marmots are important factors that both create conditions for hybridization and limit hybrid dispersal.

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Factors that lead to a decline in numbers of Mongolian marmot populations

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

Climate change and the conservation of marmots

Climate change and the conservation of marmots

Mongolian Racerunners (Eremias argus) Occupancy in Active and Inactive Siberian Marmot (Marmota sibirica) Colonies

A Study of Hybridization Between Marmota baibacina and M. sibirica in Their Secondary Contact Zone in Mongolian Altai

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