The Endangered Siberian marmot Marmota sibirica as a keystone species? Observations and implications of burrow use by corsac foxes Vulpes corsac in Mongolia

Abstract

Short CommunicationThe Endangered Siberian marmot Marmota sibirica as a keystone species? Observations and implications of burrow use by corsac foxes Vulpes corsac in Mongolia J a m e s D . M u r d o c h , T s e r e n d o r j M u n k h z u l , S u u r i B u y a n d e l g e r R i c h a r d P . R e a d i n g and C l a u d i o S i l l e r o -Z u b i r i Abstract The Siberian marmot Marmota sibirica is a social, colonial-living rodent that ranges widely throughout northern Asia. In Mongolia the species has declined substantially in recent years due to overharvesting for fur, meat and body parts, used locally and traded illegally in international markets. The Siberian marmot is often considered a keystone species because its burrows appear to represent an important resource for a variety of taxa, including carnivores. However, few studies have quantified marmot burrow use by other species, although such use may be important for developing conservation strategies. We monitored patterns of burrow use by 10 radio-collared corsac foxes Vulpes corsac during a study in Mongolia during May-November 2006. Corsacs used marmot burrows regularly and at rates greater than expected by chance, suggesting that burrows represent an important resource for foxes and supporting the notion of the Siberian marmot as a keystone species. As corsacs are also declining in Mongolia we contend that targeted patrols of marmot colonies in certain areas would provide a costeffective means of protecting both species.

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

“…Siberian marmot presence and activities can influence species occupancy, abundance, or persistence within a landscape [7,30,31]). Their burrows provide shelter for many native species [29,32], such as corsac foxes [7], red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul), badgers (Meles spp.)…”

“…Their burrows provide shelter for many native species [29,32], such as corsac foxes [7], red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul), badgers (Meles spp.) and hedgehogs [33].…”

“…Hibernation burrows measured approximately 5-18 m (45m) in length and 0.2-0.5 m 3 in volume in a mountain region of Mongolia [4]. We and others [4][5][6][7] hypothesize that Siberian marmots play a keystone role as ecosystem engineers in the ecosystems they inhabit; however, we require more research on the species' ecological role and whether or not marmot colonies represent biodiversity hotspots.…”

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“…The meso-carnivore project also initiated annual monitoring of small mammal and lizard populations (Murdoch et al, 2010c(Murdoch et al, , 2010c. The project further led to research on resource partitioning by two species of hedgehogs (Murdoch et al, 2006b;Zapletal et al, 2012Zapletal et al, , 2015, the role of Siberian marmots (Marmota sibirica) as a keystone species (Murdoch et al, 2009(Murdoch et al, , 2013, insect fauna, wolf (Canis lupus) ecology and conservation (Davie et al, 2014a(Davie et al, , 2014b, and ecological impacts of landscape change (Lkhagvasuren et al, 2016). Herpetological work expanded from population surveys to ecological and disease studies.…”

When prey provide more than food: mammalian predators appropriating the refugia of their prey

“…Accounts of predators using the refugia of other species remain few, largely unquantified, and based primarily on casual sightings and reports (Murdoch et al 2013). I sought to highlight the prevalence of this behavior, since it has not been formally brought to the attention of the scientific community.…”