Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase Activities, Proline and Malondialdehyde Contents in Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Two Species of Pulsatilla Native to Mongolia

In this work, a comparative study on superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in extracts of the aerial parts of Pulsatilla turczaninovii and Pulsatilla flavescens is presented. Flower extracts of both species showed the highest superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, followed by leaf and stem extracts. The same trend is observed for proline and MDA contents.

Seasonal Daytime Activity Budget of Mongolian Gobi Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon)

Activity patterns provide insight into the overall relationship between a species and its environment. Despite declines in populations of argali and some attention on ecological questions, limited information exists on argali behavior. We measured diurnal activity budgets of argali for 12 months by recording behavior (i.e., foraging, bedding, standing, traveling, other) with instantaneous scan sampling at 5-minute intervals. Argali exhibited seasonal differences in activity budgets. The greatest proportion of daytime in winter was spent foraging. The greatest proportion of daytime in summer was spent bedding. Argali reduced all other behaviors in winter in favor of foraging. In summer argali reduced their foraging to a seasonal low and increased bedding. Behavior was constrained by forage in winter and by temperatures in summer. Females fed more than males in all seasons. Other behaviors varied according to season and reproductive periods. Females demonstrated highest vigilance in spring and summer, while males exhibited highest vigilance during the autumn rut. These data are the first regarding detailed behavior of argali and are valuable to their management and conservation by providing information on constraints faced by the species.

Ecosystem Engineering Effects of Mongolian Marmots (Marmota sibirica) on Terrestrial Arthropod Communities

The Mongolian marmot (Marmota sibirica) is a large, endangered rodent species that ranges across the steppe regions of Mongolia, and parts of China and Russia. Marmot lives colonially and creates extensive burrow systems that change the soil nutrient profiles and influence plant and animal community composition and productivity. We examined the role of marmots on the diversity and abundance of ground-dwelling and flying insects. We hypothesize that the arthropod communities differ between marmot colonies and surrounding grasslands in diversity and abundance. We trapped 4765 individuals of arthropods representing 178 species of insects and 12 families of spiders. Marmot colony sites differed significantly from off colony sites by communities of ground-dwelling and flying insects. Our findings indicate that abundance and species richness of arthropods are largely associated with marmot burrows, which might be a reason for increased habitat heterogeneity, such as bare ground, specific vegetation structure, and thermoregulatory site by ecosystem engineering. Our results demonstrate that the marmots are keystone species in arid ecosystems, and have complementary, additive effects on steppe arthropod communities.