No abstract

The Taimyr herd of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) is one of the three largest herds of wild Rangi in the world, and numbered about 600,000 in 1993. The herd grew continuously from 1959 to 1990, and is now stable due primarily to intensive commercial harvesting along the Khatanga River. Meat from the commercial harvest is processed and sold in population centers in the northern Krasnoyarsk region, particularly Norilsk. The herd has expanded its range to about 1.5 million km 2 , but movements to the southwestern portion of the winter range may have been impeded by pipeline, road and railroad construction, and winter shipping of ore on the lower Yenisey River.

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The contents of chemical elements in soils and plants collected from the tundra ecosystems of Western Taimyr (Russia) have been studied to determine the natural factors affecting the concentrations of chemical elements in plants and soils. Naturally high contents of Be, Cu, Mn, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn have been found in the soils, most likely due to polymetallic ore deposits in the region. The increased accumulation of Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Cd by plants has also been observed, which could be attributed to low soil pH and excessive soil moistening.

We conducted a census of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) on the Taimyr Peninsula during 21-25 July 2000. This was the eighteenth aerial population census of wild reindeer on the Taimyr since counts began in 1959. Prior to the census, we conducted reconnaissance flights to identify areas of reindeer concentration. After the reindeer became aggregated, we estimated group size both visually and by photographing the larger groups. Unusually hot and dry weather (temperatures of 25-30 °C) and a high density of mosquitoes during the census likely forced the reindeer to group into unusually large concentrations. In late July most of the reindeer in the Taimyr population were distributed in two groupings that contained at least 450 000 animals, and one area that contained about 110 000. Smaller groups found during the census and the estimated 43 000 resident wild reindeer that were not counted during the census brought the total minimum population estimate to about 1 040 000. The maximum number of wild reindeer present could have been as high as about 1 100 000.