Significance of Protected Areas for the Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul: Felidae) conservation in Russi

Барашкова, А. Н.; Kirilyuk, Vadim E.; Smelansky, Ilya

doi:10.24189/ncr.2017.019

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…From a topographic point of view, and contrary to the other two clades, the Manul prefers areas with lower height and topographic diversity, which is likely related to snow depth in high terrains. Snow depth is a limiting factor for Pallas's cat, particularly in the northern part of its distribution, such as Russia and Kyrgyzstan (Barashkova et al, 2017 ). Snow cover with a depth of 15–20 cm is a significant ecological constraint for the Pallas's cat (Sunquist & Sunquist, 2002 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological niche models reveal divergent habitat use of Pallas's cat in the Eurasian cold steppes

Lorestani

Hemami

Rezvani

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Identifying the association between the patterns of niche occupation and phylogenetic relationships among sister clades and assisting conservation planning implications are of the most important applications of species distribution models (SDMs). However, most studies have been carried out regardless of within taxon genetic differentiation and the potential of local adaptation occurring within the species level. The Pallas's cat ( Otocolobus manul ) is a less‐studied species with unknown biogeography and phylogenetic structure across a widespread yet isolated range from the Caucasus to eastern China. In the current study, by considering a previously proposed genetic structure and based on a cluster analysis on climatic variables, we supposed three clades for this species, including O. m. manul , O. m. ferrugineus , and O. m. nigripectus . We developed SDM for each clade separately and compared it with a general distribution model of the species to determine whether the hypothesized taxonomic resolution affects the predicted ecological niche of the within‐species structures. We assessed the effect of climate change on the future distribution of the species to detect the most sensitive clades to global warming scenarios. Our results showed that for all clades' models, the AUC and TSS were greater than the general model. Access to the preferred prey of the Pallas's cat, that is, pika, had a significant effect on the distribution of O. m. manul and O. m. ferrugineus , whereas the most influential variable affecting O. m. nigripectus habitat suitability was terrain slope. Based on our future projections, we found that future climate change likely threatens the clades O. m. ferrugineus and O. m. nigripectus more than O. m. manul , findings that were hidden in the general model. Our results highlight the proficiency of SDMs in recognizing within‐taxon habitat use of widespread species and the necessity of this procedure for implementing effective conservation planning of these species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological niche models reveal divergent habitat use of Pallas's cat in the Eurasian cold steppes

Lorestani

Hemami

Rezvani

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Leopards have a broader habitat niche (Kaszta et al, 2020 ; Rather et al, 2020 ; Stein et al, 2020 ), but relatively high vulnerability to human‐wildlife conflict (Rostro‐Garcia et al, 2016 ). Distance from agricultural areas is an important variable in habitat suitability (Barashkova et al, 2017 ; Erfanian et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Distance from agricultural areas is an important variable in habitat suitability (Barashkova et al, 2017;Erfanian et al, 2013).…”

Section: Contribution Of Land Use Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis)

Guofu

Liu

Niu

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) is the most widespread subspecies of leopard and one of the rare and endangered species in China. It is currently confined to several isolated natural reserves, and little is known about its habitat network connectivity with land use changes. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard in the Great Taihang Region. Circuit theory-based connectivity models and least-cost path analyses were used to delineate pathways suitable for species movement, and evaluate the impacts of land use changes on landscape connectivity. The results revealed that there were 37 least-cost paths in 1990 and 38 in 2020. The area of forest land increased from 57,142.74 km 2 to 74,836.64 km 2 , with the percentage increasing from 26.61% to 34.85%. In general, the increase in forest land area promoted the landscape connectivity for North China leopard at broad spatial scales. The improvement of landscape connectivity was not always consistent with the land use changes, and there was a slightly decreasing trend on connectivity in some key movement barrier areas with high intensity of human activities. Improving landscape connectivity at broad spatial scales is as important as protecting the habitats (natural reserves) where the species lives. Our study can serve as an example of exploring the relationships between land use changes and landscape connectivity for species conservation at broad spatial scales with limited movement pattern data. This information is proved to be critical for enhancing landscape connectivity for the conservation concern of North China leopard and planning of natural reserves network.

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“…Due to their elusive behavior and the challenges of surveying their remote, rugged habitat, Pallas's cats are not commonly seen and limited studies have been conducted across their vast range [5]. Most ecological information stems from one in-depth project in central Mongolia conducted between 2005 and 2007 [2,6], as well as anecdotal accounts [7,8] and opportunistic sightings [9,10]. While core populations are thought to occur in Mongolia and China, the species has been reported in Russia, Iran, Afgahanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Variation in the Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul) in Zoo-Managed and Wild Populations

Robinson,

Crichlow,

Hacker

et al. 2024

Diversity

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The Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul) is one of the most understudied taxa in the Felidae family. The species is currently assessed as being of “Least Concern” in the IUCN Red List, but this assessment is based on incomplete data. Additional ecological and genetic information is necessary for the long-term in situ and ex situ conservation of this species. We identified 29 microsatellite loci with sufficient diversity to enable studies into the individual identification, population structure, and phylogeography of Pallas’s cats. These microsatellites were genotyped on six wild Pallas’s cats from the Tibet Autonomous Region and Mongolia and ten cats from a United States zoo-managed population that originated in Russia and Mongolia. Additionally, we examined diversity in a 91 bp segment of the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (MT-RNR1) locus and a hypoxia-related gene, endothelial PAS domain protein 1 (EPAS1). Based on the microsatellite and MT-RNR1 loci, we established that the Pallas’s cat displays moderate genetic diversity. Intriguingly, we found that the Pallas’s cats had one unique nonsynonymous substitution in EPAS1 not present in snow leopards (Panthera uncia) or domestic cats (Felis catus). The analysis of the zoo-managed population indicated reduced genetic diversity compared to wild individuals. The genetic information from this study is a valuable resource for future research into and the conservation of the Pallas’s cat.

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Significance of Protected Areas for the Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul: Felidae) conservation in Russi

Cited by 12 publications

References 4 publications

Ecological niche models reveal divergent habitat use of Pallas's cat in the Eurasian cold steppes

Ecological niche models reveal divergent habitat use of Pallas's cat in the Eurasian cold steppes

Influence of land use changes on landscape connectivity for North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis)

Genetic Variation in the Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul) in Zoo-Managed and Wild Populations

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