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Recent snow droughts associated with unusually warm winters are predicted to increase in frequency and affect species dependent upon snowpack for winter survival. Changes in populations of some cold‐adapted species have been attributed to heat stress or indirect effects on habitat from unusually warm summers, but little is known about the importance of winter weather to population dynamics and how responses to snow drought vary among sympatric species. We evaluated changes in abundance of hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) over a period that included a year of record‐low snowpack to identify mechanisms associated with weather and snowpack. To consider interspecies comparisons, our analysis used the same a priori model set as a concurrent study that evaluated responses of American pikas (Ochotona princeps) to weather and snowpack in the same study area of North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA. We hypothesized that marmot abundance reflected mechanisms related to heat stress, cold stress, cold exposure without an insulating snowpack, snowpack duration, atmospheric moisture, growing‐season precipitation, or select combinations of these mechanisms. Changes in marmot abundances included a 74% decline from 2007 to 2016 and were best explained by an interaction of chronic dryness with exposure to acute cold without snowpack in winter. Physiological stress during hibernation from exposure to cold, dry air appeared to be the most likely mechanism of change in marmot abundance. Alternative mechanisms associated with changes to winter weather, including early emergence from hibernation or altered vegetation dynamics, had less support. A post hoc assessment of vegetative phenology and productivity did not support vegetation dynamics as a primary driver of marmot abundance across years. Although marmot and pika abundances were explained by strikingly similar models over periods of many years, details of the mechanisms involved likely differ between species because pika abundances increased in areas where marmots declined. Such differences may lead to diverging geographic distributions of these species as global change continues., Recent snow droughts associated with unusually warm winters are predicted to increase in frequency and affect species dependent upon snowpack for winter survival. We evaluated changes in abundance of hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) over a period that included a year of record‐low snowpack, to identify mechanisms associated with weather and snowpack. Physiological stress during hibernation from exposure to cold, dry air appeared to be the most likely mechanism of change because alternative mechanisms associated with early emergence from hibernation or altered vegetation dynamics had less support.

The variability of the alarm call of the gray marmot (Marmota baibacina) in the peripheral population in the valley of the Arpa River (Kyrgyzstan) is described. It was earlier reported that this population lived together with the red marmot (M. caudata). The authors did not find the red marmot there. Two forms of aberrations were found in the edge population of the gray marmot: amplitude modulation and no pause between the components. The destruction of the signal structure that is typical of the species is probably associated with the disruption of gene flow and does not contain clear signs of hybridization. The material was collected under the field conditions.

The UK prime minister must lead a national strategy for reducing health inequalities that have widened after a decade of austerity, a 10 year update to the landmark Marmot review has concluded. The update to Michael Marmot’s 2010 review1 found that the UK has been moving in “the wrong direction” on almost all of the report’s original recommendations for creating a fairer society and reducing health inequalities.2 In the past 10 years health inequalities have widened, health as a whole has deteriorated, and life expectancy has stalled for the first time since 1900. Among the poorest 10% of women life expectancy has declined, in the latest review findings by Marmot and colleagues …

Ten years after the landmark review on health inequalities in England, coauthor Michael Marmot says the situation has become worse

Объект исследований – сурок степной (Marmota bobak). Изучены вопросы морфологии репродуктивной системы. Период размножения у сурков растянут во времени: гон у сурков начинается 7 февраля и заканчивается 29 марта; первый приплод зарегистрирован 13 марта, последний – 2 мая; пик щенения приходится на 31 марта – 7 апреля. В этот период щенится 72,1% самок. В период подготовки к гибернации у самок и у самцов сурков выявлены признаки функциональной активности яичников и семенников. В яичниках отмечено возрастание средних размеров растущих фолликулов, усиление пролиферативной активности фолликулярного эпителия, возрастание размеров фолликулярных клеток. В семенниках сперматогенный эпителий во всех канальцах многослойный, в нем регистрировались активные процессы мейотических делений, приводящие к образованию сперматоцидов 2-го порядка и сперматид. У сеголеток семенники и яичники инфантильны., The object of the study was the steppe marmot (Marmota bobak). Studied the morphology of the reproductive system issues. During the breeding season in marmot extended in time: the rut in woodchucks begins Feb. 7 and ends on March 29; first litter was registered on March 13 last - 2 May; whelping peak falls on March 31 - April 7. During this period, 71.7% of females schenitsya. In preparation for hibernation in females and males marmots showed signs of functional activity of the ovaries and testes. In the ovaries noted an increase in the average size of growing follicles, increased proliferative activity of the follicular epithelium, increased the size of the follicular cells. In the testis spermatogenic epithelium of the tubules in all layers, it recorded the active processes of meiotic divisions, leading to the formation spermicide 2nd order and spermatids. In yearling testes and ovaries are infantile.

Marmots are an important reservoir of Yersinia pestis and a source of human plague in Mongolia. We present two fatal cases of plague after consumption of raw marmot organs and discuss the distribution of natural foci of Y. pestis in Mongolia. OA Förderung 2020

To reproduce, animals have to form pairs and large variations in the degree of mate switching are observed. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors can constrain individual's mate switching. Among intrinsic factors, genes involved in pair-bonding, such as Avpr-1a, receive increasing attention. The length of microsatellites present in the regulatory region of Avpr-1a determines the neural densities and distributions of the vasopressin receptors known to impact pair-bonding behaviours. For the first time, we investigated whether and how the genetic makeup at Avpr-1a, an intrinsic factor, and the social context, an extrinsic factor, experienced by wild Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) females affect the proportion of extra-pair young. This proportion was positively correlated with the length of their Avpr-1a regulatory region but only when the social constraints were relaxed, that is when mature male subordinates were present. When ignoring the interactive effect between the length of their Avpr-1a regulatory region and the social constraints, the genetic makeup at Avpr-1a was not associated with the proportion of extra-pair young. Under natural conditions, the genetic regulation of pair-bonding could be hidden by extrinsic factors constraining mate choice.

Marmot’s new book, The Health Gap, is informative and witty, inviting the reader to think unconventionally about the nature of the relationship between economic growth and health outcomes. The book...

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a global conservation issue of increasing concern, and understanding the factors driving conflict is crucial for preventing or mitigating it. In many parts of China, large human populations and increasing development has led to an escalation in HWC with both carnivore and prey species. In this paper we assess herder attitudes toward blue sheep (Pseudaois nayaur, Hodgson, 1833), white lipped deer (Carvus albirostris, Przewalski, 1883), red deer (Cervus elaphus, Linnaeus, 1758), and marmot (Marmota himalayana Hodgson, 1841) through interview-based surveys conducted in 46 households across 8 villages in Qilianshan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China. We also examine the perceived impact of three ecological-restoration policies (anti-grazing, sustainable grazing, and grass-planting policies) on livelihoods, and how this affects attitudes toward wildlife. Herders reported neutral attitudes toward wildlife species in general, but reported negative attitudes towards blue sheep. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that herder attitudes toward the target species varied significantly across villages, but other socioeconomic variables had limited explanatory power for attitudes. Furthermore, we found that while policy implementation was negatively perceived by herders, anti-grazing policy implementation and total policy implementation were positively correlated with positive attitudes toward wildlife, highlighting a potential gap between perceived threats and actual threats. Finally, we show that the leading cause of reported livestock death is preventable disease, alleviation of which may help improve attitudes toward wildlife.

The Health Gap documents the large and persistent health gaps that exist across and within relatively rich countries today. Marmot argues that in developed countries, poor health does not cause low incomes; rather, low socioeconomic status leads to poor health, but not because of proximate factors like differential health care access, which can explain only a small portion of these gaps. Therefore, to eliminate health gaps, policy should focus on the deep causes of disease: poverty, education, and occupational mobility, among others. While Marmot’s ethical arguments are quite compelling, his recommendations are too strong given the current evidence. Policies need to be based on a clearer understanding of why things work, when, and for whom. (JEL H51, I10, I13, I15, I18, I28)

International audience

Objective – to study the current epidemiological risks at plague enzootic frontier territory of the Bayan-Ulgy aimag of Mongolia. Materials and methods. Epidemiological analysis was performed according to the reporting documentation of the National Centre of Zoonotic Infections in Mongolia, results of anonymous questioning of 179 residents of the Bayan-Ulgy aimag of Mongolia, materials of the Department of Health of the Bayan-Ulgy aimag, the Aimag Centre of Zoonotic Infections and the Administration of the Aimag Governor. Results and discussion. Plague was first registered in the Bayan-Ulgy aimag in 1989. The total of 9 patients with plague and 4 lethal outcomes were revealed. In all cases marmots were an infection source, the infection occurred in the process of cutting the carcasses. The majority of the plague patients had bubonic form of plague. All patients were men aged 13 to 34 years. Public inquiry showed that 21,8 % of population considered meat of marmots as a delicacy, 54 % – hunted for the animals, 25,7 % – consumed uncooked organs of marmots as a folk remedy, 19,5 % – participated in cutting of marmot carcasses. Results of the inquiry indicated that a marmot was an object of active hunting for local population. Analysis of epizootic activity of the transboundary Sailugem natural plague focus, modern social and economic conditions in the Bayan-Ulgy aimag has showed that in this territory epidemic risks have shaped and act at present. They can be divided into two groups: epidemic risks capable to cause human sporadic plague cases and epidemic risks leading to anthropozoonotic plague dissemination among the population and exportation of Yersinia pestis beyond the limits of enzootic territories. Effective interaction of anti-epidemic Institutions of Mongolia and Russia and also the Agencies and Institutions of the executive power of all levels permits to counteract these risks.

Objective of the study is to characterize the mountain plague foci in Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai, to assess the results of the performed field disinsection activities, to describe the current epizootic condition of natural foci in Kyrgyz Republic and measures aimed at provision of epidemiological welfare as regards plague. Materials and methods. Archival epizootic and epidemiological data from the Republican Center of Quarantine and Particularly Dangerous Infections, Ministry of Health of Kyrgyz Republic, as well as copyright author’s materials were used for the analysis. Results and Conclusions. It is noted that following sanitation activities in 1971–1989, using deep disinsection of marmot burrows, epizootic activity of Tien Shan and Alai natural foci significantly decreased, up to long inter-epizootic periods. In the light of revitalization of high-mountain plague foci in Kyrgyz Republic, epizootiological monitoring of enzootic territories has been considerably strengthened, control over the state of populations of main agent carriers and vectors has been improved. In order to lower the risk of infection, 1750 km2 of the focal territories were treated twice, using deep disinsection of marmot burrows applying ecologically safe insecticides, in particular “Absolute-dust”.

This review is devoted to the ecological mechanism for the transformation of the population of the psychrophilic saprozoobiont pseudotuberculosis microbe Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O:1b into the population of the obligate blood plague microbe Yersinia pestis in the host–parasite system of the marmot flea (Marmota sibirica–Oropsylla silantiewi). The correspondence of this mechanism to the evolutionary principle of quantum speciation has been shown. The most significant population–genetic microbial transformations took place in the populations of hibernating marmots. The main factor of rapid speciation was the heterothermic and, accordingly, heteroimmune state of host marmots during hibernation. During winter awakenings, the body temperature of marmots increases in an S-shaped manner from 5 to 37°C within a short period of time (from dozens of minutes to several hours). A drastic acceleration of metabolic and immune processes occurs in the temperature range of 20–30°C. Rapid adaptation to the “explosive” increase in the immune activity of the primary host (tarbagan marmot) during its regular winter awakenings was the essence of the process of Y. pestis speciation.

Hibernation is a naturally occurring model for studying diseases such as obesity and osteoporosis. Hibernators, marmots (Marmota flaviventris) among them, are able to nearly double their body mass by increasing fat stores prior to hibernation without the negative consequences of obesity. They are also physically inactive for extended periods of time without experiencing negative effects on the skeleton. The endocannabinoid system is involved in modulating neural signaling, circannual rhythms, behavior, appetite, thermogenesis, and bone and energy metabolism. These systems are also altered to maintain homeostasis during hibernation. This study aims to better understand the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of physiological processes during hibernation by quantifying the seasonal variation of endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like ligands in both active and hibernating marmots. We hypothesized that there would be significant changes in endocannabinoid concentrations at the tissue level in marmots between active and hibernating states. Concentrations were measured in brain, serum, brown adipose tissue, white adipose tissue, bone marrow, cortical bone, and trabecular bone using microflow chromatography coupled with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. Significant changes were found, such as a 30-fold decrease in 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) in cortical bone during hibernation. Many endocannabinoid and endocannabinoid-like ligands decreased in brown adipose tissue, white adipose tissue, and cortical bone, while several ligands increased in bone marrow. This result supports our hypothesis and suggests the possibility of a peripherally controlled shift in energy metabolism, reduction in bone metabolism, and suppression of the immune system during hibernation.

Several rodent lineages independently acquired the ability to dig complex networks of tunnels where fossorial and subterranean species spend part or their whole life, respectively. Their underground lifestyles imposed harsh physiological demands, presumably triggering strong selective pressures on genes involved in energy metabolism like those coding for mitochondrial proteins. Moreover, underground lifestyles must have increased inbreeding and susceptibility to population bottlenecks as well as restricted migration, leading to small effective population size (Ne) that, in turn, must have reduced the effectiveness of selection. These stringent environmental conditions and small Ne might be still operating as antagonist factors of selection efficacy in these rodents. In this report, we tested, in a phylogenetic framework, how the intensity of selection on protein-coding mitochondrial genes (mt-genes) fluctuated along the evolution of fossorial and subterranean rodents respective to aboveground lineages. Our findings showed significant selection relaxation in most mt-genes of subterranean hystricomorphs (African mole-rats, tuco-tucos, and coruro), while only in three mt-genes of fossorial hystricomorphs (degus, red vizcacha rat, and fossorial spiny rats) selection efficacy was strongly reduced, probably due to demographic constraints. Conversely, selection intensification was found to have occurred in three mt-genes in fossorial sciuromorphs (ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmot, and allies). Our findings indicated that evolution of mitogenomes in fossorial and, mainly, in subterranean rodents was a complex output of a balance between intense ecological and physiological pressures, together with demographic constraints leading to genetic drift that, in turn, might have resulted in relaxed selection in hystricomorphs.

According to recent state records, Woodchucks (Marmota monax) have been spreading slowly westward across Kansas, moving most rapidly along the river systems in the northern half of the state. Here I report on a well-established population of woodchucks within the city limits of Derby (Sedgwick County), Kansas. Data consists of a voucher specimen (skeleton) collected in 2017, photographs (2017) and previous sightings by the author, trappings by city animal control personnel and accounts of other citizens. Three voucher specimens are also known from Sumner and Cowley counties to the south.

The goals of the study were to illustrate how parameters of steppe marmot settlements change after abandonment of livestock grazing, to evaluate differences in vegetation characteristics between grazed and abandoned habitats, to find the links between these characteristics and the persistence of marmot settlements and to establish whether it is possible to maintain the food base of marmots by applying frequently repeated mowing. Data were collected in 1991-2016 in the steppe marmot (Marmota bobak) settlement in the Regional Landscape Park “The Velykyi Burluk-Steppe” (Kharkiv Region, Northeastern Ukraine). We found that grazing prolongs the period of active plant growth and supports a regrowth during periods of intensive feeding of all age groups of marmots. In abandoned habitats the vegetation period ended before the end of active feeding of reproductive females and juveniles. This resulted in lower reproductive success, which determines a decrease in the population and may in the future result in a larger decline of settlements. Frequently repeated mowing by a lawnmower at a cutting height of 6-9 cm prolongs the vegetation period and maintains a water content in the plants similar to that of grazed habitats throughout the active season of steppe marmots.

Symbolic plants and animals are recognised as a cultural ecosystem service (CES), which is still underrepresented in ecosystem services assessments. Thus, this study aims at identifying and mapping important symbolic species in the European Alps, which are of cultural significance to large parts of the Alpine population. Symbolic species were identified by ten expert groups, and their use was assessed in a qualitative way. The spatial distribution of all species across the Alpine Space area was mapped at the municipality level. Through hotspots analysis, we identified spatial patterns in the distribution of species. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between symbolic species and selected environmental and social variables. Ten species were identified (edelweiss, gentian, alpenrose, larch, pine, Alpine ibex, chamois, marmot, brown bear, and golden eagle) that are widely used for symbolic representations, i.e., depiction on flags, emblems, logos, and naming of hotels and brands. Hotspots of symbolic species were found in several locations in the European Alps and could be related to high elevation, steep slopes, open land cover, and naturalness. This study proposes a methodology to map and assess symbolic species as a CES. As the spatial distribution of symbolic species depends on environmental characteristics and human activities, our results provide important insights for landscape planning and management. However, it remains unclear whether associated cultural values depend on the presence of the species and further research is needed to understand the relationships between the distribution of symbolic species and social benefits.

While many studies document specific human impacts on the behaviour and physiological responses of wildlife to humans, most have focused on these responses independently and over relatively short periods of time. To address this, we studied a suite of responses in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) in two distinct years, 9 years apart. We first quantified the rate that vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles passed marmot colonies, focusing on two years (2009 and 2018) to determine how, if any of these relationships changed over time. We then asked whether these disturbances were associated with marmot physiological responses including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios (NLR), and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites levels (FGM), as well as behavioural responses including flight initiation distance (FID) and the time marmots allocated to foraging, and finally a key fitness correlate—the rate of mass gain. We found that the number of vehicles and pedestrians passing within 300 m of a marmot colony stayed relatively constant between years, while there was variation in bicycles passing by marmot colonies. Despite similar length in growing seasons, marmots at colonies that had higher disturbance gained mass more rapidly in 2018 than in 2009. By examining a suite of physiological, behavioural, and key fitness correlates, and how they changed, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that marmots became more tolerant of human disturbances over time. This provides promise for this population in dealing with inevitable increases in eco- and nature-based tourism.

The array of island-like mountains that characterizes the Great Basin has long been a model system for studying the effects of past and present climate change on distributions of montane mammals. One of the smallest of these mountains is the Pilot Range (Nevada/Utah). This range has relatively few species of montane mammals, presumably because of its small size and the fact that it was isolated by the waters of Lake Bonneville during much of Pleistocene. One of the species previously assumed to be absent in the Pilot Range is the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris). On 23 May 2016, I documented marmots living in the Patterson Pass area of the Pilot Range. This discovery shows how the use of high-resolution satellite images and geological maps combined with a good understanding of the species' habitat provides an excellent opportunity to confirm the presence or accurately infer the absence of a species in a remote, rugged location.

Greater Manchester had a 25% higher covid-19 death rate during the pandemic than England as a whole, a sign of how the pandemic has worsened existing inequalities, a report from Michael Marmot has found.1 As a result of the pandemic, life expectancy throughout England has fallen, but it has declined most steeply in the north west—falling by 1.6 years in men and 1.2 years in women in 2020, compared with 1.3 years (men) and 0.9 years (women) in the country overall. The striking findings were revealed as part of a review carried out by Marmot, who is known for his decades of work on health inequalities, including the 2010 “Marmot review.”2 Build Back Fairer in Greater Manchester ,1 a new report commissioned by the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and published on 30 June, links …

This article considers the molecular genetic and ecological approaches to solving the problem of the origin of the plague-causative agent microbe Yersinia pestis. The initial conditions of the conversion of the clone of saprozoobiont pseudotuberculosis microbe Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O:1b to the population of plague microbe Yersinia pestis are described. It is shown that a remote biogeocenotic precondition for speciation was the aridization of Central Asian landscapes, which resulted in the formation of the species-specific behavior of the Mongolian tarbagan marmot (Marmota sibirica): the arrangement of plugs in wintering burrows with the use of their own excrement. The last maximal Sartan cooling, which covered the areas of Central Asia 22000–15000 years ago, became a recent biogeocenotic precondition that served as a direct inducer of the speciation process. The deep freezing of the ground caused a shift in the behavior of one of the components of biocenosis, namely, the larvae of the marmot flea Oropsylla silantiewi: they began to change from saprophagy to hematophagy in winter months. This phenomenon led to the direct (traumatic) contact of excrement with blood in the oral cavity of marmots during hibernation. The traumatic penetration of pseudotuberculosis microbe into the blood of Mongolian marmots for the whole population during hibernation created conditions for the implementation of stable bacteremia and the development of the original epizootic M. sibirica–O. silantiewi–Y. pestis plague system. The psychrophilic properties and virulence are considered necessary preadaptive properties for pseudotuberculosis microbe to invade the host–parasite (rodent–flea) environment.

Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) are central tools in physical and environmental planning because they are able to predict potential distribution of species. In this study two spatial methods were compared to define the HSM for Marmota marmota L. in the Adamello Brenta Nature Park in the Italian central southern part of the Alps. The first model was based on Weighted Linear Combination (WLC), a nonparametric overlay procedure, the second one was a parametric method based on logistic regression algorithm. Data collected in two sample areas were used to build the models, while data recorded along linear transects evenly distributed throughout the study area were used for testing the model performance. The models were validated calculating the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the Relative Operating Characteristics (ROC). The two models had similar performances, but the accuracy of the WLC model was slightly higher than the logistic model (AUC of 0.833 instead of 0.821). The habitat preferences of Marmota marmota L. were also investigated with Jacobs index and chi-square test and compared with other studies in different environments. The results demonstrated that the relative importance of environmental factors for Marmota marmota L. changes depending on local conditions.

Sir Michael Marmot writes on public health, social determinants of health, and health equity.

Marmot’s (2015) The Health Gap takes the reader on a fascinating roller coaster tour across times, places and disciplines, to investigate the association between inequality and health. The life-exp...