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Certain animal species have a special place in Mongolian cosmology, particularly those that are hunted as both food and medicine. The article describes herders’ perceptions towards key hunted wild animals with particular focus on the marmot, revealing how certain body parts and organs assist in an improvement of health and wellbeing. What are the perceptions of health and wellbeing amongst the Mongolian herding community in relation to hunted animals, particularly marmots today? Instead of avoiding marmots as they harbour the plague, many Mongolian herders hunt marmot and eat the meat and organs because they perceive the marmot contains powerful medicinal qualities. Certaines espèces animales occupent une place particulière dans la cosmologie mongole, notamment celles dont la chasse sert à la fois à nourrir et à soigner. L’article décrit comment les éleveurs perçoivent les principaux animaux sauvages qu’ils chassent, et en particulier la marmotte, et comment certains organes et parties du corps de ces animaux participent selon eux à l’amélioration de la santé et du bien-être. Comment sont envisagés la santé et le bien-être parmi les communautés de pasteurs nomades mongols aujourd’hui, en relation avec les animaux chassés, en particulier la marmotte ? Au lieu d’éviter les marmottes parce qu’elles véhiculent la peste, de nombreux éleveurs mongols les chassent et en consomment la viande et les organes parce qu’ils estiment que la marmotte possède de puissantes vertus médicinales.

Four novel Gram-negative, mesophilic, aerobic, motile, and cocci-shaped strains were isolated from tick samples (strains 546T and 573) and respiratory tracts of marmots (strains 1318T and 1311). The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that strains 546T and 573 were 97.8% identical to Roseomonas wenyumeiae Z23T, whereas strains 1311 and 1318T were 98.3% identical to Roseomonas ludipueritiae DSM 14915T. In addition, a 98.0% identity was observed between strains 546T and 1318T. Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses revealed that strains 546T and 573 clustered with R. wenyumeiae Z23T, whereas strains 1311 and 1318T grouped with R. ludipueritiae DSM 14915T. The average nucleotide identity between our isolates and members of the genus Roseomonas was below 95%. The genomic G+C content of strains 546T and 1318T was 70.9% and 69.3%, respectively. Diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were the major polar lipids, with Q-10 as the predominant respiratory quinone. According to all genotypic, phenotypic, phylogenetic, and phylogenomic analyses, the four strains represent two novel species of the genus Roseomonas, for which the names Roseomonas haemaphysalidis sp. nov. and Roseomonas marmotae sp. nov. are proposed, with 546T (= GDMCC 1.1780T = JCM 34187T) and 1318T (= GDMCC 1.1781T = JCM 34188T) as type strains, respectively. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/s12275-022-1428-1 and is accessible for authorized users.

Mass gain is an important fitness correlate for survival in highly seasonal species. Although many physiological, genetic, life history, and environmental factors can influence mass gain, more recent work suggests the specific nature of an individual’s own social relationships also influences mass gain. However, less is known about consequences of social structure for individuals. We studied the association between social structure, quantified via social network analysis, and annual mass gain in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). Social networks were constructed from 31 738 social interactions between 671 individuals in 125 social groups from 2002 to 2018. Using a refined dataset of 1022 observations across 587 individuals in 81 social groups, we fitted linear mixed models to analyze the relationship between attributes of social structure and individual mass gain. We found that individuals residing in more connected and unbreakable social groups tended to gain proportionally less mass. However, these results were largely age-dependent. Adults, who form the core of marmot social groups, residing in more spread apart networks had greater mass gain than those in tighter networks. Yearlings, involved in a majority of social interactions, and those who resided in socially homogeneous and stable groups had greater mass gain. These results show how the structure of the social group an individual resides in may have consequences for a key fitness correlate. But, importantly, this relationship was age-dependent.

Human activity is increasingly and persistently disturbing nature and wild animals. Affected wildlife adopts multiple strategies to deal with different human influences. To explore the effect of human activity on habitat utilization of Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana), habitat utilization patterns of three neighboring marmot populations in habitats affected differently by human activities were recorded and compared. We found that: (1) Distance between reproductive burrows (a represent of reproductive pairs) becomes shorter under the influence of human activities, and more burrows were dug as temporary shelters, resulting in a shorter distance between those shelters as well as shorter distance flee to those shelters, and consequently, shorter flight initiation distance when threatened. More burrows that are closer in the disturbed habitats improve the ability to escape from threats. (2) Reproductive burrow site selection of the species is determined by the availability of mounds in the habitat, and breeding pairs selectively build reproductive (also the hibernation) burrows on mounds, potentially to improve surveillance when basking and the drainage of burrows. Human activities generally drive breeding pairs away from the road to dig their reproductive burrows likely to reduce disturbance from vehicles. However, even heavy human activity exerts no pressure on the distance of reproductive burrows from the road or the mound volume of the high disturbance population, potentially because mounds are the best burrowing site to reproduce and hibernate in the habitat. Marmots deal with disturbance by digging more burrows in the habitat to flee more effectively and building reproductive burrows on mounds to gain better vigilance and drainage efficiency.

Few studies have examined the succession of plant communities in the alpine zone. Studying the succession of plant communities is helpful to understand how species diversity is formed and maintained. In this study, we used species inventories, a molecular phylogeny, and trait data to detect patterns of phylogenetic and functional community structure in successional plant communities growing on the mounds of Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana) on the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that phylogenetic and functional diversities of plant communities on marmot mounds tended to cluster during the early to medium stages of succession, then trended toward overdispersion from medium to late stages. Alpine species in early and late stages of succession were phylogenetically and functionally overdispersed, suggesting that such communities were assembled mainly through species interactions, especially competition. At the medium and late stages of succession, alpine communities growing on marmot mounds were phylogenetically and functionally clustered, implying that the communities were primarily structured by environmental filtering. During the medium and late stages of succession the phylogenetic and functional structures of plant communities on marmot mounds differed significantly from those on neighboring sites. Our results indicate that environmental filtering and species interactions can change plant community composition at different successional stages. Assembly of plant communities on marmot mounds was promoted by a combination of traits that may provide advantages for survival and adaptation during periods of environmental change., Highlights • Alpine plant communities on marmot mounds are structured by environmental filtering and species interactions. • Plant community composition on marmot mounds changes during succession. • Trends of phylogenetic clustering can be caused by a decrease in distantly related species. • Otherwise, the process increasing remote species will led to the trends of phylogenetic overdispersion.

The benefits of dominance may not come without costs, particularly for males. For example, the “immunocompetence handicap hypothesis” states that males with enhanced mating success allocate resources to enhance reproductive output at a cost to their current health, whereas the “resource quality hypothesis” predicts that high-ranking males may benefit from increased reproduction and good health. Whereas the predictions from each have been well tested in captive animals and in a variety of highly social primates, fewer studies have been carried out in free-living, facultatively social animals. Using adult male yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we evaluated predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between social rank and 2 health indicators—fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FCM) levels, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratios—after accounting for variation explained by age, body mass, and seasonality. We found that higher-ranking males tended to have a lower N/L ratio (reflecting good health) than lower-ranking individuals, whereas FCM levels were not significantly related to rank. In addition, heavier male marmots had lower N/L ratios, whereas body mass was not associated with FCM levels. We also found that older adult males had lower FCM levels (reflecting less physiological stress) but higher N/L ratios than younger adults. Finally, we found that FCM levels decreased as the active season progressed and FCM levels were associated with the time of the day. Overall, our results suggest that socially-dominant male marmots enjoyed better, not worse health in terms of lower N/L ratios.

Mongolian marmots (Marmota sibirica) live in colonies that consist of numerous burrows and are considered ecosystem engineers. Although once a common steppe species, marmots are now endangered due to overharvesting, which has led to concerns over the impacts of their loss on other species. We examined the role of marmots and other landscape characteristics on the distribution of the darkling beetle, Blaps rugosa, a detritivore that serves important functions in steppe ecosystems. We surveyed 130 sites for B. rugosa in Hustai National Park, Mongolia, and used a model selection approach to evaluate the effect of marmot burrows on occupancy probability. We detected B. rugosa in 22% of surveys (87/390) and at 45% of sites. Our top model indicated that occupancy was strongly influenced by burrows. Estimated occupancy was 0.91 at burrow sites and 0.39 at non-burrow sites. Detection was a function of temperature and highest around 24.5 °C. Our results suggest that the loss of marmots will negatively affect the distribution of B. rugosa and the ecosystem processes they support. Our study provides one of the few examples of the role of marmots in influencing invertebrates, and supports the notion of marmots as a keystone species.

The aim of the work – analysis of peculiarities of the plague epizooty found in the southern steppe part of the Ukok Plateau in 2020.Materials and methods. Epizootiological survey was conducted over the area of 1573 km2 in July and August, 2020. 141 mammals, 157 ectoparasites (including 152 fleas), 17 bone remains samples, and 50 regurgitates of predatory birds have been tested for plague.Results and discussion. The background species of mammals – natural hosts of Yersinia pestis in the southern steppe part of the Ukok plateau are gray marmot, long-tailed souslik, and Daurian pika. Abundance of the gray marmot was high and amounted to 1.7±0.18 inhabited burrows per 1 ha (n=30) with 90 % occupancy. Three strains of Yersinia pestis ssp. pestis have been isolated: from Oropsylla alaskensis fleas collected from long-tailed souslik, gray marmot carcass, and regurgitates of predatory birds. Yersinia pestis DNA have been detected in 14 objects. Eight positive results of serological tests have been obtained. The epizooty area that was confirmed by Yersinia pestis isolation totaled 252 km2 . As a result of the survey the circulation of Yersinia pestis ssp. pestis have been for the first time established on the Ukok Plateau. The target species – the gray marmot, as well as the long-tailed souslik, are actively involved into the epizooty.

Animals display a range of diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns and, among mammals, a high proportion of species are crepuscular or nocturnal. Daily activities are often endogenous and oscillate on a light:dark regime. Such cycles are referred to as ‘circadian’ and are generally influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. I investigated the daily activity of urban Woodchucks (Marmota monax) by using 24-hour camera traps at backyard burrows in London, Ontario, Canada, in June. Cameras enabled the collection of data that would otherwise have been labour intensive by direct observation. Statistical modelling showed that Woodchucks exhibited a strictly diurnal activity pattern. The unimodal activity pattern started at sunrise and ended before sunset. The general daily activity trend was similar to the pattern described by others who used direct observations and telemetry to monitor Woodchucks in more rural settings. Temperature and wind were not included in the best-fit model. Camera trapping is a non-invasive method that could give insight to diel activity as it can easily monitor extended periods and reduce the effort required by direct observation.

The paper presents data on distribution and abundance of the steppe marmot in the territory of two northern raions (districts) of Donetsk Oblast — Sloviansk and Lyman. Research was carried out in 2011 to 2020. In total, 284 burrows were recorded belonging to 25 home ranges. The largest marmot settlements in the studied territory comprise up to 29 burrows. The number of burrows on a home range varies from 1 to 29, in average 11.4. The total abundance of the steppe marmot is over 100 animals in Lyman Raion and over 20 individuals in Sloviansk Raion. The marmot population in Sloviansk Raion is re-introduced—370 individuals were released in 1991—, while the population in Lyman Raion is of rather natural origin. The optimal habitats for the steppe marmot are chalk slopes of southern exposure, where its home ranges consist of the highest number of burrows. Permanent inhabited burrows are located in the middle part of the slopes, whereas the vast majority of protective burrows are below the slope and at the bottom of the beams. All settlements are located on the right bank of rivers. The largest marmot settlements are confined to poor Cretaceous and, less frequently, sandy soils with sparse vegetation. The natural marmot population in Lymansky Raion shows a tendency to slow dispersal and population growth, while the abundance of the re-introduced population is much smaller than the number of released animals. The density of the natural population remains low despite the many uninhabited areas suitable for the marmots. Settlements are formed as separate disconnected groups. New marmot settlements are often formed in places of old settlements. Natural populations are more stable compared to re-introduced ones and the density of natural steppe marmot population is also higher. Poaching, especially in Sloviansk Raion, is a major threat to the marmot, as well as the overgrowth of the steppe by shrubs due to decrease in grazing. Marmot settlements on the Cretaceous steppes are almost insensitive to reduced grazing. In Lyman Raion, fires and ploughing of balka slopes, too, negatively affect the species. Development of epizootics is unlikely given the low density of the marmot. The marmot populations can be preserved and can even expand their range in the region if sufficient protection measures are provided.

Purpose This paper aims to summarise key messages from a major evidence review of health inequality in England since 2010 – “the Marmot Review 10 Years on”. Design/methodology/approach Alongside “the Marmot Review 10 Years on”, which came out in February 2020, the author accessed the original Marmot review published in 2010, a 2020 article by Marmot, and Marmot’s online talk to the Royal Society of Physicians Edinburgh on 2nd of July 2020. The author drew out key messages from these sources. Findings Although many local authorities have taken up the 2010 Marmot review recommendations, they have been working against budget cuts under the system known as austerity. This has reduced funding to already deprived areas and probably explains worsened health inequality in England compared to other European countries. There are examples of successful local partnerships that have improved lives, but they rely on temporary charity funding. Health services can work for change locally, but central government policies must help. This has become even more urgent since the pandemic. Originality/value The original Marmot review and “the Marmot Review 10 Years on” are major evidence-based examinations of what causes and maintains health inequality, both physical and mental, and how this situation might be improved. It is impossible to study them and still believe that health is just about lifestyle choices. People need real options to choose from, and this is only possible if they live in places designed for human thriving from childhood to old age. As a nation, England can move towards this goal rather than further away from it. These reports show the way.

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.

Anthropogenic impact on the Himalayan marmot population in Nepal is discussed. Above the upper border of the forest, human shares the same habitats with marmots on the alluvial terraces of river valleys. Human buildings and farmland lead to fragmentation of the marmot population, and overgrazing leads to pasture digression, worsening the food supply of these rodents. At the same time, people regularly catch marmots with loops, while, in accordance with the criteria of the IUCN Red List, the population of the Himalayan marmot in Nepal should be classified as Endangered (EN) - a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

The paper presents data on the abundance of bobak marmot (Marmota bobak Muller, 1776), obtained from 1987 till 2019. All censuses were performed according to one technique developed by us in the late 1980s. During these long-term investigations, the structure of the bobak marmot areal in the Saratov region was studied. The dynamics of its numbers is described, and its trends for individual groups of districts were revealed, distinguished by trends, the time of the appearance of new settlements as a result of reintroduction after a prolonged depression in the numbers caused by both plowing of the steppes and the well-known events of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, when the bobak marmot provided the survival of some part of the population. It has been established that the population peak in the indigenous settlements that have been existing from the end of the Pleistocene–the beginning of the Holocene, was in 1980–1990. New settlements arise in the territories where the marmot was reintroduced, and the species abundance continues to grow. This, first of all, refers to the western slopes of the Volga Upland and the Oka-Don plain, formerly inhabited by marmots. An increase in the numbers of the Kazakhstan subspecies of the bobak is observed at the eastern end of the Syrt plain and on the spurs of the Common Syrt in the Saratov Trans-Volga region. The genetic studies of steppe marmots by R.V. Naumov (2019) on the right Volga bank of the Ulyanovsk region showed that a genetically homogeneous population lives on the vast territory of the Volga region. This casts doubt on the assumption of the existence of the Kozlovi subspecies of the bobak marmot in the local territories of the Voskresensk, Volsk and Khvalynsk districts of the Saratov region, which served as the ground for its inclusion into the new edition of the Red Data Book of the region, which we consider unreasonable (Resolution…, 2019).

Alpine marmots are thought to be herbivores but to be selective regarding food choice with focus on plant material rich in proteins and fatty acids. Carnivorism has been occasionally observed in Al...

The paper presents data on the abundance of bobak marmot (Marmota bobakMüller, 1776), obtained from 1987 till 2019. All censuses were performed according to one technique developed by us in the late 1980s. During these long-term investigations, the structure of the bobak marmot areal in the Saratov region was studied. The dynamics of its numbers is described, and its trends for individual groups of districts were revealed, distinguished by trends, the time of the appearance of new settlements as a result of reintroduction after a prolonged depression in the numbers caused by both plowing of the steppes and the well-known events of the 1920s, 1930s and 1040s, when the bobak marmot provided the survival of some part of the population. It has been established that the population peak in the indigenous settlements that have been existing from the end of the Pleistocene – the beginning of the Holocene, was in 1980–1990. New settlements arise in the territories where the marmot was reintroduced, and the species abundance continues to grow. This, first of all, refers to the western slopes of the Volga Upland and the Oka-Don plain, formerly inhabited by marmots. An increase in the numbers of the Kazakhstan subspecies of the bobak is observed at the eastern end of the Syrt plain and on the spurs of the Common Syrt in the Saratov Trans-Volga region. The genetic studies of steppe marmots by R. V. Naumov (2019) on the right Volga bank of the Ulyanovsk region showed that a genetically homogeneous population lives on the vast territory of the Volga region. This casts doubt on the assumption of the existence of the Kozlovi subspecies of the bobak marmot in the local territories of the Voskresensk, Volsk and Khvalynsk districts of the Saratov region, which served as the ground for its inclusion into the new edition of the Red Data Book of the region, which we consider unreasonable (Resolution..., 2019).

The Striltsivskyi Steppe Nature Reserve (with a total area of 522 hectares) was created in 1948 to preserve the steppe marmot population; however, according to the population state studies carried out in the course of the reserve operation, a decrease in the marmot population has been established. This article is aimed to provide current data related to the marmot population monitoring results. The author established the number of colonies as well as adult and this year’s individuals inhabiting the nature reserve territory in 2020. The author explored the structure of each colony’s site and studied their area, shape and number of permanent and temporary burrows to analyze the state of the population. Only a quarter of all colony sites located in the territory of the reserve can be characterized as permanent ones. According to the author, despite a slight increase in the number of colony sites in the northern part of the Kreydyanyi Ravine and slopes towards the Cherepakha River, the entire population tends to decline. A high level of age structure misbalance and pronounced population fragmentation are observed, which are more evident in the left-hand slope in the northern part of the Kreydyanyi Ravine and in the vicinity of the Zapovidna Balka, which characterizes the population state as unstable. Changes in the vegetation cover are the principal reasons for these processes: increased area occupied by bushes, high grass stand, dry grass residues and predators (foxes and domesticated dogs). It is possible to forecast that the number of steppe marmot will continue to fall due to the current state of the vegetation cover state and absence of large grazers. The state of colony sites improves in the territories of with cattle grazing and haymaking. The state of colony sites and number of individuals in the colonies improved to a certain degree in the slopes towards the Cherepakha River where cattle grazing was carried out. As many as four colonies were found there in 2018 while their number reached ten in 2020. Exclusively reserve status under the current steppe conditions without large grazers will fail to improve the marmot population. The author suggests carrying out such actions aimed to prevent the decrease in the number of marmot population in the nature reserve territory as introducing cattle grazing, haymaking in the territories of colony sites, removing high grass near permanent burrows and conducting ecology awareness-building campaigns among the local population to prevent illegal hunting.

The Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana), a natural host and transmitter of plague, is also susceptible to the hepadnavirus infection. To reveal the genetic basis of the hepadnavirus susceptibility and the immune response to plague, we systematically characterized the features of immune genes in Himalayan marmot with those of human and mouse. We found that the entire major histocompatibility complex region and the hepatitis B virus pathway genes of the Himalayan marmot were conserved with those of humans. A Trim (tripartite motif) gene cluster involved in immune response and antiviral activity displays dynamic evolution, which is reflected by the duplication of Trim5 and the absence of Trim22 and Trim34. Three key regions of Ntcp, which is critical for hepatitis B virus entry, had high identity among seven species of Marmota. Moreover, we observed a severe alveolar hemorrhage, inflammatory infiltrate in the infected lungs and livers from Himalayan marmots after infection of EV76, a live attenuated Yersinia pestis strain. Lots of immune genes were remarkably up-regulated, which several hub genes Il2rγ, Tra29, and Nlrp7 are placed at the center of the gene network. These findings suggest that Himalayan marmot is a potential animal model for study on the hepadnavirus and plague infection.

For many animals, group living mitigates predation risk and ensures survival. However, in yellow-bellied marmots, increased sociality is associated with lower female reproductive success, decreased female longevity and increased overwinter mortality for both males and females, which raises questions about the adaptive value of sociality in this facultatively social mammal. Here we used social network analysis to examine the relationship between sociality and summer survival, which is almost always attributable to predation. Yearling females had enhanced survival when they had stronger social relationships and were more central in their network. Adult female survival was not associated with social network traits, but females were more likely to survive the summer if they lived in larger groups. Survival of yearling and adult males was not associated with either social network trait variation or variation in group size. These findings identify a potential benefit for marmot sociality and an explanation for marmot colony social structuring.