Archive | 2021
Potential forage plants for snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz) in the Polar Urals within the Yamal‑Nenets Autonomous District (Russia)
Abstract
An\xa0 examination\xa0 of\xa0 potential\xa0 forage\xa0 resources\xa0 for\xa0 snow\xa0 sheep,\xa0 or\xa0 Siberian\xa0 bighorn\xa0 sheep\xa0 (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz,\xa0 1829)\xa0 in\xa0 the\xa0 Polar\xa0 Urals,\xa0 where\xa0 the\xa0 introduction\xa0 of\xa0 these\xa0 animals\xa0 from\xa0 their natural\xa0 habitats\xa0 in\xa0 Northeastern\xa0 Yakutia\xa0 is\xa0 planned,\xa0 was\xa0 carried\xa0 out\xa0 at\xa0 the\xa0 initiative\xa0 of\xa0 the Governor of the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous District (Russian Federation). The mountain ranges of the Polar Urals have a high degree of similarity with the natural conditions prevailing within the area of the snow sheep, but in the historical past these ungulates were not recorded in the Polar Urals. Therefore, this experiment aimed at expanding the distribution area of snow sheep will involve some risks. In addition to other aspects of introduction, one of the most important is the sufficiency and compliance of the forage base in the new natural area to the snow sheep requirements. This issue is discussed in this publication. According to our observations and literature data, the diet of snow sheep in natural habitats includes 290 species of vascular plants, 21 species of mosses, 20 species of lichens, representatives of 6 genera of cap mushrooms. However, vascular plants, bushy lichens, and seasonal fungi, play the main role in the diet of snow sheep. Forage species of vascular plants belong to almost all of the Boreal region’s families that dominate in terms of diversity, i.e., Poaceae, Cyperaceae,\xa0 Salicaceae,\xa0 Betulaceae,\xa0 Polygonaceae,\xa0 Caryophyllaceae,\xa0 Ranunculaceae,\xa0 Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Ericaceae, and Asteraceae. In fact, the snow sheep consume almost the entire range of plants growing within its habitat to one degree or another. This makes it possible to assume that in the Polar Urals, snow sheep will widely use the substituting species which are closely related to the known forage plants. The known food ration of snow sheep in the Polar Urals includes 157 species of vascular plants, 13 species and representatives of 5 genera of leaf‑stem mosses, more than 20 species of ground lichens, representatives of 3 genera (11 species in total) of epiphytic lichens and 6 genera of fungi. In addition, it is predicted that among the replacement plant species distributed in the Polar Urals, the potential forage resources for these animals will include 166 species of vascular plants, a significant part (up to 99 species) of the 358 known species leaf‑stem mosses, and more than 40 species of lichens. The frequency of occurrence and diversity of cap mushrooms in the Polar Urals is high, and can have a positive effect on the feeding of animals in summer and autumn.