Tracking of trance-boundary migration routes of Mongolian gazelles and monitoring of their habitat using advanced information technologies

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We succeed to capture Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa), which is an endangered ungulate, inhabit Mongolian Steppe and migrate long distances seasonally, and to describe their migration routes using satellite-transmitter at the first time. By comparing location data of the Mongolian gazelles with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) acquired by the moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) onboard Terra and Aqua satellite and geographic information data, we suggested a barrier effect of an international in Mongolia railroad on migrations of Mongolian gazelles. We also suggested that the strength of the barrier effect is not the same in both sides of the railroad but stronger in either side. To examine the barrier effect on genetic structure in gazelle populations, samples for genetic analysis were collected and have analyzed.We showed that the shift in NDVI values between summer and winter ranges correspond with seasonal migrations of gazelles, and Mongolian gazelles change their seasonal home ranges year by year, corresponding to interannual variations of spatial distribution pattern of plant productivity and snow cover.It was also suggested that sheep and goats are potential competitors for Mongolian gazelles, by comparing food compositions of feces of sympatric Mongolian gazelles and livestock. The food compositions of Mongolian gazelles were consistent among areas comparing to livestock.Mechanism of winter snow anomaly in Mongolia was analyzed by collecting long-term meteorological data from many meteorological stations. Early warning systems for drought and dzud (cold-season disaster) which course mass mortality of livestock have been constructing by collecting environmental information data such as livestock densities.