Richard Reading - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Richard Reading

Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Jan 22, 2001

Mongolian journal of biological sciences, 2018

Biological Conservation, May 1, 2017

Journal of Wildlife Management, 1998

... These include several rare and endangered species of crane (Grus spp.), a unique subspecies o... more ... These include several rare and endangered species of crane (Grus spp.), a unique subspecies of moose (Alces alces cameloides), great bustards (Otis tarda), gray wolves, and Mongolian gazelle; the latter com ... See Dashnyam (1974) for a more detailed description of Dor-nod. ...

Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, Sep 1, 2017

Mongolian journal of biological sciences, 2013

Oryx

As wildlife becomes more isolated in human-dominated and rapidly changing environments, species c... more As wildlife becomes more isolated in human-dominated and rapidly changing environments, species conservation requires investment in landscape connectivity. Identifying stepping stones (discrete areas of suitable habitat that facilitate the movement of dispersing individuals) can help meet connectivity goals. We report the occurrence of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia, over 250 km from the nearest known population, one of the easternmost records for the species. Ikh Nart Nature Reserve lies within a region considered highly resistant to movement but harbours high densities of argali sheep Ovis ammon and Siberian ibexes Capra sibirica, both important prey items for snow leopards. This occurrence reveals a new distribution record for the species, the capacity of the species to move across low-quality environments, the value of investment in community conservation and collaborative park management, and the role of remote protected areas such as Ikh N...

$Research paper thumbnail of Ecology of Eurasian Black Vultures (\u3ci\u3eAegypius monachus\u3c/i\u3e) in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia$

We studied the nesting ecology and movement patterns of Eurasian black vultures (Aegypius monachu... more We studied the nesting ecology and movement patterns of Eurasian black vultures (Aegypius monachus) nesting in and near Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogobi Aimag, Mongolia. From 2003 till 2009, we monitored nesting pairs from incubation to fledging and compared nesting success for pairs nesting on rocks and trees. We captured chicks just prior to fledging to apply leg bands and wing tags. We also captured adults in June and attached solar-powered global positioning system (GPS)/satellite telemetry units, leg bands, and wing tags. We collected resighting data on marked birds opportunistically and telemetry data on tagged birds. We monitored 363 nesting pairs from 2003 to 2009. Most nesting failures occurred during the ~ 55 day incubation period. Overall, 50.9 % of nesting pairs raised a chick to fledgling. Nesting substrate (i.e., rock or tree) did not influence nesting success. Between 2006 and 2009 we received reports of sightings for 21 individual birds and on 37 occasions (n = 1 –...

Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 2022

The toad headed agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor) ranges across the arid steppe regions of southe... more The toad headed agama (Phrynocephalus versicolor) ranges across the arid steppe regions of southern and western Mongolia and represents one of the most common reptiles in the country. However, few details of the species’ population characteristics exist, which may be important for evaluating population trends and assessing its conservation status. We estimated toad headed agama density in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia based on surveys conducted in the summers (Jun-Sep) of 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. We conducted surveys in three steppe habitats including tall grassland (n = 7), shrub-steppe (n = 7), and semi-shrub steppe (n = 8), and calculated density using Distance methods. Mean density across all surveys was 66 agamas/ha (95 % C.I. = 48-92; range: 24/ha to 112/ha). Agamas occurred in highest density in shrub-steppe and lowest in semi-shrub across years. Density was similar between shrub-steppe and tall grassland. However, density in these habitats was significantly higher tha...

Journal of Arid Environments, 2021

Abstract The Mongolian marmot (Marmota sibirica) is a relatively large-bodied, social rodent that... more Abstract The Mongolian marmot (Marmota sibirica) is a relatively large-bodied, social rodent that lives in colonies across the Mongolian steppes and parts of China and Russia. Marmots serve as ecosystem engineers that display multiple functions on the steppe environments they inhabit. Mongolian marmots experienced a >75% decline across Mongolia in the 1990s that led their listing as endangered globally. The decline of marmots likely affected other species given their importance to the ecosystems. To examine the role of marmots on vertebrate species, we set camera traps on and off marmot colony sites in the forest-steppe, steppe, and semi-desert zones of Mongolia. In total, we recorded 39 vertebrate species within 3 study areas, including 19 species in 2012 in Ikh Nart NR; 21 in 2016 in Hustai NP; and 27 in the Halzan region of Sukhbaatar in 2019. Species abundance and some diversity indices were significantly higher on colonies compared to off colony sites. Our research provides insights into how marmots create important habitats for associated fauna and demonstrates that this engineering species plays an irreplaceable role in this ecosystem. We hope that this and similar experimental approaches will allow us to better understand the biodiversity patterns in and around marmot burrows.

Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences, 2019

Mongolian Journal Of Biological Sciences, 2021

Activity patterns provide insight into the overall relationship between a species and its environ... more Activity patterns provide insight into the overall relationship between a species and its environment. Despite declines in populations of argali and some attention on ecological questions, limited information exists on argali behavior. We measured diurnal activity budgets of argali for 12 months by recording behavior (i.e., foraging, bedding, standing, traveling, other) with instantaneous scan sampling at 5-minute intervals. Argali exhibited seasonal differences in activity budgets. The greatest proportion of daytime in winter was spent foraging. The greatest proportion of daytime in summer was spent bedding. Argali reduced all other behaviors in winter in favor of foraging. In summer argali reduced their foraging to a seasonal low and increased bedding. Behavior was constrained by forage in winter and by temperatures in summer. Females fed more than males in all seasons. Other behaviors varied according to season and reproductive periods. Females demonstrated highest vigilance in s...

Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences, 2004

Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 2017

Protecting the Wild, 2015

VAST (1.57 MILLION SQUARE KILOMETERS), sparsely populated (approximately 2.7 million people), and... more VAST (1.57 MILLION SQUARE KILOMETERS), sparsely populated (approximately 2.7 million people), and relatively poor (mean income per capita in 2013 = $3,770), Mongolia faces the daunting task of protecting its natural heritage in the face of rapid natural resource extraction efforts by multinational corporations that are promising quick prosperity. Further complicating the rising extractive bonanza, Mongolia continues its struggles to transition from a communist nation with a centrally controlled economy to a democracy with a free market. Expanding and improving its system of protected areas arguably represents the most important component of Mongolia’s conservation efforts since political and economic transformation began in 1991. Mongolia has strongly embraced the importance of protected areas to help counter its accelerating rate of development, although as demands for the country’s vast mineral and fossil fuel resources grow, and as the increasingly urban population of the country becomes impatient for the promised rise in “standard of living,” the challenges to protected areas expansion, management, and even retention (in certain cases) increases. In this essay, we briefly describe the historical and continuing cultural importance of conservation in Mongolia, the threats to the country’s protected areas system, and the vital need to maintain, expand, and better manage the nation’s system of nature protection.