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Ethological aspects of the wolf (canis lupus linneus, 1758) in the aral sea region
Section 1. Biology
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20534/AJT-16-11.12-3-5
Kidirbayeva Arzygul Yuldashevna, Karakalpak State University, Senior scientific researcher Mambetullaeva Svetlana Mirzamuratovna, Karakalpak State University, Professor at the Department of Ecology and soil science,
Nukus, Republic of Uzbekistan E-mail: arzigull@gmail.com
Ethological aspects of the wolf (canis lupus linneus, 1758) in the aral sea region
Abstract: The article considers the questions of the ethology of a wolf (Canis Lupus Linneus, 1758) in the Aral Sea region. It has been established that the territorial movements of the wolf population at a model site play an important role in the stability of survival and population size as a behavioral reaction to the changing environment conditions.
Keywords: Aral Sea region, wolf population, ethology, movements.
The study of the animal behavior attracts attention for behavior. The behavior of carnivores was also covered in
many reasons. The information about the behavior of animals is required to understand their ecology (peculiarities of lifestyle), which, in turn, corresponds to the development of the problem ofnature protection and rational use ofnature.
The behavior is one of the most important ways of active adjustment of the animals to the diversity of the environmental conditions. It ensures the survival and successful reproduction of both a separate animal unit and the species in the whole. Ethology was formed as an independent discipline in the 30ies of XX century based on zoology and theory of evolution.
Ethology (from Greek ethos — customs, character) is the science about the behavior of an animal unit in the environment natural for the given species. It was formed in the 30ies ofXX century by an Austrian researcher Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) and a Dutch biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907-1988), who worked in the Great Britain his whole life. Ethology was developing in close contact with physiology, population genetics, behavioral genetics etc. [4, P. 320]. Many works of famous scientists are dedicated to animal ethology [17, P. 487; 15, P. 43; 2, P. 68; 11, P. 72; 18, P. 20-26; 9, P. 520]. Each of them presents an original narrative about the basics of the science about animal
the works of known scientists such as P. A. Manteifel, A. N. Formozov, L. V. Krushinskiy, E. Seton, K. Lorenz, I. Tinbergen, B. Grzimek and some other authors.
Currently, vast material has been accumulated, which characterizes the behavior as the combination of different forms of adaptive activity. The behavior of animals is endlessly diverse in its forms, manifestations and mechanisms. The works of Palvaniyazov (1974) and Reimov (1978) are dedicated to the study of the ethology of a wolf in the conditions of the Aral Sea region. In this work, we made an attempt to present modern data on the study of behavioral aspects of the wolf population with regard to the changing conditions of the Aral Sea region. We studied some individual and social peculiarities of behavior of this carnivore.
Wolf (Canis Lupus Linneus, 1758) is a typical dweller of sand desert, plains, mountains and riparian woodlands in the Central Asia. It is most common of all carnivores in the southern part of the Aral Sea region and plays an important role in the biocoenosis of deserts (Kyzyl-Kum, Ustyurt) and riparian woodlands of this region.
Wolf is noted for a big ecological flexibility and highly developed psychic. It helps wolves successfully resist
Section 1. Biology
the variety of ways of combating them. For a long time, the behavior of animals, wolves in particular, was determined from the point of view of their instincts and conditional reflexes. The presence of such form of collective survival and interaction as a pack is an important characteristics of the kind. The pack is, in fact, a family consisting of two parents and young wolves up to two-three years old [16, P. 72].
Results obtained in the course of research show that the studied population of wolves consists of animal units united in the pack, which use certain territories of native sites and single animals, not belonging to their pack, and can be noted for significant mobility.
The size of the habitual site of the wolf population in the Aral Sea region is defined by a certain landscape and varies according to different districts. The size of the territory and density of one pack depend on the food provisions, presence of shelters, degree of chasing the carnivores and location of water sources. There is a strict hierarchy in the pack. The base of the hierarchy consists of alpha-male, alpha-female, a few low rank wolves of both sex, among which, one can distinguish a beta-male, and cubs, who are beyond the hierarchy.
In the course of our researches, it was established that at the territory of the model site (f/e Aspantai-Shakaman), the packs of wolves live as family groups, the base of which consists ofa couple ofexperienced wolves with the offspring ofthe current year (new arrivals), the offspring ofthe previous year ofbirth (second year) as well as one grown-up male (5-6 years old) and one old male (12-13 years old).
According to our observations, the wolves belonging to one pack-family often hunt in the common site alone or in groups of 2-4 animals. Based on our example, the researched pack-family inhabiting the model site consists of 8 animal units. Apart from wolves living in packs at certain territories, there are wandering wolves, "homeless". and non-territorial ones. These, as rule, are animal units who outgrew the age of the second year (there can be both second-year animals, new arrivals as well as old animals), who were ousted by experienced wolves and couldn't find a free site for themselves.
Based on our observations, seasonal changes in the family and territorial relations were revealed in the studied pack of wolves. One of such changes is a brooding period. The brooding period starts from the birth ofwolf cubs (April) and continues throughout summer. The brooding period is followed by pack period. The pack period starts from autumn (mid-September) and continues until the first half of winter (February). During this period, the second-year wolves join the experienced wolves and new arrivals. The pack, whole or in parts, wanders
throughout the family-pack site and leaves its borders only at the territory free of wolves.
The estrum among wolves is observed in the first half ofJanuary and lasts for about two weeks. The duration of pregnancy of she-wolves is 62-75 days. The mass whelping takes place from March to April. The number of cubs varies from 2 to 7 [5, P. 41-43]. During the period of estrum, the disintegration of the pack occurs. During this period (end ofJanuary, beginning of February), the new arrivals separate from the pack and live separately at same pack site. The estrum pack is formed of an experienced she-wolf in estrum and following her males — experience wolf and, usually, second-year animals, sometimes a candidate from foreign wolves. The composition of an estrum pack can be more complicated. According to our observations (f/e Aspantai-Shakaman), the estrum pack of wolves consisted of 15 animal units. After the end of estrum, the wolves, except for a couple of masters and new arrivals, left the pack site.
During the research at the model site, we tracked all daily and seasonal movements of the research pack of wolves. In total, the distance of passing through the territory of the pack site of the given population was about 200 km. Based on the results of the research, it was established that the daily movement was 82-87km at average. At the same time, sometimes the animal units of the population can violate the border of their territory and pass the river of Amudarya through "the floating bridge towards" Qongirot district. There were also cases when entire packs (11 animal units) of the Qongirot population went to the territory of the Aspantai-Shakaman population in search of prey. The wolves instinctively "mark" the borders of their territory with urine, excrement and energetic "scraping". Thus, following the track of the wolf pack of the Aspantai-Shakaman population in May 2011, we found several scrapings at every 5-6km at the intersection of the roads. In addition, a wolf left one excrement at the distance of 2-3 meters in three places. The wolf moved using motorways. In six cases, it urinated near six bushes around the road. The scrapings were located either near or at short distance (2 meters) from the urinated spot (the sizes of the biggest scrapings were 190x50 centimeters). The wolf scraped the soil with the hind legs, very energetically, removing it at the back; the soil had very big scratches from the claws.
According to the American zoologists R. Peters (1977) and D. Mitch (1970), the wolves cover their territory with network of scent marks. They mark border sites more intensively (twice more often). The bigger the pack is, the more marks they leave.
Phytohelmintological research in grain in southern regions of Uzbekistan
Thus, the pack characteristic and territorial move- of maintaining the life activity and number of the popula-ments of the wolf population at the model site (f\e As- tion as behavioral reaction to the changing conditions of pantai-Shakaman) play an important role in the stability the environment of the given kind.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20534/AJT-16-11.12-5-8
Khurramov Alisher Shukurovich, Associate Professor, Department of Zoology chair E-mail: Khurramov10@mail.ru Nazaralieva Makhfuza Pardayevna, Termez State University, a student of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
Bobokeldiyeva Lobar Abdusamatovna, Termez State University teacher of biology chair
Phytohelmintological research in grain in southern regions of Uzbekistan
Abstract: The article analyzes faunal complex nematodes wheat collected in 16 districts and 48 farms in Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions of Uzbekistan. During the study period on wheat agrocenoses 158 species of phytonematodes belonging to 3 subclasses, 8 orders and 25 families were found.
