干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa Pallas, 1777) and five domestic herbivores share the steppe plants. The desertification of the steppe induced by overgrazing is related to the activities of the community of the large herbivore. A plant-herbivore data matrix obtained by cuticular analysis has made it possible to estimate the impact of trophic interaction in the dynamics of the herbivore comminity of the Mongolian steppe. By estimating pasture use, food niche overlap, and competition advantages of the studied species, it is concluded that the present population decline in the Mongolian gazelle resulted not only from overkill and artificial habitat fragmentation but also from composition, abundance, and spatial distribution of livestock species.