A Comparative Analysis of the Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), the Greater White-Fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), and the Brant Goose (Branta bernicla) Diets on Belyi and Shokalskii Islands (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)

Both the Yamal-Belyi and Gydan populations of the wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are endangered with no exact reasons. In this puzzle it is very important to analyze the reindeer diet on Belyi and Shokalskii islands of the Arctic Ocean, where its populations are mainly concentrated in summer, especially in order to compare them with greater white-fronted (Anser albifrons) and brant (Branta bernicla) geese that use the same food resources. The herbivores are shown to feed on more than 40 plant species on those islands. The more mobile species using more habitat types show more diverse diets, but both food diversity and food selectivity depend on their morphophysiological features. Both white-fronted goose populations are more abundant than both brant goose populations and continue growing, while the brant goose populations have a stable trend. This agrees with the broader and less selective diet of white-fronted goose compared to the brant goose diet. However, both reindeer populations on the islands, although showing the widest and least selective diet, undergo a sharp decline which is therefore not influenced by food competition. This only allows us to suggest the maintenance of usual reservation rules on the islands, which can provide at least equal initial conditions in using the limited resources for all herbivore species.

Automated summary

The endangered populations of the wild reindeer in the Yamal-Belyi and Gydan regions are analyzed in terms of their diet on Belyi and Shokalskii islands, where they mainly reside in summer. There is a difference in the abundance and trend of white-fronted geese and brant geese compared to the reindeer populations, with the latter showing a decline despite their wide and less selective diet, suggesting the importance of maintaining reservation rules on the islands.