ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC FEATURES OF CERTAIN POPULATIONS OF GREAT GERBIL (Rhombomys opius Licht., 1823) OF KAZAKHSTAN
Authors:   Phd Associate Professor, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo, Japan, Kawamoto Yoshi  ,   kawamoto.yoshi.3s@kyoto-u.ac.jp,   https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6072-6159, Nurtazin Sabir  ,   Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhtan; Sabyr.Nurtazin@kaznu.kz; https://orcid.org/0000-0002- 3011-6851, Shevtsov Alexander  ,   PhD, Head of the Laboratory of Applied Genetics, National Center for Biotechnology. Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan; ncbshevtsov@gmail.сom; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1360-9937, Ramankulov Yerlan  ,   Academician of Kazakhstan National Academy of Natural Sciences. Professor of the Nazarbayev University. Director of the National Center for Biotechnology, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan; info@biocenter.kz; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6786-3028, Lutsay Viktoriya  ,   Junior researcher, Laboratory of Applied Genetics, National Center for Biotechnology. NurSultan, Kazakhstan; Lutsay.V@gmail.сom; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2787-8767, Salmurzauly Ruslan  ,   PhD, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhtan; Salmurzauly.Ruslan@kaznu.kz; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9667-8526, Iklassov Margulan  ,   PhD student of the Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhtan; iklasovmargulan@gmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4070-2907, Konysbayev Talgarbay  ,   PhD student of the Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhtan; konysbaev.t1@gmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6328-1319, Sayakova Zaure  ,   PhD, Head of the Laboratory of Epizootology of Highly Infectious Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhtan; zsayakova@mail.ru; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1107-6345, Rysbekova Altyn  ,   PhD, Doctor Epidemiologist of the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections named after M. Aikimbaev, Almaty, Kazakhtan; rysbekova23@mail.ru; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8684-3425, Utepova Irina  ,   PhD, Doctor Epidemiologist of the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections named after M. Aikimbaev, Almaty, Kazakhtan; utepib@mail.ru; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-638X, Atshabar Bakhyt  ,   Doctor of Medical Sciences, Сhief researcher of the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections named after M. Aikimbaev, Almaty, Kazakhtan; batshabar@gmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5533-8805
Published: December 2020

The main host of a number of especially dangerous zoonotic infections in the arid zones of Kazakhstan, covering an area of about 1.1 million km2, is the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus). In the process of formation in natural foci of the parasitic triad (pathogen-host-vector, mutual adaptation of all its members to environmental conditions and their coevolution occurs. The article presents the results of a study of the intraspecific, population heterogeneity of ecological-biological and some genomic features of the great gerbil in three foci of zoonotic Infections: Pribalkash, Betpakdala and Predustyurt. The features of climate, soil and vegetation cover, tendencies of their perennial and seasonal changes were studied. Differences in climatic conditions and characteristics of vegetation between the 3 foci were revealed at a rather high degree of synchronization of the trend of changes in air temperature and precipitation. Analysis of the cytB gene fragment from 88 individuals from three autonomous plague foci identified 19 haplotypes that form three haplogroups, one of which is represented by individuals from the populations of two autonomous plague foci Populations of great gerbils from Kazakhstan and China are included in the same cluster and are genetically distant from the populations of Iran. Geographic isolation, significant differences in climatic, landscape, and forage conditions, microevolutionary changes in the genomic status determined the heterogeneity of three described populations of the great gerbil. A growing negative impact on the population of the great gerbil and the epizootic status of natural foci of climate warming and an increasing anthropogenic pressure, primarily in the form of overgrazing, on natural phytocenoses was noted.