Modeling the distribution and abundance of eastern tur (Capra cylindricornis) in the Caucasus

Abstract

Our research attempts 1) to link the distribution and abundance of eastern tur (Capra cylindricornis) to environmental variables varying in space and time, and 2) to identify environmental constraints that may have caused the geographic segregation of eastern tur from western tur (Capra caucasica). Our results suggest that 1) eastern tur are heat-sensitive but prefer snow-free, grass-dominated areas near escape cliffs, and in terrain that is difficult for humans and livestock to reach; and 2) present-day genetic and phenotypic differences between the Capra species are largely related to discontinuity of and impeded migration between Capra populations during glacial periods, and insufficient time in the postglacial period for now-adjoining Capra populations to overcome behavioral mechanisms impeding hybridization in the wild so as to erase these differences.