Evaluating snow leopard population connectivity: is Kazakhstan a bridge for gene flow between the northern and southwestern range?
Korablev M.P. Grachev A.A. Poyarkov A.D. Saparbayev S.K. Hernandez-Blanco J.A. Bespalov S.V. Bespalov M.V. Baidavletov Y.R. Alexandrov D.Y. Karnaukhov A.S. Malykh S.V. Munkhtsog B. Bayaraa M. Rozhnov V.V.
February 2026Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Mammalian Biology
2026#106Issue 175 - 88 pp.
The number of studies on snow leopard (Panthera uncia) ecology has surged dramatically over the past few decades. However, despite this increase, many essential aspects of the species biology, which are critical for shaping effective conservation and management strategies, remain poorly understood. A particularly crucial area of research is the population connectivity and genetic structure of snow leopards across their naturally fragmented range. In our study, we focused on the Dzungarian region, specifically Kazakhstan, which has been repeatedly identified as a potentially significant area of connectivity between the southwestern and northern portions of the snow leopard range. We analyzed 54 sequences of mtDNA control region and 73 individual microsatellite multilocus genotypes of snow leopards from Russia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan to recognize both historical and recent signatures of gene flow between the major fragmented regions of the species’ distribution. Our results confirm the Dzungarian region’s role as a crucial area of connectivity between the core and northern populations, thereby providing empirical support for prior habitat- and connectivity-model predictions. However, we did not find clear evidence to unambiguously identify whether Kazakhstan or Chinese Xinjiang serves as the primary corridor linking these two fragmented parts of the snow leopard range. Further research efforts are needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of population connectivity in this focal region. Considering the Dzungarian region’s potential to support gene flow between the two major portions of the snow leopard range, conservation strategies should prioritize the preservation of habitats that can function as “stepping stones” to facilitate migration between the Tian Shan and the northern populations in Mongolia and Russia.
Dzungarian region , Genetic structure , Microsatellites , Mitochondrial DNA , Panthera uncia
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A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
Institute of Zoology of Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Tuva Nature Park, Kyzyl, Russian Federation
Irbis Mongolia Center, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Wildlife Institute, College of Nature Conservation of the Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Institute of Zoology of Republic of Kazakhstan
Tuva Nature Park
Irbis Mongolia Center
Wildlife Institute
Institute of Biology
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