Can dung pollen reveal livestock dietary preferences and grazing patterns in Central Mongolia?

Seasonal vegetation dynamics play the dominant role in shaping livestock dietary preferences and grazing patterns in Central Mongolia, according to the first palynological analysis of dung samples from sheep, goats, horses, and cattle/yaks. The study, conducted across steppe and river-meadow habitats during spring, summer, and autumn 2021, revealed that pollen composition in dung varies significantly with season—Cyperaceae in spring, Amaranthaceae and Poaceae in summer, and Artemisia in autumn—while livestock species and habitat exert secondary but notable effects. Small ruminants exhibit higher dietary diversity than large grazers, underscoring the potential of dung pollen as a proxy for both modern grazing ecology and palaeoecological reconstruction. This research provides critical insights into rangeland degradation concerns linked to increasing livestock numbers in Mongolia.

C, B., Veith, S. J., L, D., G, R., M, T., S, S., C, D., & H, B. (2026). Can dung pollen reveal livestock dietary preferences and grazing patterns in Central Mongolia? Journal of Arid Environments, 235, 105613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2026.105613