Comparison of the fine structure of hair in the ancient Lena horse (†Equus lenensis Russanov 1968) and the domestic horse (Equus caballus caballus Linnaeus 1758) of native northern breeds

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

Using SEM and morphometry, the fine structure of guard hairs and the elements of their medulla were compared in the Lena horse (Equus lenensis) and the domestic horse (E. caballus caballus) of five breeds. A number of features of hair fine structures have been identified, most clearly revealed when comparing horses of the northern (Mezen, Pechora, Yakut) and southern (Arabian, Akhal-Teke) groups of breeds. Seasonal changes in the structure of hair in horses of northern breeds (thickening of the hair medulla and an increase in the volume of its air cavities) indicate an increase in the heat-protecting properties of wool in winter, this being of adaptive significance. Both Pleistocene and recent domestic horses are shown to have developed convergent morphological adaptations of wool to low air temperatures.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

N. N. Spasskaya

Zoological Museum, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: equusnns@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow, 125009

O. F. Chernova

A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: olga.chernova.moscow@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow, 119071

N. V. Vdovina

N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences – Arkhangelsk Research Institute of Agriculture (FCIArctic’ Branch in the Primorskiy District

Email: vdovina.natali2014@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Arkhangelsk, 163020

I. B. Yurieva

N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences – Arkhangelsk Research Institute of Agriculture (FCIArctic’ Branch in the Primorskiy District

Email: arhsel@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Arkhangelsk, 163020

References

  1. Алексеев Н.Д., 1985. Адаптация лошадей к температурным факторам среды. Дис. … канд. биол. наук. Рязань: ВНИИ коневодства. 199 с.
  2. Косинцев П.А., Пластеева Н.А., Васильев С.К., 2013. Дикие лошади (Equus (Equus) s. l.) Западной Сибири в голоцене // Зоологический журнал. Т. 92. № 9. С. 1107–1116.
  3. Маркова А.К., ван Кольфсхотен Т., Бохнкке Ш., Косинцев П.А., Мол И., Пузаченко А.Ю., Симакова А.Н., Смирнов Н.Г., Верпоорте А., Головачев И.Б., 2008. Эволюция экосистем Европы при переходе от плейстоцена к голоцену (24–8 тыс. л.н.). М.: Товарищество научных изданий КМК. 556 с.
  4. Попов Р.А., Владимиров Л.Н., Сергиенко С.С., 2002. Моделирование теплоотдачи якутской лошади при отрицательных температурах окружающей среды // Научные основы сохранения и совершенствования пород лошадей. Сб. науч. трудов. ВНИИ коневодства. С. 28–45.
  5. Рогалевич М.И., 1941. Коневодство Якутской АССР // Труды Якутской экспедиции АН СССР. М. – Л.: АН СССР. 76 с.
  6. Соколов В.Е., 1977. Кожный покров ископаемой лошади из Селерикана / Фауна и флора антропогена Северо-Востока Сибири // Труды ЗИН. Т. 63. Л.: Наука. С. 186–200.
  7. Соколов В.Е., Скурат Л.Н., Степанова Л.В., Сумина Е.Б., Шабадаш С.А., 1988. Руководство по изучению кожного покрова млекопитающих. М.: Наука. 280 с.
  8. Соломонов Н.Г., Ануфриев А.И., Ядрихинский В.Ф., Исаев А.П., 2009. Изменение температуры тела у чистопородных и гибридных якутских лошадей в условиях Якутии // Доклады Академии наук. Т. 427. № 3. С. 426–429.
  9. Спасская Н.Н., Чернова О.Ф., Ибраев М.В., 2012. Особенности микроструктуры волос плейстоценовой мумии Билибинской лошади (Equidae, Perissodactyla) // Вестник Московского Университета. Серия 16. Биология. № 1. С. 41–50. http://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=17637054
  10. Чернова О.Ф., Перфилова Т.В., Спасская Н.Н., Киладзе А.Б., Ибраев М.В., 2011. Атлас микроструктуры волос лошадей. (Библиотека судебного эксперта). М.: Товарищество научных изданий КМК. 231 с.
  11. Abramoff M.D., Magalhaes P.J., Ram S.J., 2004. Image Processing with ImageJ // Biophotonics International. V. 11. № 7. P. 36–42.
  12. Kratochvil Z., 1971. Microscopic evaluation of the hairs of the mane and tail of the wild horse (Equus przewalskii) in comparison with the modern and historical domesticated horse (Equus przewalskii f. caballus) // Acta Veterinaria Brno. V. 40. P. 23–31.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. The scheme of measurements of microstructures of the guard hairs of horses. Transverse and longitudinal sections of the rod: D and d – respectively the maximum and minimum diameter of the hair, microns; M – the maximum diameter of the core strand, microns; S and s – respectively the cross–sectional area of the rod and the core strand, mm2; ss – the area of a separate air cavity of the core, mm2; Br - the width of the hair in cross section, microns; br – the width of the core strand in cross–section, microns; ss" - the area of a separate air cavity of the core, micm2. Intact hair: H is the height of the cuticle scales along the stem, microns; W is the width of the hair shaft at the place where the scales are measured, microns. Calculated indices, %: d/D, M/D, s/S, ss/S, br/Br, ss"/br, H/W.

Download (479KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. Microstructure of the withers of the Lena horse: A – Maksunuoh mummy, B – Ducar mummy. From top to bottom – cross sections, longitudinal sections of the rod. SAM's data. The scale is 10 microns.

Download (691KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Microstructure of the withers guard hairs of the domestic horse of the Mezen (A, B) and Akhal-Teke (C) breeds. A is the awn of winter wool; B, C is the awn of summer wool. From top to bottom – cross sections, longitudinal sections of the rod, cuticle ornament. SAM's data. The scale is 10 microns.

Download (781KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2024 Russian Academy of Sciences