The Population Ecology And Ecological Adaptation Characteristic Of The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias Davidianus) In Lushi County, Henan Province, China

Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus Blanchard ,1871), local name is moppet fish, belongs to Amphibia, Salamandriformes, Cryptobranchidae in classification, is a local species of China. Chinese giant salamander he animal had ever distributed widely, but its distribution range and population number declined sharply in recent years because of excessive hunting for commercial trade and loss of habitat, parts of its populations have been in a endangered way. The species is currently listed in annex I of CITES and in class II of the national list of protected animals in China. At the same time, the animal is classified as "data deficient" in the Red Data Book of Endangered Animals of IUCN, as a result of its biology and status is not clear, its endangered grade in the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals is Critically Endangered. Therefore, strengthening the study of the species' habitat, population status, life history, making clear its resource status and carrying out management mechanism of the reserve efficiently and so on are very necessary.In July-August of 2003, we have investigated and analyzed the changes on population distribution, population amount and population structure of Chinese giant salamander in Lushi County in Henan Province over recent 30 years by means of consulting county annals, foreign trade purchase recordation, the cases of Lushi Giant Salamander Management, interviewing inhabitant and counting through sampling reach. In Apple-May and July-August of 2004, May-October of May-June of 2005, we studied the characteristics of Chinese giant salamander's lung ventilation and the relationship between its lung ventilation and environmental factors in Lushi County Nature Reserve in Henan Province. In July-August of 2004 and May-October of 2005, we studied the active areas and active characteristics of Chinese giant salamander by observation and radio-tracking technique in the same reserve. The results of these works are as follows:1. Chinese giant salamander's manner of lung ventilation adopts saving up air in lung cavity under water, floating out of water for ventilation intermittently. Each respiratory cycle consists of once of exhalation and once to thrice of drawing in and gulping fresh air continuously. Its manner of lung ventilation belongs to the four-stroke breathing. After first round of the buccal cavity expansion and...