Home Range And Habitat Selection Of Wolf In The Eastern Grassland Of The Inner Mongolia

In 2004,7～2006,1,A research on the home range and habitat selection of the wolves(Canis lupus) had been done at the eastern area of the Inner Mongolia.By radio tracking and feet tracking,we recorded the geographical coordinate of the location of the markers(include urine and feces etc.) and the furthest spoor of the wolves.The acreage of the home range and territory of the wolves was estimated by the minimum convex polygon method. The dimensional data of the home range is dealt with the "Google earth" The results as follows:The home range of the wolves changes in different seasons.The east of inner Mongolia grass area can be regarded as two seasons:one is Autumn-Winter season or the plant withering period from October to the next April, in this period,the grass is shriveled and the ground is covered with snow for a long time.The other is Spring-Summer season or the plant green period from May to September.According to the activity of the wolves,the plant withering period home range was divided into three parts:core area,territory and cruise area. The whole home range was 457km~2,each wolf covered 76～91km~2 on the average. The core area was a site of island-shaped dried reed swamp,showing a northwest-southeast direction,the maximum length is 3.2km,the width was 1.6km,covering an area of 4 km~2,which was 1%of the whole home range of the wolves;The territory area was 112km~2,each wolf covered 19～22km~2 on the average,which was 25%of the whole home range of the wolves;The cruise area was 345km~2,which was 75%of the whole home range of wolves;Based on the function,the home range structure of the wolves was zoned into two parts:one was called rest area,namely island-shaped dried reed swamp where the wolves had rest during all the daytime or the nights when they didn't cruise outside.The other was activity area for preying.The Plant green period home range of the wolves was shaped "L".The acreage was 318km~2,each wolf covered 53～63km~2 on the average.The structure could be divided into two parts:rest area and preying area,the rest area was 1.5%of the whole home range of the wolves,the preying area was 98.5%.The habitat for home range included dried reed swamp,Jiji grass (Achnatherum splendens),short grass,sand,iced lake and inhabitant area.The sites of departure and terminal points of the habitat sampling of the wolves were the dried reed swamp of the core area.The retracing place for long distance sampling is mostly located in near inhabitant area.In winter, the wolves' movement had no obvious selection in the depth of the snow.The wolves cruised in a smaller group(1-2 wolves) or a larger one(4-6 wolves). The average cruise time was 8 hours in the plant green period,15 hours in the plant withering period.The caves for the wolves lied in the center of the home range,usually locating at the southeast edge of the lodged reeds.The density and cover degree for the reeds at entrance to the caves were higher and denser than those in other regions.The caves for the wolves were shallow,the depth is about in 36-90cm,was 58cm on the average;the length of the cave was 55-205cm,the average is 110cm.The length or the breeding caves for the wolves were about 200cm.There were special space lands near the caves in the reeds,where the wolves daily defecated.The food of the wolves was mainly livestock.The frequency of the occurrence of the debris of livestock is 70%in the scats of the wolves,its relative biomass reached to 92.8%.The livestock's distributing had a great effect on the shape of home range of the wolves,and the livestock usually was raised around tenements,which the distributing of the tenements had a crucial effect on the shape of home range of the wolves.Wellspring was over 2.5 kilometers from the caves area of the wolves. But there occurred two water cavities near the caves dug by the wolves.The artificial factors had a decisive influence on the wolves.Man's activities made wolves lose their main natural food.The livestock became the main food source on which wolves lived.Mankind's distributing determined the distributing of the livestock,which had a great effect on the shape and size of home range.At present,the ride grazing way has been changed into motorcycle grazing.The higher speed shortens the space distance,and the wolves lose the function of which the wolves escape and concealed themselves in the wide grass.The artificial interference factor is so large that they couldn't be estimated simply by the distance of the caves of the wolves from inhabitant or roads etc.The wolf fears the mankind, and evades the mankind,but they have to seek the food near mankind's habitat.At present,the wolf is placed in a very embarrassed condition.