Study On Spatial-temporal Distribution And Driving Factors Of Wildlife In Habitat Of Giant Pandas

Wildlife is the rare natural resources for global ecological conservation,as an integral part of the ecosystem,the stable coexistence of wildlife communities is of great significance for the balance of the ecosystem.However,the habitat quality and population number of wildlife were affected due to the disturbance and destruction of human activities,in order to restore and protect wildlife biodiversity and habitat,it is necessary to study on the spatial-temporal distribution patterns,the variety of spatial distribution and driving mechanism of wildlife.Therefore,we conducted a long-term survey on wildlife communities and their habitats based on the camera traps data coupled with traditional quadrat survey data collected between 2011 and 2018 in Wanglang National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province,China.We used Kernel density estimation,Single-species,single-season occupancy model,Dynamic occupancy model and Generalized linear model,and analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution patterns and driving factors of 7 representative mammals from 5 aspects,which were species diversity,influence factors on coexistence,daily activity patterns,spatial distribution and the trend of spatial dynamics,respectively.The 7 selected mammals were giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca),tufted deer(Elaphodus cephalophus),Chinese serow(Capricornis milneedwardsii),hog badger(Arctonyx collaris),leopard cat(Prionailurus bengalensis),masked palm civet(Paguma larvata)and yellow-throated marten(Martes flavigula).The main results were as following:(1)A total of 55 species were captured by camera traps,belonging to 8 orders and 24 families.The Relative Abundance Index(RAI)of tufted deer were the highest,followed by the giant panda,and Chinese serow was lower.Hog badger and yellow-throated marten were higher,while leopard cat and masked palm civet were the lowest.However,the relative abundance indexes of some endangered wildlife were the lowest,such as forest musk deer(Moschus berezovskii),black bear(Ursus thibetanus),Chinese monal(Lophophorus lhuysii)and Sichuan takin(Budorcas tibetanus)(RAI(27)1).At least 32 camera traps and a monitoring period of 180 days were needed to meet the requirements of investigation in Wanglang Nature Reserve.(2)Three large herbivores showed significant differences in daily activity patterns during different seasons,they were giant panda,tufted deer and Chinese serow,respectively.The overlaps of daily activity patterns among large herbivores were higher.However,there were no seasonal significant differences among medium carnivores: hog badger,leopard cat,masked palm civet and yellow-throated marten,respectively.Except the overlap between masked palm civet and leopard cat,the overlaps of daily activity patterns among medium carnivores were.In addition,there was no significant difference in daily activity patterns only between the giant panda and livestock.(3)The tufted deer had the highest predicted occupancy probability,followed by Chinese serow,however,the giant panda showed the lowest predicted occupancy probability among large herbivores.The values of predicted occupancy probability of medium carnivores were lower than large herbivores,hog badger,yellow-throated marten,leopard cat,and masked palm civet,respectively.The relative abundance of species,camera days and road affected the detection probability of wildlife,terrain factors,vegetation factors,and grazing disturbances were the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of wildlife.(4)The annual occupancy probability of three large herbivores were generally stable,however,they showed fluctuation between years.For the four medium carnivores,the leopard cat had a relatively stable annual occupancy probability due to the positive response to livestock,while the spatial distribution of hog badger and masked palm civet reduced continuously,which meant that they were under the risk of local extinction.Livestock was still the most important factor affecting the spatial distribution of wild animals.(5)Topographical factors and interspecific relationships were the main factors affecting the structure and abundance of tree communities.Topographical factors(indirect effect),vegetation factors and interspecific relationships were the main factors affecting the relative abundance and coexistence of wildlife.In addition,the presence of livestock increased the number of.Due to the spatial niche partitioning,large terrestrial species such as giant panda and tufted deer had no significant linear relationship with livestock.