Diversity Of Mammals And Birds And Their Eology In The Nonggang Forest Dynamic Plot, China

Camera trapping is an useful tool for monitoring terrestrial mammals and birds, and has been used widely in wildlife survey, population evaluation and behavioral ecology. The Nonggang 15-ha Karst forest dynamics plot has been established in 2011 to investigate vegetation dynamics in the Nonggang National Nature Reserve, Guanxi Province, South China. From November 2012, we seted an array of 35 infra-red camera in the Nonggang forest dynamics plot to monitor aninal diversity and their behavial ecology for successive 15 months. Our results will provide important and basic data for conservation and researches in the Nonggang National Nature Reserve. The main result is following:3. The accumulative number of species based on cameras traps increased with the number of camera traps, but the curve for mammals reached asymptote after 25 camera traps, whereas the curve for birds still increased. The accumulative number of species based on monitoring months increased with the number of months. The curve for mammals reached asymptote after 8 months, and the curve for birds reached asymptote after 10 months. These results indicated that 8-10 months were the best periods of monitoring, and the monitoring area should be expanded.2. We identified 20 mammal species and 26 bird species, including Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis) and Francois’ langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi) who are listed as a category Ⅰ species under the Wild Animal Protection Law in China, and rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatto), Chinese serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor), and Silver pheasant (Lophura nythemerd) who are listed as a category Ⅱ species under the Wild Animal Protection Law in China. Based on the relative abundance index, Edward’s long-tailedrat (Leopoldamys edwardsi), Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus), Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus), Red muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) and Northern tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) were ranked the first five most abundant mammal species. Silver pheasant, Black-breasted thrush (Turdus cardis) and Nonggang babbler (Stachyris nonggangensis) were ranked the most abundant bird species. Oriental realm occupy the most species of mammal and bird (65.3% and 75%). Compared to animal surveys before,3 mammal species and 16 bird species as new record based on camera traps.3. The daily activity patterns of 4 diurnal mammals, Red muntjac, Pallas’s squirrel, T Northern tree shrew and Crab-eating Mongoose (Herpestes urva) showed moring and afternoon active peaks, but the peaks occurred in different hours. The activity patterns of 2 nocturnal mammals in different part of midnight showed difference. The active peak of Edward’s long-tailedrat occurred in the first part of midnight, and that of Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine occurred in the second half of midnight. The activity patterns of 6 mammals changed according to seasons. These results indicated that sympatric species had different activity peaks as a machenism to reduce resource completion, and make the coexistence possible. Moreover, decreasing activity at noon is a common behavioral strategy to avoid high temperature at noon in the karst habitats.4. Mammals and birds showed preference to staying in low level of limestone hills (36.6%, and 36.5%). However, different species had marked variations in habitat preference. Two diurnal animals, Red muntjac and Silver Pheasant preferred tostaying in hight and low level of limestone hills. And two diurnal rodents, Pallas’s squirrel and Northern tree shrew showed different proportion in different part of limestone hills. But two nocturnal rodents, Edward’s long-tailedrat and Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine did not showed marked variantion in habitat use. Different species also showed marked variation in habitat preference according to seasons. Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine preferred to staying in high level of hills in spring and winter, but in low level in summer and autumn. Silver Pheasant tent to staying in the middle level of hills in autumn, butin low level in winter. Red muntjac did not showed seasonal variation in habitat perference.These results indicated that the distribution and seasonal differences of food resources, energy maximization and avoidance of predators and hight temperature are the main factors influencing animals’ habitat preference and its seasonal changes in the limestone habitats.