The Migration And Adaptation Strategies Of Ungulate Under The Disturbance Of Road

Road traffic is the indispensable security and infrastructure of socio-economic development and population movements. In recent years, the rapid development of transportation construction in Qinling Area have made the habitat of ungulate into plenty of patches, and increased the degree of habitat fragmentation. So now road traffic has threatened populations survival and healthy development of ungulate in Qinling. Due to migration is one of important events of ungulates life history, the ungulates have to cross the road to move between different patches of their habitats.In this study, using infrared cameras monitoring techniques, sampling methods, snow trace method, aiming at the experimental area(0-500m) and the control area(500-1000m) along both sides of China National Highway 108,rural road (from East station to Liangfengya in Foping County), and abandoned road (above the Qinling tunnel of China National Highway 108). The distribution, migration patterns, as well as migration strategy and related factors of four kinds of ungulate(Budorcas taxicolor, Naemorhedus sumatraensis, Muntiacus reevesi,Sus scrofa)was investigated and studied, the results showed as follows.The distribution of four ungulates (Takin, serow, small deer, wild boar) on both sides of three different grades road. Occurrence frequency of four ungulates was effected by road grade and distance from the road, but not effected by different seasons. Four ungulates occurrence frequency were significant between National Highway 108 and Rural Road (x2=16.794, df=3, P<0.05), National Highway 108 and abandoned road (x2=12.111, df=3, P<0.05), and rural road and abandoned road (x2=20.819, df=3, P<0.05). Between the experimental area(0-500m) and the control area(500-1000m) along National Highway 108,rural road and abandoned road, occurrence frequency of four ungulates were very significant between both sides of National Highway 108 (x2=10.315, df=3, P<0.05),but not significant between both sides of rural road (x2=4.23%, df=3, P>0.05) and abandoned road (x2=1.411, df=3, P>0.05. For occurrence frequency of four ungulates,there were no significant differences between winter and summer, whether on both sides of the national highway 108(x2=5.039, df=3, P>0.05), rural Road(x2=16.915, df=3, P<0.05) or abandoned road (x2=0.059, df=3,P> 0.05).Selection and use of roadside enviroment of ungulates related with many factors, such as the elevation, vegetation type, canopy density, coverage, distance from the water, food abundance, substrate feature, interference intensity and so on.The area from the human settlement within 1km were hardly used by four ungulates, indicating ungulates migration were largely disturbed by human activities, and their preference on vegetation, topography, food and interference exhibited very different, which partly showed that for four ungulates niche overlap and niche differentiation was exsited during the migration.Migration patterns and characteristics of four ungulates varied. When migrating on the road without animal-channel (including National Highway 108, rural Road and abandoned road),four ungulates only crossed the road, and the frequency of crossing the above three diferrent roads was significantly different (x2=21.303, df=11, P<0.05).The proportion of crossing these roads from high to low was bandoned road, rural road and National Highway 108, respectively. When migrating on the above three roads with animal-channel, crossing the road and animal-channel were both selected by four ungulates,and the frequency between crossing the road and animal channel was significant (x2=86.801, df=3, P<0.05), However, during the migration,it was showed that takin and serow gave priority to the use of animal-channel, but small deer and wild boar preferred to cross the road.Preference on substrate feature is an important ecological factor in habitat selection of ungulates. It was showed that four ungulates gave priority to different substrate feature on animal-channel, which related with their activity habits and preference on substrate feature.The use ratio of animal-channel between stone substrate and soil substrate was significantly different (x2=25.888, df=3, P<0.05). For migration, takin and serow tended to choose stone-based animal channel, small deer preferred to choose soil-based animal channel, but wild boar had no obvious selectivity on substrate feature of animal channels.The use ratio of animal channel related to channel opening index and the channel height. The use ratio of animal channel and channel opening index was positively related(correlation coefficient was 0.7905, and the use ratio of animal channel and the channel height was positively correlated(correlation coefficient was 0.8050,Nevertheless, the use ratio of animal channe had no correlation with the channel width.