| Sichuan snub-nosed monkey is rare wild animal endemic to China.However,due to poaching and habitat destruction,the distribution and quantity of the species are declined.Located in Minshan Mountains,Laohegou Nature Reserve,which is formerly known as lumber mill,is one of the main habitats of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey.But so far,few related research on Sichuan snub-nosed monkey have been conducted in this area.Because of this,from September 2015 to August 2016,investigations on population size,distribution and habitat selection of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey were carried out in Laohegou Nature Reserve,Pingwu County,Sichuan,China,to explore the adaption of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey under different habitat conditions,and to provide reference for the protection and management of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey and its habitat.1.In order to find out the population size and distribution of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey,18 lines transects were surveyed in the study area.The results showed that there were 5 monkey groups with about 189 individuals in total in Laohegou Nature Reserve.The average size of OMU is 7.34 ± 0.78 individuals.The group size of Gangou-Yaoshangou and Heigou-Muyanggou is 77 individuals and 41 individuals,respectively,which are larger than that of other groups(<30 individuals).2.The favorite vegetation type of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey is broadleaved deciduous forest,followed by mixed broadleaf-conifer forest.The dominant species of broadleaved deciduous forest are Betula spp.,Amygdalus davidiana,Bothrocaryum controversum,Acer spp.Tilia tuan and so on,and most of them are the main food source plants for Sichuan snub-nosed monkey.The dominant species of mixed broadleaf-conifer forest are Abies fabri,Picea asperata,Pinus armandii,Betula spp.,Quercus variabilis and so on.The dominant underbrush is Fargesia.The height of Fargesia is 1.8±0.7 m,and its coverage is(46.1±24.8)%.3.According to the active trace of monkey,451 used plots(20 m320 m)were totally set up,and 11 ecological factors,such as altitude,slope,vegetation type,canopy,and so on were measured.Then we use the Vanderloeg-Scavia selective index and the method of principal component analysis to analysis these data.The results showed that:(1)In spring,the favorite habitat of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in Laohegou Nature Reserve was deciduous broad-leaved forest and mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaves forest with canopy of 25% ~ 75%,ranging from 1 801 to 2 300 m,where it was also found in semi-sunny and semi-cloudy slope with gentle slope(20°),lower slope and near the water resource(0~ 50 m)at the same time.They mainly chose the forest,characterized by 25% ~ 75% shrubs coverage,11~ 30 cm in the average diameter at breast height(DBH),5~ 15 m in average tree height,and 10~ 30 trees per 400 m2 in arbor density.(2)In summer,the favorite habitat of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in Laohegou Nature Reserve was deciduous broad-leaved forest and mixed broadleaf-conifer forest with canopy of 25% ~ 75%,ranging from 2 301 to 2 800 m,where it was also found in semi-sunny and semi-cloudy slope with gentle slope(20°),middle slope and near the water resource(more than 50 m)at the same time.They mainly chose the forest,characterized by 25% ~ 75% shrubs coverage,11~ 30 cm in the average diameter at breast height(DBH),5~ 15 m in average tree height,and 20~ 30 trees per 400 m2 in arbor density.(3)In autumn,the favorite habitat of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in Laohegou Nature Reserve was deciduous broad-leaved forest and mixed broadleaf-conifer forest with canopy of 25% ~ 75%,ranging from 1 801 to 2 800 m,where it was also found in semi-sunny and semi-cloudy slope with gentle slope(20°),middle slope and near the water resource(50~ 100 m)at the same time.They mainly chose the forest,characterized by 25% ~ 75% shrubs coverage,11~ 30 cm in the average diameter at breast height(DBH),5~ 15 m in average tree height,and 20~ 40 trees per 400 m2 in arbor density.(4)In winter,the favorite habitat of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in Laohegou Nature Reserve was broad-leaved forest with canopy of 25% ~ 75%,ranging from 1 801 to 2 300 m,where it was also found in sunny slope and semi-sunny slope with gentle slope(20°),lower slope and near the water resource(0~ 50 m)at the same time.They mainly chose the forest,characterized by 25% ~ 75% shrubs coverage,11~ 30 cm in the average diameter at breast height(DBH),5~ 15 m in average tree height,and 20~ 30 trees per 400 m2 in arbor density.3.According to the above findings,we put forward the following specific protection and management measures and suggestions:(1)To strengthen the awareness of peripheral population;(2)To replace the artificially planted larches at low altitude;(3)To strengthen the monitoring of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey in the main distribution area;(4)To control the development of tourism as far as possible,reducing the human disturbance to Sichuan snub-nosed monkey;(5)To launch some activities about protection and legal knowledge on regular time to villagers. |
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