| It is significance for species conservation and habitat management that understanding the relationship between wildlife behavioral rhythm and influencing factors.In recent years,studies on the daily activity rhythm based on infrared camera trap technology and the potential distribution area based on species distribution model for pheasants have been becoming one hot spot of ornithological researches,increasingly.Silver Pheasant(Lophura nythemera)belongs the national second-class key protected wildlife,as a rare pheasant that was reported many times in ornithological researches.This paper intended to compare the variation of daily activity rhythm into which behavioral plasticity and influencing factors were probed between different geographical populations of Silver Pheasant,which was hoped to provide scientific basis for the protection and management of the specie.Therefore,patterns of daily activity rhythm and time selection of Silver Pheasant were constructed by Kernel Density Estimation and Jacobs Selection Index on infrared camera monitoring dates accumulated from Dupangling National Reserve(Dupangling Reserve for short)and Daweishan Provincial Reserve(Daweishan Reserve for short)among the whole year,warm season(April-September),and cold season(October-March).Furthermore,degree of behavioral rhythm overlap and differentiation were compared using Activity Overlap Coefficient and Pearson Correlation Coefficient,respectively.In addition,potential distribution areas and affecting factors were predicted by MaxEnt model based on distribution sites information of Silver Pheasant in Hunan Province.The main results and conclusions were summarized as follows:(1)Daily activity rhythm and Daily activity behavior selection:In Dupangling Reserve,the daily activity rhythm pattern was unimodal in the whole year and cold season(October-March),and was bimodal in warm season(April-September)for Silver Pheasant that selected the noon(11:30-14:30)as the highest activity time in cold season,and selected the morning(1h after sunrise-11:30)as the highest in warm season,and did not selected at all for sunset(1h before and after sunset).In Daweishan Reserve,the daily activity rhythm pattern was continuous multi-peak in the whole year,and was unimodal activity mode in cold and warm seasons for Silver Pheasant that selected the noon(14:30-1h before sunset)as the highest activity time in cold season and the morning(1h after sunrise-11:30)in warm season,meanwhile,selected the sunset(1h before and after sunset)positively.The results showed that there were great differences in daily activity patterns and behavioral temporal selection of different geographical populations of Silver Pheasant,which indicated that there was a certain degree of behavioral rhythm plasticity in this species,and which might be related to temperature,human disturbance,sympatric competitors,and predator pressure.(2)Activity frequency,degree of overlap and differentiation of activity time:The average values of activity frequency of Silver Pheasant were the highest in warm season and the lowest in cold season between Dupangling Reserve and Daweishan Reserve.It might be suggested that Silver Pheasant increased feeding frequency and courtship activities due to reproductive physiology needs during the warm season.The overlap degree of activity time was high in warm season(Dhat=0.92),and was lower in cold season(Dhat=0.83)between two geographical population of Silver Pheasant which maintained relatively consistent daily activity rhythm time selection in warm season.However,a higher degree of monthly activity temporal differentiation became in warm season(Cor=-0.92)between these populations.The results showed that the two geographical populations had higher activity frequency,degree of overlap and differentiation in warm season.(3)Model accuracy and threshold division of MaxEnt:The AUC value of MaxEnt model simulation accuracy was 0.966,so models fitting had higher confidence.MTSS(Maximum training sensitivity plus specificity)and BTPT(Balance training Omission,predicted area and threshold)were used to divided the threshold value of distribution area of Silver Pheasant,which accorded with the simulation results in this prediction getting the values of MTSS and BTPT at 0.082 and 0.015,respectively.(4)Ecological factors affecting the distribution of Silver Pheasant:The model simulation results showed that the driest season precipitation(Bio16),the average daily temperature difference(Bio2),the warmest season average temperature(Bio10),and the wettest season precipitation(Bio17)were the main factors affecting the distribution of Silver Pheasant in Hunan Province.When the driest season precipitation,the average daily temperature difference,the average temperature of the warmest season,and the wettest season precipitation,respectively,accept the following values:5.83-9.18℃,18.62-28.63℃,85-225mm,and 25.4-32.2℃,will contribute to the distribution gain of Silver Pheasant.(5)Potential distribution of Silver Pheasant in Hunan Province:According to the prediction results of model simulation,the potential distribution area of Silver Pheasant was 47,200 km2 in Hunan Province.Among them,the core distribution area was 16,700 km2,accounting for about 7.9%of Hunan Province’ area;the sub-distribution area was 30,500 km2,accounting for about 14.5%of Hunan Province area.The distribution pattern of Silver Pheasant shew a decreasing tendency from southeast to northwest in which became distributing continuously and intermittently in Hunan Province.By the regional division,Silver Pheasant mainly distributed in southern Hunan,eastern Hunan and southwestern Hunan,and sporadically distributed in central Hunan and northwestern Hunan.By the administrative division,Silver Pheasant mainly distributed in Yongzhou,Chenzhou,Shaoyang,Zhuzhou,Loudi,southeast of Yueyang,east of Changsha,southwest of Huaihua,and southwest of Yiyang.Finally,some targeted conservation suggestions were offered from the aspects of population monitoring and management,habitat protection and restoration,ecological corridor construction,and reduction of human disturbance in Hunan Province. |
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