Study On Habitat Selection By Himalayan Marmot (Marmota Himalayana) In The South Central Tibet Plateau

Due to anthropogenic disturbances brought by socioeconomic development and intensified climate change,habitat loss and fragmentation have become the greatest threats to the long-term survival of wildlife,and even key factors leading to extinction or local extinction.Studying habitat selection for a certain species helps to better understand that species.The Himalayan marmot(Marmota himalayana)is widely distributed across the Tibetan Plateau,residing at elevations between3,500 m and 5,200 m.It is a non-threatened species,characterized by its large size,ground-dwelling and burrow-dwelling habits,and hibernating behavior as a rodent,with weak dispersal ability.Ecological studies on the Himalayan marmot in China mainly focus on Gansu Province and Sichuan Province,with less research in the Tibet Autonomous Region.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct some fundamental research on the Himalayan marmot in the Tibet Autonomous Region,which is also crucial for their protection and monitoring of plague,providing a theoretical basis for plague prevention,monitoring,and policy formulation.This article,through literature review and field investigation,randomly selected 17 environmental factors for data collection during field surveys from September to October 2021 and July to August 2022,the 17 factors were altitude,longitude,latitude,slope,herb coverage,shrub coverage,herb height,shrub height,distance from water source,distance from disturbance,distance from highway,habitat type,human disturbance type,concealed level,dominant shrub,dominant herb and slope direction,and used R language 4.2.1 and Maxent 3.4.4 for data analysis.The main results are as follows:1.The number of Himalayan marmot burrows has a highly significant positive correlation with herbaceous coverage and slope(P<0.001),and a significant negative correlation with distance from human disturbance and distance from water sources(P<0.05).2.There is a significant difference in elevation between the utilized plots and control plots of the Himalayan marmot(P=0.0055);and significant differences in slope,herbaceous coverage,shrub coverage,and shrub height(P<0.001).3.Principal component analysis results show that concealment level,habitat type,and shrub coverage are the main factors affecting the habitat selection of the Himalayan marmot;herbaceous coverage,distance from roads,slope aspect,and slope are the secondary factors;elevation and herbaceous height are other factors.4.Curve-fitting regression analysis results show that as the number of Himalayan marmot burrows increases,elevation has an upward trend followed by a downward trend,and is relatively obvious(P<0.05);shrub height has an upward trend followed by a downward trend,and is relatively significant(P<0.1).5.The best-fitting Poisson regression model for the number of Himalayan marmot burrows is: log(y(number of Himalayan marmot burrows))=-45.476-5.690 shrub coverage + 10.175 herbaceous coverage-2.5402 slope aspect+ 0.061 shrub height + 0.232 herbaceous height-0.002 distance from water source + 0.0111 elevation.6.Analysis of Vanderloeg selection coefficients and Scavia selection indices results: In concealment level: Himalayan marmots choose areas with high concealment levels and avoid areas with low concealment levels;in vegetation type: Himalayan marmots choose areas with Rosa mairei,Rhododendron aganniphum,Potentilla parvifolia,Salix cupularis,and avoid areas with no shrubs,Potentilla fruticose;Caragana spinifera;in habitat type,Himalayan marmots choose areas with shrubbery and avoid swampy wetlands;in slope: Himalayan marmots choose gentle slopes,inclined slopes,and steep slopes,avoiding flat slopes.7.Maxent model construction results: The current suitable habitat for the Himalayan marmot in Tibet is distributed in the central and southern parts of Tibet and eastern Tibet.In addition,the coldest season precipitation,warmest season precipitation,annual average precipitation,driest season precipitation,temperature seasonality,annual average temperature difference,and seasonal precipitation variation have a significant impact on the habitat selection of the Himalayan marmot.Research conclusion: The Himalayan marmot’s habitat selection includes the slope is 15-30,sunny slopes,areas with high concealment level,shrub-covered areas,and vegetation types such as Rosa mairei,Rhododendron aganniphum,Dasiphora parvifolia,and Salix takasagoalpina.The habitat type is dominated by shrublands.The warmest season precipitation and annual precipitation are important climatic factors affecting the habitat selection of the Himalayan marmot.Food abundance,concealment level,and terrain are the main factors affecting the habitat selection of the Himalayan marmot.