Effects Of Spatial Heterogeneity Of Food Nutrition On Seasonal Habitat Selection Of Roe Deer(Capreolus Pygargus)

Roe deer(Capreolus pygargus)is a common ungulate wild animal which is cnsidered as one of the main prey of Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica)and Amur leopard(Panthera Pardus Orientali)in Northeast China.It is very important for monitoring and management of population dynamics to carry out research on the feeding nutrition strategy and spatial distribution of food nutrition of roe deer,which can provide a basis for habitat selection and suitability evaluation of roe deer,and has guiding significance for the protection and recovery of Amur tiger and Amur leopard populations.In order to study the effects of spatial heterogeneity of food nutrition on the seasonal habitat selection of roe deer,field investigation and sample collection were conducted in the Hunchun Amur Tiger National Nature Reserve from November 2020 to May 2021.The differences between the composition of feeding plants and food nutrient intake of roe deer in winter and spring in the study area were compared and analyzed,and combined with the effects of seasonal spatial distribution of food nutrition on population distribution of roe deer,the driving effect of spatial distribution of food nutrition on seasonal habitat selection dynamics of roe deer was explored.The main research results are as follows:1.During the field investigation,a total of 38 faecal samples of roe deer were collected,with 26 and 12 samples collected in winter and spring respectively.A total of 953 plant samples were collected,with 542 in winter and 411 in spring.The results of feeding behavior analysis show that there are differences in the food availability and food types of roe deer in winter and spring,17 species of roe deer feeding plants in winter,including Carya spp.,Quercus spp.,and Betula spp.,and 33 species in spring,including Pinus spp.,Salix spp.,Acer spp..There are 15 kinds of common food in winter and spring.The availability of food in the environment is not the main factor determining the proportion of roe deer’s food composition.2.The contents of fat,total structural carbohydrates(TSC),total non-structural carbohydrates(TNC),total energy(GE),Na,P and Ca from plants of roe deer in winter were significantly higher than those in spring(p < 0.05).By comparing the roe deer feeding in winter and spring environment plant nutrition and feeding plants after normalization can supply nutrition and roe deer nutrients found in protein,fat,TSC,TNC,GE and Ca content changes are consistent,the roe deer feeding in winter and spring in the environment that the supply of plant nutrients have a certain influence on the nutrition intake.3.The results of habitat selection characteristics of roe deer at different scales in winter and spring obtained by GAM model are as follows: At both the family-scale and the microhabitatscale,it is found that roe deer are selective to different plants and forest types due to the difference in scale and season.In winter,roe deer prefer the areas near rivers,and in spring,they prefer deciduous forests and avoid Coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest.Roe deer prefer areas with high fat content in winter,and areas with high protein,Na and Ca content and low TNC and total energy content in spring.4.The GAM model was used to predict the number of main feeding plants and nutrient contents of roe deer at different scales in the study area in winter and spring.The Arcgis10.7was used to spatially analyze the prediction results,and it was found that the number of plant species and edible plant nutrition related to the occurrence frequency of roe deer at both scales are different in different areas.At the home-scale,compared with the number and nutrition of edible roe deer in winter,the relatively large number of plants included Acer spp.≥ 0.5m,Corylus spp.≥0.5m,Carex spp.and Corylus spp.<0.5m,while the number of Pinus spp.≥0.5m,Acer spp.<0.5m,Lonicera spp.<0.5m and Quercus spp.<0.5m were relatively low in spring.The contents of protein,fat,TSC,GE,Na and P are relatively high,while the contents of TNC and Ca are relatively low in spring.At the microhabitat-scale,compared with the number and nutrition of edible roe deer in winter,the relatively large number of plants included Salix spp.≥0.5m,Tilia spp.≥0.5m,Betula spp.≥0.5m and Corylus spp.<0.5m,while the number of Quercus spp.≥0.5m were relatively low in spring.The contents of protein,fat,TSC,GE and P are relatively high,while the contents of TNC,Na and Ca are relatively low in spring.5.At the family-scale and the microhabitat-scale,the occurrence frequency of roe deer predicted by the number and nutrition of edible plants in spring accounted for a higher proportion(The prediction results of food quantity were 59% at home-scale and 68% at microhabitat-scale.The prediction results of food nutrition were 82% at home-scale and 36% at microhabitat-scale)than that in winter(The prediction results of food quantity were 22% at home-scale and 30% at microhabitat-scale.The prediction results of food nutrition were 37% at home-scale and 12% at microhabitat-scale)in the study area.There are differences in the occurrence frequency of roe deer in different areas in winter and spring,in addition,the frequency of roe deer in winter is lower than that in spring,which accounts for a larger proportion(The prediction results of food quantity were 65% at home-scale and 75% at microhabitat-scale.The prediction results of food nutrition were 61% at home-scale and 51% at microhabitat-scale).These results indicate that seasons affect the spatial distribution of edible plant quantity and nutrition of roe deer,and thus affect the spatial distribution of the population of roe deer.In conclusion,the results of this study reveal the potential relationship between the number and nutrition of feeding plants and the spatial distribution of roe deer at different scales in winter and spring,which is of great significance to the monitoring of roe deer population dynamics,habitat protection and management.It provides important scientific value for further research on the protection,restoration and management of large herbivores and even large carnivores.