1. Birth-site habitat selection of wild alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) in the northeastern qing-tibetan plateau of China.
- Author
-
Shen, Liquan, Gao, Haoxiang, Wu, Jiayi, Wang, Gong, Liu, Rui, Qi, Jun, Zhang, Xueyan, Zhang, Aiping, Chen, Lei, Zhang, Yizhen, Wang, Chunling, Qi, Dongming, Wang, Yanqun, and Meng, Xiuxiang
- Subjects
HABITAT selection ,HABITATS ,DEER ,PLATEAUS ,NATIONAL parks & reserves ,NATURE reserves ,WATER supply - Abstract
Suitable birth-site habitat is a crucial factor affecting the survival of offspring. The alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) is an endangered ungulate, native to the Qing-Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. In order to determine the birth-site habitat selection of alpine musk deer, we measured and compared 16 ecological variables recorded through transect survey in Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve from July to August, 2021. The results showed that alpine musk deer preferred habitat with higher elevation (2619.67 m ± 22.28 m), steeper slope (35.06°±1.72°), higher arbor canopy (37.67%±6.50%), shrub canopy (55.00%±2.02%), ground-plant cover (83.19%±3.71%), and number of fallen trees (0.18 ± 0.08 /plot). The ecological variables affecting birth-site habitat selection were ranked according to contribution values as follows: shrub canopy, ground-plant cover, number of fallen trees and slope, which was supported by 79.9% correct discrimination rate. Furthermore, alpine musk deer preferred habitat with good concealment (60.61%), minor human activity interference (63.64%) and closer distance to the nearest water source (87.88%). The birth-site habitat selection of alpine musk deer is a comprehensive trade-off of their ecological needs, including security, food availability and water resource. Therefore, reducing the human activities interference and protecting forest edges in altitude of birth-site habitat are conductive to improve the habitat suitability of alpine musk deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF