Factors affecting habitat utilization by sympatric Niviventer confucianus and Apodemus draco in Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, China: the effects of food availability and predation risks.

Studies on habitat requirements are essential for efficient management actions. However, detailed information is still scarce for Niviventer confucianus and Apodemus draco in the Hengduan Mountains on their habitat requirements. Data on habitats utilized by sympatric N. confucianus and A. draco were collected using transect line sampling from April to December 2008 in Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, China. The results indicated that both mammals exhibited an obvious habitat preference across seasons. In spring, N. confucianus preferred habitats at lower elevations, with thicker leaf litter, lower bamboo cover, shorter total length of fallen logs and higher tree diversity, and A. draco preferred habitats at lower elevations and with higher percentage of nut trees. In summer-autumn, N. confucianus frequently occurred at sites with lower elevations and thicker leaf litter, while A. draco preferred habitats with thicker leaf litter and higher percentage of nut trees. In winter, N. confucianus preferred sites with lower elevations and dead tree density, and higher canopy and percentage of nut trees. In contrast, A. draco preferred habitats with thicker leaf litter and higher shrub density. Variables closely relating to food availability and predation risks contributed more to discriminating habitat plots from control ones, implying that the two factors played an important role in shaping their process of habitat selection. In addition, both mammals exhibited a distinct habitat use pattern from each other, and some variables, such as elevation, contributed more to their habitat separation across seasons, which can potentially reduce interspecific competition and further facilitate their coexistence in sympatry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]