We report on the first study to track the spatial behaviors of wild giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)using high-resolution global positioning system(GPS)telemetry.Between 2008 and 2009,4 pandas(2 male and 2 fe-male...We report on the first study to track the spatial behaviors of wild giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)using high-resolution global positioning system(GPS)telemetry.Between 2008 and 2009,4 pandas(2 male and 2 fe-male)were tracked in Foping Reserve,China for an average of 305 days(±54.8 SE).Panda home ranges were larger than those of previous very high frequency tracking studies,with a bimodal distribution of space-use and distinct winter and summer centers of activity.Home range sizes were larger in winter than in summer,although there was considerable individual variability.All tracked pandas exhibited individualistic,unoriented and multi-phasic movement paths,with a high level of tortuosity within seasonal core habitats and directed,linear,large-scale movements between habitats.Pandas moved from low elevation winter habitats to high elevation(>2000 m)summer habitats in May,when temperatures averaged 17.5°C(±0.3 SE),and these large-scale movements took<1 month to complete.The peak in panda mean elevation occurred in Jul,after which they began slow,large-scale movements back to winter habitats that were completed in Nov.An adult female panda made 2 long-distance movements during the mating season.Pandas remain close to rivers and streams during winter,possi-bly reflecting the elevated water requirements to digest their high-fiber food.Panda movement path tortuosity and first-passage-time as a function of spatial scale indicated a mean peak in habitat search effort and patch use of approximately 700 m.Despite a high degree of spatial overlap between panda home ranges,particularly in winter,we detected neither avoidance nor attraction behavior between conspecifics.展开更多
The composition of animal species and interactions among them are widely known to shape ecological communities and fine-scale(e.g.,<1 km)monitoring of animal communities is essential for understanding the relations...The composition of animal species and interactions among them are widely known to shape ecological communities and fine-scale(e.g.,<1 km)monitoring of animal communities is essential for understanding the relationships among animals and plants.Although the co-existence of large-and medium-sized species has been studied across different scales,research on fine-scale interactions of herbivores in deciduous broadleaf forests is limited.Camera trapping of large-and medium-sized mammals was carried out over a 1 year period within a 25 ha deciduous broadleaf forest dynamics plot in the Qinling Mountains,China.Fourteen species of large-and medium-sized mammals,including six carnivores,six ungulates,one primate and one rodent species were found.Kernel density estimations were used to analyse the diel or 24 h activity patterns of all species with more than 40 independent detections and general linear models were developed to explore the spatial relationships among the species.The combination of overlapping diel activity patterns and spatial associations showed obvious niche separation among six species:giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca David),takin(Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson),Reeves’s muntjac(Muntiacus reevesi Ogilby),tufted deer(Elaphodus cephalophus Milne-Edwards),Chinese serow(Capricornis milneedwardsii David)and wild boar(Sus scrofa Linnaeus).Long-term fine-scale monitoring is useful for providing information about the co-existence of species and their interactions.The results demonstrate the importance for fine-scale monitoring of animals and plants for improving understanding of species interactions and community dynamics.展开更多
基金This work was funded by the Na-tional Natural Science Foundation of China(31230011,30970382)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KSCX2-EW-Z-4)the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy.
文摘We report on the first study to track the spatial behaviors of wild giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)using high-resolution global positioning system(GPS)telemetry.Between 2008 and 2009,4 pandas(2 male and 2 fe-male)were tracked in Foping Reserve,China for an average of 305 days(±54.8 SE).Panda home ranges were larger than those of previous very high frequency tracking studies,with a bimodal distribution of space-use and distinct winter and summer centers of activity.Home range sizes were larger in winter than in summer,although there was considerable individual variability.All tracked pandas exhibited individualistic,unoriented and multi-phasic movement paths,with a high level of tortuosity within seasonal core habitats and directed,linear,large-scale movements between habitats.Pandas moved from low elevation winter habitats to high elevation(>2000 m)summer habitats in May,when temperatures averaged 17.5°C(±0.3 SE),and these large-scale movements took<1 month to complete.The peak in panda mean elevation occurred in Jul,after which they began slow,large-scale movements back to winter habitats that were completed in Nov.An adult female panda made 2 long-distance movements during the mating season.Pandas remain close to rivers and streams during winter,possi-bly reflecting the elevated water requirements to digest their high-fiber food.Panda movement path tortuosity and first-passage-time as a function of spatial scale indicated a mean peak in habitat search effort and patch use of approximately 700 m.Despite a high degree of spatial overlap between panda home ranges,particularly in winter,we detected neither avoidance nor attraction behavior between conspecifics.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China project(No 41671183).
文摘The composition of animal species and interactions among them are widely known to shape ecological communities and fine-scale(e.g.,<1 km)monitoring of animal communities is essential for understanding the relationships among animals and plants.Although the co-existence of large-and medium-sized species has been studied across different scales,research on fine-scale interactions of herbivores in deciduous broadleaf forests is limited.Camera trapping of large-and medium-sized mammals was carried out over a 1 year period within a 25 ha deciduous broadleaf forest dynamics plot in the Qinling Mountains,China.Fourteen species of large-and medium-sized mammals,including six carnivores,six ungulates,one primate and one rodent species were found.Kernel density estimations were used to analyse the diel or 24 h activity patterns of all species with more than 40 independent detections and general linear models were developed to explore the spatial relationships among the species.The combination of overlapping diel activity patterns and spatial associations showed obvious niche separation among six species:giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca David),takin(Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson),Reeves’s muntjac(Muntiacus reevesi Ogilby),tufted deer(Elaphodus cephalophus Milne-Edwards),Chinese serow(Capricornis milneedwardsii David)and wild boar(Sus scrofa Linnaeus).Long-term fine-scale monitoring is useful for providing information about the co-existence of species and their interactions.The results demonstrate the importance for fine-scale monitoring of animals and plants for improving understanding of species interactions and community dynamics.
