关键词: 相机陷阱, 阿尔金山, 水源, 野生动物

Abstract: To examine the diversity and abundance of wildlife at water sources on the northern slope of the Altun Mountains,camera-trapping was conducted at seven sites from 2010 to 2012. A total of 26 species were captured in the survey. There were 11 species of mammal including Camelus ferus,Equus kiang,Uncia uncia,Lynx lynx,and 15 species of birds including Gypaetus barbatus,Aquila chrysaetos,and Gyps himalayensis in the photos. Wild camel (Camelus ferus) was the only species captured at all observation sites and was present in almost 66% of the photographs. This suggests that wild camel is the dominant species of herbivore at water source areas. Wolf (Canis lupus)and red fox (Vulpes vulpes)were the dominant species of carnivores at water sources since they were captured in 123 and 268 photographs respectively. The research suggests that camera-trapping at water sources is a practical approach for animal investigation in arid regions. Moreover,using camera-trapping data of behavior and activity could be a feasible method to study community structures and interspecies competition,or to evaluate overlap or partition of niches. Cameral-trapping at water sources will be beneficial to assess the influence of environment change and human disturbance on how wildlife use water and develop recommendations on how water sources in arid area could be managed and conserved.

Key words: Altun Mountains, Camera traps, Water source, Wildlife