Use of an artificial water source by wild camels in the Gansu Annanba Wild Camel National Nature Reserve

doi:10.16829/j.slxb.150663

Abstract

Abstract:

Artificial water sources are an important conservation tool for endangered species living in desert landscapes because they increase water availability and survival likelihood. To determine the degree to which artificial water sources are used by wild animals, video surveillance data collected from August 2020 to August 2021 of an artificial water source in the Gansu Annanba Wild Camel National Nature Reserve were analyzed. During the monitoring period, a total of 533 video records were obtained, including 299 independent records. Our results showed that a variety of wild animals used the artificial water source, including 7 mammalian species and 7 avian species. Wild camel (Camelus ferus), the main target of species protection in the reserve, had the highest number of records (205), accounting for 67% of total independent records. The average time wild camels spent at the artificial water source was (15.66 ± 15.35) min and the average number of camels present was 6.82 ± 7.01. Time spent at the artificial water source by wild camels was significantly correlated with the number of camels present (P < 0.001), and the number of wild camels was significantly different among seasons (P < 0.005). The use of the artificial water source was the highest in summer and the lowest in spring. Daily activity patterns revealed a unimodal pattern, with the highest peak of activity occurring at 12: 00. This study revealed that artificial water sources are used by animals of conservation concern, such as wild camels. These results provide a useful reference for further revealing the behavior and ecological habits of wild camels and for promoting the conservation and management of imperiled wildlife by artificial measures.

Key words: Artificial water source, Wild camel, Activity pattern, Video surveillance

摘要：

人工水源点是荒漠地区野生动物补充水分的途径之一，对于荒漠地区珍稀濒危物种保护具有重要意义。为揭示人工水源点的野生动物利用特征，本研究分析了2020年8月至2021年8月甘肃安南坝野骆驼国家级自然保护区一处人工水源点的视频监测数据。监测期间共获得533条视频记录，其中独立记录299条，分析表明：(1) 多种野生动物利用人工水源点，共记录兽类7种，鸟类7种；(2) 保护区的主要保护对象野骆驼 (Camelus ferus) 共有205条记录，占独立总记录数67%。野骆驼在人工水源点的平均群体大小为6.82 ± 7.01，平均停留时长为(15.66 ± 15.35) min，在人工水源点停留时长与群体大小有显著的相关性 (P < 0.001)，而群体大小则受季节性影响 (P < 0.005)；(3) 野骆驼对人工水源点的利用夏季强度最高，春季最低，利用人工水源点的日活动节律呈明显的单峰型，活动的最高峰出现在12: 00。研究表明人工水源点能够被野骆驼等野生动物充分利用，研究结果可为进一步揭示野骆驼行为生态习性以及促进人工措施对野生动物保育管理提供有益参考。

关键词: 人工水源, 野骆驼, 活动规律, 视频监控

CLC Number:

Q958.12

Yongxiang ZHOU, Jianquan LIU, Duoliang ZHOU, Hao WU, Xiaomei YANG, Tianhui WANG, Yadong XUE. Use of an artificial water source by wild camels in the Gansu Annanba Wild Camel National Nature Reserve[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2022, 42(6): 634-640.

周永祥, 刘建泉, 周多良, 吴昊, 杨晓梅, 王天晖, 薛亚东. 甘肃安南坝野骆驼国家级自然保护区野骆驼利用人工水源点特征分析[J]. 兽类学报, 2022, 42(6): 634-640.

Figures/Tables 7

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物种Species		国家重点保护野生动物级别 Protection status	独立视频数 Independent videos
兽类 Mammal	野骆驼Camelus ferus	一级	205
	鹅喉羚Gazella subgutturosa	二级	47
	猞猁Lynx lynx	二级	7
	雪豹Panthera uncia	一级	1
	狼Canis lupus	二级	3
	赤狐Vulpes vulpes	二级	5
	蒙古兔Lepus tolai	—	2
鸟类 Bird	金雕Aquila chrysaetos	一级	1
	秃鹫Aegypius monachus	一级	3
	棕尾鵟Buteo rufinus	二级	1
	游隼Falco peregrinus	二级	2
	猎隼Falco cherrug	一级	2
	赤麻鸭Tadorna ferruginea	—	4
	绿头鸭Anas platyrhynchos	—	2

物种Species		国家重点保护野生动物级别 Protection status	独立视频数 Independent videos
兽类 Mammal	野骆驼Camelus ferus	一级	205
	鹅喉羚Gazella subgutturosa	二级	47
	猞猁Lynx lynx	二级	7
	雪豹Panthera uncia	一级	1
	狼Canis lupus	二级	3
	赤狐Vulpes vulpes	二级	5
	蒙古兔Lepus tolai	—	2
鸟类 Bird	金雕Aquila chrysaetos	一级	1
	秃鹫Aegypius monachus	一级	3
	棕尾鵟Buteo rufinus	二级	1
	游隼Falco peregrinus	二级	2
	猎隼Falco cherrug	一级	2
	赤麻鸭Tadorna ferruginea	—	4
	绿头鸭Anas platyrhynchos	—	2

月份Month	视频数No.of videos	出现天数 No.of occurrence days	平均停留时间 Mean residence time （min）	最长停留时间 Maximum residence time （min）	最短停留时间 Minimun residence time （min）	群体大小平均值Mean population size	最大群 Maximum population size	最小群 Minimun population size
1	1	1	10.00	—	—	12.00	—	—
2	9	9	19.00 ± 6.63	30	8	4.33 ± 3.77	11	1
3	11	8	15.00 ± 9.15	34	4	4.64 ± 5.25	13	1
4	4	4	11.75 ± 2.22	15	10	2.25 ± 2.50	6	1
5	8	4	22.38 ± 15.12	50	10	2.50 ± 1.93	6	1
6	14	9	14.14 ± 4.83	20	5	4.71 ± 3.38	9	1
7	28	18	13.18 ± 6.85	34	4	6.96 ± 10.06	37	1
8	61	26	16.23 ± 24.27	190	2	7.00 ± 6.07	25	1
9	27	21	17.85 ± 10.34	42	4	9.30 ± 5.78	22	1
10	15	12	10.40 ± 6.23	24	1	5.33 ± 6.14	20	1
11	20	14	15.20 ± 12.61	43	4	9.80 ± 9.40	28	1
12	7	7	19.86 ± 9.62	30	7	7.43 ± 10.19	29	1

月份Month	视频数No.of videos	出现天数 No.of occurrence days	平均停留时间 Mean residence time （min）	最长停留时间 Maximum residence time （min）	最短停留时间 Minimun residence time （min）	群体大小平均值Mean population size	最大群 Maximum population size	最小群 Minimun population size
1	1	1	10.00	—	—	12.00	—	—
2	9	9	19.00 ± 6.63	30	8	4.33 ± 3.77	11	1
3	11	8	15.00 ± 9.15	34	4	4.64 ± 5.25	13	1
4	4	4	11.75 ± 2.22	15	10	2.25 ± 2.50	6	1
5	8	4	22.38 ± 15.12	50	10	2.50 ± 1.93	6	1
6	14	9	14.14 ± 4.83	20	5	4.71 ± 3.38	9	1
7	28	18	13.18 ± 6.85	34	4	6.96 ± 10.06	37	1
8	61	26	16.23 ± 24.27	190	2	7.00 ± 6.07	25	1
9	27	21	17.85 ± 10.34	42	4	9.30 ± 5.78	22	1
10	15	12	10.40 ± 6.23	24	1	5.33 ± 6.14	20	1
11	20	14	15.20 ± 12.61	43	4	9.80 ± 9.40	28	1
12	7	7	19.86 ± 9.62	30	7	7.43 ± 10.19	29	1

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