Temporal niche relationships among Cervus nippon kopschi and sympatric ungulates in Zhejiang Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve
GUO Rui, TONG Genping, ZHENG Nanzhong, MA Tianwu, XU Lijuan, WANG Xuchi, XU Aichun
2024, 44(4):
456-465.
DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150843
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To explore the daily activity rhythm of Cervus nippon kopschi with its sympatric ungulate, and its temporal niche differentiation, we set 51 infrared cameras in Qianqingtang region of the Zhejiang Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve and conducted monitoring from December 2014 to November 2016. We analyzed the seasonal differences and overlaps of daily activity rhythms by using the Kernel Density Estimation and Overlap index calculation. Four species of ungulates were recorded in the study area, which were the Cervus nippon kopschi, Muntiacus reevesi, Sus scrofa and Capricornis milneedwardsii. Muntiacus reevesi exhibited the highest relative abundance index (30. 43), followed by Cervus nippon kopschi (8. 83), Sus scrofa (7. 47), and Capricornis milneedwardsii (0. 02). Cervus nippon kopschi, Muntiacus reevesi and Sus scrofa tend to have more similar daily activity rhythms, with the highest activity during dawn and dusk. However, when evaluating daily activity rhythm curves,we detected significant differences among those three species. The daily activity rhythm of Cervus nippon kopschi and sympatric ungulates varied across seasons. In spring, the daily activity patterns of Cervus nippon kopschi were relatively uniform, while Muntiacus reevesi (05: 00-07: 00, 17: 00-19: 00) and Sus scrofa (11: 00-13: 00, 16: 00-18: 00) displayed two clear peaks. In summer, there were two activity peaks for Cervus nippon kopschi, Muntiacus reevesi, and Sus scrofa, with significant differences in the daily activity rhythm between the Cervus nippon kopschi and Muntiacus reevesi (△ = 0. 819 4; P<0. 001), as well as between Muntiacus reevesi and Sus scrofa (△ = 0. 821 2; P<0. 001). In autumn and winter, two activity peaks were observed for Cervus nippon kopschi, Muntiacus reevesi, and Sus scrofa, but with no significant differences. The differentiation in daily activity rhythm of Cervus nippon kopschi and sympatric ungulates might be due to the species’physiological characteristics, diets, and habitat changes. Our study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the coexistence mechanism of sympatric ungulates.