中国麋鹿种群重建35年: 历程、成就与挑战

迁地保护是《生物多样性公约》的重要内容, 是“爱知生物多样性目标”的目标之一, 也是《中国生物多样性保护战略与行动计划》(2011‒2030)的战略任务和优先行动。麋鹿(Elaphurus davidianus)是国家I级重点保护野生动物。中国麋鹿经历了本土野外灭绝、圈养种群引至国外、国外圈养种群重引入国内、种群复壮、迁地保护、放归野外, 最终建立野生种群的历程。北京麋鹿苑自1985年重引入38只后, 于1991年就已恢复到60‒80只的麋鹿基础种群。种群扩大后, 逐年向外输出, 35年来共计输出546只, 苑内数量维持在150只左右。江苏大丰1986年引入麋鹿39只, 于1990年达到78只的基础种群, 2019年底种群数量发展至5,016只, 是建群时的129倍。大丰自1995年开始向外输出麋鹿, 至2020年底共计输出164只。麋鹿分布点从重引入时的2个发展至2020年的81个, 已几乎全面覆盖麋鹿灭绝前原有的栖息地。其中野生种群分布在6处, 数量总计达2,855只。中国麋鹿野生种群的重建是野生动物迁地保护和回归自然的典范, 为全球野外灭绝野生动物种的保护贡献了中国智慧。然而, 当前麋鹿保护也遇到诸多挑战: (1)尚没有国家层级的麋鹿保护整体规划, 缺乏统一的监测平台与规范; (2)麋鹿遗传多样性匮乏, 种群抗风险能力差; (3)野生种群分布不广, 且数量较小, 不利于野生种群的稳定性; (4)麋鹿种群与环境承载力的矛盾凸显, 不利于麋鹿种群的健康发展; (5)麋鹿保护缺乏国际交流机制, 不利于麋鹿相关研究的国际交流。因此, 麋鹿的保护和研究仍任重道远, 今后需加强各地麋鹿种群生态监测, 建立麋鹿共享数据库; 采用技术手段增加遗传多样性, 建立麋鹿种质资源库; 建立更多野生种群, 以增加麋鹿野生种群的稳定性, 使这一野外灭绝物种能够真正实现自然回归。     

重引入对麋鹿种群分娩定时及同步化的影响

种群持续繁殖是重引入物种对原灭绝地气候成功恢复适应的重要标志,研究重引入前后种群的繁殖波动规律,可为重引入管理者提供精准的繁殖预测信息和科学依据。本文整理北京重引入麋鹿种群后的1987年、1997年、2007年和2017年的总分娩数据,以每年最早分娩日作参照基准,统计个体分娩距此的天数,计算同步化率,并用ANOVA分析气温、降水、空气湿度、光照等变量对麋鹿分娩定时格局的影响。结果表明：(1) 引入后麋鹿种群年分娩节律呈“钟摆样”前后摆动,后逐渐回调,并最终处于相对稳定状态：时隔85年 (从灭绝至重引入) 后,北京麋鹿种群首次分娩时间较乌邦寺种群推迟35 ~ 42 d;重引入定植阶段：分娩节律逐年提前;种群扩繁阶段：分娩节律逐年向后推迟;种群复壮阶段：分娩节律又逐年微回调并最终处于稳定状态。(2) 北京麋鹿种群分娩有较强光周期定时和同步化：在重引入的第一年,分娩同步化率达到0 ~ 25%、25% ~ 50%、50% ~ 75%,分别用时18 d、14 d、5 d;重引入定植阶段分别用时41 d、19 d、11 d;种群扩繁阶段分别用时45 d、10 d、9 d;种群复壮阶段分别用时34 d、20 d和11 d。(3) 累积光照和积温,对北京麋鹿种群正常分娩启动影响差异极显著,对同步化分娩没有影响：妊娠期积温达到 (2748.34 ± 157.69)℃,累计光照达到 (3684.77 ± 514.26) h可启动正常分娩。(4) 北京麋鹿种群的分娩峰期与地上生物量峰期相关;从分娩时间来看,北京麋鹿种群已经恢复了对原灭绝地气候的适应。(5) 随时间增长,北京麋鹿种群非同步化分娩的个体数量逐年增加,分娩期总跨度并未延长。1997年以来,平均每年有30%左右的非同步化分娩现象。因此,基于分娩数据分析表明,麋鹿引入北京37年后,种群已经恢复对原灭绝地环境的重适应。     

中国麋鹿种群密度制约现象与发展策略

1985年我国从英国引入在我国已灭绝的麋鹿,分别建立了北京和大丰两个麋鹿种群。14年来,这两个麋鹿种群经历了风土驯化和种群增长两个阶段。1997年底,中国麋鹿数量达671只。麋鹿种群的性比已经基本平衡,有效种群数目接近实际种群数目。北京麋鹿苑面积有限,大丰麋鹿仍生活围栏之中。于是,目前北京和大丰种群的增长都受到了种群密度的制约。对北京种群进一步的发展应加以人工调控,目前可能采取的措施有人工迁出部分个体和控制雌性生育率。大丰保护区有大面积海滩,将圈养麋鹿释放到没有围栏的海滩,实现建立自然生境中的野生麋鹿种群的中国麋鹿保护战略目标。同时,应考虑形成圈养麋鹿品系,为未来开发利用麋鹿资源开创条件。     

湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区麋鹿种群动态

为实现麋鹿回归大自然的目标,1993年和1994年,湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区(以下简称石首麋鹿保护区)分别从北京麋鹿苑引入麋鹿30头(8♂,22♀)和34头(10♂,24♀)建立了繁殖种群。自2000年6月开始,作者每月一次(7-10d)实地监测石首麋鹿保护区内、外的麋鹿种群动态。到2006年产仔季节结束后,该保护区内的麋鹿种群达522头,2006年产仔前性比为1∶1.22。用指数增长模型拟合种群增长曲线,1998年后石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群呈指数增长(Nt=84e0.226t),其瞬时增长率为0.226;1998年夏季长江暴发特大洪灾,石首麋鹿保护区内的部分麋鹿逃逸到长江南岸,形成了自然野化麋鹿种群。该自然野化种群比保护区内麋鹿种群增长快,其瞬时增长率达到0.267。湖北石首和江苏大丰两个国家级自然保护区内麋鹿种群的出生率和增长率差异显著,而两地的死亡率无显著差异。石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群年均出生率(26.8%,P=0.010)和年均增长率(21.7%,P=0.038)均显著地高于江苏大丰国家级自然保护区内麋鹿种群的年均出生率(21.6%)和年均增长率(17.0%)。由于生境退化和人为干扰,当前石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群增长已开始出现密度制约迹象,亟待采取有效措施来改善麋鹿的生存繁衍条件。     

湖南洞庭湖麋鹿种群生存力分析

种群生存力分析是通过对种群统计随机性、环境随机性、自然灾害、生境的空间结构以及各种管理措施等因素分析、估计濒危物种种群大小和灭绝风险的方法。洞庭湖麋鹿是一个完全自然野化的野生种群,受洪灾制约,面临着岛屿化和近交衰退的威胁,因此,通过种群监测和生存力分析制定科学有效的保护行动计划十分必要。本研究结果显示,目前湖南洞庭湖分布有3个麋鹿亚群,种群数量为210头左右。根据种群2006—2020年监测数据,参照种群现状、配偶体制、自然灾害、环境容纳量和死亡率等种群参数,利用VORTEX模型(10.5. 5.0)对麋鹿种群100年内的数量动态进行模拟分析,结果表明：在理想状态和环境容纳量为1 000头的情形下,种群在100年间灭绝概率为0,内禀增长率r为0.0991±0.0800,周限增长率λ为1.1041±1.1900,净增长率R0为2.006 2,雌性平均世代更替时间T为7.03年,雄性平均世代更替时间T为8.65年;随着时间推移,近交系数增加8.08%,种群基因期望杂合度和观察杂合度分别下降6.57%和8.30%;敏感度分析发现,洪水灾害是影响洞庭湖麋鹿种群增长的主要因子,并导致生育率下降和...     

北京麋鹿苑麋鹿种群的微卫星多态性及遗传结构分析

麋鹿是我国Ⅰ级重点保护的濒危物种,野生种群于19世纪灭绝.北京麋鹿生态实验中心于1985年和1987年自英国乌邦寺共重引入的38只奠基个体经散放式放养后,种群的数量至今已超过了1000只(包括繁育子代外送至国内其他动物园或研究基地的数量).为了探讨该重引入种群的遗传多样性,采用25个微卫星位点对北京麋鹿苑种群及浙江临安亚种群的167只麋鹿个体进行了群体检测,获得的每个位点的平均等位基因数为2.16,平均期望杂合度为0.370,平均多态信息含量为0.301.该结果表明,北京麋鹿苑种群及浙江临安亚种群麋鹿的遗传多样性较贫乏.因此建议与我国引自英国其他种群的麋鹿种群之间进行个体交流,从而增加各种群的遗传基因杂合度,以促进我国麋鹿的可持续发展.     

湖北石首麇鹿国家级自然保护区麇鹿种群动态

为实现麇鹿回归大自然的目标,1993年和1994年,湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区（以下简称石首麋鹿保护区）分别从北京麋鹿苑引入麋鹿30头（8♂,22♀）和34头（10♂,24♀）建立了繁殖种群。自2000年6月开始,作者每月一次（7—10d）实地监测石首麇鹿保护区内、外的麋鹿种群动态。到2006年产仔季节结束后,该保护区内的麋鹿种群达522头,2006年产仔前性比为1：1．22。用指数增长模型拟合种群增长曲线,1998年后石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群呈指数增长（Nt=84e^0.226t）,其瞬时增长率为0．226;1998年夏季长江暴发特大洪灾,石首麇鹿保护区内的部分麋鹿逃逸到长江南岸,形成了自然野化麋鹿种群。该自然野化种群比保护区内麇鹿种群增长快,其瞬时增长率达到0．267。湖北石首和江苏大丰两个国家级自然保护区内麋鹿种群的出生率和增长率差异显著,而两地的死亡率无显著差异。石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群年均出生率（26．8％,P=0．010）和年均增长率（21．7％,P=0．038）均显著地高于江苏大丰国家级自然保护区内麇鹿种群的年均出生率（21．6％）和年均增长率（17．0％）。由于生境退化和人为干扰,当前石首麋鹿保护区内的麋鹿种群增长已开始出现密度制约迹象,亟待采取有效措施来改善麋鹿的生存繁衍条件[动物学报53（6）：947—952,2007]。     

洞庭湖流域麋鹿等哺乳动物濒危灭绝原因的分析及其对麋鹿重引入的启示

洞庭湖流域曾有亚洲象(Elephasmaximus)、犀(Rhinocerossp.)、麋鹿(Elaphurusdavidianus)、川金丝猴(Rhinopithecusroxellana)、长臂猿(Hylobatessp.)、大熊猫(Ailuropodamelanoleuca)、梅花鹿(Cervusnippon)、棕熊(Ursusarctos)等哺乳动物分布,但受古气候、古地理以及人类活动的影响,这些哺乳动物已在洞庭湖流域灭绝。这些哺乳动物的濒危和灭绝既受自然环境变化和灾变的影响,也与物种本身生物学特性和人类活动有关,尤其与人类捕杀和生境丧失有关。据古籍记载分析:在洞庭湖流域,亚洲象和犀于北宋末期灭绝或已南迁,而野生麋鹿、大熊猫、川金丝猴、长臂猿、梅花鹿和棕熊等于19世纪末灭绝。根据我们对30个自然保护区或森林公园野生动物资源实地调查的结果,在洞庭湖流域已记录到21种国家重点保护哺乳动物,其中有5、6、10种哺乳动物分别处于“极危”、“濒危”、“易危”等级,这表明物种濒危的过程仍在继续。导致这些现生哺乳动物濒危的主要原因是生境丧失、人类猎捕、环境污染等,而人类活动干扰对现生濒危物种存活的影响越来越大。洞庭湖流域重引入麋鹿需采取人类协助生存策略:提供足够的且受洪水影响小的适宜生境、保证稳定的奠基者种群数量、减少人为干扰、调控种群密度、实施社区共管和生计替代项目、加强疾病防治、完善保护措施、加大保护基金投入、加强生境监测和湿地恢复等。     

湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区麋鹿冬季卧息地微生境选择

掌握麋鹿种群冬季卧息地的微生境特征,可为冬季麋鹿种群的科学保护和有效管理提供理论依据.2011年12月-2012年2月,通过对61个利用样方和70个对照样方的比较调查,研究了湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区内麋鹿冬季卧息地微生境选择.结果表明,湖北石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区内麋鹿冬季主要选择在食物丰富、植被盖度大、隐蔽度高的生境卧息.主成分分析表明,影响冬季麋鹿卧息地微生境选择的决定性因子是食物因子、温度因子、舒适因子.本研究分析了麋鹿种群对冬季卧息地生态因子选择的要求和原因,对麋鹿自然野化、种群就地与迁地保护均具有十分重要的意义.     

麋鹿回归与绿色北京

北京南海子,是麋鹿的科学发现之地,麋鹿的一度灭绝之地和麋鹿的成功回归之地。2011年,是麋鹿科学发现146周年、麋鹿曾于中国发生灭绝111周年和麋鹿回归祖国26周年。斗转星移,物是人非,麋鹿的失而复得竟与国运的荣辱兴衰息息相连,实在令人感叹：萧瑟秋风今又是,换了人间!     

麋鹿鹿角脱落、群主更替、产仔的年节律及其环境影响因子

本文在2014—2016年三个冬季(12月—翌年2月)收集了北京南海子麋鹿苑半散放麋鹿自然脱落的角,并观察和记录了2015—2017年发情期(5—9月)群主更替和2016—2018年产仔期(3—7月)麋鹿幼仔出生情况,结合2014—2018年年平均气温、季平均气温、月平均气温、年降雨量、雨季开始时间、种群密度等环境因子,对鹿角脱落、群主更替、产仔等繁殖特征的年节律及其环境影响因子进行了研究。结果表明：1)麋鹿鹿角脱落、群主更替、产仔的年节律均存在年际差异。2)鹿角脱落时间为12月开始,1月下旬或2月上旬结束。3)发情期为5月下旬或6月上旬开始,9月上旬结束;2015—2017年发情期时间有延长的趋势。4)产仔期为3月中旬或4月中旬开始,5月下旬或7月下旬结束。5)麋鹿鹿角脱落、群主更替、产仔的年节律存在明显的同步关系,其中鹿角脱落开始时间、鹿角脱落高峰期、鹿角脱落结束时间、第一次发情期开始时间、群主更替高峰期、产仔期开始时间、产仔高峰期、产仔期结束时间与前一年度比较均出现同步提前的现象。6)鹿角脱落年节律存在随着12月平均气温升高而提前的现象;产仔期开始时间和产仔高峰期存在随着前一年9月平均气温的升高而提前的现象。7)鹿角脱落年节律表现出随着年降雨量的增多而提前的现象;第一次发情期开始时间、群主更替高峰期的年节律表现出随着前一年度年降雨量的增多而提前的现象。8)麋鹿鹿角脱落、群主更替、产仔的年节律均不存在随着种群密度升高或降低而提前或延迟的现象。麋鹿繁殖特征的年节律是一个复杂的过程,受气候、营养、种群密度、纬度等环境因子的影响。     

Diet composition and selection of Père David's deer in Hubei Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve,China

Hubei Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve is an ideal place to restore the wild population of Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Understanding foraging ecology and diet composition is essential for assessing population development or establishing long-term effective conservation measures for endangered species. However, little is known about the diet composition of Père David's deer and its diet selection mechanism. In this study, we used stable isotope technology to investigate the diet composition of Père David's deer according to various tissues (i.e., fur, muscle, liver, heart, and feces) and seasons, and evaluated the correlation between the nutrient composition of plants and diet composition. Bayesian isotope analysis showed that the autumn and winter diet estimated by fur and fecal samples indicated a diet dominated by C₃ grasses (42.7%–57.2%, mean), while the summer diet estimated by muscle and liver samples was dominated by C₃ forbs (30.9%–41.6%, mean). The Pearson correlation test indicated that the contribution of winter diet composition reflected by fur and fecal samples was associated with correlations with crude protein (r = .666, p < .01) and soluble sugars (r = .695, p < .01). The results indicated that crude protein and soluble sugars were important factors influencing the winter diet selection of Père David's deer. In the context of the current reintroduction facing many challenges, such as habitat fragmentation, wetland degradation, and human disturbance, comprehensively evaluating the diet selection mechanism of Père David's deer under different resource specificities and temporal changes should be considered in the future.     

Evidence of effects of human disturbance on alert response in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)

To understand effects of human disturbance on alert response of Père David's deer, we carried out an experiment in the Dafeng Père David's Deer Reserve (32°59′–33°03′N, 120°47′–120°53′E), China. In the spring and summer, we observed alert responses (including stare, walking away, and flee) of deer and recorded the intensity of tourist disturbance in a small display pen using a laser‐range finder to measure the alert distance of a free‐ranging group in a large enclosure. We also recorded the pattern of head orientation when deer were resting in these two deer groups. After statistical analysis, we found that: 1) in small pen, the frequency of alert response was significantly different among different intensities of human disturbance; strong disturbance resulted in higher frequency of alert response; 2) stare distance in the free‐ranging group in summer was significantly longer than that in spring, but the distance of walking away and the distance of flee showed no significant difference between the two seasons; and 3) in free‐ranging group, there was no significant directional difference in head orientation, whereas in display group, there was a significant directional difference in head orientation. We suggest that: 1) under the captive situation, human disturbance may be one of the factors that affect alert response in Père David's deer; and 2) Père David's deer adopted different alert response to adapt to human disturbance under different circumstance. We recommended that relationships between alert response and human disturbance should be considered in ex situ conservation of this field extinct deer. Zoo Biol 26:461–470, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Pater Davids Hirsch oder Milu (Elaphurus davidianus Milne Edwards, 1866), 150 Jahre, 1865 bis 2015

The population of the Père David's deer or milu (Elaphurus davidianus), which was discovered in China by Père Armand David in 1866, has grown from five, or even merely three individuals, imported from China to approximately 5000 during a time-span of 140 years. We tried to find out more about the origin of the 18 individuals which formed the original herd of the 11^th Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey. His breeding-group was the only safeguard for this species between the years 1900 and 1946. Of the 18 individuals three were offspring of Berlin Zoo, three originated from Cologne Zoo and probably all the rest came from the Jardin d‘Acclimatation in Paris. The origin of the breeding herd at the Jardin d‘Acclimatation is not clear. The first individuals either came from Berlin Zoo or were imported directly from China in the years between 1876 and 1886. In Berlin Zoo's breeding records there is a remarkable gap for the years 1879 and 1880. If they came from Berlin Zoo, the imported male and two females would be the sole founders of the herd, and if the Jardin d‘Acclimatation had done an own import, then there would be at least five founders. At Berlin Zoo at least 18 milu calves were born between the years 1878 and 1895. The final destinations of most of these could be traced in literature. Some of them are not quite conclusive yet. We sketched the development of the worldwide zoo-stock of Père David's deer, the return to China and the re-settlement in the original habitat in newly established reserves and finally even outside the reserves. After centuries the milu has again gained the status of a free-living species thanks to the efforts of several zoological gardens, the Dukes of Bedford and the Chinese conservation authorities.     

Do Père David's Deer Lose Memories of Their Ancestral Predators?

Whether prey retains antipredator behavior after a long period of predator relaxation is an important question in predator-prey evolution. Père David''s deer have been raised in enclosures for more than 1200 years and this isolation provides an opportunity to study whether Père David''s deer still respond to the cues of their ancestral predators or to novel predators. We played back the sounds of crows (familiar sound) and domestic dogs (familiar non-predators), of tigers and wolves (ancestral predators), and of lions (potential naïve predator) to Père David''s deer in paddocks, and blank sounds to the control group, and videoed the behavior of the deer during the experiment. We also showed life-size photo models of dog, leopard, bear, tiger, wolf, and lion to the deer and video taped their responses after seeing these models. Père David''s deer stared at and approached the hidden loudspeaker when they heard the roars of tiger or lion. The deer listened to tiger roars longer, approached to tiger roars more and spent more time staring at the tiger model. The stags were also found to forage less in the trials of tiger roars than that of other sound playbacks. Additionally, it took longer for the deer to restore their normal behavior after they heard tiger roars, which was longer than that after the trial of other sound playbacks. Moreover, the deer were only found to walk away after hearing the sounds of tiger and wolf. Therefore, the tiger was probably the main predator for Père David''s deer in ancient time. Our study implies that Père David''s deer still retain the memories of the acoustic and visual cues of their ancestral predators in spite of the long term isolation from natural habitat.     

Estimating Neospora caninum prevalence in wildlife populations using Bayesian inference

Prevalence of disease in wildlife populations, which is necessary for developing disease models and conducting epidemiologic analyses, is often understudied. Laboratory tests used to screen for diseases in wildlife populations often are validated only for domestic animals. Consequently, the use of these tests for wildlife populations may lead to inaccurate estimates of disease prevalence. We demonstrate the use of Bayesian latent class analysis (LCA) in determining the specificity and sensitivity of a competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA; VMRD^®, Inc.) serologic test used to identify exposure to Neospora caninum (hereafter N. caninum) in three wildlife populations in southeastern Ohio, USA. True prevalence of N. caninum exposure in these populations was estimated to range from 0.1% to 3.1% in American bison (Bison bison), 51.0% to 53.8% in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), and 40.0% to 45.9% in white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The accuracy of the cELISA in American bison and Père David's deer was estimated to be close to the 96% sensitivity and 99% specificity reported by the manufacturer. Sensitivity in white‐tailed deer, however, ranged from 78.9% to 99.9%. Apparent prevalence of N. caninum from the test results is not equal to the true prevalence in white‐tailed deer and Père David's deer populations. Even when these species inhabit the same community, the true prevalence in the two deer populations differed from the true prevalence in the American bison population. Variances in prevalence for some species suggest differences in the epidemiology of N. caninum for these colocated populations. Bayesian LCA methods could be used as in this example to overcome some of the constraints on validating tests in wildlife species. The ability to accurately evaluate disease status and prevalence in a population improves our understanding of the epidemiology of multihost pathogen systems at the community level.     

Genetic variability in relocated Père David’s deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Elaphurus davidianus</Emphasis>) populations—Implications to reintroduction program

Since 1985, China has established three breeding herds of Père David’s deer: the Beijing Père David’s Deer Park (39°07′N, 116°03′E), the Dafeng Père David’s Deer Nature Reserve (33°05′N, 120°49′E) and Shishou (Tianezhou) Père David’s Deer Nature Reserve (29°49′N, 112°33′E), through reintroductions of about 30–40 founders. Since establishment, all three populations have grown steadily. However, genetic backgrounds in those populations are still unknown. We studied the genetic diversity in Père David’s deer and genetic consequences of population relocations in China. We revealed that genetic diversity was extremely low in Père David’s deer populations in China. Only a single mtDNA D-loop haplotype was found in the deer, furthermore, only five polymorphic microsatellite loci were screened out from 84 pairs of species-transferred primers. Genetic makeup in the three Père David’s deer populations were significantly different (P < 0.01). H _E and allelic richness in the Tianezhou population were the highest (0.54, 2.60, n = 31), Beijing population (0.52, 2.4, n = 125) showed the second highest measures, while the Dafeng population (0.46, 2.39, n = 39) measured lowest. Our results suggest that effective management of a species of low genetic diversity like the Père David’s deer should consider the genetic background of each founder to make sure genetic variations are preserved in both source population and relocated population. Now, the Tianezhou population is the most appropriate source population in China when establishing new Père David deer populations in the wild.

江苏盐城湿地麋鹿冬季食性研究

2017年12月至2018年3月在江苏盐城湿地珍禽国家级自然保护区,利用粪便显微组织学分析技术结合野外直接观察法对麋鹿(Elaphurus davidianus)冬季食性和食物营养成分进行了分析。野外调查在7条样线上共收集228堆麋鹿粪便,组成14个复合样本进行分析。结果表明,麋鹿冬季食物来源于14科51种植物,其中,芦苇(Phragmites australis,23.09%)和互花米草(Spartina alterniflora,17.58%)为最主要食物,其次为盐地碱蓬(Suaeda salsa,6.50%)、白茅(Imperata cylindrica,5.36%)、獐毛(Aeluropus sinensis,4.90%)、苇状羊茅(Festucas arundinacea,3.83%)、扁秆藨草(Scirpus planiculmis,3.45%)、碱蓬(Suaeda glauca,3.27%)、碱茅(Puccinellia distans,3.12%)、黑麦草(Lolium perenne,2.60%)和茵陈蒿(Artemisia capillaris,2.60%)。麋鹿冬季食物以草本植物为主(96.73%),极少采食木本植物枝叶(3.27%)。被啃食植物中粗蛋白含量基本满足麋鹿越冬营养需求。     

麋鹿鹿角生长周期及影响因子

2013年8月至2014年8月,使用望远镜(SWAROVSKI 8×42 WB)和照相机(Canon 550D 70×300)观察北京南海子59只雄性麋鹿茸的生长和角脱落周期,发现麋鹿角总体趋势呈随着年龄的减少,脱角日期越迟,且等级序位高或者鹿王较年老个体先脱落。收集2012年12月至2014年2月两年度麋鹿自然脱落的角,研究表明,个体而言,左右角脱角顺序差异明显,同一天脱落两角者占17.0%,左角先脱落者占34.1%,右角先脱落者占48.8%,重量重和重量轻的角先脱落的个体各占41.5%,个体成对的左右角脱落时间间隔短,平均为1.98d;群体而言,角重量与脱角时间呈显著负相关,总体呈现角重的个体角先脱落,但不是角最重的个体角第一个脱落。2013年6月至2014年5月,对北京南海子、湖北石首、江苏大丰、天津七里海、浙江慈溪、浙江临安、海南海口、河北滦河上游、辽阳千山等9个地区麋鹿种群麋鹿角脱落起止时间进行调查,研究表明野生种群脱角时间比圈养种群早;迁入热带地区海南的麋鹿仍有规律的角周期;同一栖息地不同年份角周期存在差异,不同栖息地间麋鹿角周期存在差异;脱角起始时间与海拔、经度、纬度、年平均气温、圈养情况和气候类型等影响因子不存在统计学上显著的相关性,但光周期和激素直接主导和调节着角周期,年龄大小、角重量、营养以及与营养相关的能量、种群密度、物候等环境因子均影响角周期。     

Relationship between Serum Testosterone, Dominance and Mating Success in Père David's Deer Stags

We conducted an experiment in the Beijing Milu Park to study the social behavior of male Père David's deer, and related social behavior to social position and serum testosterone level of the stags during rut. We classified the stags into three rank classes according to their rutting behavior: ‘harem master’, ‘challenger’ and ‘bachelor’. We monitored the behaviors of four ‘harem masters’, five ‘challengers’ and five ‘bachelors’, and analyzed serum testosterone levels in blood samples of those 14 stags using radioimmunoassay. We defined the effectiveness value, E = A/T, to assess the effectiveness of herding or mating attempts made by stags (‘T’ represents the frequency of herding or mating attempts made by a stag and ‘A’ represents the frequency of herding or mating attempts accepted by hinds). We found that: (1) the ‘harem masters’ and the ‘challengers’ displayed more frequent rut and locomotive behaviors but fewer ingestion behaviors than the ‘bachelors’; (2) serum testosterone levels in the ‘harem masters’ and the ‘challengers’ were higher than that in the ‘bachelors’; (3) effectiveness value of herding attempts differed significantly between the three types of stags, being highest in the ‘harem masters’ and the lowest in the ‘bachelors’; and (4) effectiveness value of mating attempts was significantly greater for the ‘harem masters’ than for the ‘challengers’. We conclude that: (1) reproductive behavior of the Père David's deer stags is strongly associated with social rank; (2) social roles of Père David's deer stags during the rut are related to the testosterone secretion; and (3) rank class affects the mating opportunity of the stags.