用粪粒外部形态指标鉴定海南坡鹿的性别与年龄

利用粪便形态指标鉴定有蹄类动物的性别和年龄对研究不同性别年龄个体的生态学和性别分离具有重要价值。利用2006年3月在海南大田国家级自然保护区采集的145头(次)已知性别和年龄组的野生海南坡鹿(Cervus eldi hainanus)粪便4006粒,将坡鹿划分为成年雄鹿、成年雌鹿、亚成年雄鹿、亚成年雌鹿和幼鹿5个性别年龄组,使用逐步判别分析和聚类分析对粪粒的4项直接测度指标(干重、体积、长轴长、短轴长)以及2项间接测度指标(长短轴比和椭球形状指数)进行分析。结果表明:逐步判别分析对海南坡鹿粪粒的性别年龄组正判率为成年雄鹿76.17%、成年雌鹿42.22%、亚成年雄鹿34.94%、亚成年雌鹿40.46%、幼鹿79.34%,聚类分析的判别率为成年雄鹿19.48%、成年雌鹿20.02%、亚成年雄鹿37.37%、亚成年雌鹿42.82%、幼鹿91.50%。利用粪粒形态判别海南坡鹿的性别年龄组最可靠的是幼鹿,次之为成年雄鹿。利用粪粒形态判别海南坡鹿的性别年龄组可以应用于以取样原理进行的群体水平研究,但个体水平上的性别和年龄鉴定由于判别误差较大而难以应用。     

利用无线电技术对达乌尔鼠兔巢区的研究

达乌尔鼠兔是内蒙古草原斑块分布的一种害鼠。它们在斑块间的扩散对其种群调节和进化都有重要意义。文章对两个家族的达乌尔鼠兔进行了无线电遥测研究。它们的巢区面积从3138M²到17062M²,核心区面积从1292M²到7808M²。雄性—雌性巢区重叠面积比雌性—雌性巢区重叠面积大。该鼠的扩散和探索距离可达 200m.从9月开始鼠兔的活动就很活跃,尤其是探索活动和扩散。多数扩散个体在移居点很快消失。     

四川梅花鹿繁殖行为

2006年4—12月和2007年3—11月在四川省铁布自然保护区观察和统计了野生梅花鹿的繁殖行为,包括发情交配、产仔、发情吼叫、爬跨及其昼夜节律行为等。结果表明,四川梅花鹿为季节性发情动物,发情交配行为发生在9月上旬至12月中旬,集中在10—11月(占(86.99±3.24)%)。四川梅花鹿发情交配日期最早见于9月8日,最晚为12月16日,跨度约90—100 d(±6 d,n=90)。雌鹿交配日期与其繁殖经历具有低度正相关性(Kendall's tau-b和Spearman's rho,0.3r0.5,P0.05),成体雌鹿交配日期稍微早于初次配种雌鹿。雄鹿发情吼叫和爬跨行为具有明显的昼夜节律性,各有2个高峰期(05:00—08:00和18:00—21:00),夜间有小节律的发情吼叫和爬跨时期。U-test检验表明发情吼叫频次和爬跨频率在昼夜间有极显著差异(P0.01)。雄鹿吼叫行为与其交配行为具有高度正相关性(Kendall's tau-b和Spearman's rho,0.8r1.0,P0.05),主雄、次雄和群外单身雄鹿的昼夜吼叫次数有极显著差异(P0.01)。雌鹿产仔期从4月下旬开始到7月下旬结束,集中在5—6月(占(91.51±4.96)%),产仔日期最早见于4月29日,最晚为7月28日,跨度约80—90 d(±5 d,n=130)。梅花鹿产仔日期与其分娩经历具有低度正相关性(Kendall's tau-b和Spearman's rho,0.3r0.5,P0.05),成体雌鹿产仔日期早于初次繁殖雌鹿。雌鹿每胎产1—2个幼仔,单双胎率分别为98.86%(±6.96%,n=129)和1.01%(±0.07%,n=1)。妊娠期和哺乳期梅花鹿采食行为分配占较大比率,其次是卧息和移动,哺乳期采食行为分配低于妊娠期,这与妊娠期正逢冬季,食物资源相对匮乏有关,而哺乳期恰逢夏季,植物生长旺盛,食物资源相对丰富。     

啮齿动物巢区研究进展

巢区 (ｈｏｍｅｒａｎｇｅ)这一术语为生物学家们所使用是从 190 9年Ｓｅｌｔｏｎ开始的 ,直到 194 0年才由Ｂｕｒｔ定义为 :巢区是动物在其巢附近进行取食、生殖、育幼等日常活动的区域[54 ] 。此后 ,这一概念几乎没有争议 ,只是有些学者在与领域概念的使用上未加严格区分 ,而多数学者强调领域只是巢区中不允许同种其它个体侵入而受到严格保护的核心部分[2 ] 。近年Ｂｏｎｄ等[19] 提出最适巢区概念 ,为深入分析鼠类繁殖策略、进化及其巢区生态学功能提供了新思路 ,已成为巢区研究的一个重要方向。绝大多数啮齿动物营穴居生活 ,巢区研究对…     

香鼬的活动节律和巢区

本文采用无线电遥测技术对栖息在自然环境中香鼬（Ｍｕｓｔｅａｌａｌｔａｉｃａ）的活动节律及其巢区进行了较为系统的研究。结果表明,香鼬多营独居生活．除繁殖期外,无论雌雄个体均无长期稳定的巢穴,经常更换活动的位置。香鼬的每日活动主要为玩耍、自身的修饰、光浴、探视和取食,在繁殖期还有育幼及对幼鼬的保护。在不同时期香鼬日活动高峰和巢区大小均有不同。幼鼬出洞活动前,其亲体雌性成鼬活动呈现两个明显的高峰,１１：００～１３：００和１６：００～１７：００,雄性成鼬则只有一个活动高峰在１１：００左右;在这一时期,成体香鼬的地面活动高峰与其食物──高原鼠兔的地面活动高峰不相吻合,雌性成鼬的巢区面积为７．２１ｈａ,雄性成鼬的巢区面积为１１．７ｈａ。幼鼬出洞活动后,雌性成鼬的活动高峰为８：００～９：００和１７：００～１９：００,巢区面积平均为８２．７２ｈａ。幼鼬扩散期间;雌性成鼬的活动高峰期分别为８：００～９：００和１５：００～２０：００。在这两个时期。成体香鼬的地面活动高峰与高原鼠兔的地面活动高峰趋于一致。影响香鼬活动和巢区大小的主要因素是食物的丰富度、猎物的活动性和繁殖行为,同时种群密度也是主要因素之一。     

河南董寨赤腹鹰孵卵节律与巢防卫行为

2016和2017年的5月至8月,在河南省董寨国家级自然保护区利用红外相机监控和野外直接观察赤腹鹰(Accipiter soloensis),对其孵卵节律和巢防卫行为进行了研究。为了更好地获得巢防卫数据,我们以人作为入侵者攀爬巢树,观察人停留在巢树上10 min内不同赤腹鹰个体的巢防卫行为。共发现赤腹鹰繁殖巢52个,累计拍摄红外照片661 306张,将15个繁殖巢内的30只个体的巢防卫行为分成了4个等级。研究表明:1)雄鸟的巢防卫等级与雄鸟的日孵卵次数(r=0.751,n=15,P0.01)、雄鸟日孵卵时间(r=0.803,n=15,P0.01)、每日雌雄孵卵总时间(r=0.527,n=15,P0.05)均呈显著正相关,雌鸟的巢防卫等级与雄鸟的日孵卵次数(r=0.717,n=15,P0.01)、雄鸟的日孵卵时间(r=0.619,n=15,P0.05)呈显著正相关(Sperman rank correlation);2)雌鸟巢防卫强度与雄鸟巢防卫强度呈显著正相关(r=0.743,n=15,P0.01);3)亲鸟的平均离巢时间与雄鸟的日孵卵次数(r=﹣0.680,df=11,P0.05)、雄鸟的日孵卵时间(r=﹣0.640,df=11,P0.05)、雌鸟的孵卵次数(r=﹣0.558,df=11,P0.05)、每日雌雄孵卵总时间(r=﹣0.772,df=11,P0.01)均呈负相关。可见,赤腹鹰的巢防卫强度和孵卵投入密切相关,并且配偶间的巢防卫行为存在相似性,可能与配偶选择和学习行为有关。     

繁殖期白冠长尾雉占区雄鸟的活动区

20 0 0年 3～ 8月采用无线电遥测技术对董寨国家级自然保护区的白冠长尾雉 (Syrmaticusreevesii)繁殖期占区雄鸟的活动区进行了研究。对遥测时间超过 6 0天的 7只个体的研究表明 ,繁殖期白冠长尾雉占区雄鸟对活动区具有较强的依恋性 ;90 %调和平均转换法 ( 90 %HMT)计算的繁殖期活动区大小为 46 0± 13 7hm2 (n=7) ;繁殖初期、中期和末期的活动区大小分别为 2 4 5± 6 3、 19 6± 7 5和 17 9± 6 2hm2 (n =7) ;随着繁殖期的结束活动区与日活动区呈减小趋势。白冠长尾雉占区雄鸟对活动区的 3个亚区 (夜栖区、觅食休憩区和过渡区 )的利用时间存在明显差异 ,活动区所在地的植被结构的不同可能是造成这种差异的主要原因.     

动物巢区二维正态概率模型的探讨

本文根据二维正态分布的性质以及识别动物极端活动位点的技术建立了一种动物巢区二维正态概率模型。应用中,首先对动物活动位点进行二维正态分布检验,采用加权法消除了极端位点的影响。在二维正态分布条件下,动物巢区定义为由下列方程决定的椭圆区域d_β由下列方程组确定其中β为巢区所含活动位点百分比,a_i(i=1,2,…6)为常数。椭圆巢区两半轴长分别为d_β·面积为π·d_β·σ_x~2 ·椭圆的方向由坐标轴旋转角     

高原鼠兔的繁殖空间及其护域行为的研究

1985-1987年在青海湖黑马河湖滨地区,心耳标法研究了高原鼠兔(OchotOttacurzoniae) 的繁殖空间及护域行为,结果表明高原鼠兔营群体家族式生活,具有巢区和领域。繁殖期,雌雄配对建立新的家庭,巢区发生相对变化。并以亲呢、长鸣、嗅味标记和驱逐等行为维护其领地。     

高原鼠兔家群空间领域的季节性动态格局

为探讨高原鼠兔家群空间领域的季节特征,分别于2005年和2006年的5～8月,在青海省玛沁县,采用标志重捕法和最小多边形面积法对其家群巢区和核域进行了研究.结果表明,不同季节,高原鼠兔巢区和核域面积存在显著差异.5、6月份,成体巢区面积显著大于幼体,但二者核域面积却无显著差异;7月份,成体与第1胎幼体巢区及核域面积均显著大于第2胎.5、6月份雄性成体巢区显著大于7、8月份,6、7月份雌性成体巢区显著大于5月和8月份.巢区及核域面积均与家群个体数呈极显著性正相关关系,说明季节和家群结构均可对高原鼠兔空间领域产生重要作用.     

What shapes intra‐specific variation in home range size? A case study of female roe deer

Spatial distribution in mammals, and thereby home range size, is influenced by many different factors including body size, sex, age, reproductive status, season, availability of forage, availability of water, fragmentation of landscape, trophic level and intra- and inter-specific competition. Using linear mixed models, we looked for factors shaping the variation in size of spring-summer and winter home ranges for 51 radio-collared adult female roe deer at Trois Fontaines forest, Champagne–Ardenne, France (1996–2005). Home range size of females was larger in winter than in spring–summer, decreased with age, and decreased with increasing quality. Females in low quality areas adjusted the size of their home range to include more patches of habitat so that all female deer obtained similar amounts of food resources (total biomass of 6.73±2.34 tons (mean±SE) for each home range). Such adjustments of home range size in response to patchiness of resources led to marked between-female variation in home range size. Our results demonstrate that roe deer females have different tactics of habitat use according to spatial variations in habitat quality so that females get similar food resources in highly productive environments such as the Trois Fontaines forest.     

Home range size estimates of red deer in Germany: environmental,individual and methodological correlates

Home range size (HRS) is the fundamental measure of space use by animals. Despite the importance of the home range concept, there is no consensus on how to estimate the HRS of animals. Assessments of the performance of commonly applied HRS estimators have largely been based on simulated data or on location data of few sample individuals occupying one study area. To empirically evaluate the impact of supplementary feeding, habitat composition, red deer sex, and estimation method (minimum convex polygon (MCP), kernel density estimator (KDE) and α-local convex hull (α-LoCoH)) on HRS, we analysed the data of 183 annual red deer home ranges using a mixed modelling approach. Red deer HRSs were smallest in areas with substantial supplementary feeding, intermediate in areas with closed forest cover but no supplementary feeding, and largest in fragmented landscapes where supplementary feeding rarely occurs. Consistently, male HRSs were larger than female HRSs. While MCP- and KDE-HRS estimates were roughly similar, estimates from the α-LoCoH method were substantially smaller than those of MCP and KDE. Analyses of 342 seasonal HRS largely reflected patterns of annual HRS. However, seasonal HRS differed between seasons and red deer sex. In areas with no or little feeding, red deer adjusted HRS seasonally, whereas red deer supplied with supplementary food during winter did not alter their HRS seasonally. Our study suggests that supplementary feeding and habitat configuration strongly affect the spatial ecology of red deer; this might have considerable sanitary and ecological implications. We suggest that sex differences in annual space use extent are proportional along a resource gradient but are mediated by seasons. Finally, method-related variation in space use studies of animals needs to be considered more cautiously.     

Molecular determination of paternity in a natural population of the multiply mating polygynous lizard Eulamprus heatwolei

We studied the mating system of the southern water skink, Eulamprus heatwolei, during spring and summer (encompassing the breeding season) in a population in southeastern Australia. We examined potential attributes that might influence the mating system and male reproductive success including home range size, physical proximity of adults and body size, and then genotyped all mothers, offspring and potential sires. Home range overlap of both sexes was extensive, with adult females sharing the greatest amount of space with each other and adult males the least amount of space with each other. However, not all adults hold home ranges. We classified approximately one quarter of adult males as home range holders and the rest as 'floaters'. Adult females occupy home ranges more than males, with approximately three-quarters classified as home range holders. Home range ownership is not correlated with body size for either sex, however, male body size is positively correlated with the number of adult female home ranges that his home range overlaps and adult male home ranges are larger than those of females. We used microsatellite genotyping to assign paternities to 55 offspring from 17 litters and then compared this data with our home range and behavioural observations. This species displays extreme levels of multiple paternity given the small mean clutch size of three. Multiple paternity was confirmed in 11 (64.7%) of 17 clutches but three other clutches (for a total of 82.4%) also may display multiple paternity. A total of 30 offspring from 12 litters were assigned to 10 of the 32 genotyped adult males from our study site. Of these 10 adult males, half were home range holders. Five complete clutches and a total of 25 out of the 55 offspring could not be positively assigned to any male surveyed as part of the study and were attributed to floater males or resident males adjacent to our study site that had not been genotyped. While sample sizes are small, neither male home range ownership nor body size is significantly correlated with the number of paternities a male obtained. Our study suggests a polygynous mating system for this species.     

Estimating Deer Populations Using Camera Traps and Natural Marks

Despite the ubiquity of camera traps in wildlife monitoring projects, the data gathered are rarely used to estimate wildlife population demographics, a critical step in detecting declines, managing populations, and understanding ecosystem health. In contrast to abundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the eastern United States, black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) in the western United States have declined over the past several decades. We tested whether passively operating camera traps can be used to quantify population characteristics for black-tailed deer. We used images of naturally occurring physical characteristics of deer to develop movement and activity data and inform a Bayesian spatial mark-resight model that estimates deer abundance, density, sex ratio, ratio of fawns to adult females, and home range size. We developed the model to account for the effect of attractants (bait) on encounter rate. We placed 13 cameras on all known water sources of a private ranch in California and provided bait once a month in front of each camera. Over 9,000 visits occurred between 24 May 2012 and 21 January 2013, and we identified 50 individual deer from ear notches or antler characteristics. We estimated density at 7.7 deer/km² in summer and 8.6 deer/km² in fall. In the summer, home ranges were 2.3 km² for females and fawns and 16.8 km² for males. Home ranges constricted slightly in fall. We estimated a sex ratio of 12.5 males/100 females, and a ratio of 47.0 fawns/100 adult females. Bait increased baseline encounter rates (visits/week) by 3.7 times in summer and 4.95 times in fall. We found slightly higher densities of deer in our study area compared to other recent studies in more mountainous areas of California, and lower male:female sex ratios. This approach shows that commonly deployed camera traps can be used to quantify population characteristics, monitor populations, and inform harvest or habitat management decisions. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.     

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates of female sika deer in eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates of female sika deer (Cervus nippon) were studied using radio telemetry in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We captured and radio-collared 18 female deer, and monitored their survival from April 1993 to May 1996. Estimated annual survival rate for adult females was 0.779 (95% confidence interval was 0.609–0.997). The harvest mortality rate of adult females was higher than the natural mortality rate. Experimental female hunting during 1994–1996 contributed to an increase in the mortality rate for females and was useful in the control of the sika deer population.     

Female Sexual Preferences Toward Conspecific and Hybrid Male Mating Calls in Two Species of Polygynous Deer, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cervus elaphu</Emphasis>s and <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. nippon</Emphasis>

The behavioral processes at the basis of hybridization and introgression are understudied in terrestrial mammals. We use a unique model to test the role of sexual signals as a reproductive barrier to introgression by investigating behavioral responses to male sexual calls in estrous females of two naturally allopatric but reproductively compatible deer species, red deer and sika deer. Previous studies demonstrated asymmetries in acoustic species discrimination between these species: most but not all female red deer prefer conspecific over sika deer male calls while female sika deer exhibit no preference differences. Here, we extend this examination of acoustic species discrimination to the role of male sexual calls in introgression between parent species and hybrids. Using two-speaker playback experiments, we compared the preference responses of estrous female red and sika deer to male sexual calls from conspecifics versus red × sika hybrids. These playbacks simulate early secondary contact between previously allopatric species after hybridization has occurred. Based on previous conspecific versus heterospecific playbacks, we predicted that most female red deer would prefer conspecific calls while female sika deer would show no difference in their preference behaviors toward conspecific and hybrid calls. However, results show that previous asymmetries did not persist as neither species exhibited more preferences for conspecific over hybrid calls. Thus, vocal behavior is not likely to deter introgression between these species during the early stages of sympatry. On a wider scale, weak discrimination against hybrid sexual signals could substantially contribute to this important evolutionary process in mammals and other taxa.     

Pattern of space use by female black bears in the White River National Wildlife Refuge,Arkansas, USA

The manner in which space is used by animals may influence several aspects of biology, including the pattern of resource use and intra-specific competition. We monitored 16 radio-collared female black bears (Ursus americanus) for 9,216 radio days during 1993–1995 in the White River National Wildlife Refuge (WRNWR), Arkansas, U.S.A. to investigate space use patterns. Annual home ranges (95% convex polygon) ranged from 2.10 to 11.34 km² with a mean (± SD) size of 4.90 (± 2.09) km² (n = 16). Largest home ranges were occupied by 2 females with yearlings during one year of study. Home ranges among neighbouring bears overlapped considerably. Although bears maintained larger home ranges during summer, the size of home range did not differ among seasons (P > 0.50). Our estimates of home range size for female black bears were smaller than those obtained in a study of the same population during 1979–1982. Because the size of the bear population at WRNWR was substantially smaller (about 130 bears) during 1979–1982 compared to the present population of ≥348 bears, these results suggested that population density and size of female black bear home ranges may be negatively correlated. Conservation implications of density-dependent space use pattern are also discussed.     

Costs of parturition and rearing in female sika deer (Cervus nippon)

The costs of parturition and lactation of female sika deer on Kinkazan Island (9.6 km(2) in size), northern Japan, which live at a high density (about 50 deer/km(2)), were evaluated by comparison of body weights of 481 females measured during a 15 year study (1993-2008). Weight data were chosen from only females that did not give birth in the preceding year. The mean body weight of females that did not give birth ("yelds") was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of females who gave birth ("milks"); yelds' body weight was 93.1% and 83.5% that of milks in the preceding and parturition years, respectively. The yelds increased in body weight by the following March by 8.2% (P < 0.001), whereas milks did not. Among the milks, those whose fawns survived until the following May ("rearing milks") lost body weight by 14.9% (P < 0.001). Milks who lost fawns within a week after birth ("early fawn-less milks") did not lose body weight (P = 0.583), while those whose fawns died after the first autumn but died before May ("late fawn-less milks") lost body weight by 19.9% (P < 0.001). These results indicate that sika deer females do not enter estrus unless they are heavy enough, and that both parturition and rearing are costly for sika deer mothers living in high-density conditions.     

Sika deer distribution and habitat selection: the influence of the availability and distribution of food, cover, and threats

Large populations of sika deer occur in lowland heath, woodland, and grassland mosaics in southern England. Previous studies have focused on understanding single factors potentially affecting distribution and habitat selection of sika deer rather than considering simultaneously effects of landscape configuration and human disturbance on their distribution and habitat selection. This study measured effects of habitat availability, landscape structure, and human disturbance on where sika deer placed their home ranges and habitat selection within those ranges. Two main hypotheses were tested: (1) habitat selection differs according to landscape structure and habitat availability at both landscape and home range scales and (2) distribution of sources of human disturbance within the home range of deer affects their distribution. Results from radiotracking 31 females provided support for the first hypothesis and partial support for the second. Habitat selection at the landscape and home range scales differed between landscapes with different habitat structure and availability and was driven by distribution and availability of food and cover and a perceived risk linked to disturbance. Furthermore, deer selected open areas close to cover and this selection was stronger with presence of human disturbance, although results differed between study areas with different habitat distribution and level of disturbance. The study highlights the importance for managing deer of a balance between grazing and cover resources and the distribution of human disturbance.     

Sexual variations in food quality and gastrointestinal features of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan during winter: implications for feeding strategy

We assessed sexual variation in food quality and gut macrostructure in adult male and pregnant female sika deer, Cervus nippon (Temminck, 1838), in Japan during winter. These variations might have important implications relative to sexual differences in habitat use, forage acquisition, and digestive strategy. According to the sexual dimorphism-body size hypothesis the larger males would feed on poorer forage and have heavier stomach contents and heavier intestine contents and longer intestines than smaller females. However, the food quality in rumen contents of males was higher than, or at least similar with, that of pregnant females. In correspondence to food quality, the relative weights of stomach contents and intestines with contents, the relative lengths of intestines to the lengths of body and total intestines in pregnant females were similar to adult males. The relative weights of omasum and abomasum tissues in pregnant females were greater than in males. Our findings suggest sexual differences in feeding strategy in sika deer in Japan during winter. To meet greater nutritional demands of high metabolic rate and gestation, pregnant females seemed to maintain a greater volume of digesta in guts and had more stomach tissues than expected by the sexual dimorphism-body size hypothesis to compensate for poorer forage quality.