羌塘、可可西里无人区野牦牛种群数量和分布现状

野牦牛(Bos grunniens)是青藏高原特有的大型有蹄类动物, 主要分布在西藏羌塘, 青海可可西里、三江源, 新疆阿尔金山等地的高海拔生境。我们于2012-2014年在西藏羌塘和青海可可西里对野牦牛进行了较为全面的实地调查, 并且估算西藏羌塘地区野牦牛种群在11,222-21,072头之间, 可可西里野牦牛种群数量在659-1,793头之间。据本次野外调查和历史文献资料显示, 自20世纪90年代起, 中国野牦牛种群数量逐年增长, 但是其分布区面积却逐步缩减, 目前仅分布在几个相对孤立且远离人类居住地的高寒区域。随着全球气候变化与青藏高原人类活动的加强,野牦牛的生存现状依然严峻, 我们仍需加强对青藏高原特有物种的保护。     

青藏高原濒危兽类保护与管理研究进展

青藏高原是全球生物多样性热点区域和优先保护区,分布着多种重点保护物种及青藏高原特有种,物种丰富度高且濒危物种占比大。本文针对青藏高原分布的有蹄类、猫科、熊科、犬科、鼬科、翼手目、小型兽类7个动物类群,从濒危现状、濒危成因、已开展的研究工作和管理对策、取得的保护成效等角度分别论述了各类群的保护与管理研究进展。在青藏高原有蹄类中特有种占比远高于其他类群;81% ~ 100%的有蹄类、猫科、熊科、犬科动物被列为国家重点保护野生动物;45% ~ 100%的有蹄类、猫科、熊科动物被中国脊椎动物红色名录或IUCN红色名录列为受威胁物种,远高于全球平均水平。全球变暖、栖息地破碎化、环境污染、过度放牧、偷猎与非法贸易是青藏高原濒危兽类生存的主要威胁。相关法律法规的贯彻实施、自然保护地建设及开展的大量调查监测和研究,为青藏高原濒危兽类保护生物学研究提供了法律保障和科学依据。鉴于目前保护与管理工作的局限性,建议构建全面系统的大数据平台,开展青藏高原地区保护成效快速评估及自然保护地空间优化布局研究,将国际先进的交叉学科理论方法与实践创新优势相结合,为濒危兽类的保护与管理提供指导与建议,从而为我国生物多样性保护和生态文明建设提供重要的科技支撑。     

通过红色名录评估研究中国哺乳动物受威胁现状及其原因

依据中国哺乳类野生种群与生境现状, 我们利用IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (Version 3.1), Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria和Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels (Version 4.0), 评价了中国所有已知的673种哺乳动物的濒危状况。本次评估了71种《IUCN濒危物种红色名录(2015)》没有评估的哺乳动物, 还评估了60种《IUCN濒危物种红色名录(2015)》误认为中国没有分布的哺乳动物。发现中国有3种哺乳动物“野外灭绝”, 3种“区域灭绝”。受威胁中国哺乳动物共计178种, 约占评估物种总数的26.4%, 高于IUCN濒危物种红色名录的物种平均受威胁率(21.8%)。中国哺乳动物1/4的特有种属于受威胁物种。受威胁比例最高的目是灵长目、食肉目与鲸偶蹄目。多数省区的受威胁哺乳动物物种占本省区哺乳动物总数的20-30%。中国哺乳动物种类多分布在中国第二级地理阶梯。生活在高海拔地区的哺乳动物虽然种类少, 但是受威胁哺乳动物的种类比例高。过度利用、生境丧失和人类干扰名列受威胁哺乳动物致危因子的前3位。自从1989年《中华人民共和国野生动物保护法》实施以来, 一些中国濒危哺乳动物的生存状况得到了改善。然而, 鉴于中国哺乳动物区系的独特性和多样性, 以及中国地形地貌的复杂性, 如何拯救这些濒危物种仍是中国生物多样性保护的一项艰巨任务。     

青藏高原特有种子植物区系特征及多样性分布格局

青藏高原拥有丰富的种子植物, 但对该地区特有植物的区系特征以及多样性还鲜有报道。本文通过植物志(书)以及在线数据库, 整理了只分布于青藏高原地区的种子植物名录及其地理分布, 分析了它们的科属特征、区系成分以及多样性空间分布格局。结果表明: 青藏高原共有特有种子植物3,764种, 隶属113科519属, 多数为草本植物(76.3%); 包含100种以上的科有菊科、毛茛科、列当科等15个, 属有马先蒿属(Pedicularis)、杜鹃花属(Rhododendron)、紫堇属(Corydalis)等7个; 从属的区系成分来看, 温带成分占主导(67.5%)。青藏高原特有植物多样性格局呈现从高原东南部向西北部逐渐递减的趋势, 其中东喜马拉雅-横断山脉的物种多样性非常丰富, 而且多数物种分布在高原的中海拔地带。理解青藏高原特有物种的特征及多样性格局对探讨高原植物区系的演化历史和物种保护有重要启示。     

基于粪便DNA及宏条形码技术的食肉动物快速调查及食性分析

在陆地生态系统中, 大型食肉动物对于稳定食物网结构和生态系统功能有重要作用。在世界范围内, 由于栖息地丧失和破碎化、猎杀、人类活动干扰以及病原体的传播, 大型食肉动物生存正面临严重威胁, 多种食肉动物地理分布范围及种群数量大幅度缩减。如何有效保护大型食肉动物物种多样性及种群已经成为世界关注的焦点问题和保护生物学的重要研究方向。川西高原地处我国西南山地与青藏高原东缘交界地带, 属于世界生物多样性热点地区, 是世界大型食肉动物物种最丰富的地区之一, 而日益增强的人类活动可能会加剧对当地动植物资源的破坏, 进而威胁野生食肉动物的生存。获得准确的物种多样性信息及食肉动物食性数据有助于深入了解该地区生态系统结构及食物网关系, 对研究物种共存机制及生物多样性保护有重要意义。本研究通过从四川甘孜藏族自治州新龙县和石渠县野外采集的食肉动物粪便样品中提取DNA, 利用DNA条形码进行物种鉴定, 快速获得该地区食肉动物物种构成信息。38份粪便样品经鉴定来自于7种食肉动物, 分别为5种大型食肉动物(狼Canis lupus、棕熊Ursus arctos、豹Panthera pardus、雪豹P. unica、狗Canis lupus familiaris)和2种中小型食肉动物(豹猫Prionailurus bengalensis、赤狐Vulpes vulpes)。进一步利用高通量测序和宏条形码技术对7种食肉动物粪便中的食物DNA进行精准食性分析, 得到包含19种哺乳类、8种鸟类和1种鱼类共计28个不同的食物分子可操作分类单元(molecular operational taxonomic unit, MOTU)。结果显示, 狼、狗、棕熊最主要的食物来源为偶蹄目动物, 其中取食频率最高的物种为家牦牛(Bos grunniens); 而豹猫和赤狐食物中小型哺乳动物如啮齿目和兔形目占重要比例, 其中高原松田鼠(Neodon irene)和高原鼠兔(Ochotona curzoniae)被取食频率最高。豹和雪豹的食物分别为偶蹄目的中华斑羚(Naemorhedus griseus)和岩羊(Pseudois nayaur)。本研究显示了粪便DNA及宏条形码技术在食肉动物多样性快速调查及高通量精确食性分析中的应用前景, 并为此类研究提供了技术路线的有力借鉴。     

中国极小种群野生植物的保护现状评估

广阔的地域和多样的地形造就了中国丰富的生物多样性, 同时长时间的人类活动也导致我国有不少物种的生存受到威胁, 特别是一些极度濒危、随时有灭绝危险、生境要求独特、生态幅狭窄或基因易流失的物种需要重点保护。近期国家出台了《全国野生动植物及自然保护区建设工程总体规划》, 其中包含了首批重点保护的极小种群植物名单。本研究中, 我们整理了120种极小种群野生植物的高精度分布图, 探讨其分布格局并通过国家级和省级保护区网络评估其保护现状。研究发现, 中国极小种群野生植物丰富度最高的地方是云南东南部、广西西南部和海南岛西南部。国家级自然保护区对中国极小种群野生植物分布区的平均覆盖率为21.5%, 省级自然保护区的平均覆盖率为10.9%。有35种极小种群野生植物(占总数的29%)未受国家级自然保护区覆盖, 有17种(14%)未受任何国家级或省级自然保护区覆盖。我们建议在云南和海南省针对极小种群建立自然保护区。     

四川白河国家级自然保护区及其周边区域有蹄类多样性与空间分布初报

由于资源分布与环境变量的不同,形成多样的生物多样性分布格局,山地生态系统具有较高的生境异质性和丰富的生物多样性,是研究生物多样性分布的理想选择。为掌握岷山北部有蹄类多样性、分布特征及其影响因素,我们基于四川白河国家级自然保护区及边缘区域的160台红外相机监测数据(2017—2020年),将研究区域按固定间隔划分为5个海拔段,分别计算各海拔段和8种植被类型内有蹄类物种的相对多度指数(RAI)和物种丰富度,整理并初步分析了该区域有蹄类多样性和空间分布。结果显示：(1)该区域共记录到6种有蹄类,毛冠鹿(Elaphodus cephalophus)是优势种,相对多度指数最高(RAI=41.12);其次是中华斑羚(Naemorhedus griseus)(RAI=14.10)和野猪(Sus scrofa)(RAI=6.76),林麝(Moschus berezovskii)(RAI=0.59)和扭角羚(Budorcas taxicolor)(RAI=0.34)最罕见;(2)云杉林和冷杉林中有蹄类物种丰富度均最高(6种),有蹄类相对多度指数则在常绿杜鹃灌丛中最高(RAI=96.86),柏木林内的物种丰富度(2种)和相对多度指数(RAI=19.66)均最低;(3)根据相机监测点的海拔,分为低海拔(< 2 500 m)、中海拔(2 500~2 900 m)和高海拔(> 2 900 m)3组,6种有蹄类可以大致分成3类,即高海拔类群(林麝和扭角羚)、中低海拔类群(毛冠鹿和中华鬣羚)和全海拔类群(中华斑羚和野猪);(4)物种多样性和丰富度在中海拔段均最高,整体呈现近似钟形的分布格局。植被以及植被与海拔的交互效应是影响白河国家级自然保护区有蹄类物种多样性空间分布的主要因素。我们建议：保护区在管理实践中应减少中低海拔段干扰,控制林线以上区域放牧;未来的监测或调查应增加极高海拔区域(3 300 m以上)的抽样强度。     

青藏高原蝇科昆虫生物地理初探

对青藏高原蝇科昆虫进行了生物地理学研究.青藏高原已知蝇科9亚科42属574种,以特有类群占优势.其中特有属占11.9%,特有种占66.2%,文中讨论了该地区区系成分的多源性,特有成份的特异性及青藏高原北缘特有属的起源与演化,特有种的狭域分布现象及理论探讨.讨论了该地区与其它地区间隔分布的多样性及高原蝇科昆虫的适应性.分析了青藏高原的隆起与冰期对蝇科昆虫的作用.青藏高原的横空崛起以及第四纪冰期--间冰期的循环往复,导致该地区生境千差万别,使蝇科区系不仅有地域分异,且垂直差异显著.在此期间,北方物种向南入侵,南北成分交互渗透,高山类群适应进化,使许多特有成分在这里被陶冶、孕育,故而造成了该地区蝇科区系的特有性和物种的多样性.     

通过红色名录评估探讨中国爬行动物受威胁现状及原因

为了评估中国爬行动物红色名录, 我们按照爬行动物生物学特性, 适当修改了IUCN濒危物种红色名录标准Version 3.1。在此基础上, 评估了中国爬行动物生存现状, 参与编制了《中国生物多样性红色名录——脊椎动物卷》。此次评估的中国爬行动物有3目32科133属461种, 结果为: 区域灭绝(RE) 2种、极危(CR) 34种、濒危(EN) 37种、易危(VU) 66种、近危(NT) 78种、无危(LC) 175种以及数据缺乏(DD) 69种。中国受威胁(包括极危、濒危、易危)的爬行动物共计137种, 约占总数的29.72%, 包括龟鳖目31种、有鳞目蛇亚目67种、蜥蜴亚目38种和鳄形目1种, 高于2014年《IUCN濒危物种红色名录》评估的世界爬行动物受威胁比例(13.61%)。在所有受威胁物种中, 受威胁比例最高的类群是鳄形目(100%)和龟鳖目(91.18%), 其次是有鳞目蛇亚目(28.39%), 第三是有鳞目蜥蜴亚目(20.21%)。中国爬行动物特有种受威胁物种有39种, 占特有种总数(143种)的27.27%, 占受威胁物种总数(137)的28.47%。长江以南的华南和西南地区受威胁的物种最多。爬行动物受人类干扰严重, 主要表现为: 栖息地质量退化及生境破碎化、过度利用及污染和气候变化等。尽管自1989年《中华人民共和国野生动物保护法》实施以来, 一些中国濒危爬行动物的生存状况得到改善。但鉴于中国爬行动物区系的独特性和多样性、地形地貌的复杂性及社会经济发展的不均衡性, 为了维持区域生态安全和资源可持续利用, 拯救中国濒危爬行动物, 尤其是中国特有爬行动物中的极危物种, 是中国动物保护工作最迫切的任务之一。     

从自然保护区到国家公园体制试点: 三江源国家公园环境覆盖的变化及其对两栖爬行类保护的启示

三江源地区具有丰富的高原生物多样性, 是我国重要的生态安全屏障。作为我国第一个体制试点的国家公园, 三江源国家公园将被建成青藏高原大自然保护展示和生态文化传承区。为更好地服务于三江源国家公园建设, 本研究从海拔、年均温和年降水等方面, 在环境空间上系统比较了国家公园与三江源和可可西里自然保护区的差异; 以4种两栖爬行动物即高原林蛙(Rana kukunoris)、倭蛙(Nanorana pleskei)、西藏齿突蟾(Scutiger boulengeri)和青海沙蜥(Phrynocephalus vlangalii)分布点环境条件在国家公园内外的异同为例, 探讨分布受环境制约大、扩散能力弱的物种保护在国家公园建设中可能面临的机遇和挑战。结果表明, 国家公园与已建自然保护区在地理空间上重叠较大, 但它们在自然环境上的差别很明显; 自然保护区内两栖爬行类所偏好的环境条件较多未包含在国家公园内。鉴于三江源的区位特殊性及对气候变化的敏感性, 区域内两栖爬行动物等对环境依赖性强、扩散能力弱物种的有效保护不仅有助于保持物种遗传多样性和区域生态系统的完整性, 也有利于更好地实现国家公园目标定位并服务于生态文明建设。为此, 在国家公园内, 应开展两栖爬行动物种群动态和群落结构的长期监测, 加强基础生物学研究, 掌握环境变化对两栖爬行动物分布、遗传、行为、形态、种群动态及群落可能产生的影响, 实现区域内两栖爬行动物及其类似物种在环境变化下的永续生存。     

Sexual segregation in Tibetan gazelle: a test of the activity budget hypothesis

Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata , a threatened endemic species on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a sexually dimorphic ungulate. Males are larger than females and both sexes live in different groups, except during the rutting season. In order to test the activity budget hypothesis, which was proposed to explain social segregation in ungulates, we studied the activity budget of male and female Tibetan gazelles during the summers of 2005 and 2006. The activity budget hypothesis predicts that females spend more time feeding and group members synchronize their activities more in the same-sex groups than in the mixed-sex groups. We found that females and males of Tibetan gazelle had different activity budgets; females spent significantly longer time feeding and comparably less time on other activities. Activity synchronization indexes between female groups and male groups were similar (female groups: 0.81±0.17, male groups: 0.80±0.19), whereas both of them were significantly higher than that of mixed-sex groups (0.58±0.29). These results suggest that although sexual segregation might be caused by multiple mechanisms, the activity budget hypothesis about sexual segregation is supported by our studies of Tibetan gazelle on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

Recent Geological Events and Intrinsic Behavior Influence the Population Genetic Structure of the Chiru and Tibetan Gazelle on the Tibetan Plateau

The extent to which a species responds to environmental changes is mediated not only by extrinsic processes such as time and space, but also by species-specific ecology. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplifted approximately 3000 m and experienced at least four major glaciations during the Pleistocene epoch in the Quaternary Period. Consequently, the area experienced concurrent changes in geomorphological structure and climate. Two species, the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii, chiru) and Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), both are endemic on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, where their habitats overlap, but have different migratory behaviors: the chiru is inclined to have female-biased dispersal with a breeding migration during the calving season; in contrast, Tibetan gazelles are year-round residents and never migrate distantly. By using coalescence methods we compared mitochondrial control region DNA sequences and variation at nine microsatellite loci in these two species. Coalescent simulations indicate that the chiru and Tibetan gazelle do not share concordant patterns in their genealogies. The non-migratory Tibetan gazelle, that is more vulnerable to the impact of drastic geographic changes such as the elevation of the plateau, glaciations and so on, appears to have a strong population genetic structure with complicated demographic history. Specifically, the Tibetan gazelle population appears to have experienced isolation and divergence with population fluctuations since the Middle Pleistocene (0.781 Ma). However, it showed continued decline since the Upper Pleistocene (0.126 Ma), which may be attributed to the irreversible impact of increased human activities on the plateau. In contrast, the migratory chiru appears to have simply experienced population expansion. With substantial gene flow among regional populations, this species shows no historical population isolation and divergence. Thus, this study adds to many empirical studies that show historical and contemporary extrinsic and intrinsic processes shape the recent evolutionary history and population genetic structure of species.     

道路对三江源国家公园黄河源园区藏野驴和藏原羚种群数量及其栖息地的影响

为探究道路对三江源国家公园黄河源园区藏野驴(Equus kiang)和藏原羚(Procapra picticaudata)种群数量及其栖息地的影响,于2020年冷季采用截线取样法在黄河源园区进行实地调查.通过设置4种不同等级的道路情景,使用MaxEnt模型评价藏野驴和藏原羚的生境适宜性,模拟了不同等级道路变量情景下两种...     

Resource partitioning between ungulate populations in arid environments

Herbivores are major drivers of ecosystem structure, diversity, and function. Resilient ecosystems therefore require viable herbivore populations in a sustainable balance with environmental resource availability. This balance is becoming harder to achieve, with increasingly threatened species reliant on small protected areas in increasingly harsh and unpredictable environments. Arid environments in North Africa exemplify this situation, featuring a biologically distinct species assemblage exposed to extreme and volatile conditions, including habitat loss and climate change‐associated threats. Here, we implement an integrated likelihood approach to relate scimitar‐horned oryx (Oryx dammah) and dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) density, via dung distance sampling, to habitat, predator, and geographic correlates in Dghoumes National Park, Tunisia. We show how two threatened sympatric ungulates partition resources on the habitat axis, exhibiting nonuniform responses to the same vegetation gradient. Scimitar‐horned oryx were positively associated with plant species richness, selecting for vegetated ephemeral watercourses (wadis) dominated by herbaceous cover. Conversely, dorcas gazelle were negatively associated with vegetation density (herbaceous height, litter cover, and herbaceous cover), selecting instead for rocky plains with sparse vegetation. We suggest that adequate plant species richness should be a prerequisite for areas proposed for future ungulate reintroductions in arid and semi‐arid environments. This evidence will inform adaptive management of reintroduced ungulates in protected environments, helping managers and planners design sustainable ecosystems and effective conservation programs.     

基于MaxEnt模型预测白唇鹿的潜在分布区

研究物种分布格局对制定有效保护措施至关重要。本研究从文献记录和实地调查中获取97个分布点, 筛选出7个重要环境变量, 采用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型分析了中国青藏高原特有种白唇鹿(Przewalskium albirostris)的潜在分布区域。结果显示: 白唇鹿潜在分布区主要位于青藏高原东部, 适宜生境呈现出以西藏、青海和四川三省交界地带为核心向四周扩散的模式。刀切法(Jackknife)分析表明, 地形、气温季节变化和年降水量是决定白唇鹿分布的重要因素, 人类影响变量贡献相对较小。白唇鹿种群现状尚不清晰, 建议对该物种进行全面深入调查。     

Climate change hastens the conservation urgency of an endangered ungulate

Global climate change appears to be one of the main threats to biodiversity in the near future and is already affecting the distribution of many species. Currently threatened species are a special concern while the extent to which they are sensitive to climate change remains uncertain. Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is classified as endangered and a conservation focus on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Using measures of species range shift, we explored how the distribution of Przewalski's gazelle may be impacted by projected climate change based on a maximum entropy approach. We also evaluated the uncertainty in the projections of the risks arising from climate change. Modeling predicted the Przewalski's gazelle would be sensitive to future climate change. As the time horizon increased, the strength of effects from climate change increased. Even assuming unlimited dispersal capacity of gazelles, a moderate decrease to complete loss of range was projected by 2080 under different thresholds for transforming the probability prediction to presence/absence data. Current localities of gazelles will undergo a decrease in their occurrence probability. Projections of the impacts of climate change were significantly affected by thresholds and general circulation models. This study suggests climate change clearly poses a severe threat and increases the extinction risk to Przewalski's gazelle. Our findings 1) confirm that endangered endemic species is highly vulnerable to climate change and 2) highlight the fact that forecasting impacts of climate change needs an assessment of the uncertainty. It is extremely important that conservation strategies consider the predicted geographical shifts and be planned with full knowledge of the reliability of projected impacts of climate change.     

Group size effect on vigilance: evidence from Tibetan gazelle in Upper Buha River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata is a threatened and endemic species to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With the method of group scan sampling, we observed the behaviours of males and females of the gazelle in the two summers of 2005 and 2006, in order to test the group size effect on group vigilance. We found that male gazelles were significantly more vigilant than the females at both group scan level (percentage of individuals scanning during a session) and group scan frequency (percentage of intervals with at least one individual scanning). We also found a negative correlation between group scan level and group size and a positive correlation between group scan frequency and group size, showing the group size effect on vigilance was testified in Tibetan gazelle. The predation factor might be the main driving force for the group size effect.     

基于红外相机技术调查长江正源沱沱河流域鸟兽多样性

沱沱河是长江正源, 该流域自然生态系统敏感, 生态环境脆弱, 孕育了诸多适应高海拔、寒旱气候的青藏高原特有物种。为了调查该区域的生物多样性, 我们选取沱沱河流域的班德山、达尔宗山和通天河3个样地, 采用 1 km × 1 km网格法在各样地分别选取20个连续网格, 每个网格内设置1个相机位点, 对流域内的鸟兽物种多样性进行监测。2017年9月至2018年12月, 累计4,288个有效相机工作日, 共获得独立有效照片2,353张, 鉴定兽类5目10科15属16种, 鸟类8目15科19属22种。其中, 国家I级重点保护野生动物有雪豹(Panthera uncia)、白唇鹿(Cervus albirostris)、藏野驴(Equus kiang)和胡兀鹫(Gypaetus barbatus)等4种, 国家II级重点保护野生动物11种, “三有”动物(国家保护的有益的或者有重要经济、科学研究价值的陆生野生动物) 11种。被IUCN濒危物种红色名录评估为濒危(EN)的野生动物1种, 易危(VU)的2种, 近危(NT)的5种。相对多度指数(RAI)排前5位的兽类依次是岩羊(Pseudois nayaur, RAI = 11.17)、高原鼠兔(Ochotona curzoniae, RAI = 6.48)、高原兔(Lepus oiostolus, RAI = 4.99)、藏狐(Vulpes ferrilata, RAI = 3.36)和藏原羚(Procapra picticaudata, RAI = 2.87); 鸟类RAI排前5位的物种为红嘴山鸦(Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, RAI = 3.08)、赭红尾鸲(Phoenicurus ochruros, RAI = 1.26)、棕颈雪雀(Pyrgilauda ruficollis, RAI = 1.26)、大鵟(Buteo hemilasius, RAI = 0.82)和白腰雪雀(Pyrgilauda taczanowskii, RAI = 0.61)。此外, 红外相机还监测到较多的家畜和人为活动(RAI = 8.72)。本研究利用红外相机技术客观记录了长江正源沱沱河流域鸟兽资源的本底情况, 可为进一步调查该地区生物多样性以及制定相应的保护措施提供科学数据。     

Unpredictability of vigilance in two sympatric Tibetan ungulates

Vigilance is important for anti-predation, and different animals adopt different vigilance strategies. Instantaneous and sequential randomness in vigilance behavior are two main principles for the classic Pulliam model (1973). Given this context, we studied the vigilance behaviors in two wild cloven-hoofed animals, the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) and the Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) on Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, to explore if the two randomness principles work across species. The results showed that the distribution of inter-scan intervals of both Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle followed the negative exponential distribution; inter-scans of both Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle were unrelated with their previous scan, and most sequences of inter-scan intervals could be considered as random organized or unpredictable. In conclusion, the vigilance patterns of Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle followed instantaneous randomness and sequential randomness of Pulliam model. A random vigilance strategy might be the best choice for Tibetan ungulates, and how to distinguish the social vigilance from anti-predator vigilance is an important issue for future research.