Jianzhang Ma

Multi-scale foraging habitat use and interactions by sympatric cervids in Northeastern China.

Abstract Moose (Alces alces) and roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) are sympatric in the forest region of northeastern China. Using univariate analyses of feeding sign data, we found the 2 species were positively associated, but there were distinctions between their use of forage resources across landscape, patch, and microhabitat scales. We used resource selection function models to predict the influence of environmental covariates on moose and roe deer foraging; we detected covariate effects at the landscape and microhabitat scales but not at the patch scale. Forage resources used by the 2 species were similar, but moose used wetter areas and more low-visibility habitats than did roe deer, which strongly avoided areas with sparse vegetation. Both species were influenced by forage abundance and distribution at the microhabitat scale but exhibited differences in intensity of use of plant species and microhabitats. Moose used areas with deeper snow and avoided hiding cover; roe deer avoided areas with higher total basal areas of tree stems and preferred areas with high plant species richness. For moose, there was a trade-off in the use of concealment cover between the landscape and microhabitat scales. We detected avoidance by moose of roads where roe deer occurred. Roe deer exhibited more capacity for coping with human disturbance and interspecific interaction. In areas similar to our study area, road closures and suppression of roe deer near roads within 3–5 years postlogging may benefit moose. Furthermore, a mosaic of areas with different logging intervals may contribute to spatial separation of moose and roe deer and promote their coexistence.

Effects of human disturbance on movement, foraging and bed selection in red deerCervus elaphus xanthopygus from the Wandashan Mountains, northeastern China

We characterized 716 sites (including 22 beds, 60 foraging and 604 movement sites) used by red deerCervus elaphus xanthopygus Milne-Edwards, 1867 in the Wandashan Mountains, northeastern China in the winter period. We used covariates for vegetation, topography, disturbances by other ungulates, and disturbance by humans to develop movement, forage and bed site resource-selection models. We used an information-theoretic approach to select the top 5 models for movement, forage and bed site occurrences respectively. The three most parsimonious autologistic models were good predictors of movement, forage and bed occurrence of this species. Vegetation covariates were important components of all models. We recorded avoidance responses by the behaviours of species to each disturbance type (ie, villages, forest roads and abandoned roads); bed site occurrences were most sensitive to all human disturbances for their lowest odds encountered. Across all parsimonious models, villages have the largest negative effect on movement, foraging and bed occurrences. Movement and bedding behaviours were also affected by other ungulate disturbances. Altitude had slightly negative effect on movement and foraging behaviours. Ridges, topographic aspect and shrub stands were all correlated with bed-site selection. Although different behaviours may be associated with different microhabitat features, behaviours of red deer responded similarly to the same human disturbance on a broad scale. Based on the observations above, we believe that red deer are avoiding human-altered habitat for movement, bedding and foraging because of disturbances during the critical late winter period. Furthermore, various behavioural resource selection models and corresponding graphs of important habitat disturbances can be used to guide and evaluate future development proposals.

New hope for the survival of the Amur leopard in China.

Natural range loss limits the population growth of Asian big cats and may determine their survival. Over the past decade, we collected occurrence data of the critically endangered Amur leopard worldwide and developed a distribution model of the leopard’s historical range in northeastern China over the past decade. We were interested to explore how much current range area exists, learn what factors limit their spatial distribution, determine the population size and estimate the extent of potential habitat. Our results identify 48,252 km2 of current range and 21,173.7 km2 of suitable habitat patches and these patches may support 195.1 individuals. We found that prey presence drives leopard distribution, that leopard density exhibits a negative response to tiger occurrence and that the largest habitat patch connects with 5,200 km2of Russian current range. These insights provide a deeper understanding of the means by which endangered predators might be saved and survival prospects for the Amur leopard not only in China, but also through imperative conservation cooperation internationally.

Assessing microhabitat use by roe deer and moose in China

Potential conflicts between forestry production practices and wildlife habitat requirements are increasing globally with rapid socioeconomic development. Moose (Alces alces cameloides) and roe deer (Capreolus pygargus bedfordi) populations are in decline in north-eastern China, an area managed for forestry production. We obtained detailed information about these species’ use of habitat by following their movement paths in snow and recording behaviours exhibited along their paths. We used fractal analysis, Mann–Whitney U-tests and linear mixed models to analyse the paths and the relationships between tortuousity, habitat, and the expressed behaviours at different spatial scales. This analysis showed a natural break in the fractal dimension of moose movement paths at a scale of ~10 m, suggesting that moose exhibited different responses to their microhabitat and behavioural requirements at scales above and below this threshold. However, we detected no differences in the responses of roe deer over a scale range of 3–20 m. Moose paths tended to pass through areas with higher basal areas of tree stems and those with deeper snow. Roe deer showed positive associations between tortuousity and the number of bedding sites and feeding sites, and a negative association between tortuousity and the total basal area of tree stems. There was a positive relationship between the numbers of bedding and defaecating sites, and a negative association between the number of bedding sites and snow depth. For moose, we found positive associations between tortuousity and the number of defaecating sites, the basal areas of both broadleaf stands and mixed conifer and broadleaf stands, and a negative association between tortuousity and the number of feeding sites. We concluded that roe deer foraged in accordance with patch-use theory, whereas moose foraged in accordance with diet-selection theory. We concluded that modifications to forestry practices to foster the populations of both species of deer will require forestry operations to be conducted on a much finer scale, and that one species can be promoted over the other by selective fine-scale habitat management.

Effects of human activities on the spatial distribution of eastern roe deer Capreolus pygargus bedfordi in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern China

Eastern roe deerCapreolus pygargus bedfordi Thomas, 1908 occurred throughout China historically, but today are only found in 7 provinces. Their populations in China have been greatly impacted by human disturbances. Little is known about what kinds of human disturbances impact their distribution and resource requirements for survival. A survey was conducted over 20 661 ha located at the Erkehe Forestry Farm in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern China. Field work lasted from January to March, 2006 and January to March, 2007, and a total of 613 plots were visited along 28 sampling transects. Predictive models of easter roe deer resource selection were developed with or without the inclusion of human disturbance factors. Whether human disturbance exists or not, eastern roe deer retained strong links to patch size and patch density of low shrub and swamp, and the probability of moose occurrence. Low shrub and swamps created after logging provide more abundant annual shoots for food, and were vital for survival in harsh winters. When human disturbance was not modeled, eastern roe deer avoided higher density of bothBetula platyphylla andLarix gmelinii patches at a landscape scale, and larger mixed coniferous and broad-leaf patchs at local scales. Once human disturbances existed, eastern roe deer occurred in areas with higher NDVI and they had a considerably lower probability of presence in areas associated with roads and with a forest harvest interval of 4 years. Consequently, to predict effects of human disturbance on eastern roe deer spatial distribution, models need to incorporate effects of other competitive species, multiple spatial scale resource variables respectively, which will provide more value information for management and use of eastern roe deer population.

Variations in gut microbiota and fecal metabolic phenotype associated with Fenbendazole and Ivermectin Tablets by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and LC/MS-based metabolomics in Amur tiger

BACKGROUND The Amur tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world, and the healthy population of captive Amur tigers assists the recovery of the wild population. Gut microbes have been shown to be important for human disease and health, but little research exists regarding the microbiome of Amur tigers in captivity. METHODS In this study, we used an integrated approach of 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS)-based metabolomics to analyze the effects of Fenbendazole and Ivermectin Tablets on the gut microbiota and fecal metabolic phenotype of the Amur tiger. RESULTS The relative abundances of the bacterial genera Collinsella, Clostridium XI and Megamonas were decreased, whereas those of Escherichia and Clostridium sensu stricto were increased in experimental Amur tigers compared with those in normal controls. Meanwhile, distinct changes in the fecal metabolic phenotype of the experimental Amur tigers were also found, including lower levels of acrylic acid, acetoacetate and catechol and higher amounts of 5,6-dihydrouracil, adenine hydrochloride hydrate and galactitol. Moreover, the differentially abundant gut microbes were substantially associated with the altered fecal metabolites, especially the bacteria in the Firmicutes and Actinomycetes, which were involved in the metabolism of 5,6-dihydrouracil, 6-phospho-d-gluconate and 1-methylnicotinamide. CONCLUSION Our results indicate for the first time that Fenbendazole and Ivermectin Tablets not only disturb the gut microbiota at the abundance level but also alter the metabolic homeostasis of the Amur tiger.

Phylogenetic relationship of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) revealed by complete mitochondrial genome.

Abstract The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is an Endangered species in northeast China. We first obtained muscle sample, extracted the sample DNA and sequenced the whole mtDNA genome of lynx from northeast China. We reconstructed the phylogenetic tree of Eurasian lynx and 10 other most closely related Felidae species. This lynxs complete mitogenome is 17 054bp in length, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and one control region. The phylogenetic tree confirmed previous research results.

A comparison of reproductive parameters of female Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the wild and captivity.

A healthy population of captive Amur tigers might assist recovery of the wild population in Northeast China if individuals were properly prepared and considered suitable for release in the wild. We analyzed the breeding records of 68 female Amur tigers from 1995 to 2010 in the Hengdaohezi Felid Breeding Center of China and compared the reproductive parameters of this population to wild female Amur tigers. We found that the reproductive parameters of the captive population (the age of first parturition, length of gestation and litter survival rate) were not significantly different from those of wild Amur tigers. Differences in birth date and litter size between wild and captive populations may be caused by management protocols for the captive population or insufficient field data from the wild population. Reproductive parameters of females giving birth after losing a litter were similar to parameters of females that did not lose a litter, except for birth date. These results provide no indication of major problems in using captive females for a breeding program for release of cubs into the wild, but additional information is still needed to assess their suitability.

Resource selection of moose (Alces alces cameloides) and their response to human disturbances in the northwestern slope of Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern China

Moose (Alces alces cameloides) is typically representative of the fauna of the frigid temperate zone and has been put on the Chinese second priority list of protected animals. The moose of northeast China is on the southern most edge of its distribution in Asia. To study resource selection characteristics of moose and their response to human disturbances and forest resource variables, the field work was conducted in Heilongjiang Provincial Shengshan Forestry Farm, which is located in the northwestern slope of Lesser Khingan Mountains, northeastern China, from January to March in both 2006 and 2007. A total of 428 plots were examined within the study area. Signs of moose use were found in 19 plots. Based on the analysis of resource selection function, we found that moose selected areas with higher densities of mixed deciduous broadleaf patch and mixed coniferous and broad leaf patch, and a higher NDVI value. Moose avoided settlement 6 km away and remained low probability of occurrence within 3 km from roads, whereas higher within 4 km from trails. Our results suggested that the behavior of avoidance for human disturbance (i.e. settlement and roads) may indirectly pose habitat loss. Therefore, resource selection function models and corresponding graphs of important habitat disturbances can be used to guide and evaluate future development plans.

Nest site selection of white-naped crane (Grus vipio) at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang, China

White-naped crane (Grus vipio) is a globally threatened species. It is very important to analyze its nest site selection in circumstances where there are multiple disturbances, and also helpful to accumulate valuable information about this threatened species and supply scientific suggestions for conservation and management. We studied nest site selection and the effects of environmental variables on nesting habits of white-naped crane at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang, China, during March-May of 2002–2008. White-naped crane responded and adapted to changes in the quality of the spatial environments of landscape and microhabitat under multiple environmental disturbances. Nest site selection included two scales and two choices, namely the choice of nest site habitat type within the macro-habitat scale and nest site micro-habitat selection within the micro-habitat scale. Nest sites were recorded only in reed marshes. The choice of nest site micro-habitat included three basic elements and six factors, namely incubation element (nest parameters factor, incubation temperature factor and incubation humidity factor), safety element (protection factor and concealment factor), and food element (water factor). Water, remnant reed clusters, and fire were major resource management challenges during the breeding period for the white-naped crane in this Reserve.