Influence Of Environmental Factors On Characteristics Of Snow Leopard (Panthera Unica) Habitats In The Central Tianshan Mountains

Like other wildlife,habitats are the natural homes to snow leopards and have an indelible impact on their survival,development,and reproduction.The scientific assessment of habitats is an important task for snow leopard(Panthera unica)conservation.The current survival status of most wild snow leopard populations is not optimistic.Studies have shown that habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats for snow leopards and other top predators that live in the Central Asian alpine ecosystem.The Tianshan Mountains are predicted to be optimal habitat for the snow leopard,but relevant studies are rare.In this study,infrared camera technology was used to obtain snow leopard distribution data in the central Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang,which was combined with environmental data to evaluate snow leopard habitat suitability.From October 2018 to June 2019,a total of 309 camera traps were deployed,of which 157 had obtained a large number of wildlife captures,including a total of 86 snow leopard presence locations.A Max Ent model was used to evaluate the effects of various habitat and environmental variables on snow leopard distribution and predict habitat suitability in the central Tianshan Mountains.In addition,an Occupancy model was used to analyze the winter site use of snow leopards in the central Tianshan Mountains.Max Ent results show that rainfall,temperature,elevation,ruggedness,and the distance to railways were the major factors contributing to the distribution of snow leopards in this area.Snow leopards preferred habitat with a higher elevation(2000-3000 m),more complex terrain(ruggedness greater than 100 degrees)and lower disturbance(30-50 km away from railways).Snow leopard distribution was concentrated in an are between Usu to Banfanggou,which is essentially a continuous distribution area.The results of the climate change simulation showed that in the predicted area,the area of suitable habitat for snow leopard is at present,in 2050,and in 2070 are predicted to be 4165 km~2,4159 km~2,and 4028 km~2,respectively.The results of the Occupancy model showed that the combination of elevation,ruggedness,and the distance to rivers were the most important parameters affecting the detection of snow leopards in the survey area in winter.The distance to rivers was also an important factor affecting selection of snow leopard habitat during this period.This study systematically analyzed and predicted the suitable habitat of snow leopards in various periods in the central Tianshan Mountains.We recommend strengthening the research of snow leopards in the Tianshan area and international cooperation.This is of vital importance for studying the snow leopard population movement and dispersal,genetic structure and gene flow,and maintaining the integrity and connectivity of snow leopard habitat.This research provides scientific data and technical support for Tianshan snow leopard protection,and is of great value to global snow leopard research and protection.