Studies On The Species Diversity Of Mammals In Southern Hengduanshan: Spatial Patters Of Species Richness Of Mammals In Nature Reserves In Southern Yunnan

Biodiversity is a frontier domain of the ecology of sustainable biosphere. And biodiversity of mammal species is the component of biodiversity. Hengduanshan, a key region of biodiversity in China, distributes rich species. So far, there is unavailable systematic study to its diversity of mammalian species and conservation biology.Mammalian species of nine national nature reserves in southern Yunnan in southern Hengduanshan, as research target, were classified and recorded orderly to measure their spatial patterns, fauna components and characteristics. The study aimed to approach the relationship between spatial structure and quality of their habitants and mammals richness, analyze the interaction of environmental factors (including reserve's size, shape, vegetation, latitude, elevation, temperature, and precipitation) to mammals richness, explore the patterns of reaction of mammal diversity to habitant fragment, heterogeneity of patches of landscape, and human activities. The final objective of this study was to predict mammal dynamic trend at species level and offers basic evidences for conservation biology. The main results and conclusions are summarized as the following.The total mammals in nine national nature reserves of southern Yunnan in southern Hengduanshan were 278 species, which belonged to 11 orders, 39 families and 135 genera. Of that, dominant groups were Rodentia (37 genera, 95 species), Chiroptera (24 genera, 59 species), and Carnivora (32 genera, 42 species). The second groups had Insectivora (32 genera, 39 species), Artiodactyla (12 genera, 21 species), Primates (4 genera, 14 species), and Lagomorpha (2 genera, 9 species). The rare group in species number was listed Sandentia (1 genus, 1 species), Proboscidea (1 genus, 1 species), Perissodactyla (1 genus, 1 species), and Pholidota (1 genus, 2 species). Endangered mammals of 62 species distributed in 9 reserves, which wasaccount for one third of protected mammals in China. 22 species of the reserves mammals were listed as the first protected targets in national level, and 21 species were in endangered status. Both Xishuangbanna and Gaokligongshan nature reserves gained priorities for endangered mammals carried, with 39 and 33 species, respectively.Fauna in 9 nature reserves showed that Oriental realm is dominant component, and others were minor groups including Common distributing species (36 species), Paleartic realm (20 species), and Co-species of Oriental-Paleartic realms (17 species). The families of these mammals were divided into 10 categories, in which the old-continent-tropic-subtropic and temperate zone is the largest type with 9 families. The second type in family level was the category of Himalayas-south-China-southeast-Asia with 6 families. Other whiles, all mammals in the 9 reserves also were divided into 10 groups in species level, in which there were 100 species of tropic-subtropic type and 73 species of special-distribution type. In addition, the edge-distribution type appears frequently. The fauna showed tropic, particular, and edge characteristics.The similarities at family, genus and species levels revealed that the index of fauna similarity changed as geographic distance of nature reserve moved. The close reserves had bigger index of fauna similarity than far reserves. Of which, the nearest, Wuliangshan and Ailaoshan, offered the largest similarity, but the farthest, Baimaxueshan and Xishuangbanna, gave the smallest similarity.It was close interrelated that the relationship between spatial structure and richness of mammals in 9 reserves. While area of reserve increases, richness of species changed in "S" shape. The richness of mammals with middle and large size increases as habitant's area enlarged. In other words, reserve's area and richness of species had positive interrelation. If habitant's area was equal, the mammals of with small size distributed dominantly. When the reserves changed in different shapes, therichness of mammals showed obvious differences. Patch habitant maintained the most abundant species...