A Molecular Scatological Study On Dynamics Of Winter Home Range Of The Red Deer(Cervus Elaphus Xanthopygus)

The comprehensive application of microscopic molecular biology analysis technology and macroscopic 3S technology is the development trend of wildlife ecology research at home and abroad.In natural environment,home range is an important condition for wildlife survival and reproduction.Size and variation trend of home range are the indirect reflection of individual physiological and behavior law and habitat quality of wildlife.It is important to document variations in home range of wildlife as a basis for greater understanding of winter social organization and habitat requirements,and to aid estimation of range carrying capacity,and to guide re-introduction and conservation programs.With environmental change and increased human activity,red deer(Cervus elaphus xanthopygus)populations and habitat area continue to decrease.Wandashan region is located in northern mountainous humid climatic region of Changbai Mountain,and it is a typical geographical distribution area of broadleaved Korean pine forests.Gaogesitai region is located in the south semiarid climatic region of Daxing’an Mountains,characterized by forest-grassland ecotone.The two regions are the known concentrated distribution areas of red deer in Northeast China,and an important habitat of red deer in China.In this study,we aimed to better document red deer home range to support conservation and restoration of wild population and habitat of red deer.A second objective was to develop a practical research method combining macro-and micro-technology for home range research on a variety of rare or endangered wildlife.We collected fresh fecal samples of red deer in three different periods during winter from December 2012 to March 2017 in the Wandashan region,Heilongjiang Province,China,and in the Gaogesitai National Nature Reserve,Inner Mongolia,China.We collected 105 fresh fecal samples in the Wandashan region and 120 fresh fecal samples in the Gaogesitai region.Individual and sex identities were analyzed based on fecal DNA using microsatellite DNA.We used samples from deer farms for correction and validation of our identifications from field samples.We used a combination of molecular scatology,microhistological analysis techniques,3S techniques(GPS)and direct observation to estimate winter home range areas changing with temporal scale.Results are as follows:1.Based on eleven microsatellite loci,we identified 18 individuals in the Wandashan region,10 females and 8 males,with a correction factor of 1.00 and sex ratio of 1:0.8.The mean(±SE)number of alleles was 5.1 ± 0.41,and mean polymorphism information content was 0.63±0.03.Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.46 to 0.81,with a mean of 0.69 ± 0.03,and mean observed heterozygosity was 0.73 ± 0.07.We identified 64 individuals in the Gaogesitai region.43 females and 21 males,with a correction factor of 1.00 and sex ratio of 1.00:0.49.The mean(±E)number of alleles was 8.00 ± 1.48,and mean polymorphism information content was 0.63±0.06.Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.27 to 0.90,with a mean of 0.66±0.06,and mean observed heterozygosity was 0.64±0.04.The genetic diversity of red deer in the Wandashan region is higher than that in the Gaogesitai region.2.Sizes of mean home range were 26.1± 1.1 ha in early winter,89.3±1.6 ha in middle winter,and 67.5 ± 1.9 ha in late winter,indicating the following trend for home range area in the Wandashan region:middle winter>late winter>early winter.Sizes of mean home range were 53.40 ± 1.83 ha in early winter,75.88 ± 3.10 ha in middle winter,and 105.87 ± 2.30 ha in late winter,indicating the following trend for home range area in the Gaogesitai region:late winter>middle winter>early winter.The home range area of red deer in the Gaogesitai region is higher than that in the Wandashan region.Estimated winter home range of red deer in the two regions were similar to those reported for Europe,and mean home range area was insignificantly larger for males than for females.3.We studied the reason that home range of red deer change with temporal scale.The predation risk,feeding plant species,food abundance,deforested land and snow density were the main factors affecting winter home range of red deer in the Wandashan region.The predation risk,feeding plant species,food abundance and grazing were the main factors affecting winter home range of red deer in the Gaogesitai region.The different factors affecting are obvious in the two regions,and this result is also a direct reflection of the enormous environmental differences between typical forest area and forest-grassland ecotone.All results showed that the genetic diversity,winter home range,and the main factors affecting winter home range of red deer in the two regions are greatly different due to typical forest area and forest-grassland ecotone.Compared with other methods,this method of study of home range of wildlife by combining noninvasive fecal DNA sampling with the 3S technique is not only feasible,but also has more advantages.This method has broad application prospects for investigation of rare and endangered species that are vigilant and survive in small populations.