Study On The Activity Rhythm And Time Budget Of Ungulates On The Southern Slope Of The Qinling Mountains

In this study,a total of 232 infrared cameras were set up on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains according to the Kilometer-grid method according to the altitude gradient.A total of 110,362 photographs of video data were collected from 2019 to 2022,and 2844 independent photographs of ungulates were obtained.The relative abundance index and kernel density methods were used to process the infrared camera data to analyze the spatial distribution and activity rhythm and its differences of ungulates,in order to elucidate the influence of external environmental factors and biological characteristics on the spatial distribution pattern and daily activity rhythm of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains,as well as the coexistence mechanism of ungulates.The results showed as follows:(1)The relative abundance index of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains accounted for 50.81% of the total mammalian abundance involved in this study.The relative abundance index from high to low was Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi,Sus scrofa,Muntiacus reevesi,Elaphodus cephalophus,Naemorhedus griseus and Capricornis milneedwardsii.(2)The spatial distribution of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains showed that Sus scrofa,Muntiacus reevesi and Elaphodus cephalophus had the widest distribution in elevation,and the three species were distributed at almost all elevations.It was inferred that the reasons were related to their similar feeding habits and habitat selection,Sus scrofa preferred to move in areas with moderate disturbance intensity,Muntiacus reevesi preferred to move in areas near roads,and Elaphodus cephalophus adaptation to all vegetation types.Capricornis milneedwardsii occupies a great advantage in the altitude range of 1200-1800 m,where the temperature is suitable for Capricornis milneedwardsii.The distribution of Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi increased gradually with the increase of altitude and reached its peak above2000 m.Naemorhedus griseus is mostly active above 1600 m above sea level,so it has strong adaptability to high altitude and has little competition with Capricornis milneedwardsii in altitude.(3)Among the ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains,the activity rhythm of the Capricornis milneedwardsii,Elaphodus cephalophus,Naemorhedus griseus,Muntiacus reevesi and Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi were bimodal,while the Sus scrofa was unimodal.Among them,Elaphodus cephalophus,Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi and Muntiacus reevesi showed obvious morningness and dusk habits,and Capricornis milneedwardsii showed obvious nocturnal behavior and distinct activity rhythm from the other five ungulates.(4)The diurnal activity rhythm among the six ungulates overlapped in different degrees on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains.The overlap coefficients of Capricornis milneedwardsii and Naemorhedus griseus,Muntiacus reevesi,Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi,Elaphodus cephalophus,Sus scrofa were 0.63,0.62,0.54,0.63 and0.57,respectively,and the activity rhythm curves of Capricornis milneedwardsii were significantly different with other ungulates.The overlap coefficients of Naemorhedus griseus and Muntiacus reevesi,Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi,Elaphodus cephalophus,Sus scrofa were 0.88,0.85,0.94 and 0.85,respectively.There was no significant difference between the activity rhythm curve of Naemorhedus griseus,Muntiacus reevesi and Elaphodus cephalophus,but significant difference between the activity rhythm curve of Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi and Sus scrofa.The overlap coefficients between Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi and Muntiacus reevesi,Elaphodus cephalophus and Sus scrofa were 0.82,0.89 and 0.81,respectively.There was significant difference between Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi and Muntiacus reevesi,Elaphodus cephalophus,but no significant difference between Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi and Sus scrofa.The overlap coefficients of Muntiacus reevesi,Elaphodus cephalophus and Sus scrofa were 0.89 and 0.88,respectively.The activity rhythm curve of Muntiacus reevesi and Elaphodus cephalophus was significantly different,but not significantly different from that of Sus scrofa.The overlap coefficient between Sus scrofa and Elaphodus cephalophus was 0.85,and the difference of activity rhythm curve was not significant.Among the ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains,the activity rhythm of Capricornis milneedwardsii,Naemorhedus griseus,Elaphodus cephalophus,Muntiacus reevesi and Sus scrofa may be affected by the ungulates,climate change,food and human disturbance.(5)In the four seasons of climate change,winter is the season that has the most obvious influence on the diurnal activity rhythm of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains,and the activity time in winter is closer to the time when the noon temperature is higher.The hot summer is the season in which the diurnal activity rhythm of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains is significantly affected.In summer,the activity time mostly disperses to the morning and evening periods,and even chooses to rest in the afternoon.The seasonal variation of food may affect the daily activity rhythm of ungulates on the southern slope of Qinling Mountains.This study initially revealed the activity rhythm and spatial distribution of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains,and the results showed that the six ungulates had certain spatial distribution isolation and activity time allocation differences,and discussed the coexistence mechanism of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains.This study provides a basis for the research and conservation of ungulates on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains.It is of great significance to the conservation of species diversity on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains.At the same time,the research method and the law revealed can provide reference for other areas of ungulate related work.