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Wildlife Diversity and the Impact of Human Disturbance on Activity Patterns: A Case Study of the Labagoumen Nature Reserve, Beijing, China
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  • Wuyuan Zhang,
  • Teng-Wei Su,
  • Tong Zhang,
  • Guofa Cui
Wuyuan Zhang
Beijing Forestry University School of Ecology and Nature Conservation
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Teng-Wei Su
Yunnan Forestry Technological College
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Tong Zhang
East China Survey and Planning Institute,National Forestry and Grassland Administration , Hangzhou
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Guofa Cui
Beijing Forestry University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Understanding the impact of human activities on wildlife is crucial for effective biodiversity conservation and management. To assess mammal diversity and human disturbance impacts in the Labagoumen Nature Reserve, Beijing, we conducted a camera trapping survey from July 2019 to August 2022. Over 33,842 camera trap days yielded 5,002 identifiable photos of mammals, representing 13 species from 9 families and 5 orders, including new records of Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and Asian badger (Meles leucurus). The top five species by relative abundance index (RAI) were Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus, RAI = 5.50), wild boar (Sus scrofa, RAI = 1.96), Eurasian red squirrel (RAI = 1.86), raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides, RAI = 1.59), and Pére David’s rock squirrel (Sciurotamias davidianus, RAI = 1.38).Activity rhythm analysis at 34 camera sites revealed unimodal patterns for Eurasian red squirrel, wild boar, and Pére David’s rock squirrel, a bimodal pattern for Siberian roe deer, and a trimodal pattern for raccoon dogs. Peak activities of all species were offset from peak human activities, with the highest overlap for Eurasian red squirrel and Pére David’s rock squirrel, and the lowest for raccoon dogs. Monthly and seasonal patterns showed the highest mammal activity in September, and peak human disturbances in May and October. Further analysis of the overlap between mammal daily activity rhythms and human disturbances during tourist and non-tourist seasons revealed that the overlap index for most species was higher during tourist seasons. Wild boars exhibited a bimodal activity pattern during tourist seasons and unimodal during non-tourist seasons. These findings enriched the species composition records of the reserve and revealed significant interactions between human disturbances and mammal behavior, providing a solid scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and management in the Labagoumen Nature Reserve.
10 Oct 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
11 Oct 2024Submission Checks Completed
11 Oct 2024Assigned to Editor
18 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned