3.1. Habitat preferences across different sex and age groups
Autocorrelation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between rock size and rock height (r = 0.970, Figure 1). Therefore, rock size was excluded from subsequent analyses to minimize experimental error. The importance values of variables in the random forest model for predicting suitable D. splendidum habitat, as determined by the mean decrease Gini index, are shown in Figure 2. Results identified substrate status (SS), tree height (TH), light intensity (LI), rock height (RH), and, to a lesser extent, vegetation coverage (VC), vegetation density (VD), and vegetation type (VT) as the primary factors influencing habitat selection among individuals of different sexes and ages.
The partial dependence graph derived from the random forest model indicated a significantly increased probability of adult male occurrence when the roosting height exceeded 90 cm and rock height surpassed 90 cm (Figure 3). Juvenile males were most likely to occur in habitats with tree heights greater than 90 cm and light intensity ranging from 10 000 to 22 000 Lux (Figure 3). The occurrence probability of adult females was higher in habitats with tree heights over 270 cm, distances from the nearest water sources less than 240 m, and rock heights greater than 45 cm (Figure 3). Juvenile females were more likely to be found in habitats with tree heights over 80 cm, light intensity ranging from 32 000 to 49 000 Lux, distance from nearest road source less than 10 m, distances from nearest water source between 250 m and 350 m, and rock heights greater than 8 cm (Figure 3).