Investigation of Activity Rhythm and Habitat Selection of Elaphodus cephalophus in Hunan Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve
To find out the population,activity rhythm and habitat characteristics of Elaphodus cephalophus in Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve,the animals in the region were monitored and studied from March 2021 to May 2022 and from March to December 2023 using infrared camera technology.The results showed that 1)The point-occurrence rate of E.cephalophus was 66.67%,and the relative abundance index(RAI)was 1.61;2)There were significant differences in daily activity intensity,with the lowest RAI at 4:00-6:00 and the highest RAI at 18:00-20:00;3)There were significant differences in monthly activity intensity,and the RAI reached a peak in June,forming a unimodal activity rhythm;4)Habitat selection was different in different seasons.Altitude,vegetation type and shrub coverage were the main factors affecting habitat selec-tion in spring,altitude and shrub coverage in summer,altitude and slope position in autumn,and altitude,slope position,vegetation type and tree coverage in winter;5)There were significant differences between spring and other 3 seasons in tree coverage,shrub coverage and slope direction selection.In winter,the ani-mals tended to be active in semi-sunny slope habitats with tree coverage of 76%~100%and shrub coverage of 26%-50%,while in other 3 seasons,they tended to be active in semi-shaded slope habitats with tree coverage of 51%~75%and shrub coverage of 51%~75%.There was no significant difference in habitat se-lection in spring,summer and autumn.
Elaphodus cephalophusGaowangjie National Nature Reserveactivity rhythmhabitat selection