Effects of Vegetation Structure of Arbor Layer on Overnight Habitat Selection of Trachypithecus crepusculus
In order to evaluate the quality of the sleeping sites in the current distribution area of the endangered primate In-dochinese gray langurs(Trachypithecus crepusculus),and provide recommendations for the conservation of the forest habitats of Asian colobine monkeys,from January 2010 to December 2022,we conducted a study on the sleeping site se-lection strategy of Indochinese gray langurs in Wuliangshan,Yunnan Province.We determined the location of the sleeping sites of the monkey group through long-term behavioral monitoring,and analyzed factors such as the topography of the sleeping sites,the characteristics of the vegetation in the tree layer,and the food resources using the sample square sur-vey method.The results showed that:(1)The diameter at breast height[(33.92±6.09)cm],basal diameter[(38.94±8.36)cm],tree height[(16.10±2.86)m],and the number of trees with lianas[(8.32±5.95)plants]of trees were signifi-cantly higher in the nocturnal roosting area of Indochinese gray langurs than in the control group,but there was no signifi-cant difference between other habitat variables and the control sample.These results indicate that the Indochinese gray lan-gur preferred to stay at night in the area with tall trees and abundant epiphytic lianas,while topography,canopy cover,and food plant richness had no effect on the choice of night sleeping place of Indochinese gray langur.(2)In terms of the food source plants of the Indochinese gray langur,the abundance of Phoebe rufescens[(0.67±1.60)plants]and Nyssa ja-vanica[(0.66±1.18)plants]were significantly higher in the sleeping sites than in the non-sleeping sites,while the abun-dance of Castanopsis faberi(0 plants),Castanopsis calathiformis[(0.29±1.17)plants],and Litsea elongata[(0.59±3.31)plants]were significantly lower than those in the non-sleeping sites.The remaining 19 food plants did not differ sig-nificantly between the sleeping sites and the non-sleeping sites,suggesting that the abundance of food resources is not a limiting factor in the choice of sleeping sites for the monkeys.(3)A total of seven environmental factors were obtained by principal component analysis,with a cumulative contribution rate of 81.23％.The results of non-parametric test showed that the contribution rates of height factor and vine factor were high and had a significant effect on the selection of the troop's sleeping sites,the canopy cover and shrub factor had effects,but the contribution rate of the principal component was lower than 10.00％.Terrain factor,quantity factor and tree shape factor had no significant effect on the selection of the troop's sleeping sites.In general,the selection of night lodging sites for Indochinese gray langurs in Wuliangshan was mainly influenced by the structure of the tree layer due to the safety and convenience needs,and the low-altitude forests with abundant tall trees may provide more high-quality sleeping sites.Therefore,the conservation of Indochinese gray lan-gurs in the Wuliangshan should focus on the protection and restoration of low-altitude forest habitat.
Endangered primatesSleeping site selectionArbor layer vegetationIndochinese gray langur(Tr-achypithecus crepusculus)Wuliangshan,Yunnan Pro-vince
万方数据
维普
