Li Yixin, Hai Luyao, Luo Pengfei, Zheng Wangshan, Jin Xuelin, Liu Jiangcheng, Wang Haiyan, Hu Defu
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100107, China.
Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an 710032, China.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Dec 30;15(1):61. doi: 10.3390/ani15010061.
The forest musk deer () and Siberian roe deer () are browsers with a broad sympatric distribution in North and Southwest China. However, little is known about their spatial utilization of microhabitats and habitats. This study, conducted on Huanglong Mountain in China, analyzed the defecation site distribution, indicating preferences of forest musk deer and Siberian roe deer for their habitat demands. Using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), we compared the defecation site preferences of both species and further examined their spatial utilization patterns. The results indicated that the primary factors influencing defecation site preferences for forest musk deer were slope (15.79%), elevation (4.26%), herbaceous cover (19.93%), herb height (33.73%), and tree diversity (15.64%). Conversely, for Siberian roe deer, elevation (54.63%) and herbaceous cover (29.31%) were the key factors. Significant differences were found in elevation ( < 0.001) and herbaceous diversity ( < 0.01) between the defecation sites of the two species, with additional notable differences in slope position, tree diversity, and average tree height ( < 0.05). Furthermore, forest musk deer primarily utilized broadleaf forests, coniferous forests, mixed conifer-broadleaf forests, and sparse woodlands. In contrast, Siberian roe deer utilized broadleaf forests, sparse woodlands, and coniferous forests, showing a significant difference ( = 0.01). These findings suggest distinct spatial ecological segregation between forest musk deer and Siberian roe deer regarding their microhabitat preferences and vegetation type utilization at the habitat scale.
林麝（Moschus berezovskii）和狍（Capreolus pygargus）是在中国北方和西南部广泛同域分布的食草动物。然而，对于它们对微生境和栖息地的空间利用情况却知之甚少。本研究在中国黄龙山区开展，分析了粪便排泄位点分布，以表明林麝和狍对其栖息地需求的偏好。我们使用广义线性混合模型（GLMMs）比较了两种动物的粪便排泄位点偏好，并进一步研究了它们的空间利用模式。结果表明，影响林麝粪便排泄位点偏好的主要因素是坡度（15.79%）、海拔（4.26%）、草本植物覆盖度（19.93%）、草本植物高度（33.73%）和树木多样性（15.64%）。相反，对于狍来说，海拔（54.63%）和草本植物覆盖度（29.31%）是关键因素。在两种动物的粪便排泄位点之间，海拔（P < 0.001）和草本植物多样性（P < 0.01）存在显著差异，在坡位、树木多样性和平均树高方面也存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。此外，林麝主要利用阔叶林、针叶林、针阔混交林和稀疏林地。相比之下，狍利用阔叶林、稀疏林地和针叶林，两者存在显著差异（P = 0.01）。这些发现表明，林麝和狍在栖息地尺度上对微生境偏好和植被类型利用方面存在明显的空间生态隔离。
