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Arid Land Geography ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (10): 1662-1673.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.426

• The Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A preliminary survey of mammals and birds diversity based on camera trapping in Qimantag Mountain of Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang

WANG Xiulei1(), XU Junquan2, ZHANG Shengfa2, LI Huan2, LI Jia3()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
    2. Management Bureau of the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve in Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Korla 841000, Xinjiang, China
    3. Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
  • Received:2024-07-15 Revised:2024-09-07 Online:2024-10-25 Published:2024-11-27
  • Contact: LI Jia E-mail:hellowxl@163.com;lijia2530@126.com

Abstract:

From January 2021 to January 2022 and from December 2022 to January 2024, we conducted a camera-trap survey to investigate wildlife resources in the Qimantag Mountain, located northeast of the Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China. Over the course of 17529 camera-trap days, we obtained 7237 independent detections. The results indicated the following: (1) We recorded 6045 independent detections of mammals, identifying 19 species across five orders and eight families. The Shannon-Wiener and Pielou evenness indices for the mammal community were 3.05 and 0.71, respectively. Based on the relative abundance index (RAI), the five most abundant mammal species were Equus kiang (85.85), Lepus oiostolus (82.26), Pseudois nayaur (44.04), Bos mutus (35.26), and Canis lupus (26.41). (2) We recorded 1182 independent detections of birds, identifying 50 species from 10 orders and 21 families. The Shannon-Wiener and Pielou evenness indices for the bird community were 4.31 and 0.76, respectively. The five most abundant bird species were Tetraogallus himalayensis (9.81), Oenanthe deserti (8.04), Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocarax (7.25), Grus nigricollis (6.33), and Eremophila alpestris (5.42). (3) Among the detected species, 11 are listed as Class I state key protected wildlife, and 18 as Class II, in China. Six species are classified as endangered, seven as vulnerable, and 13 as near threatened according to the Red List of China’s Vertebrates. Additionally, four species: Cuon alpinus, Meles fonia, Turdus mandarinus, and Alauda leucoptera were new records for the Altun Mountain Reserve. (4) The activity patterns of Pseudois nayaur, Bos mutus, and Canis lupus were predominantly diurnal, while Lepus oiostolus was more nocturnal, and Equus kiang exhibited both diurnal and nocturnal activity. These findings provide a baseline for wildlife resources in the Altun Mountain Reserve and offer fundamental data for the creation of Kunlun Mountain National Park and for long-term wildlife monitoring in the region.

Key words: Altun Mountain National Nature Reserve, species list, endangered species, relative abundance index, activity selection index