DOMINANT TREES’ NICHE CHARACTERISTICS AND FOOD PLANTS IN RHINOPITHECUS ROXELLANA HABITAT IN SHENNONGJIA, CHINA

Abstract

Aims Study of niche characters of dominant species of the tree layer in Rhinopithecus roxellana forest habitat can assist in understanding how populations use biological resources, interact and adapt, as well as coevolve with tree-inhabiting primates. Methods We quantitatively analyzed niche breadth, niche overlap, and niche similarity proportion of the dominant species of Rhinopithecus roxellana habitat in Qianjiaping, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province and analyzed niche effects of dominant species on the survival of Rhinopithecus roxellana. Important findings We recorded 255 woody plants from 44 families and 105 genera in a 64 000 m2 quadrat; there were 129 trees from 23 families and 51 genera, 113 shrubs from 22 families and 49 genera and 13 lianas from 9 genera and 7 families. Dominant families included Rosaceae, Lauraceae, Aceraceae, Caprifoliaceae, Fagaceae and Cornaceae. Maximum niche breadth in the arboreal layer occurred in Betula albo-sinensis (5.261), followed by Pinus armandii (4.545), Abies fargesii (4.289) and Betula utilis (3.256). Maximum in the shrub layer occurred in Rhododendron erubescens (2.245), followed by Salix polyclona (2.064), Crataegus wilsonii (1.508) and Malus kansuensis (1.453). Thirty species (11.67% of the plants) had a niche breadth 1; 21 of these species are forage plants, accounting for 10.40% of such plants. Eighteen of these plants account for 74.50% of the importance value of the top 25 species. Niche overlap occurred in dominant species, and seven pairs of these species had an overlap index 0.4. Nearly 83.82% of the species had a niche similarity proportion of 0-0.3. Results suggested that the plant composition of Rhinopithecus roxellana habitat in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve is diverse and the most dominant species are forage plants, but the dominant species are similar, with overlapping niches and strong competition. The survival of Rhinopithecus roxellana would be disadvantaged by changes in the current population structure and plant composition, shortage of grazing plants and decreased habitat. Therefore, it is crucial to protect the current habitat and to construct a more appropriate habitat for Rhinopithecus roxellana in Qianjiaping, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve.