Spatial Distribution of Ungulate Responses to Habitat Factors in Wandashan Forest Region, Northeastern China

Abstract

Environmental modification caused by human activities can alter the spatial structure of vertebrate populations (Saunders et al. 1991, Noss and Csuti 1997) and has been an important cause of biodiversity loss (Li and Li 1994, Zhu et al. 1997, Campbell et al. 2004). Deforestation, the process of clearing forest cover to allow a different purpose of land use, is an ongoing disturbance throughout the world. The extent of human activities on the landscape determines the type, intensity, and frequency of deforestation (Curtis 1956, Burgess and Sharp 1981, Zipperer et al. 1990). Few studies address the effects of logging on the distribution of ungulates during or after logging in China (Li 2002). Logging imposes sensory disturbance due to equipment and infrastructure used to cut and transport logs, which can influence wildlife distributions and behavior. For example, Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), and many other cervids avoid habitats near roads and work sites (Klein 1971, Rost and Bailey 1979, Curatolo and Murphy 1986, McLellan and Schackleton 1988, Mace et al. 1996). Edge and Marcum (1985) suggested that red deer avoided areas 500–1,000 m from logging sites. Other studies that assessed human noise impacts on ungulates by measuring flight distances or cardiac activity have shown modest or even insignificant impacts (Hanson 1981, Horejsi 1981, Johnson and Todd 1981, Fancy 1983, Curatolo and Murphy 1986, Murphy and Curatolo 1987, Harrington and Veitch 1991, Andersen et al. 1996, Weisenberger et al. 1996), although such noise disturbance may have energetic implications (Bradshaw et al. 1997, 1998). Accordingly, understanding species-specific responses to habitat variables, including human disturbances, should be an important precursor of conservation and management programs. Interspecific differences in responses to habitat factors can occur in closely related species (Schweiger et al. 2000) and can influence community structure in heterogeneous landscapes (Gabor et al. 2001). Ecological and behavioral attributes can play an important role when attempting to predict interspecific differences in responses to habitat factors (Gehring et al. 2003). To understand fully their effects and interactions, and to create predictive models of habitat use (Humphrey 1998), we suggest that managers need to evaluate the relative influences of different herbivores. This requires an understanding of factors controlling population density, animal behavior, and distribution (Latham et al. 1996, Latham et al. 1997, Latham 1999). We quantified the spatial distribution of sympatric ungulates including red deer (Cervus elaphus xanthopygus), roe deer (Capreolus pygargus bedfordi), and wild boar (Sus scrofa ussuricus) among spatial elements in the Wandashan region, northeastern China, and we examined responses of individual species to habitat variables, including human disturbances. We hypothesized that habitat variables, especially human disturbances, may affect ungulates to different extents. Accordingly, our objectives were 1) to determine if ungulates used habitat differently from overall habitat availability and if habitat use differed in each species, 2) to identify which habitat characteristics were most important in this ecological distinctiveness, and, by extension, 3) we studied whether species’ interactions or human activity affected habitat selection. By investigating these questions, we endeavored to provide managers with information required for more informed assessment of the effects of forest management practices on 3 economically important species.