The Influence of Environmental Variables on Home Range Size and Use in the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, China.

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe objectives of our study were to determine the seasonal home range size variation, and to determine the fraction of variation in home range use explained by environmental variables. We found that the core home range size of the golden snub-nosed monkey in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve varied seasonally. The environmental variables in spring and summer explained a large part of home range use intensity, while the environmental variables in autumn and winter explained a moderate fraction and no fraction of home range use intensity, respectively. Water sources, tree density, and dominant trees of Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) were the important environmental factors determining home range use.Accurate descriptions of home ranges can provide important information for understanding animal ecology and behavior and contribute to the formulation of conservation strategies. We used the grid cell method and kernel density estimation (KDE) to estimate the home range size of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. We also used Moran’s eigenvector maps analysis and variation partitioning to test the influence of environmental variables on home range use. The seasonal home range size was 15.4 km2 in spring, 11.6 km2 in summer, 13.7 km2 in autumn, and 15.6 km2 in winter, based on the grid cell method. The seasonal core area of 50% KDE was 9.86 km2 in spring, 5.58 km2 in summer, 7.20 km2 in autumn, and 4.23 km2 in winter. The environmental variables explained 63.60% of home range use intensity in spring, 72.21% in summer, 26.52% in autumn, and none in winter, and some environmental variables contributed to the spatial variation in home range use intensity. Water sources, tree density, and dominant trees of Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) were the important environmental factors determining home range use. These environmental factors require protection to ensure the survival of the golden snub-nosed monkey.