Abstract
Habitat fragmentation can reduce population viability, especially for area-sensitive species. The Minimum Area Requirements (MAR) of a population is the area required for the population’s long-term persistence. In this study, the response of occupancy probability of giant pandas against habitat patch size was studied in five of the six mountain ranges inhabited by giant panda, which cover over 78% of the global distribution of giant panda habitat. The probability of giant panda occurrence was positively associated with habitat patch area, and the observed increase in occupancy probability with patch size was higher than that due to passive sampling alone. These results suggest that the giant panda is an area-sensitive species. The MAR for giant panda was estimated to be 114.7 km2 based on analysis of its occupancy probability. Giant panda habitats appear more fragmented in the three southern mountain ranges, while they are large and more continuous in the other two. Establishing corridors among habitat patches can mitigate habitat fragmentation, but expanding habitat patch sizes is necessary in mountain ranges where fragmentation is most intensive.
Highlights
The most effective way to conserve area-sensitive species is to maintain habitat patches large enough for the persistence of local populations
We tested whether the giant panda was area-sensitive by testing whether the occupancy probability of giant panda in a patch of a given size was greater than the probability driven only by passive sampling, in which large patches have a higher probability of being occupied at random than smaller patches[46,47,48]
Using the latest and most complete empirical data of giant panda presence and land cover, we analyzed the response of occupancy probability of giant panda against habitat patch size
Summary
The most effective way to conserve area-sensitive species is to maintain habitat patches large enough for the persistence of local populations. Current remnant populations are restricted to six separate regions scattered throughout rugged mountain ranges at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau[29,30]. Within those regions, the habitats are highly fragmented[31,32,33,34], which drives further decreases in total giant panda numbers[35]. This study seeks to understand how giant panda population presence depends on patch size and to test whether the giant panda are area-sensitive. We examine the characteristics of remnant habitat patches in these mountain ranges, which collectively comprise the most important giant panda habitat in the world
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