1. Center for Nature and Society, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871
2. Shan Shui Conservation Center, Beijing 100871
3. Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123
4. Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, Xining 810000
Abstract:
Aims:
Wildlife population monitoring projects provide important insight and basis for species research and conservation efforts. The snow leopard (
Panthera uncia
), as the top predator and flagship species of Asian mountainous ecosystems, is of great scientific and conservation interest. However, due to its remote habitat, elusive behavior and large home ranges, long-term population monitoring study on snow leopards is rarely reported. Here we report a long-term population monitoring project of snow leopards in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (Yunta Village, Haxiu Township, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province) from Oct. 2013 to Jan. 2019.
Methods:
We monitored the population using infrared cameras maintained by the local community. We estimated population size and density as well as population growth rate using spatially explicit capture-recapture model (SECR). We calculated population turnover rates and analyzed territory replacement.
Results:
In total, we identified 35 snow leopard individuals. From SECR, population estimation based on 3-month high-quality data for three consecutive years (2015-2017) suggested stable population dynamic with a growth rate of 1.02. However, individual turnover was obvious with a rate of 0.44, and territory displacement happened around core utilization area of snow leopards. We proposed that the snow leopard population might locate on a potential dispersal pathway of snow leopards, or the camera array only covered a fraction of the population.
Conclusion:
As the first long-term population monitoring project of snow leopards reported in China, our work highlights the importance of long-term monitoring, and demonstrates the feasibility of mammal population monitoring maintained by local communities.
Key words:
snow leopard (
Panthera uncia
),
population dynamic monitoring,
camera-trapping,
spatially explicit capture-recapture model
Moyan Chu, Shujie Liang, Peiyun Li, Ding Jia, Abudusaimaiti Maierdiyali, Xueyang Li, Nan Jiang, Xiang Zhao, Faxiang Li, Lingyun Xiao, Zhi Lü. Population dynamic of snow leopard (
Panthera uncia
) in Yunta Village, Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, China[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2022, 30(9): 22157.
Fig. 3
Individual turnover of the snow leopard population in Yunta. (a) Adult individual cumulative curve of Yunta snow leopard population. Arrows show the time when the two cubs were first recognized in adulthood. (b) Detection history of snow leopard individuals in Yunta population. Males were shown in black, females in yellow, cubs in purple, and others in gray. Connected points indicate continuous detections in multiple seasons. (c) Numbers of detections (points) and interval time between the first and last encounter of each snow leopard individual (bars). Transits, short-term residents and long-term residents were framed in red, yellow and green, respectively. Individuals numbered with F, M, U and C are females, males, individuals of unknown sex and cubs, respectively.
Fig. 3
Individual turnover of the snow leopard population in Yunta. (a) Adult individual cumulative curve of Yunta snow leopard population. Arrows show the time when the two cubs were first recognized in adulthood. (b) Detection history of snow leopard individuals in Yunta population. Males were shown in black, females in yellow, cubs in purple, and others in gray. Connected points indicate continuous detections in multiple seasons. (c) Numbers of detections (points) and interval time between the first and last encounter of each snow leopard individual (bars). Transits, short-term residents and long-term residents were framed in red, yellow and green, respectively. Individuals numbered with F, M, U and C are females, males, individuals of unknown sex and cubs, respectively.
|
|
2014.12-2015.2
|
2016.1-2016.3
|
2017.1-2017.3
|
种群数量(只)
Population size
|
16 ± 4
|
18 ± 8
|
16 ± 5
|
种群密度
Population density (inds./100 km
2
)
|
3.2 ± 1.2
|
5.5 ± 2.9
|
4.6 ± 1.9
|
成年个体数量(只)
Adult population size
|
12 ± 3
|
15 ± 7
|
16 ± 5
|
成年个体密度
Adult population density (inds./100 km
2
)
|
2.6 ± 1.1
|
5.4 ± 2.9
|
4.6 ± 1.9
|
缓冲区宽度
Buffer width (km)
|
6.634
|
5.173
|
5.252
|
Table 1
Population size and density of snow leopard in Yunta estimated by SECR
|
|
2014.12-2015.2
|
2016.1-2016.3
|
2017.1-2017.3
|
种群数量(只)
Population size
|
16 ± 4
|
18 ± 8
|
16 ± 5
|
种群密度
Population density (inds./100 km
2
)
|
3.2 ± 1.2
|
5.5 ± 2.9
|
4.6 ± 1.9
|
成年个体数量(只)
Adult population size
|
12 ± 3
|
15 ± 7
|
16 ± 5
|
成年个体密度
Adult population density (inds./100 km
2
)
|
2.6 ± 1.1
|
5.4 ± 2.9
|
4.6 ± 1.9
|
缓冲区宽度
Buffer width (km)
|
6.634
|
5.173
|
5.252
|
Table 2
Snow leopard detection rates and numbers of individuals photographed on each camera site (core utilization sites are marked in bold)
相机位点
Camera
site
|
工作天数
Working
day
|
探测次数
Detections
|
探测概率
Detection
rate
|
雪豹个体数
Individual number
|
|
4002
|
462
|
48
|
0.1039
|
7
|
|
4013
|
891
|
84
|
0.0943
|
7
|
|
4004
|
550
|
31
|
0.0564
|
7
|
|
4010
|
916
|
27
|
0.0295
|
7
|
|
4003
|
411
|
41
|
0.0998
|
6
|
|
4001
|
700
|
61
|
0.0871
|
6
|
|
TQL
|
644
|
31
|
0.0481
|
6
|
|
4015
|
444
|
13
|
0.0293
|
5
|
|
4009
|
620
|
6
|
0.0097
|
5
|
|
4007
|
489
|
17
|
0.0348
|
4
|
|
4014
|
492
|
12
|
0.0244
|
4
|
|
4016
|
521
|
10
|
0.0192
|
3
|
|
4018
|
560
|
21
|
0.0375
|
2
|
|
4006
|
501
|
16
|
0.0319
|
2
|
|
4005
|
556
|
5
|
0.0090
|
2
|
|
4008
|
176
|
4
|
0.0227
|
1
|
|
MCG
|
241
|
3
|
0.0124
|
1
|
|
4019
|
223
|
8
|
0.0359
|
0
|
|
4012
|
453
|
3
|
0.0066
|
0
|
|
4011
|
243
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Table 2
Snow leopard detection rates and numbers of individuals photographed on each camera site (core utilization sites are marked in bold)
相机位点
Camera
site
|
工作天数
Working
day
|
探测次数
Detections
|
探测概率
Detection
rate
|
雪豹个体数
Individual number
|
|
4002
|
462
|
48
|
0.1039
|
7
|
|
4013
|
891
|
84
|
0.0943
|
7
|
|
4004
|
550
|
31
|
0.0564
|
7
|
|
4010
|
916
|
27
|
0.0295
|
7
|
|
4003
|
411
|
41
|
0.0998
|
6
|
|
4001
|
700
|
61
|
0.0871
|
6
|
|
TQL
|
644
|
31
|
0.0481
|
6
|
|
4015
|
444
|
13
|
0.0293
|
5
|
|
4009
|
620
|
6
|
0.0097
|
5
|
|
4007
|
489
|
17
|
0.0348
|
4
|
|
4014
|
492
|
12
|
0.0244
|
4
|
|
4016
|
521
|
10
|
0.0192
|
3
|
|
4018
|
560
|
21
|
0.0375
|
2
|
|
4006
|
501
|
16
|
0.0319
|
2
|
|
4005
|
556
|
5
|
0.0090
|
2
|
|
4008
|
176
|
4
|
0.0227
|
1
|
|
MCG
|
241
|
3
|
0.0124
|
1
|
|
4019
|
223
|
8
|
0.0359
|
0
|
|
4012
|
453
|
3
|
0.0066
|
0
|
|
4011
|
243
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
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