摘要
Abstract
Carnivores are crucial components of ecosystems,and their population status can reflect the stability and integrity of the entire ecosystem.Understanding the activity rhythms and analyzing their survival strategies are essential for protecting the diversity of animal communities.Based on infrared camera monitoring from April 2022 to December 2024 in Guangdong Liannan Chinese Giant Salamander Nature Reserve,the annual and daily activity rhythms of five carnivore species with relatively high population densities were analyzed using the relative abundance index,Kernel density estimation,and overlap index methos.The results showed that:(1)Species with lower population densities—the Hog Badger(Arctonyx collaris),Leopard Cat(Prionailurus bengalensis),Masked Palm Civet(Paguma larvata),and Crab-eating Mongoose(Herpestes urva)—exhibited monthly activity peaks in May and August.In contrast,the Chinese Ferret-badger(Melogale moschata),which had the highest population density,peaked in activity from January to March and in September,indicating that lower-density species actively avoid higher-density species.(2)The daily activity patterns revealed that the Chinese Ferret-badger and Masked Palm Civet exhibited nocturnal behaviors,the Crab-eating Mongoose displayed typical diurnal activity,while the Hog Badger and Leopard Cat showed intermittent activity patterns.The activity patterns of the Chinese Ferret-badger,Masked Palm Civet,and Crab-eating Mongoose were relatively conservative,whereas those of the Hog Badger and Leopard Cat were more flexible.(3)The daily activity rhythms of the Chinese Ferret-badger and Masked Palm Civet overlapped the most(0.89),suggesting possible coexistence through spatial niche differentiation.However,their monthly activity rhythms displayed temporal"temporal niche partitioning",indicating further differentiation in temporal niches.Their overlap with the Crab-eating Mongoose was the lowest(0.06 and 0.07,respectively).Overlap index for other species pairs ranged from 0.45 to 0.74,with staggered activity peaks observed among them.These findings provided fundamental insights into the composition of the carnivore community and interspecific relationships within the reserve,contributing to a deeper understanding of their coexistence mechanism.关键词
活动节律/时间生态位/同域共存/大鲵保护区Key words
activity rhythm/temporal niche/sympatric coexistence/Chinese Giant Salamander Nature Reserve
