Habitat selection by Naemorhedus goral during summer and winter in the Zhouzhi Nature Reserve of Qinling Mountain.
BIAN Kun1, WANG Kai-feng1*, LIU Chu-guang1, SI Kai-chuang2, ZHU Dai-bo2, WANG Zhi-jun2
2016, 35(6):
1553-1560.
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Goral habitat selection was observed and analyzed in this study using belttransect methods at Zhouzhi Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province in winter (February 2014 and December 2014 to January 2015) and summer (June 2015 to July 2015). We established 23 belt transects to collect goral habitat selection information. In summer, goral preferred areas with the following attributes: conifer forest, grassland and gravel, high altitude (>1900 m), upper slope position, high slope gradient (>20°) and sunny slope, short tree dispersion (<4 m), big tree size (>60 cm), tall shrub (>1.2 m), 30%-45% shrub overage, high herbage overage (>40%), short distance to hides (<5 m), moderate hiding cover (>30%), and long distance to human disturbance (>1 km). In winter, goral preferred areas with the following attributes: broadleaf forest, moderate altitude (1500-1900 m), lower slope position, 10°-20° slope gradient and sunny slope, low canopy (<20%), moderate tree dispersion (<6 m), tall shrub (>1.2 m), low shrub density (<5 trees·20 m-2), 1-2 m shrub dispersion, 15%-30% shrub overage, moderate herbage overage (>20%), 5 or more herbage species, moderate hiding cover (>30%), short distance to water sources (<1 km) and short distance to human disturbance (<1 km). Binary Logistic regression results showed that eight factors controlled goral habitat selection in summer: slope direction, slope position, tree size, tree dispersion, shrub size, hiding cover, distance to hides, and distance to human disturbance. In winter, nine factors controlled the habitat selection: slope direction, slope position, canopy, tree dispersion, shrub size, shrub dispersion, herbage species, hiding cover, and distance to water sources.
