Abstract:

Knowledge of the abundance and distribution of biodiversity is vitally important to understand ecological processes, manage for conservation goals, and assess the impacts of global change. In order to investigate the diversity, abundance, and distribution of mammals and birds in Siguniang Mountains National Nature Reserve, we deployed 60 camera traps from May to December 2017. With an extensive survey effort of 11,013 camera-days, we recorded 31 mammal and bird species belonging to 7 orders and 18 families. Among the recorded species, five are first class and ten are second class national protected wildlife, whereas two are listed as Endangered, five as Vulnerable, and three as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. In addition to providing a preliminary inventory of large mammals and birds in the reserve, we also assessed the abundance of each species using the relative abundance index. According to this index, the five most abundant mammal species were tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus), sambar (Rusa unicolor), Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and northern hog badger (Arctonyx collaris). The five most abundant avian species were blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), white eared pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon), giant laughing thrush (Garrulax maximus), chestnut-throated partridge (Tetraophasis obscurus) and chestnut thrush (Turdus rubrocanus). Comparison between Siguniang Mountains and the adjacent Wolong Nature Reserve revealed different community compositions, this was likely due to distinct differences in local climate, vegetation, and topography between the two regions. The data obtained in this study will provide an important basis for future wildlife research and conservation management, and also provides support for biodiversity monitoring and regional inventories of mammals and birds.

Key words: nature reserve, camera-trapping, biodiversity inventory, wildlife monitoring, Hengduan Mountains