Abstract:

Aims: Species spatial association networks are crucial for understanding community structure, revealing interspecific ecological relationships, and elucidating species coexistence mechanisms. The yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), a representative medium-sized carnivore on the northern slope of the Qinling Mountains, exerts a significant impact on the population structure of other animals and vegetation resource allocation. This study investigates its interspecific associations with ground-dwelling birds and mammals in this ecologically complex region. 

Methods: We conducted interspecific association analysis using data from 83 infrared camera-traps deployed on the northern slope of the Qinling Mountains’ main ridge during 2019–2024, and further constructed an association network between the yellow-throated marten and sympatric ground-dwelling birds and mammals in this area. 

Results: (1) Among 29 ground-dwelling species (belonging to 6 orders and 13 families) captured by the cameras, the yellow-throated marten showed significant positive spatial associations with 14 species. It exhibited commensal ecological relationships with four species, namely wild boar (Sus scrofa), Reeves’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), Chinese takin (Budorcas tibetana), and tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus), while displaying symmetric ecological relationships with the remaining 10 species. (2) The yellow-throated marten contributed the second-highest to community stability, surpassed only by the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana). Fourteen species, including the golden snub-nosed monkey, tufted deer, and Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), were identified as core network species, whereas nine species (e.g., Chinese serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii), and masked palm squirrel (Tamiops swinhoei) were peripheral. The yellow-throated marten is one of the most active species in the network. Particularly in the Qinling forest ecosystem where large carnivores are scarce, it plays a vital role in maintaining community stability. 

Conclusions: This study highlights the yellow-throated marten’s ecological significance and underscores the need for targeted conservation strategies to preserve interspecific interactions and community stability in the northern Qinling Mountains.

Key words: Martes flavigula, ecological relationships, spatial associations, spatial association network, northern slope of the Qinling Mountains