Distribution and niche overlap of American mink and Eurasian otter in Northeast China

doi:10.17520/biods.2022289

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims: As an invasive species, the American mink (Neovison vison) has caused a series of ecological problems in Europe. It competes for ecological space with the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), and its invasiveness poses a serious threat to local biodiversity and ecosystem. However, minks have been introduced into the Northeast China for more than 70 years, yet there are few studies on the field population of minks in China. The purpose of this study is to understand the influencing factors and invasive range distribution of the mink population and the competition relationship between minks and otters with a similar ecological niche.

Methods: In this study, based on the distribution information obtained from field investigation and literature, the potential distribution areas of American mink and Eurasian otter were identified by utilizing an ensemble model, and the geospatial invasion risk of American mink to Eurasian otter was assessed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess niche overlap and influencing factors.

Results: The potential distribution area of American mink was 61,944.57 km², while the potential distribution area of Eurasian otter was 83,590.94 km², and the overlapping area was 50,544.21 km², accounting for 60.47% of the potential distribution area of otters in Northeast China. With distribution by province, otters in Heilongjiang Province had the highest risk of invasion by minks, and the overlap ratio of potential distribution area is 78.94%, followed by Jilin province with an overlap of 53.80%. The environmental niche of minks and otters was highly overlapped, with Schoener’s D value reaching 0.60. The results of single-factor niche analysis indicated that otters were more sensitive to cultivated land density than minks and concentrate in low cultivated land density areas. Otters and minks tended to choose areas with higher forest density, but minks had a smoother selection of forest density and were less dependent on forest than otters. Minks preferred areas with lower precipitation than otters and otters preferred higher-altitude habitats to minks.

Conclusion: According to the geographical distribution characteristics and the results of niche analysis, we suggest that the competition between otter and mink should be regulated by controlling human disturbance to suppress the mink invasion in Northeast China.

Key words: American mink, Eurasian otter, interspecific competition, invasive species, niche overlap

Minhao Chen, Chao Zhang, Jiadong Wang, Zhenjie Zhan, Junzhi Chen, Xiaofeng Luan. Distribution and niche overlap of American mink and Eurasian otter in Northeast China[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2023, 31(1): 22289.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2022289

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2023/V31/I1/22289

Figures/Tables 5

References 56

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环境变量 Environmental variables	重要性 Importance		平方和的平方根 RSS	物种分布模型 SDM	生态位量化 Niche quantification^*	数据来源 Data sources
环境变量 Environmental variables	水貂 Mink	水獭 Otter	平方和的平方根 RSS	物种分布模型 SDM	生态位量化 Niche quantification^*	数据来源 Data sources
距水域距离 Distance from water	0.765	0.692	1.031	●	●	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn/
居民点密度 Residential density	0.124	0.036	0.129	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
耕地密度 Cultivated land density	0.037	0.112	0.118	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
最干季降水量 Precipitation of driest quarter	0.056	0.056	0.080	●	●	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/
海拔 Elevation	0.070	0.005	0.071	●	●	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
有林地密度 Forest density	0.021	0.029	0.036	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
最湿季降水量 Precipitation of wettest quarter	0.014	0.001	0.014	●	●	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/
坡度 Slope	0.008	0.002	0.009	●	×	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
地表起伏度 Relief degree of land surface	0.007	0.004	0.008	●	×	全球变化科学研究数据出版系统 Global Change Research Data Publishing and Repository http://www.geodoi.ac.cn/
距一级支流距离 Distance from primary tributaries	0.004	0.007	0.008	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距二级支流距离 Distance from secondary tributaries	0.007	0.002	0.008	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
坡向 Aspect	0.005	0.003	0.006	●	×	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
距主要河流距离 Distance from major rivers	0.004	0.001	0.004	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距道路距离 Distance from road	0.002	0.000	0.002	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距城镇距离 Distance from town	0.001	0.001	0.001	●	×	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx
年降水量 Annual precipitation	-	-	-	×	×	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/

环境变量 Environmental variables	重要性 Importance		平方和的平方根 RSS	物种分布模型 SDM	生态位量化 Niche quantification^*	数据来源 Data sources
环境变量 Environmental variables	水貂 Mink	水獭 Otter	平方和的平方根 RSS	物种分布模型 SDM	生态位量化 Niche quantification^*	数据来源 Data sources
距水域距离 Distance from water	0.765	0.692	1.031	●	●	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn/
居民点密度 Residential density	0.124	0.036	0.129	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
耕地密度 Cultivated land density	0.037	0.112	0.118	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
最干季降水量 Precipitation of driest quarter	0.056	0.056	0.080	●	●	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/
海拔 Elevation	0.070	0.005	0.071	●	●	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
有林地密度 Forest density	0.021	0.029	0.036	●	●	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx/
最湿季降水量 Precipitation of wettest quarter	0.014	0.001	0.014	●	●	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/
坡度 Slope	0.008	0.002	0.009	●	×	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
地表起伏度 Relief degree of land surface	0.007	0.004	0.008	●	×	全球变化科学研究数据出版系统 Global Change Research Data Publishing and Repository http://www.geodoi.ac.cn/
距一级支流距离 Distance from primary tributaries	0.004	0.007	0.008	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距二级支流距离 Distance from secondary tributaries	0.007	0.002	0.008	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
坡向 Aspect	0.005	0.003	0.006	●	×	SRTM 90 m数字高程数据 SRTM 90 m Digital Elevation Database http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
距主要河流距离 Distance from major rivers	0.004	0.001	0.004	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距道路距离 Distance from road	0.002	0.000	0.002	●	×	全国地理信息资源目录服务系统 National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information https://www.webmap.cn
距城镇距离 Distance from town	0.001	0.001	0.001	●	×	资源环境科学与数据中心 Resource and Environment Science and Data Center http://www.resdc.cn/Default.aspx
年降水量 Annual precipitation	-	-	-	×	×	世界气候数据网站 WorldClim http://www.worldclim.org/

省份 Province	潜在分布区 Potential distribution (km²)			重叠比例 Proportion of overlap
省份 Province	水貂 Mink	水獭 Otter	重叠区域 Overlapping region	重叠比例 Proportion of overlap
内蒙古 Inner Mongolia	12,616.02	27,758.67	12,135.05	43.72%
辽宁 Liaoning	283.56	2,780.04	266.35	9.58%
吉林 Jilin	8,264.06	14,871.51	8,001.23	53.80%
黑龙江 Heilongjiang	40,780.93	38,180.71	30,141.58	78.94%
总计 Total	61,944.57	83,590.94	50,544.21	60.47%

省份 Province	潜在分布区 Potential distribution (km²)			重叠比例 Proportion of overlap
省份 Province	水貂 Mink	水獭 Otter	重叠区域 Overlapping region	重叠比例 Proportion of overlap
内蒙古 Inner Mongolia	12,616.02	27,758.67	12,135.05	43.72%
辽宁 Liaoning	283.56	2,780.04	266.35	9.58%
吉林 Jilin	8,264.06	14,871.51	8,001.23	53.80%
黑龙江 Heilongjiang	40,780.93	38,180.71	30,141.58	78.94%
总计 Total	61,944.57	83,590.94	50,544.21	60.47%