Ecological Factors Determining Barking Deer Distribution and Habitat Use in the Mid-Hills of Nepal

0558873 - ÚVGZ 2023 RIV CH eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Neupane, B. - Dhami, B. - Bista, S. - Sadadev, B. M. - Regmi, S. - Shrestha, S. - Shrestha, Bikram - Traxmandlová, Iva - Vařachová, Soňa - Kindlmann, Pavel
Ecological Factors Determining Barking Deer Distribution and Habitat Use in the Mid-Hills of Nepal.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Roč. 10, JUN (2022), č. článku 894369. ISSN 2296-701X. E-ISSN 2296-701X
Grant CEP: GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018123
Institucionální podpora: RVO:86652079
Klíčová slova: annapurna conservation area * bed-site selection * muntiacus-muntjak * red deer * wildlife * forest * preference * moschidae * conflict * antelope * barking deer * habitat preference * mid-hills of Nepal * Muntiacus vaginalis * wild ungulate
Obor OECD: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)
Impakt faktor: 3, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Open access
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.894369/full

Barking deer is found in dense tropical and subtropical forests of Asia. It is listed as ´least concerned´ by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and as ´vulnerable´ in Nepal, where it is also protected. Due to the habitat loss and fragmentation by human activities, barking deer abundance is decreasing, which may even ultimately lead to its extinction. This in turn might negatively affect local ecosystem such as the abundance of the endangered common leopard, for which barking deer is the main prey species in the mid-hills of Nepal. We therefore need to know factors affecting barking deer abundance and its habitat preferences. To determine these factors, we recorded barking deer either by direct sighting or by any evidence of its indirect presence observed through transect surveys in January and February, 2019. To analyze habitat preference, the presence of barking deer was set to 1 if the barking deer or any sign of its presence were observed ´used plots,´ or to 0 if the barking deer or any sign of its presence were not observed (´habitat availability plot´). We measured main four ecological drivers such as forest management regime, microclimate, disturbance and food resources, which include 11 habitat characteristics in spots where barking deer was present, and in randomly selected spots. We found that elevation, slope, distance from settlement, presence of tree species, depth of leaf litter and percentage cover of leaf litter were most significantly affecting its presence. These results can serve as guidelines for local authorities to prevent decline in abundance of barking deer.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0332372