As an apex predator the Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica)could play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of forest ecosystems in Northeast Asia.Due to habitat loss and harvest over the past century,tige...As an apex predator the Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica)could play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of forest ecosystems in Northeast Asia.Due to habitat loss and harvest over the past century,tigers rapidly declined in China and are now restricted to the Russian Far East and bordering habitat in nearby China.To facilitate restoration of the tiger in its historical range,reliable estimates of population size are essential to assess effectiveness of conservation interventions.Here we used camera trap data collected in Hunchun National Nature Reserve from April to June 2013 and 2014 to estimate tiger density and abundance using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian spatially explicit capture-recapture(SECR)methods.A minimum of 8 individuals were detected in both sample periods and the documentation of marking behavior and reproduction suggests the presence of a resident population.Using Bayesian SECR modeling within the 11400 km2 state space,density estimates were 0.33 and 0.40 individuals/100 km^(2) in 2013 and 2014,respectively,corresponding to an estimated abundance of 38 and 45 animals for this transboundary Sino-Russian population.In a maximum likelihood framework,we estimated densities of 0.30 and 0.24 individuals/100 km^(2) corresponding to abundances of 34 and 27,in 2013 and 2014,respectively.These density estimates are comparable to other published estimates for resident Amur tiger populations in the Russian Far East.This study reveals promising signs of tiger recovery in Northeast China,and demonstrates the importance of connectivity between the Russian and Chinese populations for recovering tigers in Northeast China.展开更多
Over the past half century,wildlife research has relied on technological advances to gain additional insight into the secretive lives of animals.This revolution started in the 1960s with the development of radio telem...Over the past half century,wildlife research has relied on technological advances to gain additional insight into the secretive lives of animals.This revolution started in the 1960s with the development of radio telemetry and continues today with the use of Global Positioning System(GPS)-based research techniques.In the present paper we review the history of radio telemetry from its origins with grizzly bears in Yellowstone to its early applications in tiger research and conservation in Asia.We address the different types of data that are available using radio telemetry as opposed to using other research techniques,such as behavioral observations,camera trapping,DNA analysis and scat analysis.In the late 1990s,the rapid development of GPS collar technology revolutionized wildlife research.This new technology has enabled researchers to dramatically improve their ability to gather data on animal movements and ecology.Despite the ecological and conservation benefits of radio telemetry,there have been few telemetry studies of tigers in the wild,and most have been on the Bengal or Amur subspecies.We close with an assessment of the current tiger conservation efforts using GPS technology and discuss how this new information can help to preserve tigers for future generations.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China(31270567,31210103911,31421063,31200410 and 31470566)the National Scientific and Technical Foundation Project of China(2012FY112000).
文摘As an apex predator the Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica)could play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of forest ecosystems in Northeast Asia.Due to habitat loss and harvest over the past century,tigers rapidly declined in China and are now restricted to the Russian Far East and bordering habitat in nearby China.To facilitate restoration of the tiger in its historical range,reliable estimates of population size are essential to assess effectiveness of conservation interventions.Here we used camera trap data collected in Hunchun National Nature Reserve from April to June 2013 and 2014 to estimate tiger density and abundance using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian spatially explicit capture-recapture(SECR)methods.A minimum of 8 individuals were detected in both sample periods and the documentation of marking behavior and reproduction suggests the presence of a resident population.Using Bayesian SECR modeling within the 11400 km2 state space,density estimates were 0.33 and 0.40 individuals/100 km^(2) in 2013 and 2014,respectively,corresponding to an estimated abundance of 38 and 45 animals for this transboundary Sino-Russian population.In a maximum likelihood framework,we estimated densities of 0.30 and 0.24 individuals/100 km^(2) corresponding to abundances of 34 and 27,in 2013 and 2014,respectively.These density estimates are comparable to other published estimates for resident Amur tiger populations in the Russian Far East.This study reveals promising signs of tiger recovery in Northeast China,and demonstrates the importance of connectivity between the Russian and Chinese populations for recovering tigers in Northeast China.
文摘Over the past half century,wildlife research has relied on technological advances to gain additional insight into the secretive lives of animals.This revolution started in the 1960s with the development of radio telemetry and continues today with the use of Global Positioning System(GPS)-based research techniques.In the present paper we review the history of radio telemetry from its origins with grizzly bears in Yellowstone to its early applications in tiger research and conservation in Asia.We address the different types of data that are available using radio telemetry as opposed to using other research techniques,such as behavioral observations,camera trapping,DNA analysis and scat analysis.In the late 1990s,the rapid development of GPS collar technology revolutionized wildlife research.This new technology has enabled researchers to dramatically improve their ability to gather data on animal movements and ecology.Despite the ecological and conservation benefits of radio telemetry,there have been few telemetry studies of tigers in the wild,and most have been on the Bengal or Amur subspecies.We close with an assessment of the current tiger conservation efforts using GPS technology and discuss how this new information can help to preserve tigers for future generations.
