The Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is a national first grade protected species in China.So far,current knowledge of the Himalayan Monal in China is still poor.An estimate of its distribution,numbers and habit...The Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is a national first grade protected species in China.So far,current knowledge of the Himalayan Monal in China is still poor.An estimate of its distribution,numbers and habitat was conducted during a two-year investigation from 2008 to 2009 in southern Tibet,especially in Lhozhag,Cona and Yadong counties.In total,12 sightings of the Himalayan Monal were recorded during the study period.Our data suggest that this bird is mainly found in Medog,Zayu,Cona,Lhunze,Lhozhag,Nyalam,Dingjie,Gamba and Yadong counties on the southern slopes of the Himalayas.Its western-most location was confirmed to be Nyalam County.The bird ranges in elevation from 3800 to 4300 m in the summer and from 3200 to 3500 m in the winter.We sighted 36-37 individual birds,consisting of 8-10 males,16-20 females and 7-8 sub-adults inhabiting the area around the Kajiu Monastery in Lhozhag County.The birds are mainly found in rocky forests,interspersed with steep slopes,cliffs and alpine meadows at elevations between 3800 and 4000 m.The population density of the Himalayan Monal near the Kajiu Monastery is 2.03 individual birds per km2,much larger than that of Yadong and Cona counties (0.052 individuals per krn2).展开更多
The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus thuysii)is an alpine-obligate galliform species of global conservation priority.It has been listed as a first class protected wildlife species in China,requiring conservation actions duri...The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus thuysii)is an alpine-obligate galliform species of global conservation priority.It has been listed as a first class protected wildlife species in China,requiring conservation actions during the 14 th Five-Year Plan period.However,the diet composition of Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations have rarely been studied,constraining the effective conservation of the species.Here,we investigated the plant diet composition of the Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations using a DNA metabarcoding approach on fecal samples.We collected 190 fecal samples of the Chinese Monals from the central Qionglai Mountains located in China,and analyzed the plant diet of this species using a DNA metabarcoding approach.Taxonomic profiling of higher plants in the fecal samples was performed using the second internal transcribed spacer(ITS2)amplicon.Downstream analyses,including rarefaction curves,nonmetric multidimensional scaling(NMDS)and permutational multivariate analysis of variance(PERMANOVA),were used to explore the seasonal variations in diet composition.The Chinese Monal foraged a wide range of plant recipes composed of 35 families and 83 genera throughout the year,with Brassicaceae,Apiaceae,and Poaceae as the dominant families,and Cardamine as the dominant genus.The species consumed plants from 62 genera from 28 families during the breeding season(n=81)and 66 genera from 31 families during the non-breeding season(n=109).Further,the plant diet composition significantly varied between the breeding and non-breeding seasons,especially for the frequency of occurrence and relative read abundances at genus level.Our study analyzed the plant diet of the Chinese Monal at a high resolution for the first time,and the results revealed that the seasonal variations in its plant diet composition was adapted to plant phenology and foraging strategy.Fritillaria species,a previously confirmed important food resource for the Chinese Monal,were not detected in any fecal samples,potentially due to overharvesting of Fritillaria bulbs for Traditional Chinese Medicine.Therefore,we highly recommend further restriction of herb gathering in Chinese Monal habitats to facilitate the conservation of this endangered species.Altogether,our study enriches essential ecological information for the Chinese Monal and also provides insights into conservation management for this endangered species.展开更多
Gandaki River Basin(GRB) is part of the central Himalayan region, which provides habitat for numerous wild species. However, due to changes in climate and land cover, the habitats of many protected species are at risk...Gandaki River Basin(GRB) is part of the central Himalayan region, which provides habitat for numerous wild species. However, due to changes in climate and land cover, the habitats of many protected species are at risk. Based on the maximum entropy(MaxEnt) model, coupled with bioclimatic layers, land cover and DEM data, the impacts of environmental factors on habitat suitability of Himalayan Monal(Lophophorus impejanus), a national bird of Nepal, was quantified. This study further assessed the present and future habitat and distribution of the Himalayan Monal in the context of climate and land cover changes. The results of this study show that the highly suitable habitat of Himalayan Monal presently occupies around 749 km^2 within the northern, eastern and western parts, particularly protected areas such as Langtang National Park, Manaslu Conservation Area and Annapurna Conservation Area, while it is likely to decrease to 561 km^2 by 2050, primarily in the northern and northwestern parts(i.e., Chhyo, Tatopani, Humde and Chame). These expected changes indicate increasing risk for Himalayan Monal due to a decline in its suitable habitat area.展开更多
Free-ranging yak grazing is a regime specially adapted to high-elevation environments across the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, yet its impacts on alpine birds remain poorly understood. The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus lhuysii) ...Free-ranging yak grazing is a regime specially adapted to high-elevation environments across the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, yet its impacts on alpine birds remain poorly understood. The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus lhuysii) is a rare pheasant species that serves as a representative and umbrella species for alpine meadow ecosystems in the mountains of Southwest China, and has long been regarded as threatened by free-ranging yaks. However, the actual impacts and specific mechanisms through which yak grazing influences Chinese Monal have not been empirically tested. Here, we conducted infrared camera monitoring in alpine meadows within the Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China, from 2019 to 2022. We analyzed the effects of free-ranging yaks on habitat occupancy, activity pattern, and population density of the Chinese Monal using multispecies occupancy models, kernel density estimations, avoidance attraction ratios, and random encounter models. We found that interactions with yaks affect monal habitat occupancy in conjunction with other ecological factors. Specifically, the presence of yaks alters monals' occupancy responses to variations in grass cover and elevation, causing monals to use habitats with lower grass cover and elevation more frequently. Additionally, the activity patterns of the Chinese Monal and yaks are significantly different, and the presence of yaks significantly prolongs the time until monals re-occupy the same habitats. As an outcome of the cumulative effects of spatial and temporal avoidance, the population density of the Chinese Monal negatively correlated with increasing grazing intensity. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the negative impacts of free-ranging yaks on the Chinese Monal and elucidates the underlying mechanisms, highlighting great risks to conservation of this vulnerable species. Our findings inform the optimization of grazing management that balances production with conservation. Strict control over yak numbers and grazing areas in critical habitats for Chinese Monal and other threatened species could be a feasible compromise to mitigate these pressures.展开更多
基金the State Forestry Administration to provide financial support to this study
文摘The Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is a national first grade protected species in China.So far,current knowledge of the Himalayan Monal in China is still poor.An estimate of its distribution,numbers and habitat was conducted during a two-year investigation from 2008 to 2009 in southern Tibet,especially in Lhozhag,Cona and Yadong counties.In total,12 sightings of the Himalayan Monal were recorded during the study period.Our data suggest that this bird is mainly found in Medog,Zayu,Cona,Lhunze,Lhozhag,Nyalam,Dingjie,Gamba and Yadong counties on the southern slopes of the Himalayas.Its western-most location was confirmed to be Nyalam County.The bird ranges in elevation from 3800 to 4300 m in the summer and from 3200 to 3500 m in the winter.We sighted 36-37 individual birds,consisting of 8-10 males,16-20 females and 7-8 sub-adults inhabiting the area around the Kajiu Monastery in Lhozhag County.The birds are mainly found in rocky forests,interspersed with steep slopes,cliffs and alpine meadows at elevations between 3800 and 4000 m.The population density of the Himalayan Monal near the Kajiu Monastery is 2.03 individual birds per km2,much larger than that of Yadong and Cona counties (0.052 individuals per krn2).
基金supported by Department of Wildlife Conservation,National Forestry and Grassland Administration of Chinathe National Natural Science Foundation of China(32000354)+1 种基金the Special Foundation for National Science and Technology Basic Research Program of China(2018FY100701)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program。
文摘The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus thuysii)is an alpine-obligate galliform species of global conservation priority.It has been listed as a first class protected wildlife species in China,requiring conservation actions during the 14 th Five-Year Plan period.However,the diet composition of Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations have rarely been studied,constraining the effective conservation of the species.Here,we investigated the plant diet composition of the Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations using a DNA metabarcoding approach on fecal samples.We collected 190 fecal samples of the Chinese Monals from the central Qionglai Mountains located in China,and analyzed the plant diet of this species using a DNA metabarcoding approach.Taxonomic profiling of higher plants in the fecal samples was performed using the second internal transcribed spacer(ITS2)amplicon.Downstream analyses,including rarefaction curves,nonmetric multidimensional scaling(NMDS)and permutational multivariate analysis of variance(PERMANOVA),were used to explore the seasonal variations in diet composition.The Chinese Monal foraged a wide range of plant recipes composed of 35 families and 83 genera throughout the year,with Brassicaceae,Apiaceae,and Poaceae as the dominant families,and Cardamine as the dominant genus.The species consumed plants from 62 genera from 28 families during the breeding season(n=81)and 66 genera from 31 families during the non-breeding season(n=109).Further,the plant diet composition significantly varied between the breeding and non-breeding seasons,especially for the frequency of occurrence and relative read abundances at genus level.Our study analyzed the plant diet of the Chinese Monal at a high resolution for the first time,and the results revealed that the seasonal variations in its plant diet composition was adapted to plant phenology and foraging strategy.Fritillaria species,a previously confirmed important food resource for the Chinese Monal,were not detected in any fecal samples,potentially due to overharvesting of Fritillaria bulbs for Traditional Chinese Medicine.Therefore,we highly recommend further restriction of herb gathering in Chinese Monal habitats to facilitate the conservation of this endangered species.Altogether,our study enriches essential ecological information for the Chinese Monal and also provides insights into conservation management for this endangered species.
基金Chinese Academy of Sciences-The World Academy of Sciences(CAS-TWAS)President's Fellowship Program for PhD Study。
文摘Gandaki River Basin(GRB) is part of the central Himalayan region, which provides habitat for numerous wild species. However, due to changes in climate and land cover, the habitats of many protected species are at risk. Based on the maximum entropy(MaxEnt) model, coupled with bioclimatic layers, land cover and DEM data, the impacts of environmental factors on habitat suitability of Himalayan Monal(Lophophorus impejanus), a national bird of Nepal, was quantified. This study further assessed the present and future habitat and distribution of the Himalayan Monal in the context of climate and land cover changes. The results of this study show that the highly suitable habitat of Himalayan Monal presently occupies around 749 km^2 within the northern, eastern and western parts, particularly protected areas such as Langtang National Park, Manaslu Conservation Area and Annapurna Conservation Area, while it is likely to decrease to 561 km^2 by 2050, primarily in the northern and northwestern parts(i.e., Chhyo, Tatopani, Humde and Chame). These expected changes indicate increasing risk for Himalayan Monal due to a decline in its suitable habitat area.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32000354)the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (2022NSFSC0123)+1 种基金the Innovation Team Funds of China West Normal University (KCXTD 2024-5)the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau (cxycs [2023]016)。
文摘Free-ranging yak grazing is a regime specially adapted to high-elevation environments across the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, yet its impacts on alpine birds remain poorly understood. The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus lhuysii) is a rare pheasant species that serves as a representative and umbrella species for alpine meadow ecosystems in the mountains of Southwest China, and has long been regarded as threatened by free-ranging yaks. However, the actual impacts and specific mechanisms through which yak grazing influences Chinese Monal have not been empirically tested. Here, we conducted infrared camera monitoring in alpine meadows within the Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China, from 2019 to 2022. We analyzed the effects of free-ranging yaks on habitat occupancy, activity pattern, and population density of the Chinese Monal using multispecies occupancy models, kernel density estimations, avoidance attraction ratios, and random encounter models. We found that interactions with yaks affect monal habitat occupancy in conjunction with other ecological factors. Specifically, the presence of yaks alters monals' occupancy responses to variations in grass cover and elevation, causing monals to use habitats with lower grass cover and elevation more frequently. Additionally, the activity patterns of the Chinese Monal and yaks are significantly different, and the presence of yaks significantly prolongs the time until monals re-occupy the same habitats. As an outcome of the cumulative effects of spatial and temporal avoidance, the population density of the Chinese Monal negatively correlated with increasing grazing intensity. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the negative impacts of free-ranging yaks on the Chinese Monal and elucidates the underlying mechanisms, highlighting great risks to conservation of this vulnerable species. Our findings inform the optimization of grazing management that balances production with conservation. Strict control over yak numbers and grazing areas in critical habitats for Chinese Monal and other threatened species could be a feasible compromise to mitigate these pressures.
