当前位置：
X-MOL 学术
›
Biol. Conserv.
›
论文详情
Our official English website, www.x-mol.net, welcomes your feedback! (Note: you will need to create a separate account there.)
Using completeness and defaunation indices to understand nature reserve’s key attributes in preserving medium- and large-bodied mammals
Biological Conservation ( IF 5.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-01-01 , DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108273 Zhixin Wen , Tianlong Cai , Anderson Feijó , Lin Xia , Jilong Cheng , Deyan Ge , Qisen Yang
Biological Conservation ( IF 5.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-01-01 , DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108273 Zhixin Wen , Tianlong Cai , Anderson Feijó , Lin Xia , Jilong Cheng , Deyan Ge , Qisen Yang
Abstract Medium- and large-bodied mammals (MLM) are of global interest of conservation due to their indispensable role in ecosystem functioning and sensitivity to human activities. Conservationists regard MLMs’ species richness as an important indicator of the conservation effectiveness of nature reserves (NR). However, species richness alone is unable to detect how much of the species pool is realized within local communities, nor the different consequences of loss of species having varying importance in ecosystem functioning on the communities. Here, we simultaneously studied the completeness and defaunation indices (both are useful in informing conservation practices) of MLMs in 33 NRs of Sichuan Province, Southwest China. We evaluated the main correlate (area, habitat heterogeneity, energy, water availability, anthropogenic impact) of each index using Pearson’s correlations and generalized least squares regressions. The effects of species’ body size, trophic guild and protection status on the defaunation index were also assessed. The results revealed a significant negative relationship between the two indices across the studied NRs. The NRs with larger elevation ranges (greater habitat heterogeneity) tended to have a more complete MLM fauna and less defaunated than NRs with smaller elevation ranges, and NRs with higher mean annual temperature were also more defaunated. At the species level, large-bodied protected herbivores were more defaunated than other MLM groups. Based on the findings, we argue that habitat heterogeneity and temperature should be the key considerations during NR designing of Sichuan Province to conserve MLM biodiversity, and large-bodied protected herbivores are the priority taxa in further conservation practices.
更新日期：2020-01-01
京公网安备 11010802027423号