To understand the pattern of vigilance behavior in Père David’s deer and its adaptation to human disturbance,we carried out an experiment in the Dafeng Père David’s Deer Nature Reserve.In a large paddock,we observed vigilance behaviors of free-ranging Père David’s deer.In spring and summer,we used a laser-range finder to measure the alert-distance of the Père David’s deer group in the large paddock.Our data indicate that the vigilance behaviors in Père David’s deer included scanning,stare,walking away,flee,alarm calls and pawing ground for alert.After statistical analysis,we found that:(1)the expression of vigilance behavior in Père David’s deer was depend on intensity of human disturbance;(2)keeping seasonal factors constant,there was a significant difference among different types of alert distances;furthermore,the stare distance was significantly longer than the distance of walking away and fleeing;(3)the stare distance in semi-free ranging Père David’s deer in summer was significantly greater than in spring,but the distances of walking away and the distances of fleeing exhibited no significant difference between the two seasons.These results indicated that:(1)the main factor affecting vigilance behavior in Père David’s deer was human disturbance under the captive breeding situation and(2)Père David’s deer adopted different vigilance behavior in response to human disturbance under different circumstances.In animal conservation,it is important to consider the relationship between vigilance behavior and human disturbance.
Przewalski’s gazelle Procapra przewalskii is an endangered species endemic to China. A question remains about subspecific variation in this species. Skulls of Przewalski’s gazelle collected from its current remnant ranges around the Qinghai Lake in combination with those collected prior to the 20th century were measured and analyzed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis in order to clarify the question. Unexpectedly, P. p. diversicornis, extirpated from its historic range, has spread to the Qinghai Lake region where it has replaced nominotypical P. p. przewalskii and is now restricted to a few small isolated populations around the lake. We discuss the causes of this unexpected replacement. In this study, we discuss the possibility of a new form, possibly a new subspecies, in the Guide Basin, adjacent to Qinghai Lake; it is unclear whether the new form has long existed and was only discovered in recent years, or whether it evolved in recent times due to the geographical isolation and anthropogenic landscape features. The study sheds light on the processes of microevolution and subspeciation in Procapra przewalskii, and based on the findings, we propose measures for conservation strategies for Przewalski’s gazelle.
MARDAN TurghanJIANG ZhiGangGROVES Colin PYANG JiFANG HongXia
