Seasonal home range patterns of the reintroduced and rewild female Père David's deer Elaphurus davidianus. Issue 3 (4th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ding, Jingjing; Chang, Qing; Ding, Yuhua; Zhu, Lifeng; Liu, Hongyu; Jiang, Zhigang; Li, Chunwang
• Is Part Of: Biological rhythm research. Volume 48:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 485
• Page End: 497
• Publication Date: 2017-05-04
• Subjects: Seasonal rhythm -- home range size -- coastal wetlands -- resources availability -- human activities; Biological rhythms -- Periodicals; Chronobiology -- Periodicals; Cycles -- Periodicals; Biological Clocks; Chronobiology; Circadian Rhythm; 570
• DOI: 10.1080/09291016.2016.1275396
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0929-1016

Abstract

Abstract: To learn the seasonal home range pattern and its role in the ecological adaptation of rewild Père David's deer, we took the investigation from spring to winter in three-collared females that released into the coastal wetlands of the Yellow Sea, China. Using GPS collars, minimum convex polygons and fixed kernel estimation, we recorded the movement and estimated the home ranges of the deer. The results showed that the collared deer inhabited only 42.85% of the coastal wetland habitat that had been designated for them. The home ranges were larger during winter and spring than in autumn and summer. In summer and autumn, the collared deer remained in the reserve, which was dominated by spartina grass. In the spring and winter, they were lured by the green leaves of wheat in the farmlands outside the reserve but were then driven back by people. Home range patterns reflected the seasonality of the availability of food resources and human activity. In addition to the frequently utilized habitats, much larger wetland areas are required for such deer. As the population density increases gradually, more available space will be needed to meet the fundamental needs of the seasonal dispersal of rewild Père David's deer.