Abstract:
Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, locates in central Minshan Mountains and harbors a rich fauna with high species diversity. From November 2019 to December 2021, we conducted a camera-trapping survey in Jiuzhaigou reserve to investigate its terrestrial mammals and birds. With an extensive sampling effort of 76 342 camera-days at 106 camera stations which spans across a broad elevation range from 2 189-3 514 m, we recorded 25 wild mammal species (belonging to 13 families and 5 orders) with 11 045 independent detections and 33 bird species (belonging to 10 families and 4 orders) with 648 independent detections. Among these species, 14 mammal species (4 as Class I and 10 as Class II) and 13 bird species (3 as Class I and 10 as Class II) are listed as China’s key protected wildlife species. Tufted deer (
Elaphodus cephalophus, RAI = 48.66) and blood pheasant (
Ithaginis cruentus, RAI = 2.33) are the most detected mammal and bird species, respectively. Artiodactyla and Galliformes are the dominant mammal and bird group in the community, whose independent detections account for 84.92% and 64.50%, respectively, of all mammal and bird detections. Seven species, including five mammals, i.e., Tibetan macaque (
Macaca thibetana), Asian badger (
Meles leucurus), Reeves’ muntjac (
Muntiacus reevesi), sambar (
Rusa unicolor) and sika deer (
Cervus nippon), and two birds, i.e., Sichuan thrush (
Zoothera griseiceps) and Chinese blackbird (
Turdus mandarinus), are recorded for the first time in Jiuzhaigou. Compared to the two previous camera-trapping surveys in Jiuzhaigou, this study covered much broader areas with higher sampling efforts and recorded more species in the reserve. These results will provide reliable data base for the biodiversity inventory and species list updating of Jiuzhaigou, and will serve as the foundation for the reserve to establish a systematic wildlife monitoring system and carry out future conservation and management actions.