Diurnal activity time budget of Père David's deer in Hubei Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve, China

Daode, 杨道德 Yang; Zhuyun, 李竹云 Li; Pengfei, 李鹏飞 Li; Zhigang, 蒋志刚 Jiang

doi:10.5846/stxb201206100830

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…Reintroduction projects in EMC (Table S2) have focused on a few native species that were locally extinct or close to extinction, although the ecological roles associated with these species have been less explored. For Elaphurus davidianus, in ancient times this ungulate was widely distributed in wetland ecosystems ranging from northeastern to southwestern China (Cao, 2005;Wang, 2013;Turvey et al, 2017), feeding on diverse grasses and seedlings of hydrophytes and mesophytes mainly including Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Fabaceae (Yang et al, 2002(Yang et al, , 2007. The reintroduced free-range populations of E. davidianus fenced inside national nature reserves, which are located in riparian or coastal marsh areas in the provinces of Hubei and Jiangsu, have significantly altered the vegetation landscapes by both overconsuming preferred plant biomass and trampling behaviours (Wang et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Discussion: Restoring Megabiota In China (1) Current Societa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Large mammals and trees in eastern monsoonal China: anthropogenic losses since the Late Pleistocene and restoration prospects in the Anthropocene

Teng

Svenning

2023

Biological Reviews

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Massive human‐induced declines of large‐sized animals and trees (megabiota) from the Late Pleistocene to the Anthropocene have resulted in downsized ecosystems across the globe, in which components and functions have been greatly simplified. In response, active restoration projects of extant large‐sized species or functional substitutes are needed at large scales to promote ecological processes that are important for ecosystem self‐regulation and biodiversity maintenance. Despite the desired global scope of such projects, they have received little attention in East Asia. Here, we synthesise the biogeographical and ecological knowledge of megabiota in ancient and modern China, with relevant data mostly located in eastern monsoonal China (EMC), aiming to assess its potential for restoring functionally intact ecosystems modulated by megabiota. We found that during the Late Pleistocene, 12 mammalian megafaunal (carnivores ≥15 kg and herbivores ≥500 kg) species disappeared from EMC: one carnivore Crocuta ultima (East Asian spotted hyena) and 11 herbivores including six megaherbivores (≥1000 kg). The relative importance of climate change and humans in driving these losses remains debated, despite accumulating evidence in favour of the latter. Later massive depletion of megafauna and large‐sized (45–500 kg) herbivores has been closely associated with agricultural expansion and societal development, especially during the late Holocene. While forests rich in large timber trees (33 taxa in written records) were common in the region 2000–3000 years ago, millennial‐long logging has resulted in considerable range contractions and at least 39 threatened species. The wide distribution of C. ultima, which likely favoured open or semi‐open habitats (like extant spotted hyenas), suggests the existence of mosaic open and closed vegetation in the Late Pleistocene across EMC, in line with a few pollen‐based vegetation reconstructions and potentially, or at least partially, reflecting herbivory by herbivorous megafauna. The widespread loss of megaherbivores may have strongly compromised seed dispersal for both megafruit (fleshy fruits with widths ≥40 mm) and non‐megafruit plant species in EMC, especially in terms of extra‐long‐distance (>10 km) dispersal, which is critical for plant species that rely on effective biotic agents to track rapid climate change. The former occurrence of large mammals and trees have translated into rich material and non‐material heritages passed down across generations. Several reintroduction projects have been implemented or are under consideration, with the case of Elaphurus davidianus a notable success in recovering wild populations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, although trophic interactions with native carnivorous megafauna have not yet been restored. Lessons of dealing with human–wildlife conflicts are key to public support for maintaining landscapes shared with megafauna and large herbivores in the human‐dominated Anthropocene. Meanwhile, potential human–wildlife conflicts, e.g. public health risks, need to be scientifically informed and effectively reduced. The Chinese government's strong commitment to improved policies of ecological protection and restoration (e.g. ecological redlines and national parks) provides a solid foundation for a scaling‐up contribution to the global scope needed for solving the crisis of biotic downsizing and ecosystem degradation.

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Section: Discussion: Restoring Megabiota In China (1) Current Societa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Large mammals and trees in eastern monsoonal China: anthropogenic losses since the Late Pleistocene and restoration prospects in the Anthropocene

Teng

Svenning

2023

Biological Reviews

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The tale of two deer: management of Père David’s deer and sika deer in anthropogenic landscape of eastern Asia

2016

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Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon) occupy two contrasting types of niches in eastern Asia: Père David’s deer is a swamp deer adapted to wetlands, while the sika deer mainly live in forested areas. Both Père David’s deer and sika deer have been hunted since the early days of the hunting and gathering civilisation; however, these two deer have undergone different population histories. As human society entered the era of agriculture civilisation, Père David’s deer gradually lost its habitats to farmlands, and the population was greatly reduced until, finally, it became extinct in the wild in 1900. Fortunately, after 30 years of restoration and introduction, more than 4000 Père David’s deer thrive in nature reserves, zoos and safari parks in China, and more than 500 Père David’s deer could be found in the wild in 2014. Populations of wild sika deer were reduced as well due to hunting and deforestation, and were restricted in the forest patches in the mountains in eastern Asia. Nevertheless, the sika deer in China and Japan have different fortunes. Sika deer in China did not escape the prevalent tragedy of domestication, in that wild sika deer was endangered or extirpated in its original habitats, while the farmed sika deer thrived since late 1950s. Sika deer populations in Japan also remained at low density in the mid-1950s due to over-hunting, including poaching. After one-quarter of a century of in situ protection, sika populations are still small in China and some populations were found to leave the nature reserve to areas with high human densities, while the wild sika deer in Japan have markedly increased in numbers and extended their geographic distribution during the past few decades. Accordingly, the management strategies in China and Japan were completely different. The Chinese government is seeking all the efforts on the conservation of sika deer, while the Japanese government is revising laws to harvest and to reduce sika deer population.

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Diurnal activity time budget of Père David's deer in Hubei Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve, China

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

Large mammals and trees in eastern monsoonal China: anthropogenic losses since the Late Pleistocene and restoration prospects in the Anthropocene

Large mammals and trees in eastern monsoonal China: anthropogenic losses since the Late Pleistocene and restoration prospects in the Anthropocene

The tale of two deer: management of Père David’s deer and sika deer in anthropogenic landscape of eastern Asia

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