Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea

Conservation measures or management guidelines must be based on species’ ecological data. The home range of the target species was studied to understand its spatial ecology, in order to protect it. The Siberian flying squirrel is the only flying squirrel species present and is considered as a protec...

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Κύριοι συγγραφείς: Jong-U. Kim, Jun-Soo Kim, Jong-Hoon Jeon, Woo-Shin Lee
Μορφή: Άρθρο
Γλώσσα:English
Έκδοση: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Σειρά:Animals
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Διαθέσιμο Online:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/8/1378
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author Jong-U. Kim
Jun-Soo Kim
Jong-Hoon Jeon
Woo-Shin Lee
author_facet Jong-U. Kim
Jun-Soo Kim
Jong-Hoon Jeon
Woo-Shin Lee
author_sort Jong-U. Kim
collection DOAJ
description Conservation measures or management guidelines must be based on species’ ecological data. The home range of the target species was studied to understand its spatial ecology, in order to protect it. The Siberian flying squirrel is the only flying squirrel species present and is considered as a protected species in South Korea. In this study, we investigated the home range, habitat use, and daily movement of Siberian flying squirrels from February 2015 to June 2016 at Mt. Baekwoon, Gangwon Province, South Korea. We tracked 21 flying squirrels using radio transmitters and analyzed the home range of 12 individuals. Flying squirrels appeared to have an overall mean home range of 18.92 ± 14.80 ha with a core area of 3.54 ha ± 3.88 ha. Movement activity peaked between 18:00–19:00 with the longest distance traveled, coinciding with sunset. In addition, we observed the preference of Siberian flying squirrels to the old deciduous forest with dense crowns. The results of the present study indicate that it is important to manage their habitat; for instance, preserving an appropriate size of mature deciduous forest is essential for Siberian flying squirrels. While our study provides needed baseline information on the spatial activity of the species, further research on topics such as the national distribution, behavior, and population dynamics of Siberian flying squirrels is needed in South Korea.
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spelling doaj.art-0ed89b6c740f43108ce92fbebb15c0782023-11-20T09:32:43ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-08-01108137810.3390/ani10081378Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South KoreaJong-U. Kim0Jun-Soo Kim1Jong-Hoon Jeon2Woo-Shin Lee3Division of Polar Life Science, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, KoreaRestoration Assessment Team, Research Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do 36531, KoreaDepartment of Forest Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Forest Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaConservation measures or management guidelines must be based on species’ ecological data. The home range of the target species was studied to understand its spatial ecology, in order to protect it. The Siberian flying squirrel is the only flying squirrel species present and is considered as a protected species in South Korea. In this study, we investigated the home range, habitat use, and daily movement of Siberian flying squirrels from February 2015 to June 2016 at Mt. Baekwoon, Gangwon Province, South Korea. We tracked 21 flying squirrels using radio transmitters and analyzed the home range of 12 individuals. Flying squirrels appeared to have an overall mean home range of 18.92 ± 14.80 ha with a core area of 3.54 ha ± 3.88 ha. Movement activity peaked between 18:00–19:00 with the longest distance traveled, coinciding with sunset. In addition, we observed the preference of Siberian flying squirrels to the old deciduous forest with dense crowns. The results of the present study indicate that it is important to manage their habitat; for instance, preserving an appropriate size of mature deciduous forest is essential for Siberian flying squirrels. While our study provides needed baseline information on the spatial activity of the species, further research on topics such as the national distribution, behavior, and population dynamics of Siberian flying squirrels is needed in South Korea.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/8/1378habitat usehome rangeradio telemetrySiberian flying squirrel
spellingShingle Jong-U. Kim
Jun-Soo Kim
Jong-Hoon Jeon
Woo-Shin Lee
Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
Animals
habitat use
home range
radio telemetry
Siberian flying squirrel
title Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
title_full Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
title_fullStr Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
title_full_unstemmed Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
title_short Home Range Estimates and Habitat Use of Siberian Flying Squirrels in South Korea
title_sort home range estimates and habitat use of siberian flying squirrels in south korea
topic habitat use
home range
radio telemetry
Siberian flying squirrel
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/8/1378
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