Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China
Human proximity often has negative consequences for wildlife. In response to human disturbance, animals may display a variety of potentially costly behavioural responses, such as vigilance or flight, which were often used as measures of fearfulness and to indicate varying habituation levels. With ra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421002596 |
| _version_ | 1818643815246856192 |
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| author | Wenyu Xu Ye Gong Haitao Wang |
| author_facet | Wenyu Xu Ye Gong Haitao Wang |
| author_sort | Wenyu Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human proximity often has negative consequences for wildlife. In response to human disturbance, animals may display a variety of potentially costly behavioural responses, such as vigilance or flight, which were often used as measures of fearfulness and to indicate varying habituation levels. With rapid human development, the globally endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus) may be vulnerable to anthropogenic interference. However, human-induced disturbances to a local breeding population have not been quantified. In this study, we tested how flight initiation distance (FID) and behavioural budget (alert time (AT) in particular) changes in relation to human presence in this species in Changbai Mountain, China. The results showed that individuals who experienced greater levels of human disturbance had shorter FIDs, which indicate that the local population may be habituated to human approach. However, this species spent more time being vigilant in its behavioral budget, which suggested that some other human-induced stimuli may impose negative effects on the species. This study will allow managers to better understand the response of this endangered species to different human-induced disturbances and provided scientific basis for local wildlife managers to establish buffer distance for SSME in Changbai Mountain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:04:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4fd29ac192724ad6a158250404710ade |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:04:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-4fd29ac192724ad6a158250404710ade2022-12-21T22:10:59ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942021-08-0128e01709Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, ChinaWenyu Xu0Ye Gong1Haitao Wang2School of Life Sciences, Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Corresponding authors at: School of Life Sciences, Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.School of Life Sciences, Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Corresponding authors at: School of Life Sciences, Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.Human proximity often has negative consequences for wildlife. In response to human disturbance, animals may display a variety of potentially costly behavioural responses, such as vigilance or flight, which were often used as measures of fearfulness and to indicate varying habituation levels. With rapid human development, the globally endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus) may be vulnerable to anthropogenic interference. However, human-induced disturbances to a local breeding population have not been quantified. In this study, we tested how flight initiation distance (FID) and behavioural budget (alert time (AT) in particular) changes in relation to human presence in this species in Changbai Mountain, China. The results showed that individuals who experienced greater levels of human disturbance had shorter FIDs, which indicate that the local population may be habituated to human approach. However, this species spent more time being vigilant in its behavioral budget, which suggested that some other human-induced stimuli may impose negative effects on the species. This study will allow managers to better understand the response of this endangered species to different human-induced disturbances and provided scientific basis for local wildlife managers to establish buffer distance for SSME in Changbai Mountain.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421002596Behavioural responseEndangered speciesHabituationHuman disturbanceMergus squamatus |
| spellingShingle | Wenyu Xu Ye Gong Haitao Wang Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China Global Ecology and Conservation Behavioural response Endangered species Habituation Human disturbance Mergus squamatus |
| title | Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China |
| title_full | Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China |
| title_fullStr | Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China |
| title_short | Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China |
| title_sort | alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in changbai mountain china |
| topic | Behavioural response Endangered species Habituation Human disturbance Mergus squamatus |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421002596 |
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