Abstract:
Understanding wildlife responses to human disturbances can assist in the development of more effective wildlife conservation and human disturbance management strategies. This study identified the effects of roads on species diversity distribution based on infrared camera monitoring data from May to October 2023 in the Shennongding area of Shennongjia National Park. The spatial and temporal responses of wildlife to roads were explored by analyzing the relative abundance index and daily activity rhythms of major ungulates. Comparisons were also made with data captured by infrared cameras in 2014 to explore the dynamics of wildlife adaptation to roads. The results showed that: (1) In 2023, 24 mammal species (across 5 orders and 14 families) and 39 species of birds (across 5 orders and 16 families) were recorded by the infrared camera. (2) Roads had a significant impact on the distribution of species diversity, and the distance thresholds for road impact were approximately 50 meters and 150 meters. (3) Wild animals avoided the peak of human activities from both temporal and spatial perspectives. This avoidance behavior varied between species, with
Cervus nippon showing a lack of avoidance in terms of spatial proximity to roads, while
Muntiacus reevesi and
Naemorhedus griseus showed varying degrees of avoidance in both space and time, with the spatial avoidance distance being about 50 meters. (4) The activities of
Prionailurus bengalensis and
Moschus berezovskii photographed within 50 meters of the road, and the relative abundance of
Cervus nippon,
Muntiacus reevesi, and
Naemorhedus griseus were higher than those of 10 years ago. The study shows that wild animals adapt to the disturbance caused by roads by adjusting their own activity rhythms and have a certain degree of adaptability to roads. The research findings can provide a scientific basis for developing management measures for human activities such as roads in national parks.