Habitat Use of Sichuan Sika Deer in Forest, Bush and Meadows in the Tiebu Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China

Sichuan sika deer, Cervus nippon sichuanicus, is a threatened subspecies of sika deer distributed in the northern Minshan mountains on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Compared with other subspecies, Sichuan sika deer lives in a special environment which is composed of a mosaic of forest, bush, and meadow located between plateau meadows and alpine valleys. In order to get strategic information about the relationship of Sichuan sika deer and the environment, we conducted our study on habitat use of Sichuan sika deer in the Tiebu Nature Reserve from March to November 2011. Generalized Linear Mixed Models and an information-theoretic approach were used in our data analysis. Our results indicated that all three types of vegetation were necessary for Sichuan sika deer. In forest, Sichuan sika deer preferred the sites with a high density of herbs. In bush, Sichuan sika deer's occurrence was significantly correlated with greater distances from habitations and shorter distances to water. In meadows, Sichuan sika deer preferred the sites with gradual slopes and proximity to water. Water and disturbance could be treated as key factors that influence the habitat use of Sichuan sika deer in meadow and bush habitat. Food availability may affect the habitat use of Sichuan sika deer in forest and bush. Thus, protecting all three vegetation types is one of the important objectives for the conservation of the endangered Sichuan sika deer. Building some wooden water tanks in meadows and bush and controlling areas of human and livestock activity could increase the suitability of areas Sichuan sika deer need.