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Behaviors of Pére David’s deer harem master during its rutting period in Shishou County of Hubei Province, China.

XU Jian-ning1, ZHANG Yu-ming2, YANG Dao-de1**, SONG Yu-cheng1, WEN Hua-jun2, LI Peng-fei2   

  1. (1Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Central South University of Forestry & Technology, Changsha 410004, China; 2Hubei Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve, Shishou 434407, Hubei, China)
  • Online:2013-05-10 Published:2013-05-10

Abstract: The behaviors displayed by the Pére David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) harem master during its rutting period play an important role in the population reproduction. In order to approach the differences in the behaviors of E. davidianus harem masters between freeranging deer and wild deer during their rutting period, a comparative study was made on the feeding, resting, and locomotive and reproductive behaviors of the harem masters in the Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve of Hubei, China from June 1st to July 31st, 2012. The reproductive behaviors included chasing after hinds, driving stags, roaring, antleradorning, antlerswaging mud, anogenital sniffing, and mounting. Wild harem masters displayed the most behaviors with higher frequencies than freeranging harem masters. There existed significant differences in the frequencies of resting, locomotion, chasing after hinds, driving stags, roaring, and mounting between the wild and freeranging harem masters (P<0.05), but no significant differences in the antleradorning, antler-swaging mud, and anogenital sniffing (P>0.05). The timefrequency distribution of resting, locomotion, and roaring also showed no significant differences between the wild and free-ranging harem masters (P>0.05). Different habitats affected the behavioral expression of the harem masters, and the behavioral frequencies of both the wild and the free-ranging harem masters were different among various habitats. In addition, human disturbances and Yangtze River flood season also had definite effects on the behavioral expression of wild harem masters. To ensure the Pére David’s deer population in the Shishou County of Hubei Province being able to expand, it would be important to make the harem masters within and outside the Reserve can adjust their behaviors to adapt to different habitats.

Key words: nutrient concentration, cyanophage, adsorption rate, lytic cycle, burst size, mortality rate.