Spatiotemporal patterns of fecal cortisol metabolites in critically endangered wild Alpine musk deer in eastern edge regions of Tibetan Plateau: influencing factors and conservation implications
摘要
The Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) is an endangered ungulate native to the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas, historically exploited for its musk. Assessing stress levels and identifying key influencing factors in wild Alpine musk deer is the prerequisite and basis for their in-situ protection. We collected fecal samples from wild Alpine musk deer in the Gansu Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve in 2021–2022, conducted radioimmunoassays to determine fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) levels, and analyzed their relationships with season, geographic location (slope aspect, slope gradient, slope position, concealment) and human disturbance (agriculture, grazing, residential area, road, and recreation). The result showed that the average FGM concentrations of wild Alpine musk deer were 9.35 ± 0.55 ng g−1. The optimal Linear Mixed-effects Model included disturbance type, season, and slope position. Mann–Whitney U test revealed that FGM levels were significantly higher in summer (13.95 ± 1.48 ng g−1) than in spring (8.51 ± 0.99 ng g−1, p = 0.001) and autumn–winter (8.00 ± 0.43 ng g −1, p = 0.001), and FGM levels in undisturbed areas (7.70 ± 0.66 ng g−1, p = 0.001) and areas subjected to road disturbance (10.84 ± 1.90 ng g−1, p = 0.027) were significantly lower compared with grazing areas (14.56 ± 1.51 ng g−1). Based on these findings, we recommend that the nature reserve should establish targeted management plans to mitigate human-induced stress during peak stress periods, particularly in summer, including limiting grazing, reducing road usage, and creating buffer zones around residential areas. Furthermore, a systematic long-term monitoring program should be implemented to track stress levels, enabling timely adjustments to conservation strategies.