Species Diversity of Mammals and Birds and the Activity Rhythm of Dominant Species Based on Infrared Camera Monitoring in Fujian Liangyeshan National Nature Reserve, China

To fully understand the status of wildlife resources in the Liangyeshan National Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, infrared camera technology was used to monitor terrestrial mammals and birds throughout the reserve from September 2022 to October 2023. A total of 181 infrared cameras were deployed on a 1 km×1 km grid, accumulating 60, 901 camera trap days and yielding 43, 888 independent valid photos. The survey recorded 17 mammal species belonging to 11 families in 4 orders, and 62 bird species belonging to 26 families in 12 orders, including 21 species newly documented in the reserve. Among these, three species such as Viverricula indica, Tragopan caboti, and Syrmaticus ellioti, are nationally classified as first-class protected wildlife; 18 species such as Capricornis milneedwardsii, Prionailurus bengalensis, and Prionodon pardicolor are second-class nationally protected wildlife. According to the China Biodiversity Red List, one species is listed as Endangered (EN), six as Vulnerable (VU), and thirteen as Near Threatened (NT). According to the IUCN Red List, three species are Vulnerable and one is Near Threatened. Additionally, six species are endemic to China. Based on the relative abundance index and grid occupancy rate, the top three mammal species are Muntiacus reevesi, Melogale moschata, and Sus scrofa. The top three bird species by relative abundance index are Lophura nycthemera, Bambusicola thoracica, and Pterorhinus pectoralis; the top three birds ranked by grid occupancy are L. nycthemera, P. pectoralis, and Dendrocitta formosae. There were no significant differences in mammal and bird species richness among the different zoning areas, but the relative abundance indices of mammals and birds in either the buffer or core zones were significantly higher than those in the experimental zone. Activity rhythm analysis indicated nocturnal behavior for M. moschata, crepuscular behavior for M. reevesi, and diurnal activity for S. scrofa, L. nycthemera, B. thoracica, and P. pectoralis. Temporal overlap analysis showed a high degree of daily activity overlap between M. reevesi and S. scrofa, and between L. nycthemera and B. thoracica, suggesting strong interspecific competition. These results provide basic information for monitoring wildlife resources for developing management strategies in the reserve.