Survey of Bird and Mammal Diversity in Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve of Hunan Province Based on Infrared Camera

Bird and mammal are important parts of biodiversity conservation, and their diversity is an important indicator of the conservation effectiveness of the conservation efforts in nature reserves. Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve is located in the middle of the southern slope of the Wuling Mountains, and has a suitable climate and diverse ecological environment, providing an ideal habitat for the reproduction and distribution of birds and mammals. In order to investigate the current status of bird and mammal resources and the conservation status in the reserve, 105 infrared cameras were set up to conduct a two-year wildlife survey. A total of 5 534 independent and valid photos were obtained, belonging to 15 species of mammal in 9 families of 3 orders, as well as 31 species of bird in 16 families of 6 orders, including 10 species of wild animal under national first- and second-class protection. The results show that: (1) Most of the species were concentrated in the middle altitude range (600-800 m). (2) In the order Carnivora, an apex predator Prionailurus bengalensis had the highest overlap degree in altitude with the small ferret Melogale moschata (0.97), and the lowest overlap was between Prionailurus bengalensis and Viverricula indica (0.28). In the order Galliformes, the highest overlap in altitude was between Syrmaticus ellioti and Pucrasia macrolopha (0.62), and the lowest was between Pucrasia macrolopha and Bambusicola thoracicus (0.01). (3) The number of species, Shannon-Weiner index and Simpson index showed different mid-peak patterns along the altitude gradient. The Evenness index showed an overall increasing pattern with a mid-peak along the altitude gradient. (4) There was a significant difference in the species diversity index among seasons, but not between regions. For mammals, the species diversity index was significantly higher in spring than in the other three seasons, and significantly different in winter from the other three seasons. For birds, the species diversity index was significantly lower in winter than other three seasons.