Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.2. Species Occurrences
2.3. Environmental Factors
2.4. Habitat Suitability
2.5. Spatial Niche Overlap Analysis
2.5.1. Pianka Index
2.5.2. Analysis of Overlapping Habitats with Different Suitability
3. Result
3.1. Model Performance
3.2. Effects of Environmental Variables
3.3. Habitat Suitability Assessment Results
3.4. Habitat Overlap Among the Three Ungulates
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
TNNR | Jiangxi Taohongling Sika Deer National Nature Reserve |
GIS | Geographic Information System |
DEM | Digital Elevation Model |
RFi | Relief |
LC | Land cover |
NDVI | Normalized Vegetation Index Values |
HPF | Human Footprint Index |
GHF | Global Human Footprint |
UEMM | Urban Environmental Monitoring and Modeling |
D-Road | Distance to nearest road |
D-Water | Distance to nearest water |
HSMs | Habitat suitability models |
AUC | Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve |
MTSS | Maximum training sensitivity plus specificity |
BTPT | Balance training omission, predicted area, and threshold value |
HSI | Habitat Suitability Index |
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Category | Code | Description | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Terrain Factor | Aspect | — | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) |
Curvature | — | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) | |
DEM | Digital Elevation Model | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) | |
Slope | — | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) | |
Human Disturbance Factor | D-Road | Distance to nearest road | |
D-Water | Distance to nearest water | http://www.webmap.cn/ (accessed on 13 September 2024) | |
HPF | Human Pressure Footprint | https://wcshumanfootprint.org/ (accessed on 15 September 2024) | |
Vegetation Factor | LC | Land cover | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) |
NDVI | Normalized Difference Vegetation Index | http://www.gscloud.cn/ (accessed on 12 September 2024) |
Environment Variable | Contribution Rate (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|
The Sika Deer | Reeve’s Muntjac | Wild Boar | |
Aspect | 1.96 | 7.33 | 6.96 |
Curvature | 7.57 | 3.34 | 2.39 |
D-Road | 24.92 | 17.66 | 11.22 |
D-Water | 3.35 | 13.59 | 9.96 |
DEM | 24.41 | 9.55 | 13.29 |
HPF | 0.84 | 6.03 | 3.47 |
LC | 18.40 | 18.07 | 36.75 |
NDVI | 1.69 | 5.59 | 5.08 |
Slope | 16.86 | 18.84 | 9.89 |
Sika Deer Suitability | Reeve’s Muntjac Suitability | Product Value | Area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|
1 (Unsuitable) | 3 (Unsuitable) | 3 | 140.38 |
1 (Unsuitable) | 5 (Moderately suitable) | 5 | 52.55 |
1 (Unsuitable) | 7 (Highly suitable) | 7 | 8.18 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 3 (Unsuitable) | 6 | 45.13 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 5 (Moderately suitable) | 10 | 149.58 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 7 (Highly suitable) | 14 | 34.20 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 3 (Unsuitable) | 12 | 4.55 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 5 (Moderately suitable) | 20 | 33.65 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 7 (Highly suitable) | 28 | 15.65 |
Sika Deer Suitability | Wild Boar Suitability | Product Value | Area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|
1 (Unsuitable) | 2 (Unsuitable) | 2 | 161.67 |
1 (Unsuitable) | 3 (Moderately suitable) | 3 | 34.43 |
1 (Unsuitable) | 5 (Highly suitable) | 5 | 5.01 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 2 (Unsuitable) | 4 | 32.56 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 3 (Moderately suitable) | 6 | 143.71 |
2 (Moderately suitable) | 5 (Highly suitable) | 10 | 52.64 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 2 (Unsuitable) | 8 | 1.45 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 3 (Moderately suitable) | 12 | 32.00 |
4 (Highly suitable) | 5 (Highly suitable) | 20 | 20.39 |
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Zhang, J.; Li, Y.; Wang, Z.; Wang, G.; He, S.; Zheng, Y.; Li, C. Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates. Ecologies 2025, 6, 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020041
Zhang J, Li Y, Wang Z, Wang G, He S, Zheng Y, Li C. Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates. Ecologies. 2025; 6(2):41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020041
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Jing, Yankuo Li, Zhaoyang Wang, Guangyao Wang, Shizhao He, Yu Zheng, and Chunlin Li. 2025. "Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates" Ecologies 6, no. 2: 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020041
APA StyleZhang, J., Li, Y., Wang, Z., Wang, G., He, S., Zheng, Y., & Li, C. (2025). Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates. Ecologies, 6(2), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020041