- 學位論文
台灣東南部的中華穿山甲覓食生態學
Feeding Ecology of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Southeastern Taiwan
摘要
穿山甲是專食白蟻和螞蟻的哺乳類，提供重要的生態系統服務。近年來，受到非法盜獵的壓力，導致現存8個穿山甲物種的野外族群急遽減少。為了解穿山甲的生態角色與擬定保育管理策略，研究技術的提升至關重要。本研究改良中華穿山甲(Manis pentadactyla)之研究分析技術，深入了解穿山甲的覓食生態學。本研究首先修正調整無線電追蹤器的裝設技術，以減少追蹤器的脫落率並顯著延長野外穿山甲的追蹤監測時間。長期監測紀錄顯示成體穿山甲體重有明顯季節波動。其次，本研究比較不同的排遺分析技術，量化食性鑑定的準確率和工作效率，提供野外穿山甲排遺分析和食性研究的量化比較基準。同時，透過餵食實驗，獲得食物的腸胃道停留時間及消化殘留率(白蟻：0.35 ± 0.10%；螞蟻：0.65 ± 0.04%)。消化殘留率則用於估算與校正野外穿山甲的覓食量。最後，本研究分析2010至2016年在台灣東南部採集的132份野生穿山甲排遺，探討野生穿山甲的捕食、食性組成與營養攝取是否具有季節性。結果顯示，穿山甲對於白蟻和螞蟻的取食量具有明顯季節性。每年四月至六月，分飛的台灣土白蟻(Odontotermes formosanus)有翅生殖型提供了雌性穿山甲食物中主要的生物量及脂肪來源，並且與育幼期重疊。白蟻和螞蟻的群體周期影響中華穿山甲的覓食行為並且形塑其生活史。
並列摘要
As obligate mammalian myrmecophages, pangolins provide a vital ecosystem service by regulating ant and termite numbers. Globally, they are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, especially for traditional medicine. This has led to dramatic decreases in population numbers for all eight extant species. Developing robust monitoring methods and technologies is critical to understanding the pangolin’s ecological role as well as to enhance conservation management. This research uses the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) to demonstrate the newest improvements in research technology as well as provide an in-depth investigation into their feeding ecology. We do this by first illustrating how an improved tagging methodology reduces premature detachment rates. This leads to better long-term tracking, allowing researchers to record seasonal body weight changes in adults. Next, researchers compared fecal analysis procedures to test their identification accuracy and efficiency in analyzing Chinese pangolin feces. Results provided a quantitative method for evaluating the content of a wild pangolin’s diet, thus determining their dietary needs. In addition, feeding trials with captive Chinese pangolins were done to investigate the retention time and recovery rate of digested termite mandibles (0.35 ± 0.10%) and ant head capsules (0.65 ± 0.04%) in fecal samples. This data was used to estimate how much prey is consumed by pangolins in the wild. Finally, using 132 fecal samples collected over the period of 2010 to 2016, four hypotheses were examined to determine whether the predation, diet composition, and nutritional intake of wild Chinese pangolins were seasonal or not. Results showed ant biomass as being relatively constant throughout the year and comprising more than 90% of total prey biomass between July and October. Meanwhile, consumption of termites, specifically Odontotermes formosanus alate, during the period of April to June, contributed greatly to crude fat intake. This coincided with greater caloric demand by female pangolins from April to June, the rearing and weaning period for young pangolins. We propose that the prey colony cycle, in particular the termite swarming season, may have evolutionarily shaped the life history of the Chinese pangolin in regard to their predation and reproduction cycles. Lastly, our study provides methodological and comparative resources on the feeding ecology of myrmecophagous mammals.
參考文獻
延伸閱讀
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