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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.07.15.202390

Local Gazetteers Reveal Contrasting Patterns of Historical Changes between Apex Predators and Mesopredators in Eastern China

Hu, K.·Hao, C.
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Abstract

BackgroundHumans have been causing the sixth wave of mass extinction of biodiversity. The situation of predators, especially of carnivores, is a key indicator of biodiversity, and the mesopredator release is a typical phenomenon in ecosystem recess. Local gazetteers are a rich resource for historical biodiversity research. However there are obvious biases in previous studies focusing only on presence records and neglecting the absence records. I recollected and analyzed the records by fixed methods to research historical biodiversity change. MethodsInnovatively, this research used both presence and absence records from local gazetteers to reconstruct the distribution of 8 kinds of mammalian predators (i.e. large carnivores: tigers, leopards, and bears; medium-sized carnivores: wolves, foxes, civets, dholes, and mustelids) in eastern China from 1573C.E.(Common Era) to 1949C.E. (sorted into 4 periods). Then by utilizing statistics methods, e.g. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling(PLS-SEM), I analyzed the distribution changes(overall and sorted into 5 altitude groups), and the relation between carnivores and the influence from humans. Results & ConclusionsI reconstructed the specific distribution changes of the carnivores and found the changes match the mesopredator release phenomenon. Furthermore, I found the specific relation(e.g. trade-off effect) between carnivores and the influence of humans. Besides, I found that bears and civets may be potential members of the "Tigers - Leopards - Dholes" predator guild. ProspectsI have also collected records for other wild animals from local gazetteers in China. Based on this collection, I have built the Database of Wild Mammal Records in Chinese Local Gazetteers and am building the Database of Wild Bird Records in Chinese Local Gazetteers. I aim to continue relevant studies using these databases in the future.

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Hu, K., Hao, C.. 2020-07-15. Local Gazetteers Reveal Contrasting Patterns of Historical Changes between Apex Predators and Mesopredators in Eastern China. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.15.202390

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