Effects of Thinning on Mammal and Bird Diversity of a Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) Plantation and Adjacent Natural Forest in Renlun Forest Road

• Main Authors: Po-Chun Chen, 陳柏錞
• Other Authors: Jian-Nan Liu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/2g7hep

碩士 === 國立嘉義大學 === 森林暨自然資源學系研究所 === 105 === The forest plantation area in Taiwan is about 420,000 ha, which accounts for about 21% of the total forest area. Thinning is a common practice in forest sustainable management. Understanding the effects of thinning on biodiversity can provide important information for management strategy. I investigated the effects of thinning on mammals and birds in a 42-year-old Taiwania cryptomerioides plantation from September 2015 to June 2017, and compared the community composition and diversity of terrestrial mammals and birds between a Taiwania cryptomerioides forest plantation and a natural forest in Renlun Forest road, Nantou County, Taiwan. Camera traps and bat echolocation ultrasound detectors were used to investigate mammals and ground-living birds. Birds were investigated using point count method. A total of 16 non-flying terrestrial mammalian species, at least 11 bat species, and 34 bird species were found during the study period. The results show that before thinning the occurrence index of Macaca cyclopis and Muntiacus reevesi were significantly higher in the natural forest than that in the forest plantation. The number of species and occurrence index of terrestrial mammals in natural forests were higher than in the forest plantations; the number of bird species and diversity index were also higher in natural forests. In this study, there was a slightly short-term (1 year) negative effect on mammals and birds, only golden weasel (Mustela sibirica taivana), Macaca cyclopis, ground rodent, Steere's Liocichla (Liocichla steerii) and Swinhoe's Pheasant (Lophura swinhoii) showed a reduced occurrence index 1 year after thinning. After the thinning, all night bat activities were marginally higher than that before the thinning. Bats with relatively low wing aspect ratio and wing loading had positive responses to the thinning. It is suggested that thinning reduced the physical obstruction when the bats were flying and benefited to the bats that prefer foraging under the artificial forest.