青藏高原东北缘濒危马麝迁地保育种群繁殖成效与社会性和社会网络的关系

Reproduction success and the relationships to sociality and social networks in exsitu conserved Alpine musk deer in the east-northern edging area of the QinghaiTibet Plateau

麝类驯养是濒危马麝(Moschus chrysogaster)迁地保育及保障药用麝香安全的重要方式,其前提和基础是深入了解制约迁地保育马麝繁殖成效的关键因素及与社会性和社会网络特征的关系。于2022年7月1日—8月31日期间,采用焦点取样和所有事件记录法对位于青藏高原东北缘的甘肃平凉马麝繁育中心的21头成年雌麝进行了社会性行为取样,辅以同期粪样类固醇代谢物水平检测,分析了马麝的繁殖成效与社会性、社会网络及粪样类固醇激素水平的关系。结果显示,马麝的社会性与繁殖成效间呈显著相关(r=0.551,P<0.05),与粪样皮质醇代谢物水平呈显著负相关(r=-0.437,P<0.05),与粪样雌二醇代谢物浓度相关不显著(r=0.066,P>0.05);强社会性马麝的皮质醇水平((10.75±0.99)ng/g)和雌二醇代谢物水平((6.61±0.79)ng/g)与弱社会性马麝((13.70±1.68,5.20±0.99)ng/g)无显著差异(P>0.05);繁殖成功雌麝的社会性(19.86±1.88)%)显著高于繁殖失败雌麝(12.38±1.46)%)(P<0.05);圈群社会网络密度与圈群个体的繁殖成效相关显著(r=0.762,P<0.05),与粪样皮质醇、雌二醇代谢物浓度相关不显著(r=-0.355,P>0.05;r=-0.347,P>0.05);繁殖成功雌麝的粪样皮质醇代谢物浓度((10.31±0.86)ng/g)略低于繁殖失败雌麝((13.98±1.60)ng/g)(r=-0.420,P=0.058),繁殖成功雌麝的粪样雌二醇代谢物浓度((6.63±0.90)ng/g)与繁殖失败雌麝((4.78±0.76)ng/g)无显著相关(r=0.299,P>0.05)。本研究结果表明,在群居性的迁地保育和驯养环境下,雌性马麝的社会性、社会网络属性可以预测个体的繁殖成效,即社会性和社会网络密度较高圈群中的雌麝的繁殖成效相对较高。濒危马麝保育和驯养实践中,可区分麝类驯养为“保育性驯养”和“商业性驯养”。在保育性驯养中,可采用先群居再独居驯养的模式,尽量保持野外放归马麝的自然行为结构;在商业性养殖中,可采用群居驯养模式,提升驯养麝的社会性,实现较高的繁殖成效和驯养生产力。

Musk deer farming is one of the effective methods in the Ex-situ conservation of the endangered Alpine musk deer(Moschus chrysogaster)and the sustainable supply of medicinal musk.It is important to understand what are the key constraints on the reproductive success of Ex-situ conserved musk deer and the relationship with sociality and social network traits.This study was conducted at the Pingliang Musk Deer Breeding Center in Gansu province,on the east-northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau,between July 1 and August 31,2022.We used focal sampling and all-occurrence recording methods for behavioral sampling of 21 adult female musk deer.It was complemented by concurrent fecal sample analysis for steroid metabolite levels.We analyzed the relationships between the reproductive success of musk deer and their sociality,social networks,and fecal steroid hormone levels.The results indicated a significant correlation between the sociality of musk deer and their reproductive success(r=0.551,P<0.05),a significant negative correlation with fecal cortisol metabolite levels(r=-0.437,P<0.05),and a non-significant correlation with fecal estradiol metabolite concentrations(r=0.066,P>0.05).The cortisol levels((10.75±0.99)ng/g)and estradiol metabolite levels((6.61±0.79)ng/g)of highly social musk deer did not significantly differ from those of less social individuals((13.70±1.68,5.20±0.99)ng/g,respectively;P>0.05).Reproductively successful female musk deer exhibited higher levels of sociality(19.86±1.88)%)compared to reproductive failures(12.38±1.46)%;P<0.05).Group social network density was significantly correlated with the reproductive success of group individuals(r=0.762,P<0.05),whereas it showed non-significant correlations with fecal cortisol and estradiol metabolite concentrations(r=-0.355,P>0.05;r=0.347,P>0.05).Fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations of reproductively successful female musk deer((10.31±0.86)ng/g)were slightly lower than those of reproductive failures((13.98±1.60)ng/g;r=-0.420,P=0.058),while fecal estradiol metabolite concentrations showed no significant correlation between the two groups((6.63±0.90)ng/g for reproductively successful,(4.78±0.76)ng/g for reproductive failures;r=0.299,P>0.05).The results indicated that the sociality and social network attributes of female musk deer can predict the reproductive effectiveness of individuals in a group domestication environment,i.e.,female musk deer with higher sociality and social network density have relatively higher reproductive effectiveness.In the practice of endangered musk deer conservation,domestication can be categorized into conservation farming and commercial farming.In conservation farming,the mode of group and then solitary domestication can be adopted to maintain the natural behavioral structure of wild-released musk deer as much as possible;in commercial farming,the mode of group domestication can be adopted to enhance the social nature of domesticated musk deer and to achieve higher reproductive effectiveness and farming productivity.