Abstract
The question of whether large-scale disturbances, such as earthquakes, impact an animal’s behavior significantly is an important question, but one that is difficult to answer due to the unpredictability of these types of events. Here, we collected 323 GPS locations of four takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) in 13 days before and after a powerful (8.0 magnitude) earthquake on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. The movement during this period was compared to that of three of the same animals during a corresponding period in 2009 (April 30 to May 25) and a slightly later 2009 period based on the start of migration (May 6 to May 31). We found that home ranges reduced in size during each study period, due to the migration process, but with no discernable differences due to the earthquake. The takin also showed the same pattern of elevation change and linear travel distance during 2008 and 2009, indicating no detectable effect of the earthquake on spatial behavior of takin. These findings add to our knowledge of how animals respond to catastrophic natural events in the wild.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albon SD, Langvatn R (1992) Plant phenology and the benefits of migration in a temperate ungulate. Oikos 65:502–513
Börger L, Franconi N, Ferretti F, Meschi F, De Michele G, Gantz A, Coulson T (2006) An integrated approach to identify spatio-temporal and individual-level determinants of animal home range size. Am Nat 168:471–485
Buskirk R, Frohlich C, Latham G (1981) Unusual animal behavior before earthquakes: a review of possible sensory mechanisms. Rev Geophys Space Phys 19:247–270
China Earthquake Administration (2008a) Death toll of Wenchuan earthquake. Available from http://www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_06/22/1214124901775.html. Accessed 12 March 2009 (in Chinese)
China Earthquake Administration (2008b) The catalog of aftershocks magnitude ≥ 4.0 of Wenchuan earthquake. Available from http://www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_06/13/1213320904796.html. Accessed 12 March 2009 (in Chinese)
Demarchi MW (2003) Migratory patterns and home range size of moose in the central Nass Valley, British Columbia. Northwest Nat 84:135–141
Endo A, Doi T (1996) Home range of female sika deer Cervus nippon on Nozaki Island, the Goto Archipelago, Japan. Mammal Study 21:27–35
Fryxell JM, Sinclair ARE (1988) Causes and consequences of migration by large herbivores. Trends Ecol Evol 3:237–241
Fujimoto M, Hanamura S (2008) Responses of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) toward seismic aftershocks in the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Primates 49:73–76
Geller RJ (1991) Shake-up for earthquake prediction. Nature 352:275–276
Grund MD, McAninch JB, Wiggers EP (2002) Seasonal movements and habitat use of female white-tailed deer associated with an urban park. J Wildl Manag 66:123–130
Histøl T, Hjeljord O (1993) Winter feeding strategies of migrating and nonmigrating moose. Can J Zool 71:1421–1428
Igota H, Sakuragi M, Uno H, Kaji K, Kaneko M, Akamatsu R, Maekawa K (2004) Seasonal migration patterns of female sika deer in eastern Hokkaido. Ecol Res 19:169–178
Ikeya M, Takaki S, Takashimizu D (1996) Electric shocks resulting in seismic animal anomalous behaviors (SAABs). J Phys Soc Jpn 65:710–712
Krasińska M, Caboń-Raczyńka K, Krasiński ZA (1987) Strategy of habitat utilization by European bison in the Bialowieza forest. Acta Theriol 32(11):147–202
Krebs CJ (1999) Ecological methodology, 2nd edn. Benjamin Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, p 620
Laver PN, Kelly MJ (2008) A critical review of home range studies. J Wildl Manag 72:290–298
Lighton JRB, Duncan FD (2005) Shaken, not stirred: a serendipitous study of ants and earthquakes. J Exp Biol 208:3103–3107
Mulilis J, White MH (1986) Behaviors of the catfish Corydoras aeneus for use in earthquake prediction. Earthq Predict Res 4:47–67
Mysterud A, Langvatn R, Yoccoz NG, Stenseth NC (2001) Plant phenology, migration and geographical variation in body weight of a large herbivore: the effect of a variable topography. J Anim Ecol 70:915–923
Olson EL, Allen RM (2005) The deterministic nature of earthquake rupture. Nature 438:212–215
Rodgers AR, Carr AP (1998) HRE: the Home Range Extension for ArcView. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder Bay, ON
Sakuragi M, Igota H, Uno H, Kaji K, Kaneko M, Akamatsu R, Maekawa K (2003) Benefit of migration in a female sika deer population in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Ecol Res 18:347–354
Sawyer H, Lindzey F, McWhirter D (2005) Mule deer and pronghorn migration in western Wyoming. Wildl Soc Bull 33:1266–1273
Shaw E (1977) Can animals anticipate earthquakes? Nat History 86:14–20
Singer FJ, Bleich VC, Gudorf MA (2000) Restoration of bighorn sheep metapopulations in and near Western National Parks. Restor Ecol 8(4S):14–24
Snarr K (2005) Seismic activity response as observed in mantled howlers (Alouatta palliate), Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, Honduras. Primates 46:281–285
Wang D, Li S, Sun S, Wang H, Chen A, Li S, Li J, Lu Z (2008) Turning earthquake disaster into long-term benefits for the panda. Conserv Biol 22:1356–1360
Wei FW, Hu JC, Yuan CG, Wu Y (1991) Study on the ecology of takin in Tangjiahe Natural Reserve. J Sichuan Teach Coll 12:127–132 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Wiersema G (1984) Seasonal use and quality assessment of ibex habitat. Acta Zool Fennica 172:89–90
Wu JY, Lu ZB, Zheng YL, Shao MM (1966) Preliminary observation on ecology of takin at Taibai Mountain, Qinling. Chin J Zool 8(3):107–108 (In Chinese)
Zeng ZG, Skidmore AK, Song YL, Wang TJ, Gong HS (2008) Seasonal altitudinal movements of golden takin in the Qinling Mountains of China. J Wildl Manag 72:611–617
Zeng ZG, Beck PSA, Wang TJ, Skidmore AK, Song YL, Gong HS, Prins HHT (2010) Effect of plant phenology and solar radiation on seasonal movement of golden takin in the Qinling Mountains, China. J Mammal 91(1):92–100
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Zoo, National Geographic Society, Columbus Zoo, Potawatomi Zoo, Ocean Park Hong Kong, the Chinese Academy of Science (KSCX2-YW-Z-0959) and The Wilds. We thank Sheng Li, Xiao-Gen Liu, Li-Min Chen, Wen-Hu Ma, Zhong-Huai Zhang, Jun Yang, and all the other staff of Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve for their help when we worked there. We thank the Evan S. Blumer and Barbara Wolfe from The Wilds for their help to anaesthetize and collar the animals; and Yi Tao, Zhi-Gao Zeng, and Qiong Zhang for recommendations on the earlier manuscript. The authors appreciated Dr. Bram Van Moorter and Dr. Roel May for their valuable comments. All experimental procedures on animals were licensed by the Animal Care and Use Committee of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and all animal work was approved by State Forestry Administration, People’s Republic of China.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11284-010-0778-z
About this article
Cite this article
Ge, BM., Guan, TP., Powell, D. et al. Effects of an earthquake on wildlife behavior: a case study of takin (Budorcas taxicolor) in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, China. Ecol Res 26, 217–223 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-010-0759-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-010-0759-2