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Sanjiangyuan National Park (SNP), the first national park in China, is one of the most important biodiversity conservation areas in the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (SNNR) and even the world. The threatened ungulates play an irreplaceable role in maintaining the ecosystem diversity and stability in SNNR. Here, based on 1434 occurrence records of six ungulates, the maximum entropy model, with two different strategies, was utilized to determine the priority reserves. The results indicated that the priority reserves in SNNR was mainly located in and around SNP, which were mainly distributed in the middle east, middle west, and southwest of SNNR. Six ungulates shared preference for altitude ranging 4000–5000 m, the average annual temperature below −3.0°C, and average annual precipitation ranging 200–400 mm on meadow, steppe, and unused land. The proportion of high and medium suitable areas for ungulates in SNP was higher than that in SNNR. As the SNP is not contiguously spaced in space, and some core wildlife habitats are not included, it is suggested to optimize the functional areas and adjust the boundary range on the basis of the pilot scope of SNP, so as to enhance the integrity and connectivity of each functional area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A human-wildlife spatial interaction index was proposed. • The average level of human-wildlife interaction in the study area was low. • Higher potential human-wildlife interaction occurred in areas with roads and rails. In the context of today's rapid economic development and increasingly strict ecological protection, interactions between humans and wildlife will intensify. Therefore, we need to identify the spatial distribution of such interactions and to take measures to mitigate possible negative interactions. Using the Three-Rivers Source Region as a case study, we combined species habitat suitability, species feeding habits, species conservation levels and human impact intensity to construct a "human-wildlife spatial interaction index" (HWSII) to evaluate the intensity of human-wildlife spatial interactions. The overall level of HWSII was relatively low in the Three-River Source Region. Higher potential human-wildlife interactions occurred in areas with roads and railways. Areas of relatively high interactions between carnivores and livestock were mainly located in the southern part of the study area, and those with relatively high interactions between herbivores and livestock appeared in the western and eastern parts. Managers in these areas should consider mitigation measures. Although developed for a specific region of China, the 'human-wildlife spatial interaction index' could have application in other areas of the world for setting a baseline reference to identify areas with the potential for high levels of human-wildlife interactions and pinpoint places where potential negative interactions can be mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upland buzzard (Buteo hemilasius), Saker falcon (Falco cherrug), and Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis) are three common large raptors in the Sanjiangyuan National Park (SNP), China's first national park. Among them, Upland buzzard and Saker falcon play a significant role in controlling plateau rodent populations and reducing the transmission of pathogens carried by rodents. The Himalayan vulture can provide services for the redistribution and recycling of nutrients in the ecosystem, and play an irreplaceable role in the celestial burial culture of Tibetans in China. Exploring their habitat suitability is important for the protection of the three raptors. Our research was based on the current distribution of Upland buzzard, Saker falcon, and Himalayan vulture that we had extensively surveyed in the Sanjiangyuan National Park from 2016 to 2017. Combined with the correlation analysis of environmental variables, we utilized maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to evaluate and compare the habitat suitability of the three species in the Sanjiangyuan National Park. Elevation, climate, and human disturbance factors, which had direct or indirect effects on species survival and reproduction, were all included in the model. Among them, elevation was the most important environmental variables affecting the suitability of habitats of three species. Temperature‐related factor was another important predictor. The high (>60%) suitable habitat areas for Upland buzzard, Saker falcon, and Himalayan vulture were 73,017.63, 40,732.78, and 61,654.33 km2, respectively, accounted for 59.32%, 33.09%, and 50.08% of the Sanjiangyuan National Park and their total suitable area (i.e., the sum area of high and moderate habitats) reached 96.07%, 60.59%, and 93.70%, respectively. Besides, the three species have overlapping areas for the suitable habitats, which means that overlapping areas should be highly valued and protected. Therefore, understanding the distribution of suitable habitats of the three raptors can provide useful information and reasonable reference for us to put forward suggestions for their protection and regional management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of lithobiid centipedes (Hessebius prospinosa sp. nov. and Lithobius (Ezembius) maqinensis sp. nov.) and the first record of Lamyctes africanus Porath which are all females, suggesting parthenogenesis, are described based on specimens from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Keys for each of the Chinese species of Hessebius, Ezembius and Lamyctes are presented. Phylogenetic analysis using a fragment (613 bp) of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) indicates that (1) Lithobius (Ezembius) maqinensis sp. nov. clades with L. (E.) giganteus Sseliwanoff, and (2) the specimens of Lamyctes africanus Porath from China clade with L. africanus Porath from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Captivity is a common conservation method for endangered animals. However, a growing number of recent studies have shown that some animals in captivity might be in sub-health condition. The gut microbiota has been described as a complex, interactive internal system that has effects on diseases of the host with many interactions, and the occurrence of certain diseases is accompanied by changes and disorder of gut microbiota. We used16S rRNA sequencing technology and a mathematical model to find differences in gut microbiota composition and assembly processes. The results show that captivity might be unfavorable for white-lipped deer by shifting the gut microbiota composition and assembly process. White-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris) is a nationally protected wild animal species in China, as well as a unique and endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Captivity may alleviate the pressure from poaching and contribute to the repopulation and conservation of the population in the wild. The gut microbiota is described as a complex, interactive internal system that has effects on diseases of the host, with many interactions. However, the influence of captivity on the composition and assembly process of gut microbiota in white-lipped deer is unclear. This study applied high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing technology to determine differences in the gut microbiota between captive (CW) and wild (WW) white-lipped deer. We used the null model, neutral community model, and niche width to identify whether captivity affects the composition and assembly process of gut microbiota. The results show that WW has a higher number of Firmicutes and a lower number of Bacteroidetes compared with CW at the phylum level, and it has more opportunistic pathogens and specific decomposition bacteria at the genus level. Principal coordinate analysis also indicated significant differences in the composition and function of gut microbiota in CW and WW. Moreover, the results reveal that captivity shifts the ecological assembly process of gut microbiota by raising the contribution of deterministic processes. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that captivity might potentially have an unfavorable effect on white-lipped deer by continually exerting selective pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP, in western China), which is the largest and highest plateau on Earth, is a highly epidemic region for Echinococcus spp. We collected 70 Echinococcus samples from humans, dogs, sheep, yaks, plateau pikas, and voles in eastern and southern Qinghai and genotyped them using the mitochondrial DNA marker cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene and maximum parsimony and Bayesian reconstruction methods. Based on the 792-bp sequence matrix, we recorded 124 variable sites, of which, 115 were parsimony-informative. Thirty-four haplotypes (H1-H34) were detected, of which H1-H15, H16-H17, and H18-H34 belonged to Echinococcus shiquicus, Echinococcus multilocularis, and Echinococcus granulosus, respectively. Within 26 human isolates, three were identified as E. multilocularis and 23 were E. granulosus. We also detected a dual infection case in a dog with E. multilocularis and E. granulosus. The intraspecific haplotype (Hd ± SD) and nucleotide (Nd ± SD) diversity of E. shiquicus (0.947 ± 0.021; 0.00441 ± 0.00062) was higher than that for E. granulosus (0.896 ± 0.038; 0.00221 ± 0.00031) and E. multilocularis (0.286 ± 0.196; 0.00036 ± 0.00025). Moreover, the haplotype network of E. shiquicus showed a radial feature rather than a divergent feature in a previous study, indicating this species in the QTP has also evolved with bottleneck effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We assessed population density and distribution of wildlife by sample line method. • We used the suitable habitat area to calculate the number of wildlife. • The pressure index of livestock on pastures had decreased in recent years. • The wildlife population had less impact on grasslands. Grassland carrying capacity and the number of livestock and wildlife play important roles in maintaining the balance of the grassland ecosystem. In this study, we assessed the grassland-livestock balance between large wild herbivores and livestock. We used the sample line transect method to conduct a survey on population and habitat area of wildlife in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China, from 2016 to 2017 and got detailed information about the population density and distribution of wildlife. The maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) was used to calculate the suitable habitat area of large wild herbivores. In addition, we used a suitable area to calculate the number of wildlife. The results showed that the suitable habitat area of Tibetan wild ass (Equus kiang) and Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) were 14,463.7 and 15,306.3 km2, respectively, in Maduo County. The number of Tibetan wild ass and Tibetan gazelle was 12,176 and 4,231, respectively. The results indicated that the number of livestock was higher than that of wild herbivores, and overgrazing was the main cause of grassland desertification. However, the wildlife population had little effect on grasslands. The pressure index of livestock on pastures had gradually decreased in recent years. Therefore, we advise to protect the grasslands and control the number of livestock for maintaining local ecological balance and animal husbandry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]