Abstract:

The Hexi Corridor is long and narrow， located between two mountains and mainly consisted of desert. Its unique habitat makes it irreplaceable for native species. Therefore， in this study， we explored community dynamics of birds and animals based on data which monitored by infrared cameras and human observations between 2019 and 2020. A total of 23 species of mammals and birds were observed in the gravel gobi desert. Among the species， there were 6 species of mammals and 8 species of birds belong to national second-class protected animals and terrestrial wildlife with important ecological， scientific， and social values. The results of infrared camera showed that the seasonal variation of the mammal community was slight. The relative abundance index of Gazella subgutturosa and other mammals was slightly higher in spring than in other seasons， and the relative abundance indexof Dipus sagitta peaked in April. The relative abundance index of birds in spring， summer and autumn was higher than that in winter， and the number of species reached the peak in summer and autumn. The relative abundance of mammals and birds showed similar trends， both peaking in late summer and spring. The monthly relative abundance index of mammals was significantly negatively correlated with soil water content. The daily activity rhythm of Gazella subgutturosa and Vulpes corsac appeared at night， dusk， or dawn under the influence of human activities. The monthly relative abundance index of birds was significantly positively correlated with human activities， air temperature， soil temperature and number of arthropods， but human activities would reduce the activity frequency of some birds during the growing season. In conclusion， Gobi in the middle of Hexi Corridor is the main inhabit and breed habitat for Gazella subgutturosa， Vulpes corsac， Falco tinnunculus， Lanius sphenocercus， Podoces hendersoni， Oenanthe isabellin， Oenanthe deserti and Calandrella cheleensis， etc. It is essential to establish the protected area of desertification land to protect the diversity of desert animals.