Accelerated anthropogenic impacts and climatic changes are widely considered to be responsible for unprecedented species extinction. However, determining their effects on extinction is challenging owing to the lack of long-term data with high spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, using historical occurrence records of 11 medium- to large-sized mammal species or groups of species in China from 905 BC to AD 2006, we quantified the distinctive associations of anthropogenic stressors (represented by cropland coverage and human population density) and climatic stressors (represented by air temperature) with the local extinction of these mammals. We found that both intensified human disturbances and extreme climate change were associated with the increased local extinction of the study mammals. In the cold phase (the premodern period of China), climate cooling was positively associated with increased local extinction, while in the warm phase (the modern period) global warming was associated with increased local extinction. Interactive effects between human disturbance and temperature change with the local extinction of elephants, rhinos, pandas, and water deer were found. Large-sized mammals, such as elephants, rhinos, and pandas, showed earlier and larger population declines than small-sized ones. The local extinction sensitivities of these mammals to the human population density and standardized temperature were estimated during 1700 to 2000. The quantitative evidence for anthropogenic and climatic associations with mammalian extinction provided insights into the driving processes of species extinction, which has important implications for biodiversity conservation under accelerating global changes.

Natural range loss limits the population growth of Asian big cats and may determine their survival. Over the past decade, we collected occurrence data of the critically endangered Amur leopard worldwide and developed a distribution model of the leopard’s historical range in northeastern China over the past decade. We were interested to explore how much current range area exists, learn what factors limit their spatial distribution, determine the population size and estimate the extent of potential habitat. Our results identify 48,252 km2 of current range and 21,173.7 km2 of suitable habitat patches and these patches may support 195.1 individuals. We found that prey presence drives leopard distribution, that leopard density exhibits a negative response to tiger occurrence and that the largest habitat patch connects with 5,200 km2of Russian current range. These insights provide a deeper understanding of the means by which endangered predators might be saved and survival prospects for the Amur leopard not only in China, but also through imperative conservation cooperation internationally.

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A small, isolated Amur tiger population ranges across the southwest Primorskii Krai region in Russia and Hunchun region in China. Many individuals, with "dual nationality," cross the border frequently. Formulating effective conservation strategies requires a clear understanding of tiger food requirements in both countries. While the diets of tigers ranging in Russia is clearly understood, little is known of the tigers' feeding habits in China.. We used scat analysis combined with data on the abundance of 4 prey species to examine Amur tiger diet and prey preferences in Hunchun. We examined 53 tiger scat samples from 2011 to 2016 and found that tigers preyed on 12 species (11 species in winter), 4 of which were domestic animals with 33.58% biomass contribution; this was the first record of Amur tigers eating lynx in this area. Tigers showed a strong preference for wild boar (Jacobs index: +0.849), which were also the most frequently consumed prey, and a strong avoidance of roe deer (Jacobs index: -0.693). On the Russian side, domestic animals (just dog) were rarely found in tiger scat, and tigers did not show strong avoidance of roe deer, but of sika deer. We also found red deer footprints during winter surveys and that tigers ate red deer on the Chinese side, while there was no record of red deer feeding on the Russian side. Reducing or eliminating human disturbance, such as grazing, is essential to recovering tiger prey and habitat in this area and the Sino-Russian joint ungulate annual survey is indispensable for prey estimates of this small, isolated Amur tiger population.

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is critically endangered and also the subspecies of the tiger with the most restoration potential in China. It is challenging to protect large-ranging carnivores like tigers under increasing pressure of human development. To provide a more technically robust foundation for tiger habitat conservation prioritization, we conducted a comprehensively empirical analysis based on a broadly collected occurrence dataset of tigers and their prey. We modeled tiger distribution by running an ensemble model integrating nine different algorithms. We found that the ensemble model performed well and outperformed any individual model regarding the discrimination ability. We used cumulative resistant kernel analysis to identify core habitats as with high predicted movement density and used factorial least-cost paths to model corridors among tiger occurrence locations. We found that core habitats for Amur tigers are distributed in three mountain areas, namely, eastern Wanda Mountain, southern Zhangguangcailing, and Laoyeling-Dalongling. We found significant protection gaps as existing protected areas only cover less than one-fourth of predicted core habitats, but this proportion will rise significantly with the establishment of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Furthermore, we ranked spatial priorities for the expansion of the protected area network, simultaneously considering biological and socioeconomic dimensions under the Zonation framework. Our study presented the most up-to-date and detailed maps of the predicted potential distribution and area of the most important habitats for the Amur tigers in China, which can provide quantitative guidance in the effort to maximize the efficiency of conservation initiatives at a regional scale.

Inbreeding more likely occurs in small, isolated and endangered populations, and may influence the sustainable survival of a population. As the Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica population in China experienced a severe decline in the 1990s, the recovering population may be prone to inbreeding and its potential impacts on population health. However, the inbreeding status has not been evaluated and relationships with health remain poorly understood in wild animals. Based on the genetic samples collected from the main Amur tiger habitats in China, this study analyzed the population inbreeding level, major histocompatibility complex polymorphism, parasitic infections and gut microbial structures and functions, and then explored the influence of inbreeding on these traits. Our results indicated that more than 50% of individual relationships were in cousin or half sibs, and 22.73% of individuals had moderate or high inbreeding coefficients. There was a significant positive correlation between the inbreeding level of an individual and the Toxocara cati parasitic load. Gut microbiota community structure and function were also impacted by inbreeding intensity. In conclusion, results indicate that the Amur tiger population in China has reached a moderate level of inbreeding and that there are direct interactions between inbreeding intensity and parasitic load and gut microbiota. This study thus provides an early warning on the Amur tiger population health and should prompt the construction of national and international ecological corridors and/or the re-introduction of new individuals to relieve the evident inbreeding pressure.

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) population in China, once widespread, is now reduced to an estimated 20 individuals widely dispersed over a large area. The Chinese government is making concerted efforts to restore this population from the contiguous Russian population. However, they face a challenge in finding an effective monitoring technique. We report on the development of a robust, noninvasive and cost-effective technique to identify the sex of Amur tigers from snow footprints. Between December 2011 and December 2012, we collected 523 digital images of left-hind footprints from 40 known captive Amur tigers (19 F, 21 M), of age range 3-13 years (F mean age ¼ 8.07 AE 0.18, M mean age ¼ 8.36 AE 0.19; F ¼ 1.18, P > 0.05). Images were captured with compact digital cameras according to a standardized photographic protocol (Alibhai et al. 2008). Using JMP software from the SAS Institute, 128 measurements were taken from each footprint according to the protocol developed by Alibhai et al. (2008), and were subjected to a stepwise selection. With just 10 variables, and testing with both Jackknifing and 50% holdout methods, the resulting algorithm for sex determination gave 98% accuracy for individual footprints. The algorithm derived from captive tiger footprints of known sex was then used to identify the sex of 83 footprints from 8 trails collected from unknown free-ranging Amur tigers in the winter from the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2012. The algorithm predicted 5 trails from females and 3 from males. This technique is a potentially valuable tool for monitoring the recovery of Amur tiger populations at the landscape scale in northeastern China. Ó 2014 The Wildlife Society.