Autumn habitat selection of eurasian badgers (Meles meles amurensis) a case of Fangzheng Forestry Bureau, Heilongjiang Province, China
狗獾秋季对生境的选择——以黑龙江省方正林业局为例

Habitat selection of Eurasian badgers(Meles meles amurensis)was studied during autumn in Xinfeng Forest Farm of Fangzheng Forestry Bureau in Heilongjiang Province through examination of tracks and setts used by badgers.We searched 23 transects in 15 compartments and measured 19 ecological factors from 106 used sites and control plots.Despite the overlap between sites used by badgers and control plots in a histogram of canonical scores,the Wilk's lambda indicated a highly significantly difference(Wilk's λ=0.507,X~2=141.524,df=3,P＜0.001);the high proportion(84.0%)of discrimination also supported this difference.Comparison of sites used by badgers versus control plots showed that Eurasian badgers selected slopes on southerly aspects, areas where the dominant trees were Tilia amurensis and Phellodendron amurenae,slightly higher shrub density and height,and areas closer to shrubs.The stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that canopy closure,shrub density,and herbage coverage(in order of importance)as significant discriminating variables that improved the model.