Integration of the landscape of fear concept in grassland management – an experimental study on subtropical monsoon grasslands in Bardia National Park, Nepal.

Using plots of varying mowing frequency (0-4 times), size (small: 49 m2; to large: 3600 m2), and artificial fertilisation type (none, phosphorus, nitrogen), we assessed the trade-offs between probable predation risk and resources made by three cervids (chital - Axis axis, swamp deer - Rucervus duvauceli, and hog deer - Axis porcinus). The experimental design incorporated three levels of treatment factors, viz., mowing; artificial fertilisation, and plot size. There are a total of seven replications spread over three sites, thus forming a complete design with a total of 189 experimental plots. We estimated deer’s level of use in the experimental plots through pellet group density expressed as pellet groups.m-2. A liner mixed effect model was used to analyse the data in R.本研究以刈割频率（0~4次）、样地面积（小型：49 m²；大型：3600 m²）与人工施肥类型（不施肥、施磷肥、施氮肥）各异的实验样地为研究对象，探究了三种鹿科动物——花鹿（Axis axis）、沼鹿（Rucervus duvauceli）与豚鹿（Axis porcinus）在潜在捕食风险与可利用资源间的权衡策略。实验设计包含三个处理因子，分别为刈割、人工施肥与样地面积。本实验在3个试验点位设置7次重复，最终构建出包含189个实验样地的完整实验方案。我们以单位面积粪便团密度（单位：个·m⁻²）为指标，评估了鹿科动物在各实验样地中的利用强度。本研究采用线性混合效应模型，在R语言环境中完成数据分析。