PhD Theses (WII)

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Author: search.filters.author.Habib, BilalStart date: 2022

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    Understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on sympatric Large Carnivore connectivity across Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Modi, Shrushti; Habib, Bilal
    This study is an effort to understand the impact of habitat fragmentation on the connectivity of sympatric large carnivores across the tiger reserves of Maharashtra. The top predator assemblage in Maharashtra's major tiger reserves and surrounding areas consist of three species: tiger, leopard, and dhole. Most connectivity studies focus on the single species, which does not incorporate other species' requirements and conservation interests. As a result, given the current context of haphazard development, there is a need to develop a multispecies conservation plan that focuses on multidimensional aspects for several species of interest. Given this, the current study was conducted in major tiger reserves and surrounding protected areas, i.e., Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR), Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), Umred Karandhla Wildlife Sanctuary (UKWLS) in the state of Maharashtra. The objectives of the study were to (i) Develop and standardise molecular markers for species and individual identification, (ii) Meta-population dynamics of tiger, leopard and Asiatic wild dog across the tiger reserves of Maharashtra, (iii) Impact of habitat fragmentation on the gene flow and genetic connectivity across the habitat connectivity gradient of the tiger reserves. The three species from the major carnivore guild suggests that landscape genetic patterns respond to the ecological differences in habitat characteristics, and disturbance can differentially affect landscape genetic structure. The study develops a framework for the landscape genetic study of any species starting from the sampling to understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on the functional as well as structural connectivity of these species. The empirical findings of this study provide an outlook to delineate the corridor planning as per species need and do not follow the one for all approach. This study also developed the first PCR based protocol for dhole species identification and a better individual identification panel. The study will help in introducing species-specific modifications in connectivity corridors planning. It has paved the way to consider the requirements of each species while establishing priority-based conservation. As obtained in this study, landscape genetics outputs, coupled with multispecies connectivity models, could help prioritise the conservation of areas where maintaining connectivity is most critical.
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    Indian Grey wolves (Canis lupus pallipes) in Human dominated landscape; Movement, space use and foraging
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2023) Khan, Shaheer; Habib, Bilal
    The study presented a comprehensive investigation into the ecology of Indian wolves (Canis lupus pallipes) within human-dominated landscapes in Maharashtra, India. The study focused on movement patterns, den and rendezvous site selection, and food habits of Indian wolves to gain insights into their adaptation strategies and ecological interactions within changing environments. Seven adult wolves (three males and four females) and four subadult wolves (two males and two females) were captured using soft leghold traps from 2017 - 2021. Trapped wolves were held using a double-threaded nylon hockey net and immobilized using Ketamine–Xylazine by injecting intramuscularly on their hind leg and fitted with GPS collars. A total of ten wolves from seven different packs were fitted with GPS collars, and one male was fitted with a proximity collar. The GPS collars were programmed for the different intervals between positions ranging from 0.5-5 hours per fix (median=1 hour), depending on the time of year and type of individual. I then scaled the data to 1 hour per fix for movement analysis. This research underscores the importance of understanding wolf movement, denning ecology, and food habits for effective conservation strategies. As human populations and habitat alterations increase, studying wolf adaptation is crucial for species-specific conservation planning.
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    Movement and space use pattern of Tigers in the Eastern Vidarbha landscape, Maharashtra, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Hussain, Zehidul; Habib, Bilal
    Movement is a crucial ecological process that influences the survival, population dynamics, and evolution of animals. Animal movement patterns are diverse and are influenced by life stages, sex, age, and habitat requirements. The relationship between animal movement and conservation is complex, particularly due to human-induced environmental changes This study emphasises that various factors influence animal movement, including individual characteristics and external factors such as resource availability, distribution, competition, and predation. Animals adjust their space use based on seasonal changes in resource availability. Additionally, movement patterns and space use can be influenced by habitat disruption, forcing individuals to displace and establish new home ranges. Landscape features play a significant role in animal home ranges, with resource distribution determining the extent of the required area. Fragmentation of habitats and human activities can affect landscape connectivity, leading to isolation, reduced gene flow, and potential genetic bottlenecks or local extinctions. Thus, maintaining habitat connectivity is crucial for long-term survival of highly mobile species. The study highlights the need for comprehensive datasets and technological advancements, such as GPS tracking, to study animal movement and behaviour. It also emphasises the importance of studying dispersal patterns, as dispersed individuals often encounter humandominated landscapes and face increased vulnerability to anthropogenic effects. This study focused on quantifying movement patterns and space use across three life stages: predispersal, dispersal, and post-dispersal phases. The results revealed differences in space use within and outside protected areas, with individuals outside protected areas requiring larger territories. The study also identified seasonal variations in space use and movement patterns, with dispersed tigers exhibiting the highest space use. Land-use composition, landscape configuration, and anthropogenic disturbances influence the use of tiger space. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing tiger movement and space use in a human-dominated landscape. They highlighted the importance of maintaining habitat connectivity, reducing anthropogenic disturbances, and restoring suitable habitats outside protected areas to facilitate dispersal and ensure the long-term survival of tigers.
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    Understanding Wolf Howls and their application in individual identification and population estimation
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Sadhukhan, Sougata; Habib, Bilal
    The current study addresses the knowledge gap about Indian wolf vocalisation. Alongside, it focuses on the identification potentiality of wolf howl to an individual level for using them in population estimation through mark-capture-recapture. The study also includes the howling behaviour and responses of the Indian wolf to various ecological and anthropogenic factors. Understanding the howling behaviour is key for designing howl survey methods for wolf census. As howl survey is a technique to detect wolves over long distances, the technique might provide a cost-effective solution for population estimation and a noninvasive monitoring tool for Indian wolves in human-dominated landscapes.
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    Understanding sioth bear (Melursus ursinus) Genetic Connectivity across Vidarbha Landscape, Maharashtra, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Gomes, Lynett; Habib, Bilal
    The goal of this thesis is to use non-invasive DNA sampling to study how sloth bears roam throughout the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. Maharashtra's Vidarbha Landscape is a quickly changing area. The great biodiversity that lives there is under risk from the quick changes in the landscape. It's vital to note that there are about 200 instances of deadly human-sloth bear interactions in Maharashtra alone each year, and that number could increase in the years to come due to increased development activities in the area. Wide ranging or long dispersing species who have extensive movements across a landscape are the ones most affected by range contraptions and fragmentation of the habitat. The broad objectives of this thesis were 1. Understand Genetic Structure, Variation and relatedness amongst sloth bear populations in Vidharbha Landscape and 2. Evaluate genetic relatedness with respect to permeability of the landscape and connectivity. The functional corridor obtained for sloth bears is the main result of this thesis. This can be used in a number of ways by managers, planning bodies, and stakeholders. First, the occupancy and connection would assist indicate key movement regions and areas of concern when evaluated in conjunction with the documented incidents of sloth bear attacks. The pinch points could be focused upon and conserved as intact corridors. Secondly, the movement areas could be modelled with documented bear attacks to highlight the probable corridors or movement areas that need awareness to avoid bear attacks