PhD Theses (WII)

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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.Habitat use

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    Population dynamics and breeding habitat use by colonial waterbirds nesting at the Kokkare-Bellur Community Reserve, Southern Karnataka
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2026) Mahapatra, Aksheeta; Kumar, R. Suresh
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    Status, habitat use and factors affecting breeding waterbirds of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh (India).
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Mahar, Neeraj
    Tourism has evolved as an alternative livelihood for the local people and has reduced their direct dependencies on natural resources and perhaps indirectly contributed towards nature conservation. However, unregulated tourism activities have led to degradation of natural systems and increased the ecological vulnerabilities of local communities. Often, tourism and other developmental activities related disturbances collide with the peak season for several biological processes and affect the ability of natural system to revive and restore itself. In case of waterbirds these disturbance affect the breeding success. Other than anthropogenic activities, domestic dogs, apparently the most abundant carnivores in the world, pose a major threat to local wildlife. Recent studies have determined waterbirds as an important part of their diet. The existing literature clearly suggested that there was a huge information gap regarding Trans-Himalayan wetlands and their avifaunal characteristics. Previous studies were either site specific or species-specific, and thus, landscape level base line data was either scanty or unavailable. The Trans-Himalayan wetlands of India are increasingly under anthropogenic stress which is affecting their ecological structure and functions, especially the breeding birds. Blacknecked crane (BNC) is one of the flagship species of these wetlands. With the above background, I decided to study and understand their ecology and major threats faced by waterbirds and wetlands of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary (CWLS). The objectives for this work were to (1) assess the population status and habitat use by waterbirds, (2)evaluate the factors affecting the breeding waterbirds, and (3) assess change in the wetland area.
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    The Spatial Ecology and Conservation of Seagrasses of the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Pathan, Sameeha Vahedkhan; Sivakumar, K.
    Seagrass ecosystems provide ecosystem services that rank among the highest in economic valuation worldwide. They also provide a range of economic, social, and environmental goods and services, which greatly increase coastal communities' resilience to the impacts of climate change. As unique marine habitats, seagrass ecosystems provide shelter and food for marine species during different life stages and contribute to sediment accretion and primary production. The high diversity of marine plant and animal life supports tourism activities and provides the raw materials for medicinal, agricultural, and structural applications. Furthermore, the physical structure of seagrass ecosystems attenuates wave height and speed, protecting coastlines from erosion and storm surges. Threats to seagrass ecosystems in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Kachchh include pollution, rising sea levels, eutrophication, reduction of light intensity and die-back. These all negatively impact seagrass ecosystems, such as increasing growth of epiphytes, sediment anoxia, or increased prevalence of diseases. Further, the effects of climate change on seagrass ecosystems will be additional stressors. The underlying factors affecting seagrass ecosystems are direct human pressures such as pollution, disturbances, and eutrophication. The combined stressors – human pressures and climate change impacts – are likely to exceed the thresholds for seagrasses, leading to, among other things, i) redistribution (reduction and coastal migration) of existing habitats and ii) widespread seagrass ecosystem die-off. In this context, this study was conducted between January 2018- March 2022 and aimed to understand the phenology, biomass and spatial distribution patterns of seagrasses of the GoK, using which I attempted to understand the foraging behaviour, habitat use and movement ecology of dugongs in the Gulf of Kachchh. The major objectives of the study include a) Mapping the distributional characteristics and patterns of seagrass meadows in the southwestern GoK, b) understanding the seasonal variations in the abundance of seagrasses on topographically distinct meadows, c) investigating fine-scale and topographical determinants of dugong habitat preferences and d) to assess the role of semi-diurnal tides' influence on dugong foraging habitats.
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    Resource partitioning of non-pantherine carnivore community in Kanha Tiger Reserve, M.P., India.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Pradhan, Anup Kumar; Jhala, Y.V.; Qureshi, Qamar
    Carnivores of all groups have unequivocal role in structuring and functioning of their ecosystems. Hence their existence need to be secured to maintain functional ecosystems. In the current scenario of rapid industrial growth and economic development, pressure on natural resources is escalating, which in turn has jeopardized the survival of important species. Hence, to maintain harmony between economic growth and ecological balance, an effective wildlife conservation and management plan should be a priority. The Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR), spreading over an area of around 2100 km2 located in the central Indian highlands, has immense ecological significance as it supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. The tiger reserve is home to carnivores, including tiger, leopard, dhole, sloth bear, and many small cats. However, there are several conservation challenges exists for the persistence of this ecosystem. A thorough understanding of the ecosystem and its inclusive components is a prerequisite for developing and implementing an effective wildlife conservation plan. And in the case of KTR, despite several pioneer studies, the existing research gap on the ecology of small and meso-carnivores undermines the understanding of the complete ecological functioning. To fill this research gap, I undertook this study focusing on distribution, habitat use and preference of small and meso-carnivores in KTR. I aimed to study the distribution pattern and abundance of non-pantherine carnivores (Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Jackal and jungle cat) and their niche separation by developing a species distribution and habitat suitability map. I performed camera trapping exercises during three successive seasons in 2014, 2015, and 2016 successively in all the available habitat types to obtain information on the abundance and distribution pattern of the targeted species. The camera traps were placed in a two sq km grid-based manner. I used data from transect surveys, remote sensing techniques and published literature to obtain other ecological variables. I used presence software to run the occupancy model for each focal species separately, considering relevant environmental variables. Similarly, I used the Maxent software to prepare the habitat suitability map for each species individually. I used the kernel density approach in R software to analyze the activity overlaps between these studied species. As a result of occupancy analysis, tiger, leopard, sloth bear, and jungle cats were observed to be inhabited in the cores area of the tiger reserve and associated with dense forest cover, grasslands, and prey abundance. However, dholes preferred the fringe area of the forest, associated negatively with densities of tigers, leopard, and their preferred area, i.e., the core of the forest and positively with the grasslands. In addition, variables such as distance from human settlements, terrain ruggedness, and NDVI also affected the occupancy of these study species in the KTR. Jackal did not follow any particular pattern rather it observed throughout the forest area. Aligning with the occupancy result, the habitat suitability maps prepared by the Maxent model strengthened the observation of the spatial ecology of these carnivore groups in the KTR. The Maxent model showed that the large carnivores at the ecosystem's apex position preferred to live in the core area of the forest with abundant prey and least human interference. However, second and third order carnivores such as dholes, preferred to live outside the core to avoid possible strife with the dominant tiger and leopard. The habitat selection by these meso carnivores also indicates the dominancy iii of the large carnivores in occupying the central position and their influence in the placement of the subordinate group of carnivores in a common ecosystem. We did not observe any effect of tiger and leopard on the habitat preference of sloth bear and jungle cat which indicated the difference in the dietary pattern also play significant role in occurrence of these sympatric carnivores in a multi-predator ecosystem. Tigers and leopards were primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. Despite high activity overlap, their activity peaks were different from each other. Dholes and jackals were active during the day, whereas Sloth bears and jungle cats were nocturnal. The results of temporal interaction among these carnivores were not completely diverged from the pattern of spatial interactions observed earlier. Instead, these results strengthen the findings of the spatial interaction among these carnivores in the KTR. As observed earlier, dholes and jackals shift their activity to avoid possible conflict and become diurnal. In contrast, the activity pattern of tigers and leopards did not influence the activity pattern of sloth bears and jungle cats. The study provides information on the spatiotemporal interactions of a carnivore community in a multi-predator ecosystem in central India. The findings strengthen the earlier understanding of the ecology of large-bodied carnivores such as tigers and leopards. At the same time, it enhances the knowledge of their counterpart i.e. the lesser studies small and meso- carnivores of KTR. Large-bodied carnivores occupied the central and apex position of the ecosystem and regulated the distribution pattern of the meso-carnivores present in their ecosystem. However, species with a different ecological niche were less influenced by these apex predators.