M Sc Dissertation(WII)

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Author: search.filters.author.Kumar, R.S.Subject: search.filters.subject.Mammals

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    Niche partitioning between assamese and rhesus macaque in the Askot landscape of Uttarakhand, Northern India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Justa, Priyanka; Kumar, R.S.; Talukdar, Gautam
    Closely related species often have similar requirements and these species need to have certain ecological adaptations to live in sympatry. Two congeneric species the Assamese (Macaca assamensis) and the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) co-occurring in the Askot landscape of Uttarakhand were studied to understand the mechanisms allowing their coexistence. 2. Ecological niche differentiation for the two species was investigated by examining three possible modes of separation: activity pattern, diet and spatial use following observational protocols over a period of five months (December 2016-April 2017). Crop-raiding by macaques often results in human-macaque conflict. With the help of semi-structured interviews, attempts were made to access the level of conflict and people’s perception of these two macaque species. 3. Limited niche overlap was found between two primate species across the study duration. The Assamese macaque differed from the rhesus macaque in time spent on various activities. The former spent more time feeding and the latter in resting. Although 44% of all food items were consumed by both the species, only three of the ten major food items were shared. Assamese macaques preferred leaves and had broader niche breadth compared to rhesus macaques who fed more selectively on fruits. There was a significant difference in feeding heights, habitat and roosting site preferences of the two species. Differences in diet choice and roosting sites, in turn, resulted in differences in daily movement and home range of these species. Despite a partial home range overlap, both these species were found to be spatially segregated at a local scale. 4. The extent of niche overlap across winter and spring seasons in the area showed the greatest divergence in the diets of the two species in winter, while diet overlap was more pronounced in spring. As resources were abundant in the spring, an increase in niche overlap may not have lead to competitive interactions. Synthesis and application: Knowledge about differential resource use of macaques might help in assigning conservation priorities to the different species and their specific ecological niches along with designing species-specific management strategies. The study was able to distinguish the macaque's tendency to co-exist with humans.
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    Social Behaviour and Duetting in Hoolock Gibbons in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Sankaran, Sumithra; Rawat, G.S.; Kumar, R.S.
    The hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), only anthropoid primate found in India, is a pair-living, territorial species, which duets extensively. Various hypotheses regarding the function of this behaviour in monogamous primates include territory advertisement, pair-bonding, mate defense, resource defence and group cohesion. This study aimed to understand the nature of social behaviour of this species, and how duetting fits into the repertoire of social behaviour seen in this animal. Three groups of Hoolock gibbons were habituated and studied intensively over a three month period. Relationships between the different group members were explored, alongside time budgets of various activities of the adult pair, the synchrony in their behaviour and frequency and nature of all affiliative and agonistic behaviours. Relationships between territory sizes, group sizes, frequency of duetting and nature of other social interactions have been examined in detail. A considerable amount of individual difference were found between the different study animals in their interactions with other group members. These animals display complex affiliative interactions with rare displays of aggression. It was found that although the proportion of time spent in social interactions was comparable between the three groups, the proportioning of this total time among different social interactions may vary considerably. The primary difference was found to be in allogrooming interactions with the proportion of time time spent increasing with increase in group size. The study also found considerable evidence for the possible existance of male-care in this species.