M Sc Dissertation(WII)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.168.202.180:4000/handle/123456789/3

Browse

End date: 2024Subject: search.filters.subject.Behaviour

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 22
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring ecological separation between Himalayan blue sheep and Himalayan ibex during winter in Indian Trans-Himalaya
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Prakruthi, G.M.; Sathyakumar, S.; Lyngdoh, Salvador; Bhatnagar, Yashveer
    According to resource selection theory, two related species with similar ecological requirements compete for the same resources. They can only coexist if they are ecologically separated, either by habitat or food preference. This study explored the resource use and ecological separation of ibex (Capra sibirica himalayanus) and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) during the winter in the Spiti Valley, focusing on their segregation in space, habitat use patterns, diet, and activity pattern. The study was conducted in Kibber and Chicham areas (57 km2) of Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India. This study slightly deviates from the findings of a previous study by Namgail (2006), which reveals a high overlap in the habitat use between ibex and blue sheep in the Zanskar mountains. Systematic sampling using transects and trails, vantage points, opportunistic sampling, and camera traps was employed. Habitat and vegetation variables were recorded at random points and animal sightings to understand the patterns of habitat use and food selection. Spatial and temporal overlaps were analysed and micro-histological analysis of faecal samples compared the proportions of monocots and dicots in their diets. The study investigated how ungulates utilize habitats and their dietary habits with the availability of resources in their environment. Results showed substantial overlap in activity patterns, with the Jaccard similarity index indicating less spatial overlap between the species. The generalized linear model and Non-metric dimensional analysis indicated segregation based on their habitat preferences. However, there were no significant differences in their diets, the two species differed in the use of habitat at finer scales. Ibex preferred interspersed rocky slopes and slabs because of high rocky areas (escape terrain) and sparse vegetation, trading food for security. Blue sheep preferred less rocky areas with high vegetation cover like smooth slopes. Ibex preferred areas with more escape routes available than blue sheep. Thus, I conclude that Blue sheep, being more abundant than ibex, occupy distinct regions within the study area, and have a competitive advantage. While ibex are present in smaller numbers and confined to a specific region. Understanding their ecological requirements, especially in harsh winters, is crucial for targeted conservation efforts to ensure the sustainability of these species in a rapidly changing environment. Future research should focus on climate change impacts on habitat use and resource availability
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Understanding the efficacy of enrichment intervention from behavioural responses in captive Sloth Bears
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Sudhakar, Mukul
    In this study, I tried to understand how enrichment activities affect the behavior and well-being of captive sloth bears. The study aimed to determine if enrichment intervention helps bears exhibit more natural behaviors and reduce stress-related behaviors, improving their overall welfare. Six Sloth bears were studied in two zoos, Delhi and Mumbai, and were observed before and after introducing enrichment intervention in the form of Pitfall feeder. These Feeders, helps in providing novel feeding methods and interactive object, and were designed to encourage the bears to engage in natural behaviors like exploring, digging and foraging etc. The study used various parameters to track changes in the bears' behavior, including different activity levels such as Proportion of time Active, Inactive and Stereotypic, usage of different zones of their enclosures, and behavior diversity. A comprehensive welfare index was computed from these parameters using Principal Component Analysis. The results showed that enrichment activities had some positive effect on the bears' behavior. The bears became more active and explored more areas of their enclosures after the enrichment activities were introduced. However, the response varied among individual bears, with few showing a decline in stress-related behaviors, while others did not exhibit significant changes or even showed an increase in such behaviors. This variability highlights the need for tailored enrichment plans that cater to the unique needs of each bear. The study also found differences between the two zoos, wherein markers of behavioural well-being were better in Mumbai Zoo compared to Delhi Zoo. This was attributed to better management practices and more complex enclosures in Mumbai. Thus, factors such as long-term management practices and the overall complexity of the enclosures play a crucial role in the well-being of captive sloth bears. In conclusion, while enrichment activities are beneficial for captive sloth bears, their design and implementation should be tailored to the individual needs of each bear to maximise their positive impact on well-being. This research supports the importance of regular and varied enrichment intervention in zoos to increase the wellbeing of captive animals. However, it also underscores the need for comprehensive management practices that ensure the long-term welfare of these animals consisting of enrichment plans and studies to be incorporated in the management plan of the zoos.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Beyond the forest: Intraspecific and interspecific aggression in Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Santosh, Charushree; Kumara, H.N.; Mahajan, Prashant
    Rhesus macaques and human have been coexisting from a long time. Living in such close proximity to each other have bought various challenges to both species. Some challenges could be solved by behavioural modifications. This study looks at how various factors affect the aggression in both macaques and humans towards each other and their conspecifics. This study helps in understanding the frequency of aggression in macaques towards each other and humans in different settings. Direction of major aggressive interactions and the factors behind these events were also noted. Human aggression towards macaques were also seen. Most common reason for human initiated aggression was property damage while, for macaques it was threat. This kind of behavioural studies help us manage conflict with this communal species and also lets us see how human presence and behaviour might influence macaque behaviour.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Understanding the influence of tourism on behaviour and habitat use of Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius Ogilby, 1838) in Eravikulam National Park, Kerala
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Mohammed, Aslam; Chinnasamy, Ramesh; Ramesh, K.; Karunakaran, P.V.
    Eravikulam National Park is the home for the largest number of Endangered Nilgiri tahr in the world (Predit et al, 2015; Saju,2012) and the park is also having an ecotourism programme dedicated for observing tahr at closer distance (Saju,2012). This population in the tourism area have high human interaction and have become habituated to the presence of humans. Habituation is known to influence the wild behaviour and instincts of animals (Shackley,1996; Knight,2009; Mazur, 2006; Marler & Hamilton,1966; Hingham & Shelton,2011) and this study was intended to understand the influence of tourism on the behaviour and habitat use of Nilgiri tahr in the Eravikulam National Park.The field work was carried for four months from January 2024 to April 2024, of which tourism was closed during the months of February and March, creating three sampling seasons: preclosing, closing and reopening season with varying human presence. Scan sampling and focal sampling (Altman, 1974) were carried out and observations of the population in tourism area were compared to the populations in Varattukulam region of core area which have minimum human interaction. The result showed a significant difference in the behaviour and habitat use between tourism and core area and also across tourism season. The activity pattern in the tourism zone is different from that of the core. Habitat use was also different as most of the behaviour in tourism area were not showing any significant relationship with a particular habitat unlike the population in core area. The flight distance in tourism area was also found to be very much shorter (1.8m) in compared to core area(118m) which is evidence for the extend of habituation tahr has gone through. Interestingly, the tourism adjacent hills which belonged to the same landscape as that of the tourism zone showed higher flight distance. The tourism zone also had high density of predators (Tiger and leopard) and there was spatial overlap between tahr and predators. Study was not able to prove the existence of human shield hypothesis (HSH) (Berger, 2007) as large carnivores were still present in the tourism area and even when tourism was closed, which reduced the number of people on the road, tahr were still coming to tourism area. However, tahrs were observed to be avoiding the carnivore by temporal separation as all camera trapping of predators happened during night time but no tahr was active at that time in tourism road.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    How Disturbed are the Disturbed Ones ? Impacts of Anthropogenic Stressors on the Socio-Ecological Interactions of Terai Gray Langur (Semnopithecus hector) in Shivalik Hills
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Dwivedi, Divya; Habib, Bilal; Qureshi, Qamar
    Animals respond to the changes in their habitats numerically and behaviourally. Alterations caused by anthropogenic stresses, like habitat degradation, fragmentation, urbanisation, changes in land use patterns, etc., changes the ecology of most species. Understanding the patterns adopted by these species to successfully survive and reproduce in such habitats is of utmost importance. This study tried to understand the impacts of human disturbance on the socio-ecology of Terai Gray langurs in Shivalik landscape, by comparing the ecology of langur troops inside the protected forest with the troops in disturbed forest. Four troops of Terai Gray langur, of comparable sizes, two in each treatment were selected.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    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.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Study of Resource Seletion by Black Kites (Milvus migrans) in the Urban Landscape of National Capital Region India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2013) Kumar, Nishant; Mohan, D.; Jhala, Y.V.
    Black Kites are the scavenger and predator raptors of the old world. In India they are synanthropic and perform the ecological role of city scavengers. Abundance and distribution of these birds suffers change due to rapid infrastructural changes in the developing cities which likely limit or change spatial layout of the available habitat and food. Many cities in the old world (London, Cape Verde, Istanbul) have experienced decline in the population of Milvus kites owing to rapid urbanization. Indian sub-continent almost lost its main scavenger, white backed vultures, in the last century. After this loss; existence of black kites, the most abundant raptor of the old world proves very vital. On these lines I carried carry out this dissertation from December 2012 to April 2013. This study focused on a) estimating the abundance of Black Kites on the Ghazipur dump site and the abundance of nesting pairs in National Capital Region (NCR), b) evaluating factors influencing nesting habitat selection combined with a broad understanding of its foraging habits and c) estimating nest survivorship in the urban landscape. I studied these parameters at selective study sites in NCR by intensive counts of birds at Ghazipur and breeding pairs at nest sites across eight study sites. Nests were searched intensively at each site while I tried to develop and test a new method to count the kites on the Ghazipur dump. Data from 116 nests and nest sites covariates were used to model nest survivorship under Known Fate scheme in Programme MARK. For my first objective, I estimated the current abundance of nesting pairs of Black Kites at 7 study sites. It ranged from 4 pairs / km2 in Sagarpur to 67 pairs / km2 in North Campus area. Nesting kites were selective while choosing a nest site, as evident by significant partial correlation between nest density, food index and green cover. The sites at the best trade-off between green cover and food availability had the highest nest densities. While developing a new methodology, I estimated around 2400 kites on the Ghazipur dump. Through behavioural observations and broad examination of regurgitated pellets, I could confirm scavenging as well as predacious nature of Black Kites. The overall probability of a nest to produce a viable fledgling was 0.45. The nest survivorship was stage specific and varied with pre-laying, incubation or nestling stage. The lower survival probability (0.60) at pre-laying stage is likely because of surplus nest formation at sites with good foraging opportunities. Understanding the importance of kites in urban ecology, studies using individually marked birds will reveal vital details of their behavioural and physiological adaptations. If future long term studies are conclusive enough, may establish Black Kites as an umbrella species of urban ecology.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Occupancy Pattern and Food-Niche Partitioning Among Sympatric Kingfishers in Bhitarkanika Mangroves, Orissa
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Borah, Joli; Pandav, Bivash; Gopi, G.V.
    Eight species of kingfishers, Common, Collared, White-throated, Pied, Stork-billed, Black-capped, Brown-winged and Rudy, - coexist in the mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika along the east coast of India. Sympatric species with similar resource requirements need to have niche partitioning as a strategy to avoid competition in order to coexist together. To understand the mechanisms underlying such species coexistence, it is vital to know about the food requirements, foraging habitat preference, and how the resources are shared between these sympatric species. The present study attempted to understand the potential mechanisms that might play a role in food-niche differentiation and examined the occupancy patterns of four sympatric kingfishers i.e. Common, Collared, Black-capped and Brown-winged kingfisher in Bhitarkanika mangroves. I conducted field study from January to May, 2011 in Bhitarkanika mangroves. The creeks were catgorized as primary, secondary and tertiary creeks based on the branching pattern. A total of 16, one km trails were selected in the intensive study area. Each 1 km trail was further divided into 10, 100 m segments for Sub-sampling. During the survey only seven among the 10 segments of each 1 km trail were surveyed which were selected randomly with replacement. A total of 160 creek segments of 100 m length were surveyed for six times during the study period and relevant habitat variables were recorded. For foraging behaviour observation, point count method was used i.e., an individual bird was followed till it captured a prey and relevant foraging variables were recorded. A total of 53 independent prey captures were recorded for the four species of kingfishers. Focal animal sampling method was used and observations were made opportunistically for time budget observation. Detection histories were constructed for each segment for bird survey and all relevant covariates. The two model parameters i.e., the probability that a segment is occupied by the species ('I') and the detection probability (P) were estimated and analysed in the occupancy framework. For foraging behaviour and time budget analysis, different parametric and nonparametric tests were used. Occupancy analysis confined that Collared and Black-capped Kingfisher occur seasonally in Bhitarkanika mangroves; Collared being more abundant in summer and Black-capped in winter. For all the four sympatric species river/creek width had a negative association with detection probability. Habitat type also affected the detection probability of all the species except Collared Kingfisher. The detection probability of Common and Black-capped Kingfisher decreased with the increase in depth whereas it did not affect the detection probability of Collared and Brown-winged Kingfishers. Water current and turbidity were negatively associated with the occupancy of Common and Brown-winged Kingfisher. However for Collared and Black-capped Kingfisher, it differed with vegetation layer. Perch height and foraging distance differed significantly among the four species of kingfishers. All the prey characteristics i.e., prey type, prey size and foraging substrate differed significantly among the four species of kingfishers. This study reveals that each of the four species of kingfishers in Bhitarkanika mangroves occupy foraging niches corresponding to their respective body sizes. The occupancy pattern and foraging behaviour of the smallest species, i.e., Common Kingfisher and the largest species, i.e., Brown-winged Kingfisher is more similar. As, both mostly forage in water to catch fish, their occupancy is also determined by water current. They segregate in terms of prey size, which is reflected by the respective body sizes. On the other hand, the foraging behaviour of Collared and Blackcapped Kingfisher is similar in terms of prey characteristics.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Abundance, Habitat Relationships and Behavior of the Semi-Fossorial Indian Desert Jird, Meriones hurriancae, in Kachchh, Gujarat
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Ramesh, Divya; Jhala, Y.V.; Qureshi, Qamar
    Population sizes, habitat relationships and behaviour are among basic ecological aspects pivotal to demystifying a species and its place in the ecosystem. Numerous in species and number, desert rodents offer immense scope for such investigations. The Indian desert jird, Meriones hurrianae, though common, is remarkably little known. This study, conducted in Kachchh, Gujarat, estimates population sizes, examines factors in the habitat likely to influence their occurrence, and elucidates the activity pattern and time budget across 2 land use types, agricultural and natural areas, during winter (December February) and summer (March-May). Animals were caught in 9 colonies using Sherman traps and population estimated under closed population Capture-Mark-Recapture framework in Program MARK, using individual covariates (age class, gender, body weight, site). Colony parameters (length, width, number of holes) were regressed against known Mark-Recapture (MR) population estimates to develop predictive models for estimating population size from indices. Population sizes varied from 2 to 10 individuals. Number of holes in a colony provided robust estimates of the number of individuals in that colony (N=16, R2=0.96, t=18.19, p
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Nutritional Ecology of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Datta, Suniti Bhushan; Goyal, S.P.; Sathyakumar, S.
    Responses of animals to the habitat has been the central focus for management of species and of these aspects, nutritional ecology has been the key issue in foraging behaviour studies and habitat studies. Therefore, the study focused on the nutritional aspect of forage selection by Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park. The main objectives were to determine whether habitat structural heterogeneity or nutritional quality of the selected food plant species was a determinant in the temporal and spatial habitat use by elephants and to determine the reasons behind seasonality in foraging. The study area of 148km2 in Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park was divided into twelve 2x2km grids, and these were further divided into 4 sub-grids each. In each sub-grid, a 1 km long line transect was laid and along this 10m radial plots were placed at 100m intervals. Vegetation data were collected to characterize the habitat structural heterogeneity in terms of number of trees of each species, height of canopy base, canopy volume, percent canopy cover, species diversity, species density and geo-spatial variables such as NDVI, standard deviation of slope, mean elevation and the proximity to water. Parts of 12 most-preferred plant species were collected in the study areas for estimating nitrogen, ash, acid detergent fibre, and macro and micro minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium and zinc. During the study period from December 2008 to May 2009, Elephant response was determined in terms of dung density along the 1km transect in winter and in summer. The total number of trees in each grid varied from 124 to 268. Tree diversity ravged betweel) 0.456-1.454. Height of canopy base was mostly 1.5-3.0 m, although two grids showed extremely high canopy bases. Canopy volume ranged from 165.63m3 to 948.36m3 , although the majority of the grids showed a high variation in canopy volume in terms of standard deviation (SE). The percent canopy cover ranged from 54.13% to 93.72%. Most of the NDVI values were _high in the study area (>0.180), while one grid showed a low value of 0.143. For the standard deviation of slope, the values ranged from a low of 2.46 to a high of 8.46. The mean elevation of the study area ranged froin 391-840m a.s.l. Nutritional values estimated for most of the parameters in winter and summer from selected plant samples collected in the study area showed slight variations 4 between seasons. Percent nitrogen content indicated no seasonal difference (f=0.98, p=0.05, df=ll). The percent acid detergent fibre indicated a difference (P<0.05,df=I I) between the two seasons. Percent ash content was found not significantly different (p=O.l6, p=0.05, df=l1) between seasons. Amongst the macro and micro minerals, sodium content was significantly different across the two seasons. Potassium content was found to be significantly different across the seasons (p<0.05). Calcium content was also found to be significantly different between winter and summer (P<0.05). The copper content could not be compared across the seasons as in summer the levels present in plant samples were too low to be detected by the instrument. The difference in magnesium and zinc content across the two seasons were not significant (p=0.16 and P=0.31). Dung density in the grids across both seasons was non-uniform and highly skewed (p<0.05, df=47). The dung densities in both seasons were related more with the habitat heterogeneity variables than nutritional values obtained in each grid. The relationship between dung density and the number of plants was positive in the winter seasons (R2= 0.2848) and summer (R2= 0.4383), indicating that elephants are highly selective towards areas with higher numbers of woody plants. Plant species diversity indicated no influence on dung density in winter (R2= 0.00005), but showed a negative trend in summer (R2= 0.0154). The height of canopy base was negatively related to dung density, with elephants selecting areas with a mean canopy base height between 1.5-3.0m during both winter (R2=0.2288) and summer (R2=0.174). Dung density showed a negative trend when related to canopy volume in both seasons. The R2 value for winter is 0.2087 and in summer it is 0.1471. Percent canopy cover had a negative influence on the dung densities in winter (R~= 0.083) and in summer (R2= 0.1524). NDVI showed a negative relationship with dung densities in winter (R2=0.01l1) and a positive relationship in summer (R2= 0.1894). The relationship between the standard deviation of slope and dung density showed a negative trend in both winter, (R2=0.0033) as well as in summer (R2=0.0389). The higher elevation grids show a lower d/mg density during both winter (R2=0.216) and summer (R2=O.l443). The relationship between dung density and proximity to water in winter is negative (R2=0.1575) and the relationship remains negative (R2=0.1016) in summer. In relation to nitrogen content and dung density in winter there was a weak positive trend (R2=0.0256), while in summer there was a weak negative trend (R2=0.032). The relationship between dung densities and percent acid detergent fibre (ADF) in winter indicated a weak positive trend (R2=0.0012) and during summer, indicated a weak negative trend (R2=0.0657). In relation to percentage ash content (Fig. 4.29.), dung densities in winter indicated a weak positive trend" (R2=0.0114), while in summer there was a weak negative trend (R2=0.0641). When compared with sodium, dung densities showed a very weak positive trend (R2=0.0092) in winter and a negative trend in summer (R2=0.0834). In winter, when compared with dung densities potassium showed no trend (R2=0.001), but in summer, there was a weak negative trend (R2=0.0076). In winter, calcium does not show any relationship with dung densities (R2=0.0002), while in summer, there is a weak negative trend (R2= 0.0511). Magnesium content does not show any relationship with dung densities (Fig 4.33) in the winter season, (R2=0.0007), while in summer, there is a weak negative trend (R2=0.004). Zinc shows a weak positive trend (R2=0.0298) in winter and a weak negative trend (R2=0.026) in summer. Principal component analysis of nutritional parameters indicated nine components that were influencing dung density distribution in the study area in both the seasons, and hence no single parameter influenced elephant habitat use. The study clearly indicates that the distribution of elephants in Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park is more related to abundance of woody species and proximity of water, than the nutritional content in plant species. Principal component analysis showed that there was no single parameter that influenced dung distribution in the study area. This could be due to the fact that plant species selected for foraging by elephants contained an adequate amount of nutrients in most species for meeting foraging requirements .an d they probably meet their daily requirements by foraging on varied proportions of plant species.