M Sc Dissertation(WII)
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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, YashveerAccording 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 availabilityItem Habitat use and food selection by wild and domestic ungulates in the Sikkim Transhimalaya.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2007) Chanchani, Pranav; Rawat, G.S.By defining a resource, determining the resources available to animals and sampling the array of resources actually used by an animal (Krebs 1999), it becomes possible to gauge the nature of interactions between species. This study explored aspects of resource use by diverse assemblage of wild and domestic herbivores including The Tibetan argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), Tibetan Gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), kiang (Equus kiang), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), domestic yak and sheep in a Trans-Himalayan environment during the lean winter period. Sampling was carried out in a systematic manner using trails, as well as by sampling opportunistically. To quantify vegetation, a 3.52 Ian grid was overlaid on an image of the study area, and grids were randomly picked from these for random sampling. A number of habitat and vegetation variables were measured or noted for all ungulate sightings or within vegetation sampling stations and these were used in analysis to ascertain patterns of habitat use and food selection. U sing a hierarchy of spatial scales, the study modeled animal distributions, and investigated the use of habitats and food habits of ungulates in relation to the availability of these resources in their environment. The study's major findings were that all ungulates were found to occur in the true Trans-Himalaya except for the blue sheep which selected more mountainous terrain in the transition zone between the greater and Trans-Himalaya .. Statistical tests of significance revealed that ungulates differed from one another or from random in their use of resources. Further, terrain features appeared to influence habitat selection to a greater-extent than vegetation. Finally, the findings of this research indicate that although the wild and domestic ungulates of this region all exist in relatively large numbers, they tend to vary in their use of habitats and food either by differences in their distribution, or in the selection of finer environmental (habitat and food) variables. The study therefore concludes that competitive inter-specific interactions are not very apparent in this region.Item Food selection and ranging in hoolock gibbon (Hylobates hoolock Harlan 1834) in Borajan reserved forest, Assam(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1997) Kakati, Kashmira; Sathyakumar, S.This study on food selection and ranging in the hoolock gibbon (Hylobates hoolock ,Harlan 1834) was carried out between December 1996 and April 1997 in Borajan Reserve Forest, a disturbed and fragmented patch of remnant tropical evergreen forest in Upper Assam, India. The hoolock gibbon is a primarily frugivorous species, confined to closed-canopy evergreen forests of North-east India, Bangladesh and Burma. This type is highly endangered in its entire range. Threats to the continued existence of the hoolock are from large-scale destruction of its habitat and hunting. Two troops of gibbons were followed intensively for four months and behavioural data were collected by continuous focal animal observations. Data were also collected ad libitum on a third troop. Data on the structural components of the vegetation and on the availability of food resources in the Intensive study area were collected systematically. The results of the study show that food availability influenced the diet, movement patterns, home-range sizes and behaviour of hoolock gibbons. Gibbons were selective in their diet using only forty-three plant species out of the more than two-hundred species present. Figs constituted important keystone resources for the gibbons. In months of low fruit availability, the gibbons had a predominantly folivorous diet. Home ranges were small (10.4 ha and 5.4 ha) and habitat degradation represents the greatest threat to the gibbonsItem Leaf Chemistry and Food Selection by the Common Langur (Presbytis entellus, Dufresne 1797) in Rajaji National Park U.P. India(1991) Gupta, Kaberi Kar; Kumar, AjithFood selection in folivorous primates has been hypothesised to be correlated with leaf chemistry. To test this hypothesis, a 5- month study on Presbytis entellus was carried out in a moist deciduous forest in the Rajaji National Park, U.P. Two indices of food selection were estimated: percent time spent feeding on the food item, and selection ratio. The former was estimated from group scan data collected from one study group for six days each month. The selection ratio for each item was estimated as a ratio of time spent feeding to availability. Food availability was estimated from vegetation sampling, which covered 6% of the home range of the study group, and phenology data in the study area. Crude Protein (CP), Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) and Tannins in mature and young leaves of 12 major food species were estimated in the laboratory. Food selection was positively correlated with CP in winter and with ADF in both seasons. It was also correlated with CP/ADF ratio, but to a lesser extent than the best predictor in winter and spring. Selection ratio did not have any correlation with CP in two seasons and only a weak correlation with ADF» It is very likely that the inclusion of other factors such as micro-nutrients, condensed tannins and digestibility might give a better prediction of food selection.