Theses and Dissertations
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Item Ranging and Habitat Utilization by the Himalayan Ibex (Capra ibex sibirica) in Pin Valley National Park.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1997) Bhatnagar, Yashveer; Rawat, G.S.The Himalayan ibex is an important prey species of the endangered apex predator of the alpine region, the snow leopard (Schaller 1977). There is an imminent threat to the trans-Himalayan areas in India due to increasing human activities. In this context the study is conducted to study ibex in a relatively safe population to learn about its habitat requirements and ranging behaviour. The study area is part of the Pin Valley National Park (PVNP; 31o 6' 40'' to 32o 2' 20'' N latitude and 77o 41' 21" to 78o 6' 19" E longitude), located in the South-East of the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal PradeshItem The ecology and conservation of ungulates in Great Himalayan National Park, Western Himalaya.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1999) Vinod, T.R.; Rawat, G.S.Ungulates form a major component of the mammalian fauna in the Himalaya. In total, 19 ungulate species belonging to four families viz., Moschidae, Cervidae, Bovidae and Equidae, inhabit the Himalaya, out of which eight species are reported from the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP). Apart from some surveys and short term ecological studies on a few ungulate species of Western Himalaya, there has been no detailed study on ungulates of HP except for Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex sibirica). The available literature highlights the difficulties of studying rare and/ or elusive ungulates in Himalayan condition. Long term study on the ecology of theses' species are needed for the conservation and monitoring. Present study on the ecology and conservation of ungulates namely goral (Nemorhaedus qoral), Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrvsogaster), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), in Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu district, HP, was conducted from January 1996 to November 1998. An intensive study area of ca. 90 km2 was selected in the South-western region of. the Park, which represents various ecological zones of the Park. The objectives of the study were (i) to estimate the abundance and density of goral, Himalayan musk deer & Himalayan tahr in relation to human use, (ii) to determine the group size. composition & sex ratio of these animals. (iii) to study the habitat use pattern and (iv) to identify and discuss conservation issues. mitigation measures and to develop a long term' monitoring programme. In this study an attemp has been made to estimate the abundance and density of major ungulates viz, goral, Himalayan musk deer and Himalayan tahrItem Ecological studies on the grassland of Eravikulam National Park, Kerala.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1998) Karunakaran, P.V.; Rawat, G.S.An ecological study on the. montane grasslands of Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the Western Ghats, was conducted during 1992-1996, with the following objectives: (i). to prepare a complete floristic inventory of the grasslands of ENP, (ii). to identify the grassland communities, their structure, function and successional trends along the anthropogenic gradient, (iii). to determine the forage quantity in different ecological conditions and (iv). to study the effect of fire and tree plantations on the grasslands. 2. The ENP lies between 10° 5’ to 10°20’ N and 77° to 77°10’ E with an area of 97 km2 in the Southern Western Ghats. The study recommends the following research and management strategies for the long term conservation of Shola-Grassland ecosystems and endangered Nilgiri tahr: (a) inclusion of adjecent reserved forests with shola-graslands in the park, (b) boundary verification and better patrolling to check the illegal activities and fire hazards, (c) early burning in selected areas on experimental basis, (d) control of black wattle spreading, (e) ecodevelopment measures for the Lakkamkudi village, (f) better tourism management and (g) long term monitoring of exclosures and representative shola-grassland patches.Item A study on the vegetation of shivaliks and outer himalaya in Dehradun dun district Uttar Pradesh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1996) Bhaisora, N.S.; Rawat, G.S.The subtropical zone or Bhabar tract in north India, characterized by fertile alluvial plains (Doons) and fragile Shivalik hills of Tertiary period, lies between the Upper Gangetic plains and outer Himalaya revealing the floral and faunal affinities with both the regions. Extensive cultivation, dense human population, industrial developments and livestock grazing in this area has caused fragmentation and degradation of forests. Of about 40,000 km2 only < 2000 km2 area has been brought under protected area (PA) coverage e.g., Rajaji and Corbett National Parks. The remaining forests continue to degrade. 2. Sal (Shorea robusta), a commercially "important tree, IS considered as climax species in this tract and has been studied extensively. However, there is a paucity of information on the overall conservation status and regeneration of forests in this area. Therefore present study was, undertaken with the following objectives: i) to study the structure and composition of the woody vegetation (tree and shrub layer) along the gradients of altitude and human use in Shivaliks and outer Himalaya, ii) to study the species diversity and human-animal use patterns in various zones, and iii) to assess and compare the regeneration status of Sal and associated tree species in the Shivaliks and outer Himalaya. 3. The study was conducted within about 500 km2 area in the lower parts of Debra Dun district, Uttar Pradesh (290 57' to 310 20' N lat and 770 35' to 190 20' E long). The study area also included parts of western Rajaji National Park, westerns Shivalik Forest Division, forests in Doon Valley, protected forest patches adjacent to Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Indian Military Academy (IMA) , Forest Research Institute (FRI), Upper parts of Rajpur, Malsi and mine reclamation sites near MussoorieItem Habitat use by Chital (Cervus axis) in Dhaulkhand, Rajaji National Park, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1993) Bhat, Sridhar D.; Rawat, G.S.A study on the habitat use by chital or spotted deer (Cervus axis) was conducted in Dhaulkhand Rajaji National Park, from November 1992 to May 1993. The objectives of the study were to understand the spatio-temporal use of habitats by chital and to identify the factors that govern the patterns of habitat use. Foot transects were used to estimate the densities of chital and quantify the availability and utilization of resources.Item Effect of Habitat Alteration On Herpetofaunal Assemblages on Evergreen Forest in Mizoram, North-East India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1999) Choudhury, B.C.; Panwar, Samraat; Rawat, G.S.The response of frogs and Lizards to habitat alteration was studied in South Mizoram. Chronoseres were selected such that two successional gradient were represented- jhum fallows regenerating to mature forest. and jhum allows converted to teak plantations. Herpetofauna were sampled by three techniques- strip transects, pitfall trapping. and systematic searching. Species richness of herpetofauna increased along the jhum-mature forest gradient. However. teak plantation had a depauperate herpetofauna. similar in composition to the 1- year jhul1l fallows. All frogs and lizards were c1assilied into 6 guilds on the basis of their activity period (diurnal or nocturnal) along with whether they were terrestrial , arboreoterrestrial or arboreal. Analysis of the strip-transect data showed that there were distinct differences in the distribution and abundance patterns of diurnal and nocturnal species. To examine patterns, multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used for indirect gradient analysis in two ways- firstly to summarize differences between sites and secondly, to explore possible associations between herpetofaunal guilds and habitat parameters across categories. The MDS differentiated two different groups of habitat variables. One group makes up the gross structural components of the habitats. while the other represents microhabitat parameters. All guilds were more strongly associated with trends in microhabitat distribution. than macrohabitat-parameters. while species richness showed diffuse associations with habitat parameters. The assemblages in the I to 10 yr. jhum fallows and teak plantations were dominated by a set of terrestrial and arboreo-terrestrial lizard species. Most of those species are distributed widely. either in the Indian subcontinent. or further east and south. into South-east Asia. On the other hand. a number of frogs and some lizards were restricted to mature forest. Most of these species are restricted either to North-east India. or to the study area itself. and some are apparently hitherto undescribed species. The fact that so many narrowly distributed species were found in mature forest has obvious conservation implications. Overall. the results suggest that in a mosaic of habitats resulting from jhum-cultivation. even remnants of primary forest may be of immense importance for persistence and recolonization by mature forest herpetofauna. Teak plantations offer a very marginal habitat for a large set of herpetofauna. even after a long period of growth.Item Determinants of Butterfly Species Diversity : Plant Diversity, Foliage Height Diversity and Resource Richness Across Vegetation Types(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1999) Kunte, Krushnamegh J. ; Rawat, G.S.MacArthur and MacArthur's (1961) theory of foliage height diversity, which was originally discussed as a determinant of bird species diversity, has been a strong concept describing the possible role of vegetation structure in deciding resource use, habitat selection and diversity of organisms. They measured foliage profile, and calculated foliage height diversity using information theory. Their results showed increase in foliage height diversity from simple to complex vegetation types, and bird species diversity was positively correlated with it. They then proposed an evolutionary mechanism to explain this correlation. A continuous flow of studies on vegetation structure and species diversity or habitat use of organisms followed after MacArthur and MacArthur (1961), but mostly they focused on birds. Subsequently, vegetation parameters other than foliage height diversity, such as horizontal vegetation heterogeneity or patchiness, also proved equally useful or better predictors of bird species diversity. Moreover, some studies revealed that foliage height diversity and bird species diversity were not correlated in a few cases. This brought forth a question whether or not foliage height diversity is a strong determinant of bird species diversity, or a frequent correlate of some other factor that has a strong influence on species diversity. To find out why in some cases MacArthur and MacArthur's (1961) theory did notexplain species diversity, I identified following assumptions in their theory, which were unstated in their paper: i)resources for a species are evenly dispersed within a horizontal vegetation layer, ii)resources are unevenly dispersed across the horizontal layers, iii)even for generalist species, the cost of switching over between layers is high, which would preclude switching over between layers, and iv)if the first three assumptions are true, then each horizontal layer of vegetation would have a different set of species, each layer adding a similar magnitude of diversity in more complex habitats. If these assumptions do not hold true for real biological communities, one would expect that foliage height diversity would not be a good predictor of species diversity in all situations. To test MacArthurs' assumptions and explore patterns of butterfly diversity across vegetation types, I studied butterflies at the Anamalais, southern Western Ghats, in southern India. I sampled foliage height diversity in vegetation plots and butterflies on count lines as well as all-aut-walks (opportunistic sampling), recorded body measurements of the butterflies, floral parameters of the plants on which the butterflies fed, and compiled information on larval and adult feeding plant resources. Using these data, I tested three possible degeminates of butterfly species diversity namely, foliage height diversity, 2.plant species diversity, and 3.resource richness in different vegetation types. This was probably the first attempt to analyse growth form-wise resource richness and utilisation by butterflies across vegetation types, in the light of foliage height diversity theory. Although the correlations between butterfly species diversity, plant species diversity and foliage height diversity were statistically significant, the butterfly species diversity was not perfectly correlated with these two determinants. Butterfly species diversity increased from grassland to deciduous forest, through shrub savannah and teak plantation, but was less in the mid-elevation evergreen forest as compared to the deciduous forest. Plant species diversity and foliage height diversity, on the other hand, increased from the grassland to the evergreen forest, with the deciduous forest falling before the evergreen forest. The resources for butterflies were not distributed in the vegetation types as assumed by MacArthur, and butterflies were not observed following the pattern of habitat or resource utilisation as predicted by the theory. As a result, foliage height and plant species diversity did not satisfactorily explain the butterfly species diversity. However, larval host plant and total plant resource richness correlated significantly and appropriately with the butterfly species diversity. Therefore resource richness seems to be an appropriate and better predictor, or at least a correlate, of butterfly species diversity in situations when other predictors may not be correlated with it. This study suggests that butterfly species diversity is dependent more on the resource diversity. However, foliage height diversity and plant species diversity need not be satisfactory surrogates for resource diversity in all situations. Therefore butterfly species diversity may vary independently of plant species and foliage height diversity. Another important result of this study was that even for butterflies, which are directly dependent on plants, the resource richness is not necessarily correlated with the plant species diversity. It means that butterflies selectively use certain plant resources more than other plant resources. I speculate that it would be underlying utilizable chemical diversity and "sociability" of plant resources used that would ultimately decide butterfly species diversity within a vegetation type. I define a "sociable host plant" as the one that supports many insect "guests". The butterfly assemblages using plant resources with maximum utilizable chemical diversity and sociability would be most diverse in the vegetation type supporting these sociable host plants. However, sociability of the utilizable plant species, and resultant butterfly diversity, may be independent of total plant species diversity or foliage height diversity in the vegetation type.Item Winter Habitat Use by Monal Pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus)in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Himalaya(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1997) Kumar, R. Suresh; Rawat, G.S.; Sathyakumar, S.I studied the winter habitat use by Monal "pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus), in Kedanath Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Himalaya, from November 1996 to April 1997. The study period included three seasons: autumn (November-December), winter (January-February-March), and spring (April). The objectives of the study were to quantify availability and utilization of the different habitats, which were named after prominent vegetation types in the three seasons, identify habitat variables influencing monal habitat use, and determine the sex ratio, group size and group composition of mona!. Existing trails and transects (eight in number) were used to quantify the above mentioned parameters. Eight different vegetation types were identified in the study area. They are : Oak-Rhododendron Forest (ORF), Oak-Rhododendron Degraded forest (ORD), Oak-Rhododendron-Lyonia (ORL), Maple-Oak- Rhododendron forest (MOR), Fir forest (FIR), Scattered Tree and Scrub (STS), Alpine Scrub (AS), Alpine Meadows and Rocks (AMR), and a separate category 'cliffs'. During the entire study period monal Showed preference for ORF. Within this vegetation type, they were seen mostly close to the streams. Most of the monal sightings (66.7%) during autumn were between 2900 m and 3200 m altitudes. Monal showed movement to slightly lower altitudes (to 2800 m) during peak winter. During late March, the snow had started to melt and a gradual movement of monal to higher altitudes was noticed. Monal showed strong preference for dense ORF with high litter cover during autumn and winter. At the onset of spring, there was a shift in the habitat use and they showed preference for cliffs. The males used such areas for displaying to the females. Other habitat variables such as bamboo cover, canopy cover, and presence of snow played an important role in the choice of habitat by monal. The mean group size did not vary significantly across the seasons. During autumn, male and female monal were in loose groups i.e., females had tendency to form small groups, whereas males remained more or less solitary. After the fust snow, distinct group formations were seen. The groups were categorised into an all-male group of seven or eight individuals, all-female groups of 10 to 12 individuals, mixed groups, and solitary males. The females remained in groups throughout the study period, while the males remained in groups only for a short span and only during peak winter. Monal started to move to the higher reaches during late March, and from then on, solitary males were quite often encountered.Item Habitat Utilization and Distribution Pattern of Indian Wild Pig [sus scrofa cristatus] in Sariska Tiger Reserve(1991) Rao, D.D. Bhujanga; Rawat, G.S.Habitat utilization and distribution pattern of wild pig (Sus scrota cristatus) was studied in Core I of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan over winter and early summer. Habitat was stratified into scrubland, mixed woodland, Zizyphus woodland, and Anogttissus Forest, and important parameters such as vegetation, phenology of important plants, topography, water and disturbance were quantified. Four foot transects (two in plains and two in hills) and three cycle transects covering 188 km and 688 km respectively over two seasons gave a total sighting of 206 wild pigs .Of these 117 were in scrub 35 in Mixed woodland 51 in Zizyphus woodland, and 3 in Anogeissus forest. It was found that wild pigs utilized Zizyphus woodland in winter (density=32.97) and scrubland in summer (density=17.29) more than availability . This shows that there is a definite shift in the habitat use from winter to summer. The distribution pattern of wild pigs in various habitats and availability of important food plants during summer (pinch period) are analysed. The data from dung analysis and indirect evidences from digging show their omnivorous food habit, and a definite seasonality in food intake.