Theses and Dissertations

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Author: search.filters.author.Uniyal, V.P.

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    Diversity and distribution of Moth Assemblages Along Altitudinal Gradient in Gangotri Landscape, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Sanyal, Abesh Kumar; Uniyal, V.P.
    This study intends to document the extent of moth assemblages that exist amongst various habitats in a typical Western Himalayan altitudinal gradient in Gangotri Landscape Area (GLA). In this study, using the elevation gradient as natural experiment, the faunal structure and diversity of the moth assemblage featuring all the major macro and micromoth families as well as relationships between moths and their biotic and abiotic environments were explored. Specific objectives of the study were: (1) Documenting and prepare taxonomic inventory of rich moth fauna of Gangotri Landscape Area; (2) To assess diversity and distribution of moth assemblages among different elevations and vegetation types of Gangotri Landscape; (3) To analyze the influence of altitude, seasons, vegetation types and anthropogenic disturbance factors on moth assemblages; (4) To investigate morphometric changes (body size and proportional body parts) in moths along altitudinal gradient. The study was conducted in Gangotri Landscape Area (GLA), a vast conservation network in the North-Western part of Uttarakhand, in district Uttarkashi. A total of 670 morphospecies belonging to 22 families and 356 genera were collected during entire sampling period from 2008-2012. This study is an important step towards better understanding of a long-neglected but diverse and charismatic herbivorous insect assemblage in Himalayan temperate altitudinal gradient.
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    Diversity assessment and molecular characterization of the geometridae moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand.
    (wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2018) Dey, Pritha; Chandra, Kailash; Uniyal, V.P.
    The study aims to combine traditional morphological and modern molecular tools to answer the questions on diversity, the patterns and the factors governing the patterns. The study was conducted in Nanda Devi National Park area which is a part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR), Uttarakhand, India. The study area (Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve) was stratified on the basis of elevation & vegetation and sampled at every 200m along the elevation between 2000-3800m. Two mountain gradients 1) Joshimath and 2) Data were chosen for a comparative study. DNA extraction and sequencing were performed at the CCDB, University of Guelph. Sequences of further specimens from the Zoologische Staatssammlung München from western Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir) and eastern Himalaya (Sikkim) were included into the analysis. Our results revealed one new species (Prometopidia sp. nov.), one new distribution record for India (Alcis paghmana) and considerable distribution extensions of 15 other species within India. Four species from Sikkim show deep genetic divergences (K2P distance) from conspecifics, indicating potential crypsis
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    Community Structure of Dung Beetles in Kailash Sacred Landscape, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India
    (wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Chauhan, Mona; Uniyal, V.P.; Chandra, Kailash
    Due to the recent wave of urbanization, mountain areas are being transferred into urban and agriculture land at alarming rates. The Kailash Sacred Landscape, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India is highly vulnerable due to fragmentation and urbanization, including increased anthropogenic disturbance, reduced area, loss of habitats, invasion of new species and ecological transformations. Therefore, it is important to document the status of biodiversity prevailing in these areas to identify the level of biodiversity still left in forest fragments. No records exist about the community structure of dung beetles in the landscape and hence we lack crucial historical documentation of the natural communities in landscape which would remain as an important source of information for measuring species extinctions in the area. This study provides basic inventory and diversity pattern of dung beetles from the undiscovered area of the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Pithoragarh, India. This study also suggested bioindicator based ecological monitoring and excellent insight for future conservation and management planning which will help the managers to set priority areas for habitat improvement or restrict areas to deteriorate any further. The study area is Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), Pithoragarh, India part exhibits great variability and heterogeneity in altitude and topography, due to this ecosystems of this region vary widely from subtropical to temperate, alpine, and cold high altitude desert types. Similarly, the landscape harbors a high diversity of flora and fauna of both regional and global significance.
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    Diversity and Distribution Pattern of Moths (Lepidoptera : Heterocera) with special emphasis on family noctuidae in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Bandyopadhyay, Uttaran; Uniyal, V.P.
    This study has been planned to prepare a consolidated inventory of moth fauna of one of the most diverse protected areas of Uttarakhand, the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, to assess the seasonal variation of a specialist group, the Noctuidae. The study also aimed to determine the effects of the environmental factors that govern the distribution as well as assemblage pattern of this particular family and targeted to identify the species with potential to indicate overall quality of the different habitats altitudinally which in term will contribute in future species conservation strategies.
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    Soil Nematode community structure along elevational Gradient in Bhagirathi Basin, Uttarakhand - A Morphological and Molecular approach.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Kashyap, Priyanka; Uniyal, V.P.
    Gangotri National Park (GNP) is a protected area and has fewer human disturbances, allowing soil nematodes to diversify. However, it has harsh climatic conditions at high altitudes, which may hinder the nematode community structure. Systematic study of the soil inhabiting nematodes associated with forest vegetation of Gangotri National Park is discussed in this thesis. A compiled inventory of the soil nematode genera recorded from GNP during this study has also been provided in this thesis. A total of 62 nematode genera and fifteen species were identified from high altitude region of GNP. vegetation type is a significant factor for soil nematode diversity as every vegetation type has a different local environment and physicochemical properties that affect the soil biota, specifically soil nematodes being present at various trophic levels in the soil food web. Among the various vegetation types in Gangotri National Park's high-altitude areas, there are substantial differences in the taxonomic composition, the energy flow channels, and nematode community structures, which provide actual examples for understanding the role of soil nematodes in key soil ecological processes in the region. This study is a pioneer study in the region evaluating the effect of vegetation type on soil nematode diversity therefore, more similar studies are required to comprehend the relationship between nematode diversity and soil ecosystems of high altitude vegetations.
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    Assessment fof Bees in Agroforestry in Kangsabati South Forest Division, Purulia, West Bengal
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Das, Pallabi; Uniyal, V.P.; Chandra, Kailash
    Plant pollinator interactions have evolved through diffuse co-evolution, representations of relation between plants and animal species, where bees play a crucial role in preserving native plants' diversity and their reproduction success. This research intended to investigate the bee community composition in the agroforestry ecosystem, focusing on the impact of anthropogenic activities on pollinator diversity and ecosystem services of wild bees. This study made an effort to compile a list of bee species in both agriculture and forest ecosystems and their interaction with plant functional groups in the study site. The study was conducted in Kangsabati South Forest Division (KSFD) in Purulia, West Bengal. Extensive field research was conducted from February 2020 to April 2023. In the study, 25 species were successfully documented from three habitats: mixed forest, Sal forest, and agricultural landscape. The study found that the majority of residents in the study area were below the poverty level and an Indigenous community, relying on forest for firewood and non-timber forest product (NTFP). Agriculture practices were prevalent, with migrant labor being a significant trend. The agricultural practice was not considered eco-friendly, and excessive pesticides were used. The study also found that less than 50% of the respondents were familiar with bees. Subsistent and unskilled agriculture was practiced by less literate farmers, leading to land degradation and wasteland. The study highlights the need for eco-friendly agriculture practices and the degradation of natural habitats due to human activities. The relationship between bee species diversity and the stability of ecosystem service (E.S.) was investigated in this study. The study categorized bee communities into social and wild bees, and interpolated (IDW) diversity maps were generated for each survey site. The decline in population and diversity of bees' is observed gradually due to the influence of several anthropogenic activities, as demonstrated by several past studies. A low to slightly intermediate anthropogenic impact, mainly for agricultural landscapes, was noticed through the Human Footprint Index (HFI) map of KSFD.
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    Assessment of Socio-Environmental Adaptation strategies for sustainable Livelihood Development in the villages around Govind Pashu Vihar, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
    (wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Chandra. Rommila; Uniyal, V.P.
    The study is an attempt to assess the socio-economic and ecological conditions of mountain farmers for their sustainable livelihood development, with the following three objectives; I. Documentation of traditional knowledge and traditional cropping practices in the study area. II. Assessment of ecosystem services in the agroecological landscape in the study area. III. Estimating the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers for sustainable livelihood opportunities in the study area The study was conducted in Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, located in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand (India). The entire area lies in the middle and greater Himalayas with a varying altitude of 1300m to 6323m. The terrain is almost hilly and is an important catchment for the Tons River, which is a major tributary of the Yamuna River. The documentation of culture, traditional agriculture and traditional knowledge clearly highlighted the uniqueness of the area for a potential socio-economic development. As per the assessment, the local people were trying to change their negative cultural image of being associated with the mythological Duryodhana. It also sheds light on the relation between medicinal plant use with the age of people, availability of medical facility and distance of households from the forest area. The knowledge richness index values call for the attention, as one could say that the younger population had knowledge about their traditional system, but it was decreasing through generations. The local farmers were trying to diversify their cropping system through cash-crop farming, which was clearly evident in the connected as well as isolated villages. The traditional crops were just being cultivated for subsistence, leading to a critical decline in the area under their cultivation. These changes indicate preference of local community for an economically productive livelihood system.
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    Prediction of quality of water emphasizing on nutrient dynamics in Kosi Watershed, Uttarakhand
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Sinha, Pooja Rani; Uniyal, V.P.
    The study of this research is an attempt to understand the water quality of the region. The region is blessed to have underground water as springs in the region. These springs are the only source of water in the region. Groundwater is fresh water (from rain or melting ice and snow) that soaks into the soil and is stored in the tiny spaces (pores) between rocks and particles of soil. This groundwater which accounts for nearly 95 percent of the nation’s fresh water resources. It can stay underground for hundreds of thousands of years, or it can come to the surface and help fill rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Groundwater can also come to the surface as a spring or be pumped from a well. Both of these are common ways we get groundwater to drink. About 50 percent of our municipal, domestic, and agricultural water supply is groundwater. The study emphasizes on the analysis of such springs and spring fed river in the watershed as second and third objective of the research. The motive of the study is to analyze the entire water quality of the region. The water is present in the region is only in the form of springs. The other source of water is river Kosi which too is a spring fed river. Hence the water quality analysis incorporates the study of the springs as well as the river Kosi which merges out to be the summation of various perennial and non perennial springs of the region. The research further extends to study the simulation pattern of the water quality of river Kosi with the various input parameters demanded by the model
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    Assessment of Pollinators in indigenous farming systems in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Mehrwar, Vandana; Uniyal, V.P.
    The research work explores the major trends in mountain agriculture, livelihood options, adoption and non-adoption of organic farming, crop diversification, and key pollinators. The study also investigates the influence of different cropping systems on the diversity of insect pollinators, species richness, and their activities in the Mandakini and Doon valleys of Uttarakhand, India. The purpose of the study is to describe the insect pollinators and agrobiodiversity in the croplands of the Mandakini and Doon valleys in light of their role as ecosystem service providers. Thus, the study envisages the following objectives: 1) To assess the species richness of pollinators in organic and non-organic agro-ecosystems. 2) A comparative study of different cropping systems practised in the Mandakini and Doon valleys with respect to their socio-economic impact on the richness of pollinators. 3) A comparative study of different farming systems adopted in different study sites and their impact on the richness of pollinators. In summary, my doctoral thesis generates inventorial knowledge on insect pollinators in different farming systems and a variety of habitats in the Garhwal Himalayas. This study emphasize the need for organic agriculture adoption and promotion to conserve insect pollinator diversity in mountain agriculture, where inorganic agriculture is prevalent.
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    Diversity and structure of butterfly assemblages along altitudinal gradient in Tons valley, Western Himalaya
    (wildlife Institute of India, 2013) Bhardwaj, Manish; Uniyal, V.P.; Singh, Arun Pratap
    Present study reveals the distribution pattern of butterflies along elevation gradient along the Tons river valley in the western Himalaya. Two protected areas lies with current study area viz. Govind National Park and Govind Wildlife sanctuary and the rest of the area lies within any formal category of protection. The area represents high elevational variation (900 – 6316 m) and a gradient of disturbance regimes and from natural Himalayan forests to highly disturbed villages and agricultural lands. Current study document patterns and processes involved in shaping diversity and distribution of butterflies along an elevation gradient in Tons valley. This study provides a baseline faunistic inventory of the diversity of butterflies including description of general identification features, their relation to classification and subfamilies and genera of butterflies sampled from the Tons valley during more than four years of observations from April 2008 to October 2012. A total of 189 species representing 98 genera in 5 families were recorded in Tons valley during entire sampling period.