Diversity and rarity in avifaunal assemblages in the western Himalaya: A study of patterns and mechanisms.

Abstract

This study focuses on patterns of diversity and rarity in the avifaunalassemblages of the Western Himalaya. It attempts to find patterns at a regional scale using a secondary database and through field studies at landscape scales at two intensive study sites, Kedarnath area and Goriganga valley in Uttaranchal. The study adopts a macroecological approach in arriving at statistical generalizations emerging from the analyses of distribution and abundance patterns of birds along the altitudinal gradient. The study identifies key patterns of composition, species abundances and species diversity seen in the Western Himalayas and attempts to understand some of the mechanisms associated with these patterns.