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Group size, habitat use and overlap analysis of four sympatric ungulate species in Shivalik Ecosystem, Uttarakhand, India

✍ Scribed by Dar, Tanweer A.; Habib, Bilal; Khan, Jamal A.


Book ID
118052094
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
Year
2012
Tongue
French
Weight
592 KB
Volume
76
Category
Article
ISSN
0025-1461

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✦ Synopsis


As an example of the niche overlap theories this paper reports grouping pattern, habitat use and overlap by four sympatric ungulate species, Chital ( Axis axis ), Sambar ( Rusa unicolor ), Nilgai ( Boselaphus tragocamelus ) and Goral ( Naemorhedus goral ) in Pathri Rao Watershed within Shivalik Ecosystem, India. A length of 384 km of trail walk and 125 permanent circular plots of 10 m radius were used to collect data on group size, age, sex composition and various ecological and topographical factors governing presence/absence of species within the study area. Chital had the highest mean group size (7.74 ± 1.19), followed by Nilgai (5.40 ± 0.88), Goral (2.50 ± 0.54) and Sambar (1.56 ± 0.18). Group size of Chital varied signifi cantly across seasons in comparison to the other sympatric ungulates. Chital used all the available habitat types with signifi cant differential use (F = 3.35, p < 0.04). Goral and Sambar only used three habitat types with signifi cant differences (Goral F = 4.49, p < 0.001; Sambar F = 10.17, p < 0.001). Nilgai used preferentially fl at areas. Discriminant functions exceeded the classifi cation accuracy expected by chance at a signifi cant level of 0.01 (Press ' s Q = 131.90 > 6.63) with overall 52.3 % of cases classifi ed correctly. This analysis indicated clear segregation of the four species along the three discriminant functions with total isolation between Nilgai and Goral along the fi rst axis. Niche overlap analysis predicted segregation of habitat use by sympatric species along one or other niche axis which governs continued existence of the sympatric species in the study area. Locations of artifi cial water holes determine grouping pattern, habitat use and habitat segregation, as expected by other ecological correlates in the study area.


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