Population Structure, Habitat Use and Conservation of Ungulates in Mosaic Landscapes of Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand

Tanweer A Dar, Bilal Habib, Jamal A Khan, S P S Kushwaha, Nisha Mendiratta

Abstract


We studied the population structure, habitat use and conservation problems of three sympatric ungulate speciesnamely muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), goral (Nemorhaedus goral) and sambar (Cervus unicolor) in mosaic landscapesof Garhwal Himalayas. The average group size of goral and muntjac was 1.61±0.15 and 1.73±0.18, respectively.Mean group size was higher in winter followed by summer and monsoon. Sex ratio in all three species was femalebiased. Encounter rate of goral and muntjac was 0.336/km and 0.3/km, respectively. The encounter rate betweenseasons was not significantly different. The mean pellet group density of muntjac differed significantly betweenseasons (F=9.059, P<0.003), however, no such significant seasonal difference was found in mean pellet groupdensities of goral (F=0.312, P>0.577) and sambar (F=0.432, P>0.432). The mean pellet densities differedsignificantly between different habitats for muntjac (F=2.7, P<0.001), goral (F=1.7, P<0.001) and sambar (F=1.5,P<0.001). All three species showed positive correlation with altitude and overlapped maximum in oak forest above1600m. Water limitation and habitat destruction are the key issues for the conservation of the ungulates in thestudy area.

Keywords


Group Size, Niche Overlap, Habitat Use, Phakot Watershed

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