No abstract

:  Parasitism, driven by anthropogenic habitat modifications, is being increasingly recognized as a major threat to wildlife. Unfortunately, even baseline parasite data for most wildlife species are lacking in India, including the civets, which are particularly vulnerable due to their proximity to human habitations. Civet fecal samples were collected from 10 forest fragments that vary in size and disturbance level in Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India. These samples were screened for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites using fecal floatation and fecal sedimentation techniques. From a total of 180 civet fecal samples, 15 gastrointestinal parasite taxa were recovered, and these species are also known to infect domesticated animals. Additionally, small, disturbed forest fragments recorded higher mean gastrointestinal parasite taxa and greater prevalence when compared to large, undisturbed forest fragments, indicating a potential relationship between anthropogenic activities and gastrointestinal parasitism of civets in the Anamalai Hills.

Estimation of runoff in a watershed is very important to manage the water resources efficiently. In this regard, surface runoff quantification is an essential study. The main objective of this study is to quantify the surface runoff of the catchment area of a well located in AEC & RI, TNAU, Kumulur, Trichy District of Tamil Nadu State, India. An attempt also made to analyze the surface runoff by SCS-CN event and annual basis as well as by modified runoff-coefficient method. This study identified the variation of runoff volume within different approaches of SCS-CN method and runoff coefficient method. By using GPS and GIS techniques catchment area of a well and slope direction was delineated. With the help of GIS tools and remote sensing technology with ground truth verifications, the land use/ land cover and soil maps were delineated for the study area. Sandy loam and sandy clay loam type of soils are predominating and HSG ‘C’ was identified for the study area. The highest CN value is 92 and the maximum runoff coefficient value is 0.95 for the Built-up land, the lowest CN value is 71 and the lowest runoff coefficient is 0.11 for the area covered with trees. Three AMC conditions were considered while estimating runoff volume by SCS-CN event approach. Among 15 years of rainfall data from 2004 to 2018, the highest runoff 38452.36 m3 was generated in the year 2005 and the lowest runoff 8718.29 m3 was generated in 2018 by SCS-CN event basis method. From this study between two concepts of SCS-CN and runoff coefficient models, the SCS-CN model with an event basis approach is yielding productive results. For quantifying surface runoff and for planning water conservation structures event basis calculations are more effective.

10 Anthropogenic landscape change such as land use change and habitat fragmentation are 11 known to alter wildlife diversity. Since host and parasite diversities are strongly connected, 12 landscape changes are also likely to change wildlife parasite diversity with implication for 13 wildlife health. However, research linking anthropogenic landscape change and wildlife 14 parasite diversity is limited, especially comparing effects of land use change and habitat 15 fragmentation, which often cooccur but may affect parasite diversity substantially 16 differently. Here, we assessed how anthropogenic land use change (presence of plantation, 17 livestock foraging and human settlement) and habitat fragmentation may change the 18 gastrointestinal parasite diversity of wild mammalian host species (n=23) in Anamalai hills, 19India. We found that presence of plantations, and potentially livestock, significantly 20 increased parasite diversity due possibly to spillover of parasites from livestock to wildlife. 21 However, effect of habitat fragmentation on parasite diversity was not significant. Together, 22 our results showed how human activities may increase wildlife parasite diversity within 23 human-dominated landscape and highlighted the complex pattern of parasite diversity 24 distribution as a result of cooccurrence of multiple anthropogenic landscape changes. 25 26