Background: Patterns of biological diversity and richness can vary along the elevational gradients among mountain systems making it difficult to conclude the general pattern. The drivers of such pattern are also poorly known in the southern flank of the Himalaya due to limited studies. Therefore, we assessed the species richness, seasonal patterns and drivers of avian diversity along an elevational gradient on Mardi Himal trekking trail, a newly open tourist route in Annapurna Conservation Area of the central Himalaya. Methods: Two surveys (winter and summer seasons of 2019) were conducted from the bank of Seti-Gandaki River confluence (1030 m above sea level, asl) up to the Low Camp (3050 m asl) of the Mardi Himal. The point count method was employed in every 100 m rise in the elevation. Diversity indices were calculated and bird abundance data on species, sites, seasons and environmental variables were analyzed. Generalized linear model, polynomial regression and ordinary least square regression were performed to examine the importance of environmental factors in shaping the avian richness pattern. Results: A total of 673 individuals of birds belonging to 112 species, of which 72 in winter and 80 in summer, were recorded. We observed a hump-shaped pattern of the overall species richness along the elevational gradient. The richness pattern remained consistent even when explored by season, for winter and summer separately. Diversity indices were found higher during the summer. Elevation and mean monthly temperature in both seasons showed non-linear relation with avian species richness. Precipitation exhibited positive association in summer whereas the same in winter was negatively correlated with avian species richness. Distance to the nearest water source and the nearest human settlement were negatively correlated with the richness of birds. Small-ranged and insectivorous birds were under the strong influence of gradients on climatic variables like temperature and precipitation. Conclusions: We conclude that the combined effects of multiple factors such as area, gradients of climate (i.e. temperature and precipitation), resource availability and disturbance play an important role in bird diversity and richness pattern along an elevational gradient of a montane environment in Mardi Himal.

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Background: Liver diseases is apparently increasing and emerging as a major public health problem. Worldwide,  chronic hepatitis B has  become  the tenth leading cause of death  and  persons infected with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), are about 350 million and  125 million respectively. The aim of current retrospective comparative study was concerned primarily to evaluate the significance of non invasive serological markers for diagnosing liver diseases and their predictive implications in Pokhara valley. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital based retrospective study carried out using the data maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of the Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between 1st June 2009 and 31st   October 2010.  The variables collected were total protein, albumin, AST, ALT, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin.  Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis. Data was analyzed using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software. Results: Of 515 subjects, 120 were suffering from viral hepatitis and 88 had non alcoholic fatty liver disease. In cases of viral hepatitis, mean values of AST (CI 730.65 to 902.68) and ALT (CI 648.14 to 847.59) were markedly increased as compared to controls. Mild to moderate elevations in serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (CI 43.42 to 49.49), alanine aminotransferase (CI 43.90 to 53.92) were the most common laboratory abnormalities found in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Conclusion: Non invasive tests have demonstrated a reasonable ability to identify significant fibrosis, cirrhosis in particular, nor is it surprising that liver disease specialists and patients favour a non invasive approach.Key words: Viral hepatitis; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Nepal.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v1i2.5137 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2011;1 (2):60-63

Abstract. Pandey N, Khanal L, Chapagain N, Singh KD, Bhattarai BP, Chalise MK. 2021. Bird community structure as a function of habitat heterogeneity: A case of Mardi Himal, Central Nepal. Biodiversitas 22: 262-271. Community structure of birds at different habitat types is underexplored in the montane environment of the central Himalaya. Therefore, this study explored bird community structure in different habitat types in Mardi Himal of the Annapurna Conservation Area, central Nepal, and tested association of different feeding guilds with the habitats. Data on the avian richness and abundance were collected in the winter and the summer of 2019 by point count method along the elevational gradient in every 100 m rise and analyzed using ordination methods. A total of 673 individuals of 112 bird species from 35 families under 13 orders were recorded. Among the observed orders and families, the order Passeriformes (77 species) and family Muscicapidae (16 species) were the most dominant. A linear species accumulation curve was obtained in both seasons. Species richness and abundance were found higher at forest edges of mid-elevations and insectivores were the most abundant birds. Frugivorous and carnivorous birds showed no specific association with habitat types, whereas, insectivores and omnivores were more abundant in pastureland and forest, respectively. Our results revealed that the community composition of birds varies with the habitat types and their feeding specialization is one of the major determinants.

Birds are important components of biodiversity and acts as an indicator of habitat quality, productivity and stability. This study aimed to document species richness and assess the temporal distribution pattern of globally threatened bird species in the Basanta Protected Forest (BPF), one of the largest corridor forests which connects Dudhwa National Park (India) with protected areas of western lowland Nepal. During study period of ten years from 2010 to 2019, a total of 381 bird species from 78 families of 19 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes had the highest species richness (n=180) followed by order Accipitriformes and Charadriiformes. Among the families, the family Muscicapidae had the highest species richness (n=31), followed by Accipitridae and Anatidae. Majority of bird recorded were forest bird followed by wetland and farmland bird species. Fifteen globally threatened species like red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) were recorded in the BPF. Extensive avian survey in the BPF is important for further exploration of avian community along with its driving factors, which might play a crucial role in developing baseline information and implementing conservation implications.

Wetlands are among the highly threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. The Ramaroshan Wetland Complex (RWC) of Achham District, Nepal is one of the high-altitude wetlands facing human induced degradation and loss. Herpetofauna are key bio-indicators of environmental health and habitat quality and are useful to assess habitat conditions of such threatened ecosystems. This study quantified the land use and land cover (LULC) change in the RWC and documented the diversity and distribution pattern of herpetofauna. The LULC in the area (13.94 Km2) was analyzed for 1989, 2000, 2010 and 2021 by supervised classification of remote sensing images. Surveys were conducted along 25 transects, each of 200 m in length and environmental variables were recorded for every observation of herpetofauna. The LULC analysis revealed an overall loss of 16% of the total water body between 1989 (0.25 Km2) and 2021 (0.21 Km2). Eleven species of herpetofauna (five amphibians and six reptiles) within five families and two orders (i.e., Anura and Squamata), were recorded with low diversity (H’ = 1.88312) and evenness (E = 0.3642) indices. The herpetofauna had a hump-shaped distribution along the elevation gradient with the highest richness and abundance at 2300 m asl. Amphibian abundance decreased with increasing distance to nearest water sources, whereas reptile abundance increased. Amphibians were more abundant in agricultural field and marsh land, whereas reptile abundance was higher around human settlements. Results indicate that the wetland area in the RWC is declining at an alarming rate and, in turn, might account for the low diversity and abundance of the herpetofauna.

The spatial and temporal variations of fish assemblages in rivers and streams of Nepal are poorly understood. So, the present study aimed to explore the spatial and temporal variations of fish assemblage structure in Nepal’s West Rapti River. The data were collected during autumn, winter and spring seasons, from October 2018 to April 2019. Fish samples were collected using cast net of 12 mm mesh size. A total of 28 species belonging to 7 orders, 10 families and 19 genera were recorded during the study. The analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed no significant difference among the stations and seasons. Based on cluster analysis, two major clusters were observed. The similarity percentage (SIMPER) analysis delineated that Cabdio morar (C14, 13.63%), Barilius bendelensis (C11, 10.32%), Gogangra viridescens (C22, 7.85%), Salmostoma phulo (C17, 7.74%), Labeo gonius (C5, 7.53%), Gagata cenia (C23, 6.45%), Garra gotyla (C6, 5.87%) and Labeo dyocelius (C2, 5.62%) were the most contributing species. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) distinctly showed that the environmental variables dissolved oxygen, pH, carbon-dioxide, and water temperature play an essential role in shaping the fish assemblage structure of West Rapti River.

Abstract. Chapagain N, Pandey N, Chitrakar P. 2021. Ichthyofaunal diversity in snow-fed Mardi Stream of Gandaki River, Central Nepal. Biodiversitas 22: 2940-2948. This study assessed site-wise and season-wise diversity and investigated the potential environmental correlates of ichthyofaunal assemblage in snow-fed Mardi Stream of central Nepal by extensive fieldworks from June 2018 to April 2019. The ichthyofaunal diversity and community structure in the hill streams of the Nepal Himalaya are understudied. A total of 1850 individual fish belonging to 3 orders, 3 families, 9 genera, and 10 species were collected. Cypriniformes emerged as the most species-rich order, accounting for 92.6% of the total species. Based on Similarity Percentage (SIMPER) analysis, the major contributing species were Schizothorax richardsonii (27.58%), Garra annandalei (26.3%), and Naziritor chelynoides (10.82%). Diversity indices were found higher in summer season and downstream areas. Results from Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), water temperature and water velocity had significant relationship with fish assemblages. The fish assemblages along the gradient of the stream may be interrupted due to climate factors and anthropogenic disturbances. This study provides baseline data on hill stream fishes of Mardi Stream which might be helpful for implementation of conservation approaches.