Mammals of the Bhagirathi basin, Western Himalaya: understanding distribution along spatial gradients of habitats and disturbances

Pal, Ranjana; Thakur, Shagun; Arya, S. N.; Bhattacharya, Tapajit; Sathyakumar, Sambandam

doi:10.1017/s0030605319001352

Cited by 16 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The density of Himalayan musk deer was higher in summer (0.4 ± SE 0.1 individuals/km 2 ) than winter (0.1 ± SE 0.05 individuals/km 2 ). The analysis of seasonal habitat use in the study area also showed a trend of decline in captures at high elevations (Pal et al, 2020) in winter, possibly because musk deer migrate to lower altitudes during periods of heavy snowfall. Similar seasonal movements were also observed in other areas (Anwar & Minhas, 2008; Dendup & Lham, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

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Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate the density of group-living and solitary mountain ungulates

Pal

Bhattacharya

Qureshi

et al. 2021

Oryx

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Throughout the Himalaya, mountain ungulates are threatened by hunting for meat and body parts, habitat loss, and competition with livestock. Accurate population estimates are important for conservation management but most of the available methods to estimate ungulate densities are difficult to implement in mountainous terrain. Here, we tested the efficacy of the recent extension of the point transect method, using camera traps for estimating density of two mountain ungulates: the group-living Himalayan blue sheep or bharal Pseudois nayaur and the solitary Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster. We deployed camera traps in 2017–2018 for the bharal (summer: 21 locations; winter: 25) in the trans-Himalayan region (3,000–5,000 m) and in 2018–2019 for the musk deer (summer: 30 locations; winter: 28) in subalpine habitats (2,500–3,500 m) in the Upper Bhagirathi basin, Uttarakhand, India. Using distance sampling with camera traps, we estimated the bharal population to be 0.51 ± SE 0.1 individuals/km2 (CV = 0.31) in summer and 0.64 ± SE 0.2 individuals/km2 (CV = 0.37) in winter. For musk deer, the estimated density was 0.4 ± SE 0.1 individuals/km2 (CV = 0.34) in summer and 0.1 ± SE 0.05 individuals/km2 (CV = 0.48) in winter. The high variability in these estimates is probably a result of the topography of the landscape and the biology of the species. We discuss the potential application of distance sampling with camera traps to estimate the density of mountain ungulates in remote and rugged terrain, and the limitations of this method.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…In addition, Nilang valley is affected by anthropogenic disturbances such as hunting (Bhardwaj et al, 2010), livestock grazing (Chandola, 2009; RP pers. obs., 2017) and presence of free-ranging dogs (Pal et al, 2020). The differences could also be caused by different survey techniques.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate the density of group-living and solitary mountain ungulates

Pal

Bhattacharya

Qureshi

et al. 2021

Oryx

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“…Whereas, the naïve occupancy of each species was calculated as the total number of camera trap locations of a particular species detected divided by the total number of camera trap stations surveyed [ 42 ]. The estimates of the naïve occupancy and capture rates for the species with four or less photo captures were not compared and kept only in the enumeration table [ 43 ]. Further the difference in the Shannon’s diversity indices between PA and Non-PA was tested using the Hutcheson’s test [ 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-protected areas demanding equitable conservation strategies as of protected areas in the Central Himalayan region

et al. 2021

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The present study aims to explore the mammalian diversity of Darjeeling district using camera traps along with questionnaire survey in protected area (PA) and non- protected area (Non-PA). We also attempted to understand the influence of habitat variables on mammalian species richness using the generalized linear mixed models (GLMM). A total of 30 mammal species were recorded of which 21 species were detected through camera trapping with the most abundant records of barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and least of the elusive Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Additionally, melanistic forms of four mammals were also recorded. The mammalian species richness, their capture rate and naïve occupancy did not differ significantly among the PA and Non-PA. The GLMM revealed that the proportions of oak and bamboo in the forest, percentage canopy cover and camera trap operational days (wAICc = 0.145, wBIC = 0.603) were significant predictors of species richness in the study. We suggest Non-PA forest of Darjeeling should be given equal conservation importance as to the PA. Landscape based conservation planning will be imperative for achieving long term conservation goals in the study area.

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“…Detection rates for arboreal mammals was defined as the ratio of independent events to the number of trap days, which is the number of 24 hour periods from camera placement until the battery ran out or the camera was retrieved, and multiplied by 100 (Rovero & Marshall, 2009). We adopted the camera trap detection rate as a mean to estimate relative abundance of arboreal mammal species (Rovero & Marshall, 2009;Pal et al, 2020). All analyses were run in R v. 3.6.3 environment (R Core Team, 2020).…”

Section: Arboreal Camera Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

Kaizer

Thg²,

Cl³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The Atlantic Forest of South America supports some of the greatest terrestrial biodiversity on our planet but is now reduced to only a small extent of its original forest cover. It hosts a large number of endemic mammalian species but our knowledge on arboreal mammal ecology and conservation has been hindered by the challenges of observing arboreal species from ground level. Camera trapping has proven to be an effective tool in terrestrial mammal monitoring, but the technique has rarely been used for arboreal species. Here we generated data on the arboreal mammal community based on canopy camera trapping for the first time in the Atlantic Forest, focusing on Caparaó National Park, Brazil. We placed 24 infrared camera traps in the forest canopy distributed in seven areas within the Park, operating continuously from January 2017 to June 2019. In this time, they accumulated 4,736 camera-days and generated 2,256 sets of pictures and 30 second videos of vertebrates. Canopy camera traps were able to detect arboreal mammals spanning a wide variety of body sizes. The local mammal assemblage comprised of 15 identifiable species, including the critically endangered northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) and the buffy-headed marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps), and other rare, nocturnal and inconspicuous species. For the first time, we confirmed the occurrence of the thin-spined porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus) in the Park. Species richness varied across sampling areas and forest types. Our findings demonstrate the potential of canopy camera trapping for future surveying efforts to better inform conservation strategies for mammals.

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Mammals of the Bhagirathi basin, Western Himalaya: understanding distribution along spatial gradients of habitats and disturbances

Cited by 16 publications

References 23 publications

Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate the density of group-living and solitary mountain ungulates

Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate the density of group-living and solitary mountain ungulates

Non-protected areas demanding equitable conservation strategies as of protected areas in the Central Himalayan region

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

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