Niche breadth and overlap of spotted deer and domestic cattle with swamp deer in tropical region of Nepal

Abstract

Background Knowledge about the niche overlap among wild species and domestic cattle is helpful to conserve and manage wildlife. We assessed the habitat niche breadth and overlap of sympatrically living spotted deer (Axis axis) and domestic cattle with swamp deer (Cervus duvaucelii) in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal during the dry season to explore the possibility of interspecific competition by studying the habitat use by these species. The assumption was made that the presence of pellets is proof of habitat used by species. Methods Grids of 2 km × 2 km have four subgrids, each with four sample plots, making a total of 16 plots (20 m × 20 m) in each grid. The size of each sub-grid was 200 m × 200 m and they were placed randomly inside the grid but at least 1 km apart from one another. The data was collected in a 96 plots in total. Levin’s niche breadth and Morisita’s overlap index were calculated to determine the niche breadth and the habitat overlap, respectively. Results The Levin’s measure of niche breadth suggested that spotted deer had the highest acclimatization with an index value of 0.94, followed by domestic cattle at 0.50, and swamp deer at 0.33 in our study area. Thus, our findings supported the evidence that spotted deer are habitat generalists, whereas swamp deer are habitat specialists. The swamp deer had lower niche breadth and more overlap with domestic cattle. Conclusion Our study showed the least niche breadth of swamp deer in comparison to spotted deer and domestic cattle. The domestic cattle had the highest and least niche overlap with spotted deer and swamp deer, respectively, in terms of habitat use. Our study suggests that domestic cattle grazing should be stopped, and grassland management should be carried out for the benefit of ungulates. Similar studies should be conducted, including different seasons and places, prior to appropriate habitat management. In addition, further studies are needed to quantify the extent of interspecific competition by incorporating more species.

Predicting suitable habitat of swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) across the Western Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal

“…Sal ( Shorea robusta ), Asna ( Terminalia tomentosa ), Botdhamero ( Lagestroemia parviflora ), and Sindure ( Mallatus Philippines ) are the dominant floral species [ 81 ]. Similarly, Swamp deer ( Cervus duvaucelii ), Black buck ( Antilope cervicapra ), hog deer ( Axis porcinus ), Python ( Python molurus ), Spotted deer ( Axis axis ), Sambar deer ( Rusa unicolor ), Gaur ( Bos gaurus ), Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ), Tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris ), Common leopard ( Panthera pardus ), Wild Asian elephant ( Elephas maximas ), and Giant hornbill ( Buceros bicornis ) are the major faunal species [ 28 , 36 , 48 ].

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“…In Nepal, swamp deer research has so far focused on a variety of topics, including abundance and density [ [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] ], the impact of construction [ 35 ], activity pattern [ 17 ], habitat use [ 13 , 15 , 36 ], habitat suitability [ 24 ]. However, there is a dearth of insights regarding the present distribution status of swamp deer in Nepal.…”

“…Moreover, the information on distribution of swamp deer in human-dominated landscapes and their response to anthropogenic variables are sparsely known. Since swamp deer is a habitat specialist endemic species [ 36 , 37 ], information regarding its potential distribution, taking anthropogenic aspects into consideration, can be deemed crucial for prioritizing conservation actions.…”

“…Escalating anthropogenic activities such as poaching for trophies and food assumption [ [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] ], deforestation and forest fire [ 42 , 43 ], change in river dynamics, increase in siltation [ 44 ], habitat fragmentation [ 45 ], infrastructure development [ 46 ], disease [ 29 , 36 , 40 , 41 ], human-wildlife conflict [ 47 , 48 ], and food deficiency due to agricultural expansion [ 49 ] have become a major threat to biodiversity conservation globally. These activities are especially likely to endanger the existence of habitat specialist species like swamp deer, which are already threatened with extinction [ 50 ].…”

Conservation Challenges: Climate and Land Use/Land Cover Changes Increasing Habitat Overlap Among Endangered Crested Ibis and Sympatric Egret‎/‎Heron Species

“…Both metrics range from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no overlap or complete niche divergence, and 1 indicates complete overlap or identical niches. To assess the niche breadth for each species, we calculated the Levins' inverse concentration metric 68,71 . Niche breadth quanti es the range of habitats occupied by a species.…”