Zeitschrift für Biodiversität und gefährdete Arten

Habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic activities alters the distribution, abundance and diversity of wildlife species worldwide. As one example, Siberian marmots have experienced a >75% decline across Mongolia since the 1990s due to human harvests. Burrowing mammals are keystone; ecosystem engineers in many communities because burrowing can directly and indirectly alter the availability of resources, have effects at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and have a significant role in community organization. The deep and complex burrow systems of marmots provide underground shelters with stable microclimates that other vertebrate and invertebrate animals exploit. Our general hypothesis was that marmot colonies positively influence racerunner occupancy probability because burrows offer shelter from environmental conditions, refuges for predation, and a high diversity and number of insects and other prey items. Using occupancy modeling, we showed that the presence of a Siberian marmot colony influenced racerunner occupancy. Marmot active colony + inactive colony- ψ (AMC+IMC), p (temp+temp2) were the best approximating model. Racerunner detection was highest at approximately 24.3°C. For the aspect and elevation model, foothills had an important influence on lizard occupancy. Our results showed that marmot burrows greatly influence Mongolian racerunner occurrence and suggest that habitat modification by rodent ecosystem engineers exert ecological influence on biodiversity.

The study was conducted in Harenna Forest between March and June, 2016, with the objectives of assessing the conservation opportunities and local community attitudes towards wildlife in the communities. Questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. A total of 340 respondents were included for household questioner by systematic random sampling method while 11 respondents were purposively selected and for an in-depth interview survey. The data revealed that in terms of the opportunities of wildlife conservation, respondents’ responses mostly agreed for the existence of benefit sharing between locals and government (50%), presence of conservation organizations (89.7%), local communities are well aware and keen on wildlife (68.9%), community participation to conserve wildlife (78.5%), full sense of ownership towards the forest and wildlife (74.2%), management programmes implementation (78.6%), high priority of government bodies for conservation (89.1%) and an education and awareness creation program (74.1%). Out of the total respondents, 19 (5.59%) opposed the existing wildlife conservation systems, while 317 (93.23%) supported. Despite these existing wildlife conservation opportunities, wildlife continue to be threatened in and around the Harenna forest through overgrazing by livestock, firewood collection, settlement and agriculture expansions and wildfires. In addition, local community pays less attention to conservation of forest and wild animals. This study therefore, recommend that, enhancement awareness creation programme and involvement of local people in the participation of wildlife in Harenna Forest Conservation Area.

Dry Afromontane forests are the most altered and threatened ecosystem. Indeed, having a diverse ecosystem and biodiversity designated as a priority site in conservation. The objective of this study was to demonstrate plant community structure, regeneration status, and conservation priority species. The study was conducted on Asabot mountain forest which is found in West Harare Zone, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. The vegetation sampling was designed at clustered altitude through mixed spatial stratified-random sampling method to ensure a full coverage of environmental variation and habitat heterogeneity. The main parameters used in vegetation characterization was diameter at breast height (DBH), height, seedling, and sapling of wood species recorded at sampled quadrat. The study analyzed plant community indicator species, importance value index, and vegetation structure and regeneration status, and conservation priority of selected species. The plant community was described by 97 species of 90 genera and 52 families. The result showed that eight specific trends and three general trends of population structure based on DBH, seedling, sapling and mature trees or shrubs. The dominant classes of the Asabot dry Afromontane forest were small trees and shrubs which is an indication of secondary vegetation. The conservation priority classification and visual field observations of some woody species were required urgent management intervention. Furthermore, the detail botanical aspects of the forest, the reason for the absence of regeneration in some tree species and socio-economic aspect of the vicinity is strongly recommended farther research in order to inaugurate appropriate management intervention.

Donkeys support rural livelihoods and low-income farmer’s family by providing economy at minimal maintenance cost. In India, donkeys constitute about 28% of total equine population but these are non-descript local donkeys without any breed characterization. This study describes phenotypic diversity among different donkey populations available in various agro-climatic regions in India including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh for their phenotypic clustering as a distinct breed(s) by considering each population as a separate cluster.

Biometric indices of seven local donkey populations were recorded and compared to French Poitou donkey breed which revealed that average body length of donkeys from Spiti, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Baramati, Bihar, Haryana and Leh areas was 97.09, 101.18, 97.60, 103.68, 96.31, 109 & 95.76 cm, respectively, while Poitou donkeys had significantly higher length (138.79 cm) than indigenous donkey populations. Further height at wither revealed that except leh donkey population, the rest of the donkeys prevalent throughout different agro-climatic regions met a “small standard’ pattern. Donkey populations from Leh were fitted in ‘Miniature’ donkey pattern. All local donkeys were well adapted to their agroclimatic environment and ecology as they were totally dependent upon the grass cover and roughages available within their reach for meeting their nutritional requirement. Coat colour varied across different regions. Black and brown colours were prevalent in donkeys from cold desert regions including Leh and Spiti region. Face length of donkeys from Spiti, Gujarat and Baramati were at par with each other while donkeys from Leh had smallest face length. Cluster analysis based on biometric indices revealed that exotic Poitou donkeys is an out-group as it formed a distinct cluster while Indigenous donkeys belonging to various agro-climatic zones were grouped in three clusters namely, C1-miniature or near miniature donkeys (Leh, Spiti and Bihar regions), C2- small standard ones including donkeys from Rajasthan and Gujarat while cluster C3 having donkeys from Baramati and Haryana region. Poitou cluster was phenotypically different from Cluster 1 as Eucledean cluster distance was maximum with donkeys of this cluster, followed by cluster 2 and cluster 3. This information will be useful for breed classification of these local non-descript donkeys.

Estimations of species abundance are a common goal of wildlife monitoring surveys, but debate remains as to which methods are theoretically and practically most useful. Abundance-induced heterogeneity (AIH) models developed in the early 2000s allowed estimation of point abundance from repeated presence-absence data (e.g. occupancy models), and advanced estimation of point abundances of unmarked species. AIH models, however, do not provide an estimate of the effective detection area sampled. Therefore the absolute number of individuals in a survey area cannot be estimated directly. Recently, methods have become available to determine the effective detection area sampled by camera traps. Our objective was to present a novel method to estimate the absolute number of individuals of a species in an area from point abundance data using effective detection areas from camera traps. This would make AIH models available for population estimates. We applied this newly developed Species Area Abundance (SAA) model to a 3-month camera trapping data set of Bawean warty pigs (Sus blouchi) from Indonesia, and compared the result to an independent Random Encounter Model (REM) estimate from the same data. Population sizes and uncertainties estimated by the SAA and the REM model were comparable. Differences in density estimations between the REM and SAA model were not significant when mean group size was included in the REM. The less restrictive assumptions regarding camera trap placement of the SAA model compared to the REM might make it more practical to study cryptic and unmarked animal populations. Further studies are needed to determine the accuracy and practicality of the SAA model using a range of differrent sampling designs and focus species.

Leaf and pollen samples of Rhizophora individuals and the associated soil and water physico-chemical parameters were conducted to generate taxonomic relationships. Samples were collected across Niger Delta region between 2013-2016. Although, application of multiple nuclear genes to the molecular phylogeny, population genetics and hybrid identification has been used. However, there are no sufficient molecular markers to address these topics. Three hundred and sixty four (364) Rhizophora samples were obtained in all. Leaf length, leaf width, stipule length, petiole length, number of lateral nerves, space between lateral nerves, distance between internodes, distance of mid rib away from symmetry and number of foliages per twig was used to obtain morphological relationships. Standard laboratory methods were adopted. Morphologically, the result established five statistically significant differences in Rhizophora Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with leaf length, stipule length, number of lateral nerves and distance between lateral nerves as characters that delimited one Rhizophora unit from the other. The study also proved specific character that separated each OTU and locations occupied by each. The result of the pollen analysis was used as complimentary evidence to morphology. The apertural morphoforms was tricolporate, while differences exist in exine patterns and pollen shapes. The application of ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis showed OTUs 1 and 2 as significantly different. Although, OTUs 3, 4 and 5 showed statistical difference among themselves, cluster analysis revealed close affinities. The influence of soil and water physico chemical parameters further confirmed the taxonomic distinctness of OTUs 1 and 2 and similarities among OTUS 3, 4 and 5. The finding is in contrast to the widely held notion that only three putative Rhizophora species exist in Nigeria. Genetic research into these five OTUs is recommended.