Diversity and Population of Ducks and Geese in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) in Manipur, India

Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), Loktak lake Manipur, north-east India which is one of the 25 Ramsar sites of international importance and the biggest fresh water Lake in India. Macrophytes of the floating Phumdi mat environment of KLNP play an important role in the aquatic environment. An investigation was planned during the period of about three years from March, 2010 to December 2012, to study the diversity pattern of habitats of macrophytes available in six study sites of KLNP viz., 1.Kumbi, 2.Khordak, 3.Keibul, 4.Toya, 5. Nongmaikhong and 6. Sargam. All total 85 dominant plant species were recorded. Maximum plant species (49) was observed in Site-1 Kumbi (Altitude-780m) and minimum (27) in Site-3 Keibul (Altitude-772). The variation of plant species may be because of the slight variation of altitude. As the six study sites are distributed as floating aquatic environment in KLNP Loktak Lake, there is favourable place of the plants in higher altitude and altitude represents a complex gradient along which many environmental variables change concomitantly. In all the six study sites, common distribution of ten dominant plant macrophytes viz., Ageratum conizoides, Hedychium coronarium, Leersia hexandra, Oenanthe javanica, Phragmites karka, Polygonum sagittatum, Saccharum munja, Thelypteris interrupta and Zizania latifolia was noticed. Individual dominant plant was recorded in other sites also viz., Azola piñata in site-6; Xanthium atrumarium, Polygonum orientale, Dichrocephala latifolia and Cymbopogon citratus in site-2; Arundo plinii, Cuscuta reflexa, Gnaphalium luteo-album, Hydrilla verticillata, Marsilia minuta, Saccolepis interrupta, Selvenia cuculata and Utricularia spp. in site-1. Variation of IVI value of dominant plant species was observed in this study. Even though 85 dominant plants were selected for all the 6 sites, however, maximum plant richness expressed in IVI was recorded in case of Zizania latifolia (Site-5, IVI-87.5) and minimum IVI in case of Xanthium strumarium (Site-2, IVI-1.13). The diversity pattern and habitats of macrophytes in KLNP Phumdi environment might be due to water availability along the altitudinal gradient and other environmental factors suited in the study sites and expected to be an important factor affecting the survival and fecundity of plant population. We need to conserve the natural habitat of KLNP thereby maintaining the luxuriant growth of the seasonal and perennial, macrophytes, so as to maintain the natural flora and fauna of the park. These plants are the food of man and animal therefore, it needs a proper care and attention to protect them from over exploitation. Considering the diversity pattern of habitats of Macrophytes in KLNP, a floating mat Phumdi environment with high floral diversity and unique vegetation assemblage, it has been suggested that this track and adjoining sites should be declared as ecologically sensitive area not only the World Heritage Site.

We surveyed water birds in Haripura-Baur Reservoir using total count method between 2013 and 2015. A total of 65 species were recorded representing eight orders and 14 families. Numerically Anatidae was the dominant family followed by Ardeidae and Scolopacidae. Common Coot Fulica atra, Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Gadwall Anas strepera, and Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula were dominant species in the reservoir. The Shannon diversity of water birds was more or less consistent over the years and ranged between 2.56 (2013–14) and 2.23 (2015–16). The reservoir supports water birds having declining population trends globally (41% of species), including three Vulnerable (Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus, Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, and Sarus Crane Grus antigone and four Near Threatened species (Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, and River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii). Bird species belong to four feeding guilds with the domination of the carnivore group. The current information is expected to serve as preliminary database of water birds for further research and monitoring.

Mangrove forests throughout the world are recognized as stopover sites by many migratory birds – including waders – as they contain ample food resources such as invertebrates, fruits, and flowers that are beneficial to most birds. In connection, the Talabong Mangrove Forest located in Bais, Negros Oriental, Philippines is recognized as a wildlife sanctuary, but no recent data on birds could supplement this. Thus, this study aims to assess the distribution patterns of migratory and resident birds in the said site during the southward migration which encompasses both wet and dry seasons. Also, the investigation determines whether Talabong mangrove could function as a stopover site for migratory birds. To examine the community structure, the populations of resident and migratory bird species were assessed for species composition, diversity, density, and abundance in three sampling periods: pre-migration, migration, and post-migration. The line transects and point-count methods were employed with four transect lines laid out on the study site. Each line stretched a kilometer long with a 250-m interval with five points for point-counting and was visited on each sampling period. Points were marked for a consistent sampling. For each sampling period, results showed that the birds’ abundance, diversity, and density remained consistently high throughout each sampling. Specifically, the species composition and the number of resident birds did not seem to alter and remained high as well. On the other hand, migrants had an abrupt increase during migration sampling and decreased towards the end. But similarity analyses suggest species composition remained approximately similar for the migrants. The results showed that Talabong mangrove forest contained some migratory species – making it a decent stopover site, although not as many migrants as in other protected mangroves and wetlands in the Philippines. The resident birds occupying the site may also have served as cues for the migrants.

The latitudinal and elevational patterns of species richness of resident and migrant birds have been of interest to researchers over the past few decades, and various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the factors that may affect these patterns. This study aimed to shed light on the elevational distribution patterns of resident and migrant bird species richness by examining biotic and abiotic factors such as climate, and habitat heterogeneity using a piecewise structural equation model (pSEM). The overall pattern of resident species richness showed a decreasing trend with increasing elevation, whereas that of migrant species richness showed an increasing trend. The mid-peak pattern of species richness was affected by a combination of resident and migrant species and not by either resident or migrant species. Our results showed that resident species were distributed in lower elevation regions with higher mean spring temperatures, whereas migrant species were found in higher elevation regions with lower mean spring temperatures and higher overstory vegetation coverage. Although high elevation conditions might adversely affect the reproduction of migrant birds, higher overstory vegetation coverage at high elevations seemed to compensate for this by providing a better nesting and roosting environment. Despite the significance of habitat diversity and understory vegetation coverage in univariate linear regression models, multiple regression models of the interconnection of ecological processes demonstrated that mean spring temperature and overstory vegetation coverage were more explanatory than other variables.

Do migrant and resident species differ in the timing of increases in reproductive and thyroid hormone secretion and body mass? A case study in the comparison of pre-breeding physiological rhythms in the Eurasian Skylark and Asian Short-toed Lark

The Central Yangtze ecoregion in China includes a number of lakes, but these have been greatly affected by human activities over the past several decades, resulting in severe loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we document the present distribution of the major lakes and the changes in size that have taken place over the past 50 years, using remote sensing data and historical observations of land cover in the region. We also provide an overview of the changes in species richness, community composition, population size and age structure, and individual body size of aquatic plants, fishes, and waterfowl in these lakes. The overall species richness of aquatic plants found in eight major lakes has decreased substantially during the study period. Community composition has also been greatly altered, as have population size and age and individual body size in some species. These changes are largely attributed to the integrated effects of lake degradation, the construction of large hydroelectric dams, the establishment of nature reserves, and lake restoration practices.

During the three years of study (2005-08), some 58 species of wetland birds were observed in approximately 120 village ponds; out of these, atleast 28 species of wetland birds are winter migratory, coming from far off places located across the Himalayas. During the winter sojourns, these winter migratory birds face multiple threats in rural ponds of Haryana due to cipher attention of conservation authorities and persistent and accelerated utilization of rural ponds by the resident villagers. If the present admixture of interference and disturbance continues, then winter migratory birds like Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, Greylag Goose Anser anser, Common Coot Fulica atra, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Common Teal Anas crecca, Gadwall Anas strepera, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula, Brahminy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea and Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina will be wiped out just like Siberian Cranes arrived in Keoladeo National park in Rajasthan in India. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India should pay timely attention to save migratory birds that visit India every winter in Lakhs and Crores.

Hathnikund is a place in Yamunanagar District in Haryana where Yamuna Rivers forms a sort of Lake over raised plinth after descending into plains from Himalayas nearby Ponta Sahib town near Haryana-Himachal Border. At the same time, Tajewala Barrage is one more pool like scenic place where waters of Western Yamuna Canal are collected by Govt. of Haryana for subsequent multipurpose. In the present studies, wetland bird’s diversity of Hathnikund has been recorded, analyzed and interpreted. The studies were conducted for a period of three years (September 2005-March 2008) during winter season only. The present studies revealed that in all 47 species of wetland birds belonging to 9 orders and 13 families were observed during September 2005-March 2011. Out of these 47 species of wetland birds, 26 species were Winter Migratory, 13 Resident and 9 species were Local Migratory. In so far as Abundance Status is concerned, 26 species of birds were Common, Nine species were UnCommon, Seven Species of birds were Very Common and five species were Rare. Truely winter migratory birds observed belong to Orders, Ciconiiformes, Anseriformes and Chardriiformes. Prominent migratory birds include, amongst others, Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, Brahminy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Gadwall Anas strepera, Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata, Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula which come to Hathini Kund during winter from far off places like Russia, Siberia, South and East Asia, China and Caspian region. It is recommended that Hathnikund be further promoted as Winter Halting Place for migratory birds by adding islands within the Water Sheet, the construction of wide margins on the peripheral zones and a rich canopy of endemic trees by implanted in plenty. It is further recommended that Eco-tourism facilities be generated at Hathnikund, linking biodiversity with society’s economic upliftment, employment and awareness. It is also recommended that Fish angling sport can be an added attraction to Bird Watching. In correlation with mystery-wrapped natural ambiences of Hathnikund, it can be sold to tourists of foreign origin thus generating exchange earning facility. As of today, no body known about Hathnikund except amateur bird watchers who turn out to be tourists too, if appropriate lodging boarding facilities are available.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v5i1.5953 International Journal of Life Sciences Vol.5(1) 2011 39-43

The present study has observed 67 species of wetland birds, belonging to, 10 orders and 18 families from rural wetland Environs in Panipat district located at a distance of 90 KMs north of Delhi on National Highway No.1 (29.39°N 76.97°E) in Haryana, India. Out of 67 species, 35 species were winter migrants, 18 residents, 10 local migrants and four species were summer migrants. Peculiar species of birds recorded in Panipat rural ponds are Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, White-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus, Asian openbill- Stork Anastomusoscitans, Lesser Adjutant Stork Leptoptilos javanicus, Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, Oriental White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa, Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus, Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Brahminy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos, Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula and Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus. On the other hand, familiar species include amongst others, Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, Common Coot Fulica atra, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Common Teal Anas crecca, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Gadwall Anas strepera and Lesser-whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica etc. Longest stay during winter season was demonstrated by birds like Northern Shoveller, Northern Pintail, Bar-headed Goose, Greylag Goose and Rudy Shelduck, whereas shortest winter sojourn was observed in case of Mallard, Eurasian Wigeon and Common Pochard. It is interesting to note that migratory birds like Northern Shoveller, Northern Pintail, Common Teal, Bar-headed Goose, Tufted Pochard, and Common Pochard come to Panipat rural ponds from very far off places like Central Russia, Caspian USSR, Siberia, Ladhakh and Central Asia, West and Central Asia and Siberia respectively.

We used mist nets and fixed-radius point counts to survey the distribution and relative abundance of Neotropical migrant and resident birds at 18 sites, six in each of three regions, in Cuba, representing six forest types. Eighty-two species and one hybrid were recorded, of which 32 species (39.0%) were Neotropical migrants. Strong differences were observed in the numbers of migrant and resident individuals and species detected, and the proportions of migrant individuals and species among regions, but results obtained by mist nets and point counts often differed. Combined results suggest that the western montane region contains the most resident species, and Cayo Coco in eastern Cuba holds the most migrant species. Relative abundances of migrants and residents were compared among forest types within regions. Based on mist net captures, the number of migrant and resident individuals and species at each site were significantly positively correlated. A Principal Components Analysis correlating vegetation structure characteristics with mist net captures suggested that residents occupy a broader spectrum of vegetation structure types than migrants which favor sites with structure typical of secondary forests. We observed habitat segregation among dichromatic migrant warblers both among forest types within regions and among regions within forest types. Generally, Cuba supports greater numbers of migrant individuals and species than other sites in the Caribbean. Compared to the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, Cuba supports fewer migrant species, but they account for a greater proportion of all species and a lower proportion of all individuals. The efficacy and biases of mist nets and point counts are discussed.

The most serious threat to traditional rural ponds in Haryana is associated with transformed societal behavioural patterns, ethics, values and life style, amongst several others. The siltation of ponds with adjoining areas, soil coming in with rain water is a very serious cause of stratification of rural ponds. Also contracting of village community land for sun drying of cow dung cakes inspires villagers to overload periphery of each pond with cow dung turning the premises into grave-yard of dung. This dung is the major source of polluting pond water into blackish water with high load of organic matter. Moreover, it leads to over excessive eutrophication. Building of major highways and connectivity roads have resulted into compartmentalization and degradation of village ponds. Inhabitation of peripheral village ponds boundaries by lower section of society for dwelling purposes is more threat to wetlands. The indifferent inclination of villagers towards silted ponds drenched in bad odour and blackish sludge is the story of 80% of the cases. The total blockage of run-off rainy water towards the natural age old rural ponds due to obstruction by way of human inhabitation has resulted into desertification of shallow water sheet in 90% of the cases. The oblivion of harvesting dried silt in summer for brick making has spelled doom for the ponds turning them into flat ground through successive decades and so on. The water quality in all ponds was overshooting the decaying stage due to the continuous mixing of cow dung drenched rainy water. Over excessive usage of ponds for bathing of cattle, dumping of cow dung and rotten vegetables waste has turned ponds into live sinks of dirt, garbage and rural dairy wastes. Majority of village ponds are now out of existence or in deep black sludge laden or converted into Fish-Farming wetlands. The present studies have indicated that Winter migratory birds like Greylag Goose Anser anser, Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Gadwall Anas strepera, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Garganey Anas querquedula, Common Teal Anas crecca, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula, Common Coot Fulica atra, Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrines, Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus, Common Redshank Tringa tetanus, Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis, Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola and Pied Avocet Recurivirostra avosetta arrive in the extremely dilapidated rural ponds in Haryana from far off places including Russia, Siberia, China, and Caspian region, east Asia each winter season without any break. As such the extinction of ponds in Haryana directly threatens global avian biodiversity. Keywords: Traditional Rural Wetlands, Perennial Rainy Water, Road Side Puddles, Land Filling, Commercial and Residential Construction, Highway reconstruction

Avian biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is declining globally. In Europe and America, agricultural homogenization and the decline of smallholder farming are key drivers of bird population declines. In South Asia, large expanses of compositionally diverse agricultural landscapes still exist. Yet, how resident and migratory avian populations respond to landscape composition and configuration on wintering grounds is largely unknown. Leveraging recent advances in remote sensing, we mapped landscape composition and configuration to analyze their impacts on resident and migratory birds in agriculture–savanna mosaics of western India. We measured landscape composition as the proportional cover of annual crops, semi‐perennial cash crops (primarily sugarcane), savanna and woody vegetation, and compositional heterogeneity as the Shannon diversity of these land cover types. We measured landscape configuration as the mean crop field size. We modeled the abundance and richness of 118 resident and 26 Palearctic migratory bird species as a function of landscape composition and configuration. The richness and abundance of resident birds increased with an increasing land cover diversity and an increasing proportion of semi‐perennial crops. The richness and abundance of Palearctic migratory winter visitors were negatively affected by increasing land cover diversity. A higher proportion of annual crops was associated with higher resident bird densities, whereas the richness response to the proportion of annual crops remained inconclusive. Guild‐based models suggested that migratory carnivores tended to be more abundant in less diverse landscapes with a low proportion of cropland. Open‐ground preferring Palearctic species were positively associated with a higher proportion of semi‐perennial crops and negatively associated with woody vegetation, while shrub‐breeders were positively associated with a high proportion of annual crops and woody vegetation. The effect of mean field size on resident and Palearctic migratory birds was inconclusive. We conclude that (1) winter bird assemblages of resident and migratory species in agriculture–savanna mosaics of western India are driven more by agricultural composition than configuration; (2) resident birds adapt to the high compositional heterogeneity of smallholder agriculture; and (3) Palearctic species primarily rely on compositionally simpler, grassy savannas. Therefore, the maintenance of heterogeneous smallholder agriculture and sparing the savannas from agricultural expansion and afforestation should be key conservation priorities.

Inter-decadal changes in fish communities of a tropical bay in southeastern Brazil

Under modern conditions of global extreme climate change and spatiotemporal redistribution of natural resources, migratory bat species are vulnerable and represent an important object for conservation. In planning conservation activities, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has shown that up to 80% of bats require research to preserve their species diversity and the sustainability of populations. The migration of bats is an energy-consuming process under conditions of long seasonal flights. The objects of the study were samples of underyearlings (subadultus) from populations of bats living in the Ilmen State Nature Reserve (Russia). The study was aimed to assess the pool of free amino acids in the blood plasma of migratory and resident bat species, namely Vespertilio murinus, Pipistrellus nathusii, and Myotis dasycneme (Mammalia Chiroptera). An increased pool of free amino acids was shown in the blood plasma of the migratory Pipistrellus nathusii (1614.7–3781.7 µmol/L) and Vespertilio murinus (1206.8–1834.3 µmol/L), in comparison with underyearlings (subadultus) of the resident species Myotis dasycneme (790.4–1079.0 µmol/L), providing substrate support for activated metabolic processes during the formation of energy and plastic systems during periods of long autumn migrations. The percentage of metabolic groups of free amino acids in the blood plasma of the migratory species Vespertilio murinus, Pipistrellus nathusii, and the resident species Myotis dasycneme (glycogenic, essential, non-essential, sulfur-containing, aromatic and with a branched carbon chain) shows the presence of species specificity (p < 0.05). The absence of statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between Vespertilio murinus and Pipistrellus nathusii in the percentage of branched carbon chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids indicates the unity of specific pathways metabolism in migratory bats. The blood plasma of migratory bat species has a high concentration of the essential amino acid arginine, which is involved in the formation of muscle fibers and in increasing the rate of healing of wounds, bone and tendon injuries, which undoubtedly helps prepare animals for long flights to wintering areas. Using the method of multivariate analysis of principal components, the specificity of free amino acids in blood plasma, modifying the main metabolic flows in the body of migratory and resident species of bats, was visualised, which confirmed the results of analysis of variance (p < 0.05). A clear spatial separation in the first principal component of the migratory Pipistrellus nathusii, Vespertilio murinus, and resident Myotis dasycneme species was revealed. Research of the physiological mechanisms of maintaining an adaptive migration strategy and population resistance of bat species to biotic and abiotic environmental factors is relevant for solving problems of biodiversity conservation and rational use of animal resources. The results of the research can be recommended in a long-term monitoring system when developing environmental protection measures and assessing the sustainability of natural populations of chiropteran fauna of the Urals.

Seasonal migration is prevalent in approximately one fifth of all bird species. Due to the high energetic costs of migration, consistent morphological patterns can be observed across migratory species. These include longer, more pointed wings and shorter tails in comparison to resident species. While evidence for distinct morphological adaptations of migratory species is well‐established, little is known about evolutionary trajectories of these morphological adaptations within groups of related species, and whether the evolution of these traits is consistent across different bird families. Here we apply a macroevolutionary approach to address this knowledge gap by comparing morphological traits and their evolution in migratory and resident species across eight families of passerine birds. We find a significant relationship of wing shape and tail length with migratory distance. When testing the evolution of wing shape and tail length in migratory and resident species, we find that a model with two distinct optima for migratory and resident species better explains the evolution of each morphological trait than a model with one evolutionary optimum. Thus, our results suggest consistent adaptive peaks in the evolution of these traits, and consistent selective pressures which improve the efficiency of long‐distance flight in migratory species and the efficiency of foraging flight in resident species. Our data provide a novel insight into the general patterns of morphological trait evolution in birds, thereby expanding the existing knowledge to a macroevolutionary scale in a field that has previously been dominated by species‐ or genera‐ specific studies.