Showing papers by "Syed Ainul Hussain published in 2022"

Toward SDGs: Forest, Market and Human Wellbeing Nexus in Indian Western Himalayas

Abstract: The wellbeing of mountain communities is determined by the availability and accessibility of ecosystem goods and services. We assessed the relationship between forest quality and wellbeing of local communities of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) in the Upper Ganga River Basin, Western Himalayas, India. We used 14 relevant Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations as indicators to assess wellbeing. Data on these indicators were collected in 22 villages that were selected based on secondary demographic information, remoteness, and the state of the forest resources, which we classified into degraded and less-degraded. Semi-structured questionnaire-based interviews were conducted in randomly selected households (n = 764). The households located close to forests scored higher on wellbeing indicators than the households located further away from forests as they have better accessibility to forest resources and freshwater, which provides alternatives to market and agricultural products. Households with access to less-degraded resources also had access to wild fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants adding to their food and health security. Our study found that the combination of climate change, declining forest resources, and the expansion of the market-based economy is leading to shifts in traditional cropping patterns and hence the nutritional status and forest use patterns of local people, making them vulnerable to diseases and hunger. Accessibility to an intact forest patch near a village contributes to the wellbeing of people and increases their resilience in the face of climate change and the changes dictated by the market forces.

Seasonal pattern of food habits of large herbivores in riverine alluvial grasslands of Brahmaputra floodplains, Assam

Abstract: Jarman-Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman-Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

First photographic evidence of Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus in Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, India

Abstract: The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) also known as the Himalayan black bear is a Vulnerable species. Its range is distributed throughout southern and eastern Asia. Here we report the first photographic evidence of the species in Kaziranga Tiger Reserve situated in the northeast of India. The photo-captured image of the species has unfolded various dimensions of conservation starting from preparation of baseline information to more systematic surveys in the whole landscape or across northeastern India.

Seasonal pattern of food habits of large herbivores in riverine alluvial grasslands of Brahmaputra floodplains, Assam

Abstract: Jarman-Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman-Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

Haematology and serum biochemistry parameters in chemically immobilized Manipur’s Brow Antlered Deer or Sangai

Abstract: Haematology and serum biochemistry parameters were determined for apparently healthy Manipur’s Brow Antlered Deer (4) or Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii) maintained at the Conservation Breeding Centre, Langol, Manipur under semi-captive conditions. Venous blood samples were collected from the animals via the jugular vein puncture following immobilization using drug mixture of medetomidine and ketamine. Results were determined for haematological and serum biochemical parameters for the species and because of limited published information available results were compared with values obtained from captive reared Thamin (Rucervus eldii thamin) and captive/free ranging Red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus). Higher total white blood cell, absolute lymphocyte and eosinophil, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase were recorded in Manipur’s Brow antler deer than Red deer, while serum biochemical parameters such as sodium, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and sodium were higher while creatinine, albumin, triglycerides and cholesterol were lower than Thamin deer. The values reported here can be used as a starting point for establishing blood parameters for clinically healthy adult Manipur’s Brow Antlered Deer in India. To our knowledge, this is the first report of base-line blood values for the Manipur’s Brow Antlered Deer.

Molecular evidence indicates the existence of multiple lineages of Sperata in Indian Rivers

Abstract: Understanding the population genetic structure and species boundaries in the complex river system has been challenging. The genus Sperata, a commercially important and widely distributed freshwater catfishes of India, belongs to Bagridae. The taxonomy of the Sperata genus is complex and still under revision. Recently, five valid species of Sperata were described from the Indian subcontinent. To determine the species boundaries and presence of taxonomic units within the Spereta, we analyzed the sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and control region (CR) from Ganga, Gomti, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river. The analysis of species delimitation using the COI gene indicated the presence of multiple taxonomic units among Sperata. Similarly, CR suggested the high haplotype diversity in S. lamarrii with a signature of demographic expansion in the Ganga river. In this study, we identified S. cf. lamarrii, a new lineage from the lower stretch of Ganga, another Sperata sp. from the Brahmaputra, Surma (Bangladesh) river, and from an unknown locality. It also highlighted that the Brahmaputra river also holds a highly diverse lineage that genetically qualifies the status of distinct species. Our finding suggests that multiple lineages of Sperata existed in the Indian River system; therefore, these should be considered a different management unit to protect contamination of natural stock. This study can be further used as a reference database for proper lineage identification within Sperata to formulate appropriate conservation and management plans.

Relationship of isotopic variations with spring density in the structurally controlled springs and related geosystem services in Alaknanda Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India

Abstract: As a traditional water source, springs are vital for Himalayan communities and it is essential to consciously focus on springs conservation. We report oxygen isotopes (δ18O) of spring water before, within, and after the tectonically active zones of the Alaknanda Valley, Uttarakhand. Higher variation of δ18O in the spring waters is found in highly tectonically disturbed zone i.e., Zone-2 with δ18O range - 4.9‰ to - 9.0‰ compared to tectonically less disturbed zones: Zone-1 and Zone-3 with δ18O value range - 7.9‰ to - 9.9‰ and - 7.4 to - 10.2‰ respectively. We hypothesize that the highly active thrust zones (Zone-2) with increased permeability compared to other Zones, manifested as greater spring density, results in higher water recharge in Zone-2. Very high to high spring density stretches are dominant in Zone-2 compared to Zone-1 and Zone-3. Stretches in Zone-2 with high spring density formed due to its highly tectonically active nature leads to the higher isotopic variation in Zone-2. The study also identifies the geosystem services provided by thrust zones as water resources to the local people and need of conservation modalities to manage the spring water resources in the thrust zones.