Research abstracts

Sea turtles along the Gujarat coast
S.F. Wesley Sunderraj, Justus Joshua, Sesh Serebiah
Gujarat has the longest coastline in the country, covering more than 1600 km. However, according to earlier studies (1978-84), of four turtle species believed to occur in the state, only the Olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea and Green turtle Chelonia mydas are reported to breed while Leatherback Dermochelys coriacea and Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata are seen occasionally. This study was carried out under GOI-UNDP Sea Turtle Project to assess the status of breeding population of sea turtles, to identify existing threats and suggest conservation strategies.

Field surveys were conducted day and night between August and December. Among the districts surveyed, Jamnagar and Junagadh coasts provide potential habitat for nesting compared to other coasts. No nesting of Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles were recorded during this survey. Turtle eggs are under predation by animals and humans. Animal predation (36 per cent) is more than human predation, which is higher than the estimates for Olive Ridley (20-30 per cent) in Rushikulya on the Orissa coast (Pandav et al, 1998).
Contact: Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Patwadi Naka, Bhuj, Kutchh - 371 001, Gujarat.
E-mail: jaws_Wesley@hotmail.com

Brood parasitism by Indian Hawk-cuckoo
G. Prasad, P.O. Nameer and M.V. Reshmi
The Indian Hawk-cuckoo Hierococcyx varius was found to be a brood parasite on Pale-capped Babbler Turdoides affinis (Jerdon) in Kerala Agricultural Univeristy Campus, Thrissur. The chances of babbler nests parasitised by cuckoos is maximum when they build nests on open-crowned and exposed trees at heights more than 5 m. However, the nest building materials and the flock size of the babbler family did not influence the cuckoo in selecting the host. The study also indicates that the cuckoo may be destroying the eggs or the chicks of the host.
Contact: G. Prasad and P.O. Nameer, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricltural Univeristy, KAU (PO), Thrissur, Kerala - 680656.
E-mail: gprasadg@rediffmail.com; nameer@vsnl.com
M.V.Reshmi, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, KAU
(POP), Thrissur, Kerala - 680 656.

Breeding ecology and conservation of the Black-necked Crane in Ladakh
Otto Pfister
The rare Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis, the least known of all the crane species, breeds in a limited number in the sparse wetlands of the remote high altitude desert of far eastern Ladakh. In addition to two 'pre-surveys' in June-July 1995 and 1996, an uninterrupted summer study had been conducted from end of May to mid-October 1997 to observe and record the breeding ecology, general behaviour patterns and conservation potential of this endangered crane species. Access was granted to parts of the crane breeding grounds located within the areas of Rupchu and Changtang, south of the Indus river in 1995 and 1997, plus southern parts of Pagong-Tso in 1996.

The 1997 study discovered 38 Black-necked Cranes within its known Ladakh distribution limits: 12 breeding pairs and 14 non-breeding birds, the highest number ever observed within the crane's most western distribution limit. 12 nests were found, they contained two eggs each producing 13 hatchlings; 11 eggs were destroyed or non-viable. Four chicks were killed, the surviving 9 juveniles fledged by end of September-early October except one chick which hatched late and did not fly before the study terminated by mid-October.

Dogs were identified as causing the biggest immediate threat to the successful reproduction of cranes in Ladakh. The considerable ignorance of the nomadic local human population towards environment conservation, the diversion of rivers for irrigation and overgrazing of pasture land caused by the pressure of increasing domestic livestock will, in the near future, ultimately alter or even destroy the wetlands and deprive the cranes of their foraging and breeding grounds.

The study concludes with the proposal of culling semi-feral dogs, creating conservation awareness amongst the local people and including wildlife protection in the local school syllabus. Legally the crane should be included with the Schedule I species in the Jammu & Kashmir State Wildlife Act.
Contact: Otto Pfister, Transversal 1 Este #57-42, Bogota D.C., Colombia.
E-mail: opfister@andinet.com

Studies on microlevel wind energy: A case study
S.H. Pawar, P.S. Arage, P.M. Shirage, D.D. Shivagan, L.A. Ekal
The origin of wind energy is associated with solar energy incident on an area and the absorption coefficient of solar radiations in that region. This phenomenon was studied over one-year at the Shivaji University campus (1,000 acres). The land has some part densely occupied by buildings while the rest is covered with plantations. Uneven heating of these regions gives rise to microlevel wind. At the boundary of these two regions, a 3kW aerogenerator with storage battery was installed. The performance of this aerogenerator and wind energy available on campus was studied.
Contact: School of Energy Studies, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur - 416 004, Maharashtra.

Behavioural characterisation of ectoparasites on a few tropical bats of southern India
Juliet Vanitharani
Ectoparasites on bats compromise well with the host by extracting sufficient nourishment to maintain and propogate themselves. But they do not kill their host since it provides them with a home and free rides! A study of ectoparasites of bats was made in an area around Tirunelveli. Observations were made on a megachiropteran Rousettus leschenaulti and few microchiropterans such as Megaderma lyra, Taphozous melanopogon, Hipposideros speoris, H.ater and Pipistrellus domeri. These bats are infested by Nycteribiid and Streblid bat flies, Ischnopsyllid flea and Acarine arachnids. Current knowledge about bat ectoparasites is fragmentary. Host and climate affect the population size of ectoparasites.
Contact: Department of Zoology, Sarah Tucker College, Tirunelveli - 627 007, Tamil Nadu.

Foraging behaviour of Carpenter bees, Genus Xylocopa: Xylocopidae:Hymenoptera, and the pollination of some Indian plants.
Alluri Jacob Solomon Raju and C. Subba Reddi
Carpenter bees, or species of Xylocopa, are prominent members of the Indian bee fauna. They are found throughout the year, foraging in daylight and rarely through the moonlit hours. Some plant species are adapted specifically to pollination mediated by nectar-seeking carpenter bees. Such flowers protect the nectar chamber against piercing. Some offer pollen from poricidal anthers as the only reward. By their flower-foraging behaviour, carpenter bees provide an excellent service to the plants they pollinate, especially obligate outcrossers like Gmelia and Cochlospermum. The different types of foraging behaviour exhibited and the role played by carpenter bees in the pollination of various plant species occurring in Viahakapatnam, Coringa and Giddalur in Andhra Pradesh are discussed.
Contact: C. Subba Reddi, Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, Vishakapatnam - 530 003, Andhra Pradesh.

Habitat preferences and distributional status of some forest birds in Andaman Islands.
K.Yoganand and Priya Davidar
The habitat preferences of 30 species of forest birds were studied in Baratang Island in the Andamans, India. The relationship between habitat preferences and large-scale patterns, such as biogeographical distribution of each species on the continent of Asia and distributional status within the Andaman Islands was analysed. The birds fell into five categories, those found predominantly in only one habitat type, evergreen or deciduous forest, and those which used a broader range of habitats, which were classified on the basis of their relative occurrence in each habitat type as semi-evergreen, moist deciduous or generalist species. The habitat preferences of these 30 species showed no association with either the biogeographical distribution or with status, suggesting that large-scale distributional patterns are not related to habitat preferences.
Contact: Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry - 605014.

Livestock depredation by wolves in the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Nannaj (Maharashtra), India.
Satish Kumar and Asad R.Rahmani
Food habits of the Indian wolf Canis lupis pallipes were studied in the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Nannaj between 1991-1994. Estimation of wolf depredation on livestock is essential to implement compensation, management, and conservation plans for the wolf. Blackbuck Antilope cervicapra was the primary prey species of wolves in the sanctuary; goats and sheep were the major livestock taken. Data on livestock killed, age of kill, distance of the kill from the sanctuary, and the terrain where the kill was made were collected. More goats than sheep were killed, and livestock depredations were higher during the pup-rearing period of wolves, when pups were dependent on parents and/ or helpers for food. Multiple attacks were made by wolves on livestock herds to divert the attention of guard dogs. Sixty-three percent of the kills were 1-4 m. from a bush or some other vegetative cover. The maximum number of kills (52 per cent) made during daytime was found up to 0.2 km. from the sanctuary plots. The owners retrieved 16 per cent of the total livestock kills, by chasing the wolves or with the help of guard dogs. Mauled animals rarely survived. All the kills occurred in the grazing lands outside the sanctuary, but kills were carried into the core areas of the sanctuary. There was a monthly variation in the abundance of goats and sheep in the study area.
Contact: Satish Kumar, Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh - 202 002, Uttar Pradesh.
Asad R. Rahmani, Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai - 400 023, Maharashtra.

Scent-marking behaviour of Indian Gazelle (Gazella bennetti Sykes, 1831) in Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India.
G.R.Jakher and Sumit Dookia
Scent marking patterns followed by different herds of Indian Gazelle Gazella bennetti in semi-arid region of Rajasthan were investigated for one year. Generally Indian Gazelle deployed some special scent mark methods to define its territory or effective range. Among individuals of a herd, the dominant male exhibited the maximum frequency of scent marking. To observe this peculiar behaviour the study was conducted at 4 different sites on total 13 various herds. In scent marking behaviour, the fecal pellet heaps, bush hitting by horns, eye-rubbing, bed site-path fixation methods exhibited important signs.
Contact: G.R.Jakher, Dept of Zoology, J.N.V. University, Jadhavpur - 342005. Rajasthan.
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Status of Flora in Protected Areas
R.B.S. Kushwah and V. Kumar
A multipurpose integrated project was taken up for (i) assessing the status of flora and fauna, (ii) computing the economic indicators, and (iii) assessing the socio-economic status of the people of the Protected Areas in each of the eight Protected Areas in Madhya Pradesh. These studies were undertaken to suggest prescriptions for better management of the Protected Areas.
Contact: R.B.S. Kushwah, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Instructor Forest School, Amarkantak, District Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. V.Kumar, Faculty, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal - 462 003, Madhya Pradesh.
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