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Habitat heterogeneity as the key determinant of the abundance and habitat preference of prey species of tiger in the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

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Abstract

Studies on the relationship between habitat heterogeneity and animal abundance are essential for understanding what determines biodiversity. Transect-based direct observations of eight principal prey species of tiger in the Chitwan National Park (CNP) were used to determine their abundances and habitat preferences. Chital was the most abundant prey species of tiger (Panthera tigris). Each of the prey species had significantly different habitat preferences except sambar deer and chital. Habitat preference was measured using Manly’s preference index, which revealed that short grassland, mixed forest, and riverine forest were the most preferred habitats of the prey species. The results indicate that large species of deer tend to be found in more diverse habitats than small species, except muntjac. The abundance of the principal prey species of tiger was positively correlated with habitat heterogeneity. The habitat, which contributes significantly to the heterogeneity of the landscape, is grassland in large patches of forest. The ongoing increase of forest cover in the CNP has led to a reduction in the area of grassland, which may negatively affect the abundance of the prey species of tiger. Hence, it is suggested that the restoration of landscape heterogeneity is the best way to manage the habitats in the CNP.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks go to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves of Nepal for permission to work in the Chitwan National Park. We thank all the members and volunteers from the Biological Society Nepal who helped with the field work: Manukala Bhattarai, Prakash Bhattarai, Tika Pariyar, Madan Dhungana, Shankar Shrestha, and Homnath Marahatta. We thank Prof. Tony Dixon for improving the English and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the earlier versions of this manuscript. This research was supported by grant LC06073 of the Czech Ministry of Education, by CzechGlobe—Centre for Global Climate Change Impacts Studies, Reg.No. CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0073 and No. 206/08/H044 of the GA CR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biodiversity Research, Global Change Research Centre AS CR, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai & Pavel Kindlmann

  2. Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31a, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai

  3. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University, Benátská 2, Prague, Czech Republic

    Pavel Kindlmann

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  1. Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai
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Correspondence to Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai.

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Communicated by: Jan M. Wójcik

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Bhattarai, B.P., Kindlmann, P. Habitat heterogeneity as the key determinant of the abundance and habitat preference of prey species of tiger in the Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Acta Theriol 57, 89–97 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-011-0047-8

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