Habitat factors affecting site occupancy and relative abundance of four-horned antelope

The four-horned antelope is endemic to the Indian sub-continent. It was formerly distributed widely in deciduous forests throughout its range, but the current distributional patterns of this low-density species are largely unknown and conservation efforts are hampered by the lack of information on s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoology (1987) 2008-09, Vol.276 (1), p.63-70
Main Authors: Krishna, Y.C, Krishnaswamy, J, Kumar, N.S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bandipur National Park
Cattle
Conservation
detection probability
Forests
habitat covariates
Habitats
Lantana camara
National parks
remotely sensed covariates
Zoology
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Summary:The four-horned antelope is endemic to the Indian sub-continent. It was formerly distributed widely in deciduous forests throughout its range, but the current distributional patterns of this low-density species are largely unknown and conservation efforts are hampered by the lack of information on species-habitat relationships. We investigated the habitat factors influencing four-horned antelope occurrence and abundance in Bandipur National Park, an important four-horned antelope conservation site in India. Detection/non-detection data, collected under a systematic sampling framework, were used to test a priori hypotheses incorporating covariates believed to influence occurrence and abundance. The best fitting models for four-horned antelope occurrence and relative abundance reveal that the tree-savanna deciduous habitat sub-type, characterized by relatively open habitats with a lower tree density and a high degree of deciduousness, is most preferred by the species. Four-horned antelope conservation efforts in Bandipur National Park and other reserves should be focused on areas typified by tree-savanna habitats. Four-horned antelope occurrence was negatively related to the alien weed Lantana camara. The prolific spread of this weed in Indian deciduous forests is a likely threat.
ISSN:0952-8369
1469-7998
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00470.x