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Showing 3 results for Citizen Science
A survey on the mammal species from a peri-urban coal mining plateau of Eastern India
Debayan Gayen, Paromit Chatterjee, Tapajit Bhattacharya,
Volume 3, Issue 3 (9-2021)
Abstract
The present study was conducted to determine the diversity of mammalian species from a peri-urban coal mining region of West Bengal for almost three years from September 2017 to August 2020. The survey was done on the basis of direct sightings, extensive searches, detection and identification of indirect mammalian signs such as pug marks and droppings, opportunistic sightings and road-kill incidents. Secondary information from previous literature and information from local people, citizen scientists and Forest Department were also included in the study. A total of 20 mammals belonging to 9 orders, 15 families and 20 genera were observed from 31 locations during the present study and 6 species belonging to two orders, three families and four genera which were previously reported from the present study location but not observed during this study were also included in the list. Two endangered species, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus and Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata, were observed from the present study location within the study period. Based on the habitat types, the maximum number of species was observed from the Human Habitation (HH) areas whereas the least number of species was noted from the Riverside Zones (RS). Proportion of the different habitat types for each mammalian species found in the present study and also obtained from literature depicted that Asian House Shrew Suncus murinus, Asian Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennant and Indian Pygmy Pipistrelle Pipistrellus mimus were among the most abundant mammals in the study area. Golden Jackal Canis aureus was observed from a wide variety of habitat types whereas the two varieties of civets were only observed from the riverside areas. Principle Component Analysis between species and habitat type indicated that the Bengal Fox Vulpes bengalensis and the Black-naped Hare Lepus nigricollis were only associated with the grasslands. The Hanuman Langur Semnopithecus entellus and other small rodent species were generally found in the human habitation areas. Various threats like habitat destruction, habitat degradation and hunting posed the major problems in the present study location.
 

After two decades: extremely rare records of dugongs, Dugong dugon (Sirenia: Dugongidae), in the Iranian Persian Gulf
Mohammad Amin Tollab, Mohsen Rezaie-Atagholipour, Haleh Ali Abedi, Majid Askari Hesni, . Ehsan Abedi, Farideh Ahmadi, Koen van Waerebeek,
Volume 5, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract

The world's second-largest dugong, Dugong dugon (Müller), population after that of Australia forages among rich seagrass meadows along the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf; however, the relatively seagrass-poor Iranian coast is considered an exceptional habitat for the species. The last modern dugong records along the Iranian Persian Gulf occurred two decades ago, which, however, are unsupported. Here we present two new documented records of D. dugon from an area in the Iranian coastal waters of Bushehr Province, near the Mond River estuary (Mond Protected Area), northeastern Persian Gulf. These include one individual, probably female, of ca. 2.5–3 m body length found floating, in moderate decomposition, in offshore waters of the Motaf fishing ground on 30 April 2021, and one ca. 3 m female encountered entangled in a set gillnet in inshore waters of the same area on 29 December 2022, and which was successfully released alive. The potential of the area as a possible historical habitat for dugongs, and further implications, are discussed.

 


A review of Szulkin, M., J. Munshi-South, and A. Charmantier, eds. 2020. Urban Evolutionary Biology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 303 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-883685-8
Shalini Tudu, Amith S J, Chetan Nag K S,
Volume 6, Issue 1 (3-2024)
Abstract
In this Anthropocene epoch, where every single ecosystem on Earth is heavily shaped, both in space and time, by human deeds, natural landscapes are being rapidly replaced by urbanization. Henceforth, a new urban biome has arisen displaying certain unique properties, making cities around the globe a perfect place to investigate “natural” processes like ecology, evolution, adaptation, and biodiversity, away from their more natural forested counterparts. Interestingly, despite conurbations, or extended urban habitats, being thought of as adversaries of Mother Nature, organisms in urban environments are learning to adapt and survive, making them novel sources for evolutionary variation. Regrettably, despite advancements in methods to answer questions in ecology and evolutionary biology, there is a lack of knowledge about how urbanization influences evolution and its processes in an urban milieu. There is a dire need to understand issues such as the operational repercussions of urbanization, and the roles of evolutionary transformation in urban community dynamics.

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