Manuscript Title:

DETERMINATION OF ECOLOGICAL AND DIETARY PREFERENCES OF BLACKBUCKS (ANTILOPE CERVICAPRA) POPULATION AT THREE DIFFERENT SANCTUARIES IN CHOLISTAN DESERT, PAKISTAN

Author:

MUHAMMAD ATIF LATIF, TANVEER HUSSAIN, MUHAMMAD RAFAY, JUNAID NASEER, AMJAD SAEED, SHAHID HAFEEZ, MUHAMMAD AMJAD YAQOOB

DOI Number:

DOI:10.5281/zenodo.13984936

Published : 2024-10-23

About the author(s)

1. MUHAMMAD ATIF LATIF - Institute of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
2. TANVEER HUSSAIN - Institute of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
3. MUHAMMAD RAFAY - Institute of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
4. JUNAID NASEER - Institute of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
5. AMJAD SAEED - Institute of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
6. SHAHID HAFEEZ - Department of Forestry and Range Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
7. MUHAMMAD AMJAD YAQOOB - Faculty of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pakistan.

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Abstract

The study conducted on semi-captive and free ranging blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) at three different localities; Lal Suhanra National Park (RD25), Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Conservation Centre Black Buck Enclosure (SMBZA), and Dodhlan Forest, Fort Abbas under different conservation management practices. The assessments covered dry deciduous habitats and shrub/thorn forests in the same sanctuaries by visual observation and grid sections of 1km squares and for determine the dietary composition and palatability of certain indigenous plant species fecal slides were prepared. All slides were microscopically observed and compared for plant parts with reference slides. Nonparametric t-test was used to determine level of significance for ecological preference while dietary scores were represented as Median (IQR) and analyzed using a Kruskal Wallis test. Number of individuals observed were significantly different for Dry Deciduous and Shrub/thorn habitats. Mean blackbuck sightings were significantly higher in the dry deciduous habitats of RD25 (P<0.0001), SMBZA (P=0.0041), and Dodhlan Forest (P=0.0357). The highest number of sightings was reported in the dry deciduous section of SMBZA Black Buck Enclosure (24.8±8.17/Km). It was observed that grasses were most palatable and composed the greatest constituent of Blackbuck’s diet, whereby Cenchrus ciliaris (12.90 %), Aristida hystricula (6.94%), Cynodon dactylon (8.53%), Lasiurus scindicus (9.53%) and Ochthochloa compressa (9.13%) served as significant contributors to diet. Higher encounter rates, larger group sizes and greater dietary composition of tall grasses, indicated a preference for Dry Deciduous habitats by Blackbucks in Cholistan Desert of Pakistan.


Keywords

Cenchrus Ciliaris, Dietary Composition, Dry Deciduous Habitats, Fecal Samples, Lal Suhanra National Park, Semi-Captive Blackbucks