Group size, sex and age composition of chital (Axis axis) and sambar (Rusa unicolor) in a deciduous habitat of Western Ghats

Mammalian Biology

Volumn 77, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 53-59

  Ramesh, Tharmalingam ^a   Sankar, Kalyanasundaram ^a   Qureshi, Qamar ^a   Kalle, Riddhika ^a  

^a WILDLIFE INSTITUTE OF INDIA   (India)

Author keywords

Age structure; Axis axis; Group size; Group size predictors; Rusa unicolor

Indexed keywords

ADAPTATION; ADULT; DECIDUOUS FOREST; DEER; FORAGING BEHAVIOR; GROUP SIZE; HABITAT SELECTION; HABITAT TYPE; HOME RANGE; POPULATION STRUCTURE; PREDATION; PREDATOR; SEX RATIO;

INDIA; MUDUMALAI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY; TAMIL NADU;

CERVUS AXIS; CERVUS UNICOLOR;

EID: 83555163960     PISSN: 16165047     EISSN: 16181476     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.003     Document Type: Article

References (62)

1. Ables E.D. The Axis Deer in Texas. The Caeser Kleberg Program in Wildlife Ecology 1974, The Texas A and M University System, Texas, pp. 86.
2. Acharya, B.B., 2007. The ecology of the Dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus) in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Saurashtra, Rajkot.
3. Altman J. Baboons, space, time and energy. Am. Zool. 1974, 14:221-248.
4. Bagchi S., Goyal S.P., Sankar K. Prey abundance and prey selection by tigers (Panthera tigris) in a semi-arid, dry-deciduous forest in western India. J. Zool. 2003, 260:285-290.
5. Balasubramanium S., Santiapillai C., Chambers M.R. Seasonal shifts in the pattern of habitat utilization by the spotted deer (Axis axis) in the Ruhuna National Park, Sri Lanka. Spixiana 1980, 3:157-166.
6. Barrette C. The size of axis deer fluid groups in Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka. Mammalia 1991, 55:207-220.
7. Berger J., Gompper M.E. Sex ratios in extant ungulates: products of contemporary predation or past life histories?. J. Mamm. 1999, 80:1084-1113.
8. Berwick, S.H., 1974. The communities of wild ruminants in the Gir forest ecosystem. Ph.d. Dissertation, Yale University, USA, pp. 226.
9. Caughley G. Analysis of Vertebrate Populations 1977, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.
10. Champion H.G., Seth S.K. A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India 1968, The Manager of Publications, Government of India, New Delhi.
11. Clutton-Brock T.H., Albon S.D. Red Deer in the Highlands 1989, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.
12. Clutton-Brock T.H., Harvey P.H. Primate ecology and social organization. J. Zool. 1977, 183:1-39.
13. Cohen J.E. Casual Groups of Monkeys and Men: Stochastic Models of Elemental Social System 1971, Harvard university press, Harvard, pp. 175.
14. Crook J.H., Ellis J.E., Goss-Custard Mammalian social system: structure and function. Anim. Behav. 1976, 24:261-274.
15. De R.C., Spillet J.J. A study of the chital or spotted deer in Corbett National Park, Uttar Pradesh. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1966, 63:576-598.
16. Dinerstein E. An ecological survey of the Royal Karnali-Bardia Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. Part III: Ungulate populations. Biol. Conserv. 1980, 16:5-38.
17. Downes M. The Forest Deer Project 1982 1983, Australian Deer Foundation Ltd, Melbourne, Australia.
18. Duckworth, J.W., Kumar, N.S., Anwarul Islam, Md., Hem Sagar Baral, Timmins, R.J., 2008. Axis axis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. Downloaded on 06 August 2011. http://www.iucnredlist.org/.
19. Eisenberg J.F. The social organization of mammals. Handb. Zool. 1966, 19:1-92.
20. Eisenberg J.F., Lockhart M. An ecological reconnaissance of Wilpattu National Park. Ceylon. Smithsonian Contrib. Zool. 1972, 101:1-118.
21. Fowler J., Cohen L., Jaevis P. Practical Statistics for Field Biology 1998, John Wiley and Sons, England.
22. Fuchs E.R. Behaviour. The Axis Deer in Texas 1997, Caesar Kleberg, Research Program and Texas A and M University, Texas, pp. 24-52. E.D. Ables (Ed.).
23. Geist V. On the relationship of social evolution and ecology in ungulates. Am. Zool. 1974, 14:205-220.
24. Graf W., Nichols W. The Axis deer in Hawaii. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1966, 63:629-734.
25. Hirotani A. Dominance rank, copulatory behaviour and estimated success in male reindeer. Anim. Behav. 1994, 48:929-936.
26. Jarman P. The social organisation of antelopes in relation to their ecology. Behaviour 1974, 58:215-267.
27. Jathanna D., Karanth K.U., Johnsingh A.J.T. Estimation of large herbivore densities in the tropical forests of southern India using distance sampling. J. Zool. 2003, 261:285-290.
28. Johnsingh A.J. Large mammalian prey-predators in Bandipur. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1983, 80:1-57.
29. Johnsingh A.J.T., Sankar K. Food plants of chital, sambar and cattle on Mundanthurai Plateau, Tamil Nadu, South India. Mammalia 1991, 55:57-66.
30. Karanth K.U., Sunquist M.E. Population structure, density and biomass of large herbivores in the tropical forests of Nagarhole, India. J. Trop. Ecol. 1992, 8:21-35.
31. Karanth U.K., Sunquist M.E. Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests. J. Anim. Ecol. 1995, 64:439-450.
32. Kelton, S.D., 1981. Biology of sambar (Rusa unicolor) in New Zealand with particular reference to diet in Manuwata flax swamp. Msc. Thesis, Massey University, Palmerston, New Zealand.
33. Khan J.A., Chellum R., Johnsingh A.J.T. Group size and age-sex composition of three major ungulate species in Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1995, 92:295-302.
34. Krasiński Z.A. Dynamics and structure of the European bison population in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. Acta Theriol. 1978, 23:13-48.
35. Krishnan M. An ecological survey of larger mammals of peninsular India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1972, 69:469-501.
36. Lagory K.E. Habitat, group size, and the behavior of white-tailed deer. Behaviour 1986, 98:168-179.
37. Lewis J.C., Flynn L.B., Marchinton R.L., Shea S.M., Marchinton E.M. Part I: Introduction, study area description and literature review. Ecology of Sambar Deer on St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Bull. No. 25 1990, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, Florida, pp. 1-12.
38. Lott D.F., Mania S.C. Random individuals association and social group instability in American bison (Bison bison). Z. Tierpsychol. 1983, 61:153-172.
39. McCullough D.R. Density dependence and life-history strategies of ungulates. J. Mammal. 1999, 80:1130-1146.
40. Mishra, H.R., 1982. The ecology and behaviour of chital (Axis axis) in the Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Edinburg, U.K, pp. 240.
41. Mysterud A., Coulson T., Stenseth N.C. The role of males in the population dynamics of ungulates. J. Anim. Ecol. 2002, 71:907-915.
42. Pulliam H.R., Caraco T. Living in groups: is there an optimal group size?. Behavioural Ecology 1984, Blackwell Scientific Publication, Oxford, pp. 128-138. 2nd edition. J.R. Krebs, N.B. Davies (Eds.).
43. Putman R. The Natural History of Deer 1988, Christopher Helm, London.
44. Raman T.R. Factors influencing seasonal and monthly changes in the group size of chital or axis deer in southern India. J. Biosci. 1997, 28:203-218.
45. Raman T.R. Antler cycles and breeding seasonality of the chital (Axis axis Erxleben) in southern India. J. Bombay. Nat. Hist. Soc. 1998, 95:377-391.
46. Ramesh T., Snehalatha V., Sankar K., Qureshi Q. Food habits and prey selection of tiger and leopard in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. J. Sci. Trans. Environ. Tech. 2009, 2:170-181.
47. Ramesh, T., 2010. Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores: tiger Panthera Tigris, leopard Panthera pardus and dhole Cuon alpinus in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Ph.D. Thesis, Saurashtra University, Gujarat, Rajkot.
48. Reiczigel, J., Rozsa, L., 2006. Flocker 1.0. Available at: http://www.behav.org/flocker/.
49. Reiczigel J., Lang Z., Rozsa L., Tothmeresz B. Measure of sociality: two different views of group size. Anim. Behav. 2007, 75:715-721.
50. Rodman P.S. Inclusive fitness and group size with reconsideration of group sizes of lion and wolves. Am. Nat. 1981, 118:275-283.
51. Rutberg A.T. Adaptive hypothesis of birth synchrony in ruminants: an interspecific test. Am. Nat. 1987, 130:692-710.
52. Sankar, K., 1994. The ecology of three large sympatric herbivores (chital, sambar, nilgai) with special reference for reserve management in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
53. Sankar, K., Acharya, B., 2004. Spotted Deer or Chital. In: Sankar, K., Goyal, S.P. (Eds.), Ungulates of India. Wildlife and Protected Areas. ENVIS Bulletin. pp. 171-180.
54. Sartaj S.G., Sankar K., Jhala Y.V. A Study of Vigilance Behaviour of Chital (Axis axis), Examining the Determinant of Individual and Group Vigilance for Chital in Pench Tiger Reserve, India 2010, LAMBERT Academic Publishing, UK.
55. Schaller G.B. The Deer and the Tiger 1967, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
56. Southwell C.J. Variability in grouping in the eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus. Grouping density and group size. Aust. Wild. Res. 1984, 11:423-435.
57. Spillet J. A report on wildlife surveys in south and west India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1966, 65:296-325.
58. Stearns S.C. The Evolution of Life Histories 1992, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
59. SPSS, 2007. SPSS for Windows. Version 16.0. SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA.
60. Timmins, R.J., Steinmetz, R., Sagar Baral, H., Samba Kumar, N., Duckworth, J.W., Anwarul Islam, Md., Giman, B., Hedges, S., Lynam, A.J., Fellowes, J., Chan, B.P.L., Evans, T. 2008. Rusa unicolor. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. . Downloaded on 06 August 2011.
61. Varman, S., Sukumar, R., 1993. Ecology of Sambar in Mudumalai Sanctuary, Southern India. Deer of China. 273-284.
62. Whitehead H. Testing association patterns of social animal. Anim. Behav. 1999, 57:26-29.