Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gmelin, 1789) abundance in the Rapti River, Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
Ecol Evol
; 12(10): e9425, 2022 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36267686
ABSTRACT
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a Critically Endangered crocodilian species whose abundance in Nepalese rivers is low due to the threat they face. We estimated gharial abundance in the Rapti River, one of the major rivers in Chitwan National Park (CNP) holding the largest numbers of gharials in Nepal. The Rapti River, running across the CNP, was divided into 18 segments, each measuring ~4 km, and gharials were counted directly with three replicates. Gharial count data were analyzed using an N-mixture model (negative binomial) and the overall occupancy of gharials was estimated using a single season occupancy model. Covariate effects were also investigated on gharial abundance. Our findings revealed that the Rapti River is home to 150 gharials (119-181), with a mean abundance of 8.3 (SD = 3.45) across each segment. The presence of humans and square of Rapti River depth were the significant covariates that had a negative and positive impact on gharial abundance, respectively. Similarly, the number of sandbank present influenced the detection probability of gharials. Our study shows that gharial population estimation can be improved using the N-mixture model. The overall gharial occupancy estimated using single season occupancy model was 0.84 (SD = 0.08), with a detection probability of 0.37 (SD = 0.02). The management authority should concentrate on segments to minimize human disturbance (e.g., fishing, washing clothes, extraction of riverbed materials). If the gharial population in this river declines, their population in central Nepal will be threatened. Hence, we suggest designating the Rapti River section that passes across the CNP as a "no extraction zone."
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1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ecol Evol
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de publicação:
ENGLAND
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ESCOCIA
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GB
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GREAT BRITAIN
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INGLATERRA
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REINO UNIDO
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SCOTLAND
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UK
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UNITED KINGDOM