Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal
Wetlands are among the highly threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. The Ramaroshan Wetland Complex (RWC) of Achham District, Nepal is one of the high-altitude wetlands facing human induced degradation and loss. Herpetofauna are key bio-indicators of environmental health and habitat...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/135 |
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| author | Janaki Paudel Laxman Khanal Naresh Pandey Laxmi Prasad Upadhyaya Chandra Bahadur Sunar Bina Thapa Chet Raj Bhatta Ramesh Raj Pant Randall C. Kyes |
| author_facet | Janaki Paudel Laxman Khanal Naresh Pandey Laxmi Prasad Upadhyaya Chandra Bahadur Sunar Bina Thapa Chet Raj Bhatta Ramesh Raj Pant Randall C. Kyes |
| author_sort | Janaki Paudel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wetlands are among the highly threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. The Ramaroshan Wetland Complex (RWC) of Achham District, Nepal is one of the high-altitude wetlands facing human induced degradation and loss. Herpetofauna are key bio-indicators of environmental health and habitat quality and are useful to assess habitat conditions of such threatened ecosystems. This study quantified the land use and land cover (LULC) change in the RWC and documented the diversity and distribution pattern of herpetofauna. The LULC in the area (13.94 Km<sup>2</sup>) was analyzed for 1989, 2000, 2010 and 2021 by supervised classification of remote sensing images. Surveys were conducted along 25 transects, each of 200 m in length and environmental variables were recorded for every observation of herpetofauna. The LULC analysis revealed an overall loss of 16% of the total water body between 1989 (0.25 Km<sup>2</sup>) and 2021 (0.21 Km<sup>2</sup>). Eleven species of herpetofauna (five amphibians and six reptiles) within five families and two orders (i.e., Anura and Squamata), were recorded with low diversity (H’ = 1.88312) and evenness (E = 0.3642) indices. The herpetofauna had a hump-shaped distribution along the elevation gradient with the highest richness and abundance at 2300 m asl. Amphibian abundance decreased with increasing distance to nearest water sources, whereas reptile abundance increased. Amphibians were more abundant in agricultural field and marsh land, whereas reptile abundance was higher around human settlements. Results indicate that the wetland area in the RWC is declining at an alarming rate and, in turn, might account for the low diversity and abundance of the herpetofauna. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:09:49Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:09:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b732abf855648f3a040263696e9d80d2023-11-16T14:48:35ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-12-0113113510.3390/ani13010135Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western NepalJanaki Paudel0Laxman Khanal1Naresh Pandey2Laxmi Prasad Upadhyaya3Chandra Bahadur Sunar4Bina Thapa5Chet Raj Bhatta6Ramesh Raj Pant7Randall C. Kyes8Central Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalCentral Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalCentral Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalCentral Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalCentral Department of Zoology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalCentral Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalAishwarya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Dhangadhi 10901, NepalCentral Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44618, NepalDepartments of Psychology, Global Health, and Anthropology, Center for Global Field Study, and Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAWetlands are among the highly threatened ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities. The Ramaroshan Wetland Complex (RWC) of Achham District, Nepal is one of the high-altitude wetlands facing human induced degradation and loss. Herpetofauna are key bio-indicators of environmental health and habitat quality and are useful to assess habitat conditions of such threatened ecosystems. This study quantified the land use and land cover (LULC) change in the RWC and documented the diversity and distribution pattern of herpetofauna. The LULC in the area (13.94 Km<sup>2</sup>) was analyzed for 1989, 2000, 2010 and 2021 by supervised classification of remote sensing images. Surveys were conducted along 25 transects, each of 200 m in length and environmental variables were recorded for every observation of herpetofauna. The LULC analysis revealed an overall loss of 16% of the total water body between 1989 (0.25 Km<sup>2</sup>) and 2021 (0.21 Km<sup>2</sup>). Eleven species of herpetofauna (five amphibians and six reptiles) within five families and two orders (i.e., Anura and Squamata), were recorded with low diversity (H’ = 1.88312) and evenness (E = 0.3642) indices. The herpetofauna had a hump-shaped distribution along the elevation gradient with the highest richness and abundance at 2300 m asl. Amphibian abundance decreased with increasing distance to nearest water sources, whereas reptile abundance increased. Amphibians were more abundant in agricultural field and marsh land, whereas reptile abundance was higher around human settlements. Results indicate that the wetland area in the RWC is declining at an alarming rate and, in turn, might account for the low diversity and abundance of the herpetofauna.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/135herpetofaunaland use and land coveramphibiansreptileswetland |
| spellingShingle | Janaki Paudel Laxman Khanal Naresh Pandey Laxmi Prasad Upadhyaya Chandra Bahadur Sunar Bina Thapa Chet Raj Bhatta Ramesh Raj Pant Randall C. Kyes Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal Animals herpetofauna land use and land cover amphibians reptiles wetland |
| title | Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal |
| title_full | Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal |
| title_short | Determinants of Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Threatened Wetland Ecosystem: A Case Study of the Ramaroshan Wetland Complex, Western Nepal |
| title_sort | determinants of herpetofaunal diversity in a threatened wetland ecosystem a case study of the ramaroshan wetland complex western nepal |
| topic | herpetofauna land use and land cover amphibians reptiles wetland |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/135 |
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