ECOLOGY OF SMALL OF DESERT AND MONTANE ECOSYSTEMS

Ishwar Prakash Ph.D., D.Sc. Emeritus Professor of Eminence Desert Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India Jodhpur - 342 005 (India)

and

Partap Singh M.Phil, Ph.D. Department of Zoology, Govt. Dungar College, BIKANER - 334 001 (India)

SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHERS (INDIA) P.O. BOX 91 JODHPUR Published by: PAWAN KUMAR SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHERS (INDIA) 5-A, New Pali Road, P.O. Box 91 JODHPUR - 342 001 (Raj.) E-mail: [email protected] www.scientificpub.com

© Prakash & Singh, 2005

ISBN: 81-7233-401-X

Laser typeset : Rajesh Ojha Printed in India

…. a note

With great humility and submission I take this opportunity to thank Prof. Prakash for imparting knowledge and training to me in the field of ecology and ethology. Prof. Prakash, popularly known as IP among friends and colleagues, was an eminent scientist, great academician and above all a prefect gentleman. When he selected me for "Aravallis Project", I had confused state of mind as I had cytogenetics background in M.Sc. and M.Phil. Will I be able to justify change of subject, and will it be feasible for me to carry out arduous fieldwork were a few questions boggling my mind. After discussing the things with scientists of Zoological Survey of India, where Prof. Prakash was working as Senior Scientist of Indian National Science Academy, I was convinced to join the project. While trapping small mammals in the jungles of Aravallis, he asked us to keep our eyes open and make notes of what so ever we come across. It was here that I fall in love with nature and while leaving ZSI, I promised him that my passion for wildlife would never die. I am happy to announce that I kept my promise. Our discussions, especially during field tours, on classical Zoology, , Zoogeography, Ecology and of course Ethology added lot to my knowledge. He was a living encyclopedia of Thar! He started his carrier as lecturer in Zoology and later joined Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) as an animal ecologist against wishes of his family members and friends. He served CAZRI for three long decades and had proud privilege of establishing rodentology in India. He studied every aspect of whether it may be Physiology, Ecology, Taxonomy, Zoogeography, Ethology or Toxicology. His research on desert gerbil, hurrianae has iv Ecology of Small Mammals of Desert and Montane Ecosystems made this most studied mammalian species of India. His passion for Thar was unremitting. He was a prodigiously talented writer and had over 500 research papers and 20 books to his credit. "Publish or Perish" was his popular proverb, which he kept on telling to his fellow researchers. During his professional career he received many prestigious awards–Rafi Ahamad Kidwai Award, Har Swarup Memorial Award, INSA fellowship, Professor of Eminence Chair–to name a few. Because of his ill health and later sudden demise he could not complete his last work “Ecology of Small Mammals of Desert and Montane Ecosystems” It is a matter of great privilege that I was given opportunity to complete it. Due to many unforeseen reasons, the book got delayed but is finally seeing the light of day. I thank Mr. Pawan Kumar of Scientific Publishers (India) for providing me opportunity to complete the last work of Prof. Prakash as homage to that great researcher and human being.

Partap Singh

PREFACE

It is almost half a century that I went to Birla College of Science, Pilani for my Masters degree in Zoology. Leaving the Capital of the State (Jaipur) and shifting to a very small, solitary, under-developed village was nothing less than a punishment. From the luxury of parents' house to a single room in the hostel without a fan or any other amenity had to be tolerated. Our hostel was about 5 kms away from the college if we go through the road but was half the way if we traverse through the thorny desert. We usually preferred the short cut and the 3 km travel four to five times a day provided me an opportunity to be with the nature in the desert. Early in the morning, flocks of partridges, quails and desert courser criss-crossing the narrow desert path were a great attraction. The common sandgrouse Kut-roing in large flocks over the bright sky was amazing for a city dweller who had seen only crow, kite, pigeon, dove at Jaipur. The abundant desert gerbil looked so charming, popping its head in and out of its burrow openings. In 1950-51, we were only four students in M.Sc. previous and we had to stay in the lab at night for microtomy work as during day it was so hot that wax-section cutting was not possible. So we had to walk through the desert at dusk and during night. These nocturnal strolls were a great adventure. The hedgehogs were plentiful and we used to collect and release them in the hostel courtyard – a great fun for non-zoology students. We knew the venomous saw-scaled viper which was very abundant. The with a bushy-tail was so active searching for insects and also digging rhizomes. During the two years at Pilani, I turned into a desert lover. Luckily, soon after, I was engaged in a UNESCO Project to study the ecology of desert vertebrates as a Senior Research Fellow with Dr. Daya Krishna, vi Ecology of Small Mammals of Desert and Montane Ecosystems

Professor of Zoology at Jaswant College, Jodhpur. During the next three years I surveyed the unknown Thar desert on foot, on camel back and on bullock cart and collected a large number of . As the luck would be, after a few years, I was appointed as the Animal Ecologist in the newly established Central Arid Zone Research Institute at Jodhpur. So my life was sealed in the arid zone. During the next 32 years, we did considerable and probably pioneering work on various aspects of all mammalian groups, especially pertaining to bait preference and pest management. We also worked on taxonomy, functional morphology, ecology of vertebrates, physiological aspects, wildlife census and conservation, olfactory communication among rodent, scent-marking and shyness behaviour and so on. In this monograph, however, I am briefly collating and compiling our work on the ecology of small mammals (insectivores and rodents) that we encountered in the desert during the past 40 years. I was a student of High School at Mount Abu (1944-46) and as a young explorer I knew every rock of this archaic mountain, I knew the mango trees which provided sweetest fruits, I knew when the figs would ripen and which paths should be avoided to evade dangerous animals. We had several encounters with leopard and sloth bear. We used to chase the jungle fowl which were so abundant on the rocky slopes every where. The Aravallis became my second love and after superannuation (1991), I decided to study the ecology of small mammals of Aravalli mountain ecosystem, a subject about which nothing was known. Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi supported my projects for 10 long years and we were able to carry out a satisfactory work on the ecology of small mammals of Aravalli ranges for the first time in the country. The Desert Regional Station of Zoological Survey of India at Jodhpur provided extremely helpful and conducive environment for carrying out the work. Without the cooperation of DRS, ZSI, I could never have achieved my innate desire to study the Aravallis. This work is also summarised in this compendium and has been compared with the species composition found in the desert ecosystem. At CAZRI, Dr. A.P. Jain, Dr. B.D. Rana, Dr. R.P. Mathur, Dr. Mohana Rao were my colleagues in the ecology section; Dr. S.P. Goyal, Dr. Harish Bohra carried out the physiology of desert rodents under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Pulak K. Ghosh, the Principal Animal Physiologist. I have profusely quoted their work in this

Preface vii compilation. Dr. Saroj Kumari and Dr. Mohammed Idris were my Research Associates during the Professor of Eminence Project. Prof. M.M. Bhandari and Dr. R.K. Gupta came forward to help me in identifying the vegetation for correlation purposes. During the Aravalli work Dr. Himmat Singh was our Research Fellow and he provided me excellent help in very arduous field work. Kailash and Rajendra Singh our Field Assistants did an excellent job throughout the course of projects. It is my duty to express my gratitude to all my fellow colleagues. During the course of 50 years of my research work in the desert and montane ecosystems of Rajasthan, I received guidance from eminent zoologists; Dr. Sunder Lal Hora, Director, ZSI, Dr. B. Biswas of ZSI, Dr. Salim Ali of Bombay Natural History Society, Dr. A.K. Ghosh, Director, ZSI, Mr. W.D. Fitzwater, UNESCO Expert at CAZRI, Prof. S.A. Barnett of Australian National University, Canberra. At CAZRI, Directors Dr. P.C. Raheja and Dr. H.S. Mann gave me unstinted help in carrying out work. Dr. Pulak K. Ghosh has been my “consultant” in all the matters since 1961. I am so grateful to them and to all the colleagues and students at CAZRI. Dr. A.P. Jain and Dr. B.D. Rana spared coloured slides and photographs of most rodent species. Shri Vipin Chowdhury of CAZRI was of great help to me in field activities. During the last 10 years at Desert Regional Station of ZSI, Dr. J.R.B. Alfred, Director and Dr. Q.H. Baqri, Addl. Director provided me excellent working facilities. Dr. R.C. Sharma, Dr. Narendra Rathore, both senior zoologists at DRS are extremely helpful. That way the whole staff of DRS, ZSI, took personal care of myself. I have no words to thank them. A few words of compliments for Dr. Himmat Singh who has prepared all the diagrams for this monograph and Dr. Harish Bohra has scrupulously edited the chapter on Physiological Aspects. Shri Rajesh Ojha has meticulously typeset the whole matter. Shri Pawan Kumar has taken every care for printing the monograph. Over the Aravallis, we worked with Forest Officials because there is always a danger of attack by sloth bear or a panther. Shri R.G. Soni, Principal CCF and Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan and Dr. Satish Kumar Sharma, Forest Range Officer and other Forest officials very rightly deserve my gratefulness. I received financial support throughout my Aravalli work, firstly from Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, which designated

viii Ecology of Small Mammals of Desert and Montane Ecosystems me as INSA Senior Scientist. Later the two field-oriented projects were financed by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. I am so grateful to Dr. Usha Sharma, Advisor and to Dr. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Senior Scientific Officer at DST. This book-writing project is again financed by DST (GOI) under their Utilisation of the Scientific Expertise of Retired Scientists (USERS) Scheme. I express my gratitude towards Dr. Parveen Farouqui, Sr. Advisor, DST for sanctioning this Project and to Shri Jagdish Chander for implementing it. During the course of our extensive monthly tours of the Aravalli ranges Shri Subhash Bhargava I.A.S., Udaipur, Dr. Vinod K. Mahobia, Professor and Head of Zoology Department, Govt. College, Kota and Shri Rakesh Vyas of the Hadoti Naturalists’ Society, Kota provided all the help, assistance and encouragement. My wife Mrs. Lakshmi read through the entire manuscript, improved its language and pointed out mistakes to me. Besides, I received her encouragement and golden support throughout the course of writing this monograph. Should I compliment and express my gratitude for all what she has done for me during the last 45 years? Son-in-law Dr. Swadesh and daughter Dr. Mukta kept me healthy during the lean periods. Son Gaurav and his wife Namita, daughter Shubhra and her husband Akhilesh maintained a regular telephonic boosting of my sometimes - falling-confidence. Their young children are bundles of joy. I am thankful to all my family members for help, encouragement and timely support.

ISHWAR PRAKASH

CONTENTS

.... a note iii Preface v INTRODUCTION 1-11 The Thar Desert Ecosystem 4 The Aravalli Montane Ecosystem 5 Methodology 9 ECOLOGICAL CHANGES 12-16

SPECIES COMPOSITION AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCE 17-38 Desert Biome 17 Montane Biome 23 The Abu Hill 23 The Main Aravalli Range 26 The Southern Rajasthan 29 The Southeastern Rajasthan 32 Composition of Communities in Various Rock Formations 35 Comparison of Species Composition in Two Ecosystems 36 Northeastern Rajasthan 38 HABITAT PREFERENCE 39-59

Desert Biome 39 The Abu Hill 41 The Main Aravalli Range 44 x Ecology of Small Mammals of Desert and Montane Ecosystems

The Southern Rajasthan 46 The Southeastern Rajasthan 47 Discontinuous Distribution 49 Changes in Species Abundance 50 Species Diversity Analysis 55 Alpha Diversity 55 Beta Diversity 55 Aravalli Range 55 Southern Rajasthan 57 Southeastern Rajasthan 58 FOOD 60-83

Insectivores 60 The Hedgehogs 60 Examination of stomach contents 60 Examination of Pellets 62 The House Shrew 63 Rodents 64 The Squirrel 64 Food in Nature : Stomach Content Study 65 Indian Gerbil 65 Indian Desert Gerbil 66 Unconsumed plants lying near burrow openings 69 Economic consideration 70 Seed consumption 70 The Cutch Rock Rat 72 The Soft-furred Field Rat 73 Food in Crop Fields 73 Losses Due to Rodents in Crop Fields 76 Hoarding 77 Bait Preference 77 Trophic Categories 80 BEHAVIOUR 84-104 Home Range 84 The Five-striped Squirrel 85

Contents xi

The Indian Gerbil 85 The Desert Gerbil 86 Activity Pattern 88 Behaviour of M. hurrianae 95 Auditory Communication 95 Fossorial Behaviour 96 Foot-Thumping or Drumming 96 Sand Bathing 96 Scent Marking Behaviour 97 Exploratory Behaviour 98 Neophobia and New Object Reaction 99 Neophobic Behaviour and Food Shyness 100 Bait Shyness 100 Mitigation of Poison Aversion and Shyness Behaviour 103 REPRODUCTION 105-125 In the Thar Desert 105 In the Aravallis 112 Species Summaries 113 PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS 126-132

Water Balance 126 Thermoregulation 130 ZOOGEOGRAPHY 133-137 Insectivora 134 Rodentia 134 REFERENCES 138-153

Sand Dunes in the Thar Desert Sand Dunes with scanty vegetation

Sandy plain with xerophytic trees Rocky exposures occur in the desert also

Devegetated hills of the Aravallis Well vegetated Aravalli hill with some vegetation on the foothills

Bare Aravalli hill The Loosely-piled stone wall, a man-made niche for the rock-rat The house mouse, Mus musculus The little gerbil, nanus

The hairy-footed gerbil, Gerbillus gleadowi

The Indian gerbil, Tatera indica

The desert gerbil, Meriones hurrianae The long-eared hedgehog The Cutch rock-rat, Cremnomys cutchicus

The lesser bandicoot, Bandicota bengalensis

The Indian field mouse, The fawn-coloured mouse, Mus booduga Mus phillipsi The mole rat, Nesokia indica

The spiny mouse, Mus platythrix The Indian bush rat, Golunda ellioti

The Bandicoot with a litter of 13 young