DIET AND HABITAT USE OF VIVERRID GROUP AT SAKAERAT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH STATION, NAKHON RATCHASIMA Sarawee Aroon A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Biology Suranaree University of Technology Academic Year 2008 กก ก กกก กก 2551 DIET AND HABITAT USE OF VIVERRID GROUP AT SAKAERAT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH STATION, NAKHON RATCHASIMA Suranaree University of Technology has approved this thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s Degree. Thesis Examining Committee ______________________________ (Asst. Prof. Dr. Griangsak Eumkeb) Chairperson ______________________________ (Asst. Prof. Dr. Nathawut Thanee) Member (Thesis Advisor) ______________________________ (Dr. Jacques G. Hill) Member ______________________________ (Mr. Taksin Artchawakom) Member ______________________________ ______________________________ (Prof. Dr. Pairote Sattayatham) (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prapan Manyum) Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Dean of Institute of Science : กก ก (DIET AND HABITAT USE OF VIVERRID GROUP AT SAKAERAT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH STATION, NAKHON RATCHASIMA) ก : . , 64 . กกกกก ก กกกกก กก ก ก ก 2551 (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) (Viverra zibetha ) (Viverricula indica ) กกก ก กกกกก ก ก กก กก กก กกกก (Maxomys surifer ) ก ก ก กก _______________________________ กก 2551 ก _________________________ ก______________________ ก_____________________ _ SARAWEE AROON : DIET AND HABITAT USE OF VIVERRID GROUP AT SAKAERAT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH STATION, NAKHON RATCHASIMA. THESIS ADVISOR : ASST. PROF. NATHAWUT THANEE, Ph.D. 64 PP. DIET/HABITAT USE/VIVERRID/SAKAERAT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH STATION The purposes of this study were to investigate the diet and habitat use of viverrids at Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, Nakhon Ratchasima province. Data on viverrids were obtained by live trapping, sign observations, camera trapping and scat collection along the roads and fire breaks from January to December 2008. Common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ), large Indian civet ( Viverra zibetha ) and small Indian civet ( Viverricula indica ) were encountered during study. Data from sign surveys were used to interpret habitat use. Scat was analyzed for food items and used to calculate seasonal diet. Viverrids used dry evergreen forest, random use in dry dipterocarp forest and avoidanced plantation and bamboo forest. Small mammals and fruits were the major diet of viverrids, especially yellow rajah rat ( Maxomys surifer ). The diets of viverrids varied among seasons, depended on abundance and availability of food items. School of Biology Student’s Signature ___________________ Academic Year 2008 Advisor’s Signature___________________ Co-advisor’s Signature ________________ Co-advisor’s Signature ________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank my thesis advisor, Asst. Prof. Dr. Nathawut Thanee, for his invaluable help and constant encouragement throughout the course of this research. I also thank my committee member: Asst. Prof. Dr. Griangsak Eumkeb for sharing his great knowledge and inspiration. I thank my co-advisor, Mr. Taksin Artchawakom, Director of Sakaerat Environmental Research Station (SERS) for an excellent experience and for his assistance during my first research experience. Many thanks to Mr. Samai Sewakhonburee, Mr. Jumlong Placsanoi, Mr. Narin Suprapatpokar and the other staff of SERS for their help throughout this research. Dr. Jaques G. Hill, my first foreign teacher and co-advisor made me excited with my first research project and helped me editing this thesis and provided many suggestions. In addition, I am grateful for the staff of the school of Biology: Asst. Prof. Dr. Waree Widjaja, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sajeera Kupittayanant, Asst. Prof. Dr. Panee Wannitikul, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sompong Thammathaworn, Dr. Pongthep Suwanwaree, and other persons for their suggestions and help. I also gained friendship and willpower from my seniors such as Mr. Seksan Sansorrapisoot, Mr. Sitthisak Pinmongkholgul, and Miss Anisong Chitnarin. Special thanks also to Suranaree University of Technology and the National Research Council for my scholarship and financial support for this study. Special thanks is due to the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) for the IV permission to use the study site at the SERS. Finally, I most gratefully acknowledge my parents and my friends for all their support throughout the period of this research. Sarawee Aroon CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT IN THAI ……………………………………………………………………І ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH ……………………………………………………………... ІІ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………………………….III CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………………………..V LIST OF TABLES .……………………………………………………………………VIII LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..IX CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………...1 1.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………….1 1.2 Research objectives ………………………………………………………….3 1.3 Scope and limitations of this study…….……………….……………...…….3 1.4 Expected results……………………………………………………………...3 II LITERATURE REVIEWS ……………………………………………………….4 2.1 The concept of ecological niche ......................................................................4 2.2 Family Viverridae..…………………………………………………………..5 2.3 Classification and diversity of viverrids..........................................................6 2.4 Viverrids in Thailand……………………………………………………….10 2.5 Some ecological aspects of viverrids ………….……...……………………10 2.6 Viverrids and people...…….………………………………………………..12 2.7 Conservation status……………………….……………………………...…13 II CONTENTS (Continued) Page III METHODOGY …………………………………………………………………..14 3.1 Study site description ….…………………………………………………...14 3.2 Habitat classification ……………………………………………………….16 3.3 Sign surveys ……………………………………………………...………...17 3.4 Trapping procedure ……………………………………………………...…18 3.5 Scat collection and analysis………………………………………………...19 3.6 Data analysis ………………………………………………………………..22 3.6.1 Habitat analysis ……………………………….……………………22 3.6.2 Dietary diversity ……………………………………………………24 3.6.3 Dietary niche analysis………………………………………………25 3.6.4 Seasonal diet …………………………………………………….….26 IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ………………………………………………...27 4.1 Sign surveys and live trapping …………………………………...………...27 4.2 Distribution and habitat use………………………………………………...30 4.3 Diet of viverrids....………………………………………………………….32 4.4 Seasonal diet of viverrids …...….…………………………………………..36 4.5 Dietary niche of viverrids ....……………………………………....………..40 V CONCLUSION ………………………………………...………..……………….42 REFERENCES ………………………….……………………...…………….…………44 APPENDICES .………………………………………………………………………….52 APPENDIX A CLIMATIC DATA …....…………………………...…………….52 III CONTENTS (Continued) Page APPENDIX B THE DIET OF VIVERRIDS AND THE ABUNDANCE OF FRUITS AND SMALL MAMMALS……………...……………54 APPENDIX C THE KEY TO VIVERRID TRACKS …...………………………58 APPENDIX D PHOTOGRAPHS OF FIELD DATA COLLECTION …….……61 CURRICULUM VITAE .…………………………………………………...…………..64 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Viverrids in Thailand…......……………………………………………………….10 2 Body measurements of captured common palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) at SERS, 2008…...……………………………...29 3 Frequency of occurrence (FO), volume of food items (%V) and minimum number of individuals (MNI) in the diet of civets at SERS, 2008...…….…….….35 4 Shannon-Wiener diversity index ( H′ ) and niche breadth ( BA) among seasons of civets at SERS, 2008……………………………………………...……………41 5 Pianka’s index calculated for food niche overlap among seasons of civets at SERS, 2008………………………………………………………...…………...41 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Location of Sakaerat Environmental Research Station (SERS)…………...……15 2 Digital land cover map with 1 km2 cell grids of SERS……………………..…..20 3 Location of the ten line transect surveys (C) and six trapping lines (T) at SERS in 2008…………………………………………………………………...21 4 Distribution of civets in different habitat types at SRES, 2008…….…………..31 5 Ivlev’s electivity index indicating habitat selection (positive value) or avoidance (negative value) for civets at SERS, 2008……..…………………….32 6 Seasonal dietary in frequency of occurrence (%FO) of civets at SERS, 2008……………………………………………………………………..39 7 Seasonal dietary in volume of food items (%V) of civets at SERS, 2008…...…39 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction All organisms have a unique role or function in an ecosystem, commonly called “ecological niche” (Grinnell, 1917; Hutchinson, 1957). The ecological niche is the position or role of an organism in its environment, defined by such factors as foods, predators, habitat, and temperature requirements (Brooker et al ., 2008). Each species occupies an ecological niche which is the set of resources it requires as well as its influence on the environment and other species. Niche parameters of different species may overlap and organisms may compete with other species for the resources they have in common. If two species are very similar, their niches will overlap resulting in competition (Wessells and Hopson, 1998). Species may reduced competition between each other by reduced the resource partitioning, behaviorial change, activity time changes, and morphological adaptations. Good examples of these phenomena can be found in carnivore communities (de Almeida Jácomo et al ., 2004). Carnivore communities often exhibit niche overlap because of the scarcity of major prey species, thus many carnivore families such as Ursidae (bears), Mephitidae (skunks), Herpestidae (mongooses), and Viverridae (civets, binturong, linsangs, and genets) are adapted for feeding on a variety