Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Community structure of reptiles in selected habitats of Gujarat with major emphasis on the distribution and ecobiology of lizards

Auteur : Patankar,Pratyush

Université de soutenance : Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Grade : Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Zoology 2011

Objectifs partiels
Literature review revealed that the previously conducted studies on the reptilian fauna of Gujarat and in particular lizards are very few and that the available information is much patchy and scanty. Lizards play a key role in the environment as one of the best biological pest control agents, since majority of them are insectivorous and keep a check on the insect pest population. Knowledge regarding the occurrence of a given species in a particular habitat is fundamental for understanding the diversity and distribution pattern of lizards. Thus the first objective ofthe study was to conduct a qualitative bio-inventory covering the major biogeographic zones of Gujarat, so as to determine the species richness and distribution of lizards (chapter 4). Most of the reptile studies from the western part of the country, especially Gujarat are focused on the taxonomic part as mentioned earlier. Studies on behaviour, ecology and conservation of reptiles are also limited to the orders Chelonia and Crocodilia, the members ofboth these orders being largely aquatic. Emphasis has hardly been laid on Squamates and the studies involving their behaviour, ecology and conservation are also limited (Sharma, 1982 ; Knapp, 2004 ; Dutta and Jhala, 2007) providing a very scanty information. Therefore, the second objective of the current study was to analyze the community structure of lizards vis-a-vis their microhabitat requirements (chapter 5).

Présentation et version intégrale (Shodhganga)