Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Use of tree cavities by Indian vertebrates: status of research, knowledge gaps and future conservation perspectives


Affiliations
1 Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur 680 653, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, India; Institute of Forest Biodiversity, Hyderabad 500 100, India
2 Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur 680 653, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, India
 

Tree cavities play a key role in the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. Though they host rich and specialized assemblages of numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species, they have received limited research attention in India as well as in tropics. We collated information on cavity using vertebrates of India from the available literature and various databases. Overall, 254 relevant references were found with information about tree and/or cavity characteristics and use for 517 species, which is about 18.4% of terrestrial vertebrate species of India. Among the 517 species, 43.9% were birds, followed by reptiles (30.8%), mammals (17.6%) and amphibians (7.7%), and the majority of them are rare, elusive and nocturnal species restricted to different regions/habitats. About 80% of the species are secondary users. Majority of the species use tree cavities as breeding sites (32.7%), and another 7.4% use them as roost, den or hibernation sites. Our analysis also shows that vertebrates use cavities with various characteristics in a wide variety of tree species. We have identified important gaps in research on cavity using vertebrates and cavity-trees. We have also emphasized the need for highly focused long-term studies on habitat interactions to elucidate species level requirements to plan habitat management strategies for the conservation of cavity using vertebrates and their cavity-trees

Keywords

Cavity-trees, ecological networks, tree cavity, tree-microhabitat, tropical forests, vertebrates.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Kessler, M. and Lehnert, M., Are ridge habitats special sites for endemic plants in tropical montane rain forests ? A case study of pteridophytes in Ecuador. Folia Geobot., 2009, 44, 387–398.

  • Tews, J., Brose, U., Grimm, V., Tielbörger, K., Wichmann, M., Schwager, M. and Jeltsch, F., Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures. J. Biogeogr., 2004, 31, 79–92.

  • Bull, E., The value of coarse woody debris to vertebrates in the Pacific Northwest, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service General Technical Report, PSW-GTR181, 2002, pp. 171–178; https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/ documents/psw-gtr181/016_Bull.pdf (accessed on 13 December 2017).

  • Newton, A. C., Forest Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques, Oxford University Press, USA, 2010, p. 454.

  • Cockle, K., Martin, K. and Wiebe, K., Selection of nest trees by cavity-nesting birds in the Neotropical Atlantic Forest. Biotropica, 2011, 43, 228–236.

  • Paclík, M. and Weidinger, K., Microclimate of tree cavities during winter nights – implications for roost site selection in birds. Int. J. Biometeorol., 2007, 51, 287–293.

  • Rhodes, B., O’Donnell, C. and Jamieson, I., Microclimate of natural cavity nests and its implications for a threatened secondary-cavitynesting passerine of New Zealand, the South Island Saddleback. The Condor, 2009, 111, 462–469.

  • Kerth, G., Weissmann, K. and Konig, B., Day roost selection in female Bechstein’s bats (Myotis bechsteinii): a field experiment to determine the influence of roost temperature. Oecologia, 2001, 126, 1–9.

  • O’Connell, C. and Keppel, G., Deep tree hollows: important refuges from extreme temperatures. Wildl. Biol., 2016, 22, 305– 310.

  • Cockle, K., Martin, K. and Wesołowski, T., Woodpeckers, decay, and the future of cavity‐nesting vertebrate communities worldwide. Front. Ecol. Environ., 2011, 9, 377–382.

  • Martin, K., Nest webs and woodpecker ecological services: the role of woodpeckers in tree cavity-using wildlife communities in North America. Denisia, 2015, 164, 77–86.

  • Martins, A., Willig, M., Presley, S. and Marinho-Filho, J., Effects of forest height and vertical complexity on abundance and biodiversity of bats in Amazonia. Forest Ecol. Manage., 2017, 391, 427–435.

  • Corlett, R., Frugivory and seed dispersal by vertebrates in tropical and subtropical Asia: an update. Glob. Ecol. Conserv., 2007, 26, 3005–3035.

  • Brockerhoff, E. et al., Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Biodivers. Conserv., 2017, 26, 3005–3035.

  • Lindenmayer, D., Margules, C. and Botkin, D., Indicators of biodiversity for ecologically sustainable forest management. Conserv. Biol., 2000, 14, 941–950.

  • Remm, J. and Lohmus, A., Tree cavities in forests – the broad distribution pattern of a keystone structure for biodiversity. Forest Ecol. Manage., 2011, 262, 579–585.

  • Regnery, B., Paillet, Y., Couvet, D. and Kerbiriou, C., Which factors influence the occurrence and density of tree microhabitats in Mediterranean oak forests? Forest Ecol. Manage., 2013, 295, 118–125.

  • Martin, K., Aitken, K. and Wiebe, K., Nest sites and nest webs for cavity-nesting communities in interior British Columbia, Canada: nest characteristics and niche partitioning. The Condor, 2004, 106, 5–19.

  • Gibbons, P. and Lindenmayer, D., Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, 2002, p. 230.

  • Czeszczewik, D., Walankiewicz, W. and Stansk, M., Small mammals in nests of cavity-nesting birds : why should ornithologists study rodents ? Can. J. Zool., 2008, 86, 286–293.

  • Aitken, K., Wiebe, K. and Martin, K., Nest-site reuse patterns for a cavity-nesting bird community in interior British Columbia. The Auk, 2002, 119, 391–402.

  • Biju, S. D., Senevirathne, G., Garg, S. and Mahony, S., Frankixalus, a new Rhacophorid genus of tree hole breeding frogs with oophagous tadpoles. PLoS ONE, 2016, 11, e0145727.

  • Duengkae, P. and Chuaynkern, Y., Observations of basking in Varanus bengalensis nebulosus from northeastern Thailand. Biawak, 2009, 3, 88–92.

  • Kitching, R., Food Webs and Container Habitats: The Natural History and Ecology of Phytotelmata, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2000, p. 431.

  • Nishad, K. and Das, K., Metazoan community composition in tree hole aquatic habitats of Silent Valley National Park and New Amarambalam Reserve Forest of the Western Ghats, India. J. Threat. Taxa, 2012, 4, 3312–3318.

  • van der Hoek, Y., Gaona, G. and Martin, K., The diversity, distribution and conservation status of the tree-cavity-nesting birds of the world. Divers. Distrib., 2017, 23, 1120–1131.

  • van der Hoek, Y., Gaona, G., Ciah, M. and Martin, K., Global relationships between tree-cavity excavators and forest bird richness. R. Soc. Open Sci., 2020, 7, 192177.

  • Cornelius, C. et al., Cavity-nesting birds in neotropical forests: cavities as a potentially limiting resource. Ornithol. Neotropical., 2008, 19, 253–268.

  • Martin, K. and Eadie, J., Nest webs: a community-wide approach to the management and conservation of cavity-nesting forest birds. Forest Ecol. Manage., 1999, 115, 243–257.

  • Blanc, L. and Walters, J., Cavity-nest webs in a longleaf pine ecosystem. The Condor, 2008, 110, 80–92.

  • Goldingay, R., Characteristics of tree hollows used by Australian birds and bats. Wildl. Res., 2009, 36, 394–409.

  • Goldingay, R., Characteristics of tree hollows used by Australian arboreal and scansorial mammals. Aust. J. Zool., 2011, 59, 277–294.

  • Boyle, W. A., Ganong, C. N., Clark, D. B. and Hast, M. A., Density, distribution, and attributes of tree cavities in an old-growth tropical rain forest. Biotropica, 2008, 40, 241–245.

  • Gibbs, J., Hunter, M. and Melvin, S., Snag availability and communities of cavity nesting birds in tropical versus temperate forests. Biotropica, 1993, 25, 236–241.

  • Panicker, K., Ecology of hole nesting birds. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1980, 75, 1227–1237.

  • Thiyagesan, K., Ecology of cavity nesting birds in and around Mayiladuturai, Tamil Nadu, South India. Ph D thesis submitted to Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu, India, 1991, p. 140.

  • Santharam, V., Nesting ecology of sympatric woodpeckers of the Western Ghats, India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 2006, 103, 202.

  • Yahya, H. S. A., Biology of Indian Barbets, Authorspress, New Delhi, India, 2001, p. 170.

  • Varghese, A. P., Ecology and behaviour of Malabar Trogon, Harpactes fasciatus malabaricus. Ph D thesis, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India, 2002, p. 149.

  • Mudappa, D., Eight years monitoring of Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus nest cavity use and dynamics in the Anamalai rainforest, India. In The Third International Hornbill Workshop, Pimdee Karnpim Co. Ltd, Hornbill Research Foundation, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 2005, pp. 3–9.

  • Ishtiaq, F. and Rahmani, A., The Forest owlet Heteroglaux blewitti: vocalization, breeding biology and conservation. Ibis, 2005, 147, 197–205.

  • Balakrishnan, P., Recent sightings and habitat characteristics of the endemic Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii in Western Ghats, India. Small Carniv. Conserv., 2005, 33, 14–16.

  • Mudappa, D., Day-bed choice by the Brown Palm Civet (Paradoxurus jerdoni) in the Western Ghats. Mamm. Biol., 2006, 71, 238–243.

  • Jayson, E., Status, distribution, food and feeding of Malabar Spiny Dormouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth) in the Western Ghats of Kerala, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Research Report 293, 2006, p. 119.

  • Rajamani, N. and Sinha, A., Disconnected canopies and flying squirrels presence in a landscape matrix in the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats. In Forest Canopies of South Asia – A Glimpse (eds Devi, S., Ganesh, T. and Tripathy, A.), ATREE, Bengaluru, India, 2012.

  • IUCN, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2018; https://www.iucnredlist.org/

  • Larsson, J., Eulerr: Area-Proportional Euler and Venn Diagrams with Ellipses. R package version 6.1.0, 2020; https://cran.r-project.org/package=eulerr

  • Gu, Z., Complex heatmaps reveal patterns and correlations in multidimensional genomic data, 2016; https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btw313

  • Fleming, R., Notes on the nest and behaviour of the Yellowbrowed Titmouse, Parus modestus (Burton). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1973, 70, 326–329.

  • Santharam, V., Apartment nest of the Pygmy Woodpecker Picoides nanus. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1999, 96, 143.

  • Santharam, V., Woodpecker holes used for nesting by secondary cavity-nesters in the Western Ghats, India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 2004, 101, 157–158.

  • Aubry, K. and Raley, C., The Pileated Woodpecker as a keystone habitat modifier in the Pacific Northwest. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep., 2002, 181, 257–274.

  • Segura, A., How does vegetation structure influence woodpeckers and secondary cavity nesting birds in African cork oak forest? Acta Oecol., 2017, 83, 22–28.

  • Barve, S. and Mason, N., Interspecific competition affects evolutionary links between cavity nesting, migration and clutch size in Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapdae). Ibis, 2015, 157, 299–311.

  • Raman, T. and Mudappa, D., Correlates of hornbill distribution and abundance in rainforest fragments in the southern Western Ghats, India. Bird Conserv. Int., 2003, 13, 199–212.

  • Marsden, S. and Pilgrim, J., Factors influencing the abundance of parrots and hornbills in pristine and disturbed forests on New Britain, PNG. Ibis, 2003, 145, 45–53.

  • ENVIS, Endemic Birds of India 2018. ENVIS Resource Partner on Avian Ecology, 2018; https://bnhsenvis.nic.in/Database/1_17700.aspx


Abstract Views: 397

PDF Views: 130




  • Use of tree cavities by Indian vertebrates: status of research, knowledge gaps and future conservation perspectives

Abstract Views: 397  |  PDF Views: 130

Authors

Bharati Patel
Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur 680 653, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, India; Institute of Forest Biodiversity, Hyderabad 500 100, India
Sreejith Sivaraman
Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur 680 653, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, India
Peroth Balakrishanan
Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Thrissur 680 653, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, India

Abstract


Tree cavities play a key role in the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. Though they host rich and specialized assemblages of numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species, they have received limited research attention in India as well as in tropics. We collated information on cavity using vertebrates of India from the available literature and various databases. Overall, 254 relevant references were found with information about tree and/or cavity characteristics and use for 517 species, which is about 18.4% of terrestrial vertebrate species of India. Among the 517 species, 43.9% were birds, followed by reptiles (30.8%), mammals (17.6%) and amphibians (7.7%), and the majority of them are rare, elusive and nocturnal species restricted to different regions/habitats. About 80% of the species are secondary users. Majority of the species use tree cavities as breeding sites (32.7%), and another 7.4% use them as roost, den or hibernation sites. Our analysis also shows that vertebrates use cavities with various characteristics in a wide variety of tree species. We have identified important gaps in research on cavity using vertebrates and cavity-trees. We have also emphasized the need for highly focused long-term studies on habitat interactions to elucidate species level requirements to plan habitat management strategies for the conservation of cavity using vertebrates and their cavity-trees

Keywords


Cavity-trees, ecological networks, tree cavity, tree-microhabitat, tropical forests, vertebrates.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv121%2Fi4%2F490-501