|
Addis Ababa University Libraries Electronic Thesis and Dissertations: AAU-ETD! >
Faculty of Science >
Thesis - Environmental Sciences >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2420
|
| Title: | REPTILE SURVEY AND SOME ECOLOGICAL STUDIES OF TWO SYMPATRIC LIZARD SPECIES, Tarentola annularis AND Mabuya striata FROM AWASH NATIONAL PARK, ETHIOPIA |
| Authors: | Ashebir, Mekonnen |
| Advisors: | Professor Samy A. Saber
Dr. Abebe Getahun |
| Keywords: | sympatry
resource partitioning
reptiles
niche overlap
niche breadth
habitat association
diversity
Awash National Park |
| Copyright: | Jul-2009 |
| Date Added: | 4-May-2012 |
| Publisher: | AAU |
| Abstract: | The main objective of this study was to obtain base line information about the reptilian fauna of
the Awash National Park. The survey was conducted using active search, pit fall trapping, cover
sheet, and photographing methods from August, 2008 to June, 2009, covering both the dry and
wet seasons. Resource partitioning study was also carried out on two sympatric lizard species,
Tarentola annularis and Mabuya striata by filling the herpetological data sheet whenever one of
the two species was encountered. Temperature and relative humidity of the area were also
recorded every hour. During the survey, a total of 32 species belonging to three orders (Order
Squamata, Order Testudines and order Crocodylia) were recorded. The Order Squamata was the
most diverse containing 29 species belonging to two Suborders, Suborder Sauria and Suborder
Serpents. Suborder Sauria comprised 22 species belonging to12 genera and seven families, while
Suborder Serpents included seven species belonging to six genera and three families. The Order
Testudines comprised two species belonging to two genera and two families. Order Crocodylia
also consists of only one species belonging to a genus and a family. Out of the 32 species
recorded, 12 (37.5%) species were newly recorded. The diversity of reptiles varied among the
different habitat types. The rocky area habitat appeared to be a choice for most of the reptiles
encountered in the study period (34.21%), followed by the bushland habitat (19.74%). The most
preferred habitats of snakes encountered were rocky areas (42.31%), followed by sandy areas
(26.92%), while the most commonly used habitats of lizards were buildings and tents (54.92%),
followed by the rocky areas (24.59%) and bushlands (14.75%). Regarding resource partitioning,
the two sympatric lizard species were found to have a very high overlap in their spatial niche
dimension and moderate overlap in food niche dimension, which can be compensated by the
x
lowest overlap in their temporal niche dimension. This ecological survey revealed that the Park
supports relatively a variety of reptile species in different habitat types, though it needs more
detailed surveys on both the taxonomic and geographic coverage of the reptilian fauna of the
area. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2420 |
| Appears in: | Thesis - Environmental Sciences
|
Items in the AAUL Digital Library are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|
