Impact of habitat disturbance on the distribution of endemic species of small mammals and birds in a tropical rain forest in Sri Lanka

Wijesinghe, M.R.; Brooke, M. de L.

doi:10.1017/s0266467405002695

Cited by 41 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Table 1. The mammal, reptile and amphibian species that occur in Sri Lanka and are assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) or Endangered (EN) in the IUCN (2012) Red List, indicating records from old-growth (▲) and secondary (∆) forests: data from www.iucnredlist.org; Goonewardene et al (2006), Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda ( , 2007, Meegaskumbura and Manamendra-Arachchi (2005), Meegaskumbura et al (2009), Wijesinghe and Brooke (2005), the reference collection of the Wildlife Heritage Trust at the National Museum, Colombo; and personal observations. Bubalus arnee (EN), though listed from Sri Lanka, is unlikely to occur there (Hedges et al, 2008); ‗Raorchestes' viridis is a Pseudophilautus.…”

Section: Despite Continued Forest Conversion and Degradation Forest mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka's novel ecosystems

Pethiyagoda

2012

Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.)

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With Sri Lanka's old-growth forests having been reduced to less than 20% of their pre-colonial extent, increasing areas of land, formerly heavily influenced by humans, are being allowed to return to secondary forests. These range from land recovering from swidden cultivation in the dry zone, through abandoned tea plantations in the lower-montane zone, to partly-logged forests throughout the country. Although the secondary vegetation of these ‗emerging ecosystems' is often dominated by alien plant species and includes only a depauperate native flora, many threatened animals, ranging from amphibians to elephants, are able to utilize them for part or all of their life cycles. These novel ecosystems offer valuable conservation opportunities in two ways: (1) by increasing the area of occupancy of threatened species they contribute directly to a reduction in the level of threat; and (2) they provide a filter for triage, whereby threatened species that are intolerant of modified habitats could be awarded higher priority in the design of recovery plans. Available data suggest that among the Sri Lankan terrestrial vertebrates presently assessed as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List, 12 of 14 mammal species, three of four reptile species and 40 of 48 amphibian species occur also in emerging ecosystems. Despite their impoverished plant diversity, therefore, such ecosystems should be viewed as a conservation opportunity rather than a threat; they should be incorporated into the national protected areas network and their biodiversity monitored, especially in relation to threatened species.Those that establish stable populations over multiple generations could be down-listed so that greater conservation attention could be allocated to threatened species obligatorily dependent on old-growth forests.

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Section: Despite Continued Forest Conversion and Degradation Forest mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka's novel ecosystems

Pethiyagoda

2012

Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.)

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“…Notably, the wet-zone toque macaque (M. s. aurifons) was rare inside forested areas, but was common at the forest peripheries in keeping with its ecological adaptation to "edge" habitats (Richard et al, 1989). Wijesinghe and Brooke (2005) and Wijesinghe (2012) have pointed out, however, that habitat disturbance, as occurs on forest edges, negatively impacts the small bodied mammal endemic niche specialists more than the non-endemic ones and may lead to a shift in faunal composition in such areas. The endangered endemic leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is the apex predator in Sri Lanka and its survival is best served by large extents of PAs of natural forest and protected corridors of vegetation connecting smaller areas (Kittle et al 2014(Kittle et al , 2017.…”

Section: What Once There Wasmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biogeography and ecology of Sri Lankan mammals point to conservation priorities

Dittus

2017

Ceylon J. Sci.

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All mammals originated on the supercontinent of Pangaea in the Mesozoic era during the "Age of Reptiles." However, the crown ancestors of contemporary mammals did not flourish until major environmental and biotic changes had occurred. An asteroid collided with earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period (the K-Pg boundary event) wiping out nonflying dinosaurs and primitive mammals. It was followed by large-scale volcanism, a spike in atmospheric oxygen and the proliferation of flowering plants. New niches became available for the ancestors of today's mammals to fill. Evidence suggesting whether the ancestors of the Sri Lankan and Indian mammals originated on the tectonically marooned Indian plate before crashing into Asia or on the Laurasian supercontinent is inconclusive. Modern Sri Lankan mammals show their greatest affinity with those of southern India, and were more diverse in the Pleistocene when rhinoceros, hippopotamus, wild dogs, gaur and lions enriched the island's landscapes. Native Sri Lankan land-based mammals are diversified into about 108 unique taxa (among 91 species and 53 genera), differentiated as phenotypic adaptations to sharply contrasting environments among seven major phyto-climatic zones. Endemic subspecies are distributed fairly equally across different phyto-climatic zones (n=24 to 29), except in the highlands where they are fewer (n=14) having evolved rapidly to species and genera among the insectivores and rodents whose reproductive rates are high. Conversely, greater numbers of endemic species (n=13) and genera (n=3) occur in the highlands than in the other zones (2-6 endemic species, no endemic genera). The prevalence of endemism is inversely related to body size or vagility. This suggests a greater probability of genetic exchange among distant populations of large bodied mobile mammals within Sri Lanka, as well as with Indian fauna during periods of land bridges in the Pleistocene. Most (8 of 13) endangered and critically endangered endemic mammals occur in the wet montane regions that offer the least Protected Areas (PAs). More than 85% of PAs occur in the extensive dry zone about half of which is not suited for water dependent mammals whose distributions are restricted to alluvial forests (less than 1% of PAs). Historically, the national cost of conservation has been low and therefore politically palatable. Current conservation urgently requires a major change in management policy combined with realistic investment to prevent extinctions of many endemic mammals and other unique Sri Lankan biota.

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“…The forest was designated a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Global Network of Biosphere Reserves. Subsequently, UNESCO declared it a Natural World Heritage Site (Wijesinghe & Brooke 2005).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%