Small carnivores population survey in Southern Namibia

B.Sc. ALBA ANDRES CRIADO, prom. biol.

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Small carnivores represent a group of species with great ecological plasticity, present in all continents and habitats, exhibiting a wide range of adaptations that allow them to survive from different food resources and in the most extreme situations. These adaptations place them in intermediate positions in the food chain, playing vital roles in the maintenance of ecosystem communities by regulating the levels of primary consumers, feeding the larger predators and also participating indirectly in their regulation through disease transmission.The framework of this thesis was focused on a study of the diversity of small carnivores in a private reserve located in the arid Nama-Karoo of southern Namibia. The data collection took place during the winter of 2019, using 30 camera traps that operated continuously over the period of one month. The main objective of this thesis was to describe the species richness and diversity of small carnivores in the area by studying their distribution patterns, abundance and diurnal activity. Ten species of small carnivores belonging to the families Felidae, Canidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae, Viverridae and Herpestidae were detected in the area, being uniformly distributed throughout the study area, with differences in the choice of habitat by the different species, according to their vital needs. Almost all species except Cape grey mongoose (Herpestes pulverulentus) showed a nocturnal pattern of activity and overlapped in time with other species, indicating a low level of competition.This thesis is presented as a first approach to the study of small carnivores in the area, creating a basis of knowledge for the proper management and conservation of these species in desert lands where resources are limited.

Keywords

camera traps, diversity, species richness, occupancy, activity pattern

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 13. 5. 2020

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: doc. Ing. Karolína Brandlová, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Tropické zemědělství / Wildlife Management in Tropics and Subtropics