O. B. Kok
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State,
P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
C. R. Haddad
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State,
P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
D.J. Van Niekerk
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State,
P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
H.J. B. Butler
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State,
P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
M. A. Nawaz
Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, Centre One, Street 15, F-7/2 Islamabad, Pakistan
ABSTRACT
The ground-dwelling invertebrate fauna was collected using pitfall traps to sample four habitat types on the Deosai Plateau, Northern Pakistan, during the boreal summer of 1999 (mid-June to mid-October). A total of 43751 specimens were collected, representing four classes, 13 orders and 102 determined families (Lithobiomorpha and Basommatophora not determined). The Insecta were predominant in overall abundance and total biomass. At order level, members of the Coleoptera dominated numerically (n = 25 173, 57.5%), followed by the Araneae (n = 8 757, 20.0%), Hymenoptera (n = 3 316, 7.6%), Acari (n = 2 113, 4.83%) and Orthoptera (n = 1 880, 4.3%). At family level, larger arthropods of the Acrididae, Tenebrionidae, Lycosidae, Carabidae and Anthophoridae contributed most to total dry mass. Arthropod families displayed divergent patterns of activity during the brief boreal summer. Overall habitat preference is skewed in favour of the drier, more open habitat types. Based on their relative abundance, arthropods represent a potentially important food source for brown bears inhabiting the Deosai Plateau and contribute to the overall functioning of the Deosai ecosystem.
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How to cite this article
O. B. Kok, C. R. Haddad, D.J. Van Niekerk, H.J. B. Butler and M. A. Nawaz, 2005. Invertebrates as a Potential Food Source of Brown Bears on the Deosai Plateau, Northern Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 8: 13-19.
DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2005.13.19
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjbs.2005.13.19
DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2005.13.19
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjbs.2005.13.19
REFERENCES
- Kok, O.B., L.N. Lotz and C.R. Haddad, 2004. Diversity and ecology of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of the deosai plateau, Northern Pakistan. Pak. J. Biol. Sci., 7: 1689-1694.
CrossRefDirect Link - Medan, D., N.H. Montaldo, M. Devoto, A. Mantese, V. Vasellati, G.G. Roitman and N.H. Bartoloni, 2002. Plant-pollinator relationships at two altitudes in the Andes of Mendoza, Argentina. Arctic, Antarctic, Alpine Res., 34: 233-241.
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