Distribution and extent of suitable habitats of Ruspoli's Turaco (Tauraco ruspolii) and White-cheeked Turaco (Tauraco leucotis) under a changing climate in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the distribution pattern of species and their suitable habitat is key to focus conservation efforts. Climate change has had notable impact on the distribution and extent of suitable habitats, and the long-term survival of various species. We aim to determine the distribution and extent of suitable habitats for Tauraco ruspolii and T. leucotis in Ethiopia and predict their range in the 2050s and 2070s using MaxEnt algorithm. We used 25 and 29 rarified occurrence points for T. ruspolii and T. leucotis, respectively, and 13 environmental variables. Three regularization multipliers and two cut-off thresholds were used to map the potential suitable habitats for each species under current and future climates. Maps were assembled from these techniques to produce final composite tertiary maps and investigated the habitat suitability overlap between the two species using the UNION tool in the geographical information system. RESULT: All model run performances were highly accurate for both species. Precipitation of the driest month and vegetation cover are the most influential variables for the habitat suitability of T. ruspolii. The habitat suitability of T. leucotis is also mainly influenced by mean temperature of the driest quarter and vegetation cover. Under the current climate, the suitable habitat predicted for T. ruspolii covered about 24,639.19 km2, but its range size change shows a gain and increase by 156.00% and 142.68% in 2050 and 2070, respectively. The T. leucotis's current suitable habitat ranges about 204,397.62 km², but this is reduced by 40.84% and 68.67% in 2050 and 2070, respectively. Our modeling also showed that there was suitable habitat overlap between them at the margin of their respective habitat types in time series. CONCLUSION: We concluded that there is a direct or indirect impact of climate change on the suitable habitat range expansion for T. ruspolii and contraction for T. leucotis as well as overlapping of these turaco species in different regions of Ethiopia. Therefore, understanding the distribution of current and future suitable habitats of the two turaco species can provide valuable information to implement conservation practices for the species and the regions as well.

Composition and seasonality of rodent diet in Chimit Kola, Blue Nile Gorge, Ethiopia.

A study on the composition and seasonality of rodent diet was carried out during 2020-2022 years in Chimit Kola to determine the type, relative proportion and seasonality of food items consumed. A total of 166 stomach contents that belong to six rodent species (Mastomys awashensis, Acomys louisae, Arvicanthis raffertyi, Lophuromys simensis, Gerbilliscus sp. and Lemniscomys macculus) were investigated. Parametric and non-parametric analyses of variance were used to test the difference. Leaves and stems, seeds, invertebrates, fruits and unidentified food matters were the food items identified in the stomach contents of rodents. There was a significant variation in food items consumed among rodent species. Arvicanthis raffertyi and L. macculus consumed more leaves and stems whereas L. simensis, A. louisae and Gerbilliscus sp. mostly fed on invertebrates. Mastomys awashensis consumed relatively more seeds (30%) than any other rodent species (ranging from 14 to 28%). Acomys louisae, L. simensis and Gerbilliscus sp. consumed more leaves and stems during the dry season and invertebrates during the wet season. Similarly, A. raffertyi consumed more leaves and stems during the wet season and seeds during the dry season. However, the diet of M. awashensis and L. macculus and some food items (fruits and unidentified food matters) of most rodent species were similar between seasons. Mastomys awashensis significantly consumed a higher proportion of seeds in the fallowland (44%) than in other habitats (ranging from 19 to 31%). Similarly, A. louisae and L. macculus consumed a significantly higher proportion of invertebrates in bushland (53%) and riverine forests (48%) than in other habitats (ranging from 16 to 47%), respectively. The present finding concluded that these rodent species are diet generalists, feeding on a variety of available resources depending on seasons and habitats. The study documents the diet composition of these rodent species for the first time. Thus, the management and conservation of these rodents should be in consideration of their feeding habits and factors that influence their diets.

Diurnal activity time budget of Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi, Oustalet 1882) in a protected savannah area.

Understanding natural history such as diurnal activity of wildlife species is important for their conservation intervention. The aim of the current study was to examine Grevy's zebra diurnal activity time budget in Hallaydeghe Asebot Proposed National Park (HAPNP) considering both wet and dry seasons. Scan sampling method was used. Activities of the species were recorded based on age and sex. Species were observed for 15 min (10 min activities recording followed 5 min rest). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analysis data. Grazing (31.26%) was the highest followed by resting (30.24%) during the wet season and grazing (37.13%) was the highest followed by moving (27.25%) during dry season. The peak grazing time of species was morning 6:00-9:00 a.m. and late afternoon 16:00-18:00 p.m. while resting was observed during midday. The time the species spent over grazing (df = 1, F = 27.15, p = 0.000132), Grooming (df = 1, F = 24.082, p = 0.000231), mating (df = 1, F = 24.850, p = 0.0002) and moving (df = 1, F = 5.550, p = 0.0336) activity during both seasons were significantly different. There is statistical difference for grazing (df = 2, F = 9.336, p = 0.002653), mating (df = 2, F = 6.216, p = 0.0117), moving (df = 2, F = 5.604, p = 0.0163) and other (df = 2, F = 5.006, p = 0.0229) activities based on sex of species. The current study examined only diurnal activity time budget of the species. As a result, future research shall be conducted by taking into account the impact of different factors (temperature and livestock) that can influence the activity time budget of Grevy's zebra in HAPNP. Lastly, we recommend thorough species management plan in HAPNP for sustainable conservation of Grevy's zebra.

Population status, foraging ecology and activity pattern of golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Guangua Ellala Forest, Awi Zone, north west Ethiopia.

A study on population status, foraging ecology and activity pattern of golden jackal (Canis aureus) was conducted from October 2017 to August 2018. Data was collected through direct observation (total count, focal and scan sampling) and faecal dropping analysis. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared with Chi-square test, t test and one way ANOVA. The result indicated that the average number of golden jackal in the study area was 65 during the wet season and 83 during the dry season. There was a significant difference in the population size of golden jackal between the wet and the dry season (t = 38.13, df = 1, P<0.05). The mean pack size ± SD were 4±1.19 and 4.5±1.3 during the wet and the dry seasons, respectively. Golden jackal was observed feeding mostly on rodents and plant materials. The food items consumed were significantly differed (χ2 = 20.33, df = 5, P< 0.05) between both seasons. They were mostly active during early morning (6:00-8:00) and late afternoon (16:00-18:00). The overall status of the current population does not appear in an immediate danger. However, there are many conservation problems that could affect the species in the future in the area. Therefore, appropriate conservation measures should be taken in to consideration to protect golden jackal and create suitable habitat.