Sriyani Wickramasinghe

• B.Sc , M.Sc, PhD
• Professor at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Two widespread bird species in Sri Lanka's dry zone, Pycnonotus cafer (Red-vented Bulbul, RVBB) and Pycnonotus luteolus (White-browed Bulbul, WBBB), were studied to understand their foraging dynamics and ecology. The research was conducted from October 2022 to February 2023 in Mihintale Sanctuary (80.30′11.24″ E, 8.21′04.63″ N) and the Faculty of A...

Two widespread bird species in Sri Lanka’s dry zone, Pycnonotus cafer (Red-vented Bulbul, RVBB) and Pycnonotus luteolus (White-browed Bulbul, WBBB), were studied to understand their foraging dynamics and ecology. The research was conducted from October 2022 to February 2023 in Mihintale Sanctuary (80.30'11.24"E, 8.21'04.63"N) and the Faculty of App...

There is ample evidence for the impacts of recent climatic changes on ecology. Climate plays a major role in the population dynamic of birds. Hornbills are confined to Asia and Africa with only two species present in Sri Lanka. In this study, we utilized field observations and filtered e-bird records to generate current and future climatic models f...

The Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) (RVBB) and White-browed bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) (WBBB) are two common bird species found in Sri Lanka. Despite their widespread distribution, there is limited knowledge regarding their habitat preferences, foraging behaviour, and ecology. Hence, this study aimed to understand habitat preferences, foragi...

This study was focused on explaining food selectivity in endemic Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill Ocyceros gingalensis to fill the gaps in the behavioral ecology of this endemic species. The study was conducted within Mihintale Sanctuary for five months from December 2015 to April 2016. Ringed hornbills were used to monitor the number of food items that wer...

Mangroves in Sri Lanka occur in a patchy distribution along the island’s coastline, in areas adjacent to lagoons, estuaries, and river mouths covering an area of 16,017 ha. Twenty-one species of true mangroves and 18 mangrove associates are recorded, while 214 vertebrates comprising of 112 species of ichthyofauna, 2 species of Amphibia, 13 species...

Tropical island countries are often highly populated and deliver immense ecosystem service benefits. As human wellbeing depends on these ecosystems, proper management is crucial in the resource-rich tropical lands where there is less related research. Though ecosystem service and biodiversity studies are a promising path to inform the ecosystem man...

Complex and diverse land use and land cover patterns play a significant role in global carbon regulation. Southern China accounts for over 65% of China’s total carbon sink. But in Xishuangbanna (in Southern China), rubber plantations (Hevea brasiliensis) are expanding rapidly. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand and monitor land use ch...

Mahakanadarawa Wewa is a large reservoir built during the Anuradhapura kingdom by damming the Kanadara Oya which is the main tributary of the Malwathu Oya river. This tank is declared in 1966 as one of the wildlife sanctuaries under the DWLC. The study was conducted from August 2018 to November 2019. This study is to evaluate the seasonal diversity...

Mihintale Tank is one of the main reservoirs in Mihintale, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Being an important water resource in the area, it provides water to the surrounding agricultural lands to sustain crop production during the dry season. Deterioration of surface water quality in Mihintale Tank has been reported for the past few years. However, syste...

Indian Black Robin (Copsychus fulicata leucoptera) ( Lesson, 1840) is one of the territorial birds often found in all climatic zones in Sri Lanka. Territory size of this birds species is vary according to the breeding season and habitats that they occupy. The present study was carried out to understand the breeding ecology and territorial behavior...

Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are one of the most recognizable groups of birds in the Old World tropics which utilize the tree cavities for their nesting. The characteristics of trees used for nesting and nest holes were documented for Sri Lanka Grey Hornbills in Mihintale Sanctuary within 5 breeding seasons during 2013-2017 periods. Eleven SLGH nest cav...

Sri Lanka is an island nation where ~59% of the population live in coastal regions. The main income source in these areas is fishing, which contributes to ~44% of the national GDP. Fishery resources depend on mangroves, especially in estuaries and lagoons, as mangroves provide the best nursery grounds for both brackish and marine species that are s...

The hornbills are among the most extraordinary looking birds in the world. Out of two species of hornbill, the Ocyceros gingalensis is the only endemic grey hornbill in Sri Lanka. This study was conducted in Mihintale Sanctuary which is comprised of secondary dry mixed evergreen forest patches and semiurbanized area from 2013 to 2015. Ad libitum fo...

The Article is about the distribution of endemic Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill within the Anuradhapra District North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Information on distribution patterns of endemic avifaunal species is poor. This research article is providing information on distribution pattern, food preferences, and nesting sites of this species.

Indian Black Robin (Copsychus fulicata leucoptera) ( Lesson, 1840) is one of the territorial birds often found in all climatic zones in Sri Lanka. The territory size of this bird species varies according to the breeding season and habitats that they occupy. The present study was carried out to understand the breeding ecology and territorial behavio...

The known distribution in Sri Lanka of the endemic freshwater crab Oziothelphusa mineriyaensis Bott, 1970 was limited to 2 known localities in the dry zone. In this study of the distribution of this species in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, we identified 5 new localities. Our findings expand the extent of occurrence from 168 km2 to 1467 k...

Mihintale Sanctuary is one of the high biodiversity protected area located in the dry zone. The present study was carried out in three different habitat types at the eastern border of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka in 2014. The main objective of the study was to determine the species diversity and study feeding ec...

Kotuaththawala is one of the dry zone tanks which provide habitat for diverse avifaunal community. This tank was declared as a nature reserve due to its high biodiversity. The aim of the study was to conserve the biodiversity in the tank and its surroundings by giving special preference to avifauna. Point counts, line transect and opportunistic obs...

The Diplopoda have been studied for some 250 years, but until the later part of the nineteenth century most descriptions were rather cursory and neither the species concept nor type concept were well established (Hoffman 2009). Even for well-explored regions like Europe, the description of the Diplopoda saw a proliferation of synonyms (Enghoff 1976...

Mihintale Sanctuary is one of the high biodiversity protected area located in the dry zone. The present study was carried out in three different habitat types at the eastern border of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka in 2014. The main objective of the study was to determine the species diversity and study feeding ec...

Understanding the behavioral patterns of food utilization by Sri Lankan Grey Hornbills (SLGh) within their two seasons of the life cycle lead to enquire do hornbills select food by quantity or quality. Resource utilization, pattern of hornbills plays a considerable role as seed dispersal frugivore. Present study focus on explicate the way of food s...

Seed dispersal is a process critical to the maintenance of the forest ecology. Conservation of forests requires an understanding of the seasonal patterns of abundance and distribution of important seed dispersers. The hornbills (Family Bucerotidae) are among the most extraordinary looking birds in the world. Out of two species of hornbill, the Ocyc...

The hornbills (Family Bucerotidae) are among the most extraordinary looking birds in the world. Out of two species of hornbill, the Ocyceros gingalensis is the only endemic grey hornbill (GHB) in Sri Lanka. The major drawback of the avifaunal studies in Sri Lanka is lack of behavioral studies on endemic spp. Though the Sri Lankan grey hornbill dist...

The knowledge on distribution patterns corresponding to habitat characteristics in tropical forests at its infancy. Natural forest structure as well as the anthropogenic alterations to the forests, equally affects the distribution patterns of wet zone avifauna. The study reveals the importance of %canopy closure, distance from the forest edge, tree...

The centipede fauna of Sri Lanka is reviewed from the literature. A total of 24 species in 11 genera, six families in four orders, Geophilomorpha, Lithobiomorpha Scolopendromorpha and Scutigeromorpha, has been recorded from Sri Lanka. The type specimens of 8 species of centipedes were originally collected in Sri Lanka. These include (with synonyms)...

Nikiniyawa wewa is one of the tanks situated within the Anuradhapura district, North Central province in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. This tank is surrounded by urban and suburban areas. Both biological and physico-chemical data were collected according to the standard methods. During the survey a total of 21 aquatic plant species belong to 18 famili...

This review lists the currently known species of millepedes in Sri Lanka and discusses their current taxonomic status and distribution based on previous studies from 1865 to date. A total of 104 millipede species belonging to 44 genera, 18 families and nine orders have been recorded in Sri Lanka. Of these, 82 are known only from Sri Lanka; addition...

Resource partitioning in ecological communities bears profound connection with the coexistence of closely related species. As a mechanism, it assists species with similar characteristics to thrive in the environments where they can utilise resources in different levels in spatial and temporal scale via niche partitioning. As ecologically important...

Sri Lanka " s avifauna is one of the richest in Asia. Numerous researches were conducted on avifauna of Sri Lanka. However, most of the studies were confined to the wet zone and information on the dry zone is scare. The Faculty of Applied Science locates adjacent to the Mihintale Sanctuary, provides habitats for different species of birds. The pres...

This paper presents authors experience about a completely online B. Sc. Degree program conducted in Sri Lanka at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (RUSL). This degree program is offered in two main streams as Physical sciences and Bio sciences. Both degrees are three years in duration. Focus for this paper is two modules offered in the second year a...

This paper presents authors experience about a completely online B. Sc. Degree program conducted in Sri Lanka at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. This degree program is offered in two main streams as Physical Sciences and Bio Sciences. Both degrees are three years in duration. Focus for this paper is two modules offered in the second year as a com...

Sri Lanka"s avifauna is one of the richest in Asia. Numerous researches were conducted on avifauna of Sri Lanka. However, most of the studies were confined to the wet zone and information on the dry zone is scare. The Faculty of Applied Science locates adjacent to the Mihintale Sanctuary, provides habitats for different species of birds. The presen...

Jumping spiders are one of the most ubiquitous groups of spiders in the island where 98 species recorded including 57 endemics (National Red Data List 2012). Due to their advanced prey capture techniques, behavior and habitat and species diversity have made them an interesting group of spiders though a huge gap of information prevails especially in...

The present study was carried out in three different habitat types within the Mihintale Sanctuary, namely aquatic, undisturbed forest and disturbed habitat from November 2008 to May 2009. The main objective of the study was to determine the species diversity and identify the threats to the birds. Line transect, point counts and opportunistic survey...

Mihintale sanctuary is one of the important forest reserve located in Sri Lanka with scarce information on avifauna. Although this area has been subjected to anthropogenic activities, periphery areas provide more suitable habitats for different species of birds including migrants. Current study is carried from July 2010 to end of February 2012 in t...

Session I Biodiversity Conservation and Management Proceedings of the International Forestry and Environment Symposium 2012 of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. 30 ( 87 ) Composition of mix species foraging flocks of birds in Riverstan of montane region, Sri Lanka Dayani Shermi...

Introduction Dry zone of the country provides specific habitats including dry forests, grasslands and water bodies, for the dry zone avifauna. Among those ecosystems grasslands are comparatively less in species diversity but contain considerable richness of bird species though they are very fragile eco systems. Grasslands support variety of habitat...

Breeding performance of Yellow – Eared Bulbuls in Riverstan of Dumbara Massif, Sri Lanka Chaya Sarathchandra1, S.Wickramasinghe2 1,2Biological Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. (chayasarathchandra@yahoo.com) Abstract The breeding behavior of the endemic Yellow - Eared Bulbul ( Pycnonotus penicillatus) was...

The Dry zone grey langur (Semnopithecus priam thersites) is a subspecies endemic to Sri Lanka. In this research investigated the population distribution, threats and conservation status of the S. priam thersites in the contiguous forest of Mihintale Sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Population study done by direct counting and vocal sounds along the permanen...

Many mangroves were forced to act as informal pollution mitigation zones and double up as conservation areas. Long-term data are presented for a high-profile mangrove reserve acting as such a mitigation zone in urban Thailand. Efficient mineralization of organic wastes by mangrove soil in a semi-engineered and hydraulically contained zone made it p...

The.rice.black.bug.(RBB).is.a.widely.distributed.insect.pest.of.rice..The.insect.has.a.long.life.cycle,.up.to.7. mo,.and.attacks.the.rice.plant.at.every.growth.stage,.causing.economic.losses..Although.not.frequent,. epidemics.of.RBB.have.been.reported.in.many.countries..Control.measures.include.application.of.insecticides;.cultural.practices.such.a...

The golden apple snail (GAS), Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck) is a large freshwater snail native to tropical and substropical South America that later spread to Taiwan, Japan, Southeast People's Republic of China, and the Philippines. Many potential benefits of GAS have been recognized, including its use as a food source; use in the aquarium trade,...