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Nowadays urbanization continues and poses a serious threat to wildlife globally. A survey-based study on wildlife was conducted for three years from March 2017 to February 2020 in Dhaka University campus. Data was collected through direct visual encounter observations. A total of 94 species of wildlife under 20 orders and 52 families were observed. Of the documented wildlife, 5 (5.32%) species belongs to amphibians, 10 (10.64%) reptiles, 70 (74.47%) birds and 9 (9.57%) mammals. The highest species richness (72, 76.60%) was observed in the third year (March 2019 to February 2020), particularly in the winter season. Although the lowest richness was (63, 67.02%) found in the first year (March 2017 to February 2018), the evenness was the highest this year, particularly in summer season. We counted the highest number of individuals (n=5227, 35.73%) in the first year (March 2017 to February 2018) but these counts have gradually decreased with the lowest in the third year (March 2019 to February 2020). Among 94 species, 44 species (46.80%) were very common, 3 (3.19%) common, 17(18.09%) uncommon and 30 (31.91%) were few. Duttaphrynus melanostictus was the most abundant (66.89%) among amphibians, Hemidactylus frenatus (40.82%) for reptiles, Psittacula krameri (18.73%) for birds and Mus musculus (28.68%) for mammals. Rampant human movements and sound pollution were frequent inside the campus that might affect wildlife. Therefore, long-term systematic monitoring is necessary to understand the species diversity and population trend of wildlife in the campus. Moreover, this baseline information may help urban policymakers to take proper management measures for the protection of wildlife in the study area.
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Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(3 CSI): 429-442, 2022 (June)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v30i3.59035
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS, BANGLADESH
ASHIKUR RAHMAN SHOME, MD MAHABUB ALAM, MD FAZLE RABBE,
MD MOKHLESUR RAHMAN AND MOHAMMAD FIROJ JAMAN*
Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Key words: Ecology, Wildlife, Diversity, Dhaka University
Abstract
Nowadays urbanization continues, and poses a serious threat to wildlife
globally. A survey-based study on wildlife was conducted for three years from
March 2017 to February 2020 in Dhaka University campus. Data was collected
through direct visual encounter observations. A total of 94 species of wildlife
under 20 orders and 52 families were observed. Of the documented wildlife, 5
(5.32%) species belongs to amphibians, 10 (10.64%) reptiles, 70 (74.47%) birds and
9 (9.57%) mammals. The highest species richness (72, 76.60%) was observed in
the third year (March 2019 to February 2020), particularly in winter season.
Although the lowest richness was (63, 67.02%) found in the first year (March 2017
to February 2018), but the evenness was the highest this year, particularly in
summer season. We counted the highest number of individuals (n=5227, 35.73%)
in the first year (March 2017 to February 2018) but these counts have gradually
decreased with the lowest in the third year (March 2019 to February 2020).
Among 94 species, 44 species (46.80%) were very common, 3 (3.19%) common,
17(18.09%) uncommon and 30 (31.91%) were few. Duttaphrynus melanostictus was
the most abundant (66.89%) among amphibians, Hemidactylus frenatus (40.82%)
for reptiles, Psittacula krameri (18.73%) for birds and Mus musculus (28.68%) for
mammals. Rampant human movements and sound pollution were frequent
inside the campus that might affect wildlife. Therefore, long-term systematic
monitoring is necessary to understand the species diversity and population trend
of wildlife in the campus. Moreover, this baseline information may help urban
policymakers to take proper management measures for the protection of wildlife
in the study area.
Introduction
Over the past few centuries, the world is experiencing a trend or basically, a human-
modified transformation called urbanization due to the increased number of human
populations. Until now, more than 55% of the world's human population is currently
living in urban areas and by 2050 it is expected to rise more than 68%(1-3). This increasing
population provides more velocity to the rapid urbanization process which changes the
*Author for correspondence: <mfjaman4@gmail.com>.
430 SHOME et al.
structure of landscape ecology. Consequently, this process exposes a major threat to
biodiversity through both local species extinction due to habitat conversion and biotic
homogenization(4-8). Nonetheless, urban habitats give shelter to many adaptive species
making them encounter more natural stressors(9-10). These habitats offer a wide range of
benefits to some species like increased accessibility to food resources and relief from
predators(11-12) which support a higher level of species diversity compared to rural or its
surrounding habitats. In this way, urban habitats play a significant role in protecting
local biodiversity despite the fact that this process is degrading biodiversity too(2,3,6,10).
Bangladesh has a rich and diverse wildlife species due to its location at the junction
of the Indo-Himalayas and Indo-China sub-regions. The species of two biogeographic
regions overlap and make the country a transitional zone for both flora and fauna among
South Asia(15). Depending upon such features, this country harbours a total of 57
amphibian species, 167 reptiles, 690 birds, and 127 species of mammals(13-18).
Dhaka is the largest overpopulated fastest-growing megacity (360 km2) of
Bangladesh, situated in the central region of the country. Once the city was rich with
diverse wildlife and habitats including wetlands, homestead forests, jungles, grassland
and ponds(19-21). Due to recent expansion of the city and several ongoing megaprojects
such as metrorail, flyovers/multilayer roads cause the massive changes in its landscape
structure that can eventually affect wild animals(22). As a result, wildlife habitats have
gradually reduced in Dhaka city(13,19, 23).
Some studies were previously done only on avian diversity in the Dhaka University
campus(19,23,24). Until now, no systematic study on wildlife diversity was done in the
campus. Therefore, this study aimed to prepare baseline information on wildlife
diversity, status, abundance, seasonal occurrence and habitat usage in the University of
Dhaka that may help conserve wildlife and their habitats.
Materials and Methods
Study area: The University of Dhaka (23.7340°N, 90.3928°E) is situated in the central
region of Dhaka megacity under Shahbag thana (Fig. 1) and covers an area of 2.43 km2.
This area is relatively undisturbed for wildlife compared with other parts of Dhaka
city(24). The study area has at least 541 species of trees including herbs, shrubs, creepers
and climbers(25). Besides, this area is diverse with natural habitats that include permanent
and temporary waterbodies, ponds, bushy areas and small gardens around academic and
residential buildings.
Data collection: We conducted a three years survey started from March 2017 to
February 2020 in the Dhaka University campus (i.e. first year - March 2017 to February
2018, second year – March 2018 to February 2019, third year - March 2019 to February
2020). The study period was divided into three seasons such as summer (March - June),
rainy (July - October) and winter season (November - February). Data collection was
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 431
done through direct visual encounter observations in the field. A total of 99 days (33
days×3 year) were spent in the field. An equal amount of time was spent on the survey in
each season (11 field trips in each season). Observations were conducted in the early
morning (06:30 – 10:30 am), afternoon (03.30 06.30 pm) and night (08:00 10:00 pm).
The night surveys were conducted for amphibians, reptilians, nocturnal birds and
mammals because they are mostly active at night. Some avifauna which usually hide in
the bushes, jungles and branches of trees, were recorded by receiving their song and
calls. Sometimes, calls were recorded by Huawei GT3 Phone which was later identified in
the laboratory. Upon spotting any wildlife during the survey, we photographed them by
Nikon D7100 DSLR Camera with 70-300 mm VR lens for accurate identification. For the
identification of wildlife, some popular field guides on wildlife were followed(13,15,26,27).
Fig. 1. Map of the study area.
432 SHOME et al.
In this study, we followed a random sampling method to observe nocturnal birds
and mammals(28). At least 8 hours of effort (3 hours in the morning + 3 hours in the
afternoon + 2 hours at night) per day totalling 792 hours was ensured. We used plot
counting for amphibians and reptilians, while birds and mammals were surveyed by the
employing transect line survey method(29). We sampled 20 plots with a size of 10m×10m
as well as 20 transect lines which measure about 100m×20m to cover the whole study
area. Each plot and transect line was observed repeatedly at least two times in a season.
We categorized all the habitats into six types- (1) grounds includes fallow land,
playground, yard; (2) trees such as orchard, small garden, roadside tree, tree around
buildings; (3) urban settlements includes poles, buildings, towers; (4) permanent
waterbody for example pond, tanks; (5) temporary waterbody contains small shallow,
seasonal waterbodies; and (6) bushes.
Data analysis: The relative abundance of particular bird species was calculated
following the formula-
Relative abundance = × 100
The observation status was calculated following Khan(27). We plotted species
abundance rank in the samples following Whittaker(30).We calculated diversity indices
following Shannon-Wiener index(32), Simpson's index(31) of diversity. Evenness (quantifies
how numerically equal the community is) in the study area was also calculated following
formula-
Evenness, E = H/ln (S) (natural log).
Results and Discussion
Species composition and abundance: A total of 94 species of wildlife under 20 orders and
52 families were observed in the study area, of which 5 (5.32%) were amphibians, 10
(10.64%) reptiles, 70 (74.47%) birds and 9 (9.57%) mammals (Table 1). Species
composition of this study area represents 43.06% wildlife species of megacity Dhaka(43).
We found 14,630 individuals of wildlife in total , of which 601 individuals (4.17%) were
of amphibians, 343 (2.34%) reptiles, 12884 (88.06%) birds and 802 (5.48%) mammals
(Table 1). Among the 94 species of wildlife, 44 species (46.80%) were very common, 3
(3.20%) common, 17(18.10%) uncommon and 30 (31.90%) were few (Table 1).
Amphibia: The highest number of frog species was recorded from the family
Dicroglossidae (2 species, 40%) (Table 1). The highest number of individuals was
observed during the first year (March 2017 to February 2018). But this number gradually
decreased in the following year. We did not observe any Microhylid frog in the last year
(March 2019 to February 2020) of the study in the campus. Destruction of temporary
waterbodies due to construction works in the campus might contribute to the decrease
Number of individual of a species
Total number of individuals of all species
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 433
Table 1. Wildlife in the Dhaka University Campus observed during March 2017 to February 2020.
Scientific Name Common Name N RA OS Year MH PR
Mammalia
Bandicota bengalensis Lesser Bandicoot Rat 44 5.49 UC Y3 G NO
Bandicota indica Large Bandicoot Rat 1 0.12 FE Y1 G NO
Funambulus pennantii Five-striped Palm
Squirrel 139 17.33 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T NO
Herpestes auropunctatus Small Indian Mongoose 29 3.62 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 BU NO
Macaca mulatta Rhesus Macaque 3 0.37 UC Y2, Y3 US NO
Mus musculus House Mouse 230 28.68 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 US NO
Pipistrellus coromandra Indian Pipistrelle 64 7.98 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T NO
Pteropus giganteus Indian Flying Fox 124 15.46 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T NO
Rattus rattus Common House Rat 168 20.95 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 US NO
Aves
Accipiter badius Shikra 1 0.01 FE Y3 T NEW
Acridotheres fuscus Jungle Myna 655 5.08 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, G S1,S2,S3
Acridotheres ginginianus Bank Myna 3 0.02 FE Y2 G S3
Acridotheres tristis Common Myna 407 3.16 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth's Reed Warbbler 1 0.01 FE Y2 T S3
Aegithina tiphia Common Iora 2 0.02 FE Y1 T S1, S3
Alcedo atthis Common Kingfisher 39 0.30 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Amaurornis
phoenicurus White-breasted
Waterhen 1 0.01 FE Y2 PW New
Anthus rufulus Paddyfield Pipit 3 0.02 FE Y1 BU S1,S3
Apus nipalensis House Swift 1287 9.99 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, G S1,S2,S3
Ardeola grayii Indian Pond Heron 121 0.94 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 PW S1,S2,S3
Artamus fuscus Ashy Woodswallow 2 0.02 FE Y3 T NEW
Athene brama Spotted Owlet 93 0.72 UC Y3, Y2 T S1,S2,S3
Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret 2 0.02 FE Y1 PW S2
Butorides striata Green-backed Heron 1 0.01 FE Y2 PW NEW
Cacomantis merulinus Plaintive Cuckoo 1 0.01 FE Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Columba livia Rock Dove 308 2.39 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 US,
G, T S1,S2,S3
Copsychus saularis Oriental Magpie-robin 244 1.89 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 G, T,
BU S1.S2,S3
Corvus levaillantii Large-billed Crow 159 1.23 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, G S1,S2,S3
Corvus splendens House Crow 730 5.67 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, G S1,S2,S3
Cypsiurus balasiensis Asian Palm -swift 317 2.46 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Dendrocitta vagabunda Rufous Treepie 36 0.28 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Dendrocopos macei Fulvous-breasted
Woodpecker 51 0.40 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Pale-billed
Flowerpecker 36 0.28 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
434 SHOME et al.
Scientific Name Common Name N RA OS Year MH PR
Dicrurus macrocercus Black Drongo 96 0.75 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Dinopium benghalense Black-rumped
Flameback 124 0.96 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Egretta garzetta Little Egret 130 1.01 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 TW,
PW S3
Eudynamys scolopaceus Asian Koel 114 0.88 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Falco tinnunculus Common Kestrel 1 0.01 FE Y3 T S3
Ficedula albicilla Taiga Flycatcher 8 0.06 UC Y1, Y2, Y3 BU S1,S2,S3
Halcyon smyrnensis White-breasted
Kingfisher 62 0.48 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Haliastur indus Brahminy Kite 5 0.04 UC Y2, Y3 T, PW
S1,S2,S3
Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow 2 0.02 FE Y3 T S3
Lanius cristatus Brown Shrike 8 0.06 UC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, BU
S1,S2,S3
Lanius schach Long-tailed Shrike 28 0.22 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S3
Acrocephalus aedon Thick-billed Warbler X
Aethopyga gouldiae Mrs. Gould's sunbird X
Centropus sinensis Greater Coucal X
Clamator jacobinus Pied crested Cuckoo X
Coracias benghalensis Indian Roller X
Coracina melanoptera Black-headed
Cuckooshrike X
Dendrocygna javanica Lesser Whistling Duck X
Dicrurus leucophaeus Ashy Drongo X
Falco chicquera Red-headed Falcon X
Gyps bengalensis White-rumped Vulture X
Gyps himalayensis Himalayan Griffon X
Hierococcyx varius Common Hawk Cuckoo
X
Jynx torquilla Eurasian Wryneck X
Larbivora brunnea Indian Blue Robin 1 0.01 FE Y1 BU S2,S3
Lonchura malabarica White-throated Munia 5 0.04 UC Y1, Y3 BU S1,S3
Lonchura punctulata Scaly-breasted Munia 10 0.08 UC Y3 T S3
Merops orientalis Asian Green Bee-eater 69 0.54 UC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Microcarbo niger Little Cormorant 14 0.11 UC Y3 T, PW
S1,S2,S3
Micropternus brachyurus Rufous Woodpecker 1 0.01 FE Y2 T S1,S2,S3
Milvus migrans Black Kite 1825 14.16 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Motacilla alba White Wagtail 22 0.17 UC Y1, Y2, Y3 PW S1.S2,S3
Motacilla madaraspatensis White-browed Wagtail 9 0.07 UC Y1, Y2, Y3 PW S3
Nectarinia asiatica Purple Sunbird 61 0.47 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Nectarinia zeylonica Purple-rumped Sunbird
49 0.38 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S2,S3
Ninox scutulata Brown Boobook 7 0.05 UC Y2, Y3 T NEW
Nycticorax nycticorax Black-crowned Night
Heron 7 0.05 UC Y3 T S3
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 435
Scientific Name Common Name N RA OS Year MH PR
Oriolus xanthornus Black-hooded Oriole 43 0.33 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Orthotomus sutorius Common Tailorbird 216 1.68 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, BU
S1,S2,S3
Otus lettia Collared Scops Owl 1 0.01 FE Y3 T NEW
Parus major Great Tit 5 0.04 FE Y2 T S1,S2,S3
Passer domesticus House Sparrow 1140 8.85 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T, G S1,S2,S3
Phylloscopus fuscatus Dusky Warbler 4 0.03 UC Y1, Y3 BU S3
Phylloscopus reguloides Blyth's Leaf Warbler 1 0.01 FE Y2 T S2
Psilopogon asiaticus Blue Throated Barbet 11 0.09 UC Y1, Y2 T NEW
Psilopogon haemacephala Coppersmith Barbet 94 0.73 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Psilopogon lineatus Lineated Barbet 82 0.64 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T NEW
Psittacula alexandri Red Breasted Parakeet 4 0.03 FE Y3 T S3
Psittacula cyanocephla Plum-headed Parakeet 27 0.21 UC Y2, Y3 T NEW
Psittacula eupatria Alexandrine Parakeet 123 0.95 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Psittacula krameri Rose-ringed Parakeet 2413 18.73 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Pycnonotus cafer Red-vented Bulbul 356 2.76 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2,S3
Spilopelia chinensis Eastern Spotted Dove 620 4.81 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 US,
G, T S1,S2,S3
Streptopelia decaocto Eurasian Collared Dove 1 0.01 FE Y1 G NEW
Sturnus contra Asian Pied Starling 313 2.43 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 G,T S1,S2,S3
Sturnus malabaricus Chestnut-tailed Starling 237 1.84 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 T S1,S2.S3
Treron phoenicopterus Yellow-footed Green
Pigeon 33 0.26 UC Y1, Y3 T NEW
Tyto alba Common Barn Owl 1 0.01 FE Y2 T S2,S3
Acrocephalus stentoreus Clamorous Reed
Warbler 1 0.01 FE Y2 T S1,S2,S3
Lanius tephronotus Grey-backed Shrike X
Lonchura atricapilla Chestnut Munia X
Pelargopsis capensis Stork-billed Kingfisher X
Pericrocotus roseus Rosy Minivet X
Phoenicurus ochruros Black Redstart X
Picoides canicapillus Grey-capped
Woodpecker X
Picus xanthopygaeus Streak-throated
Woodpecker X
Ploceus philippinus Baya Weaver X
Pycnonotus jocosus Red-whiskered Bulbul X
Terpsiphone paradisi Asian Paradise-
flycatcher X
Upupa epops Common Hoopoe X
Zoothera citrina Orange-headed Trush X
Zoothera dauma Eurasian Scaly Thrush X
436 SHOME et al.
Scientific Name Common Name N RA OS Year MH PR
Reptilia
Calotes versicolor Common Garden
Lizard 1 0.29 FE Y2 T NO
Eutropis carinata Common Skink 1 0.29 FE Y2 G NO
Gekko gecko Tokay Gecko 1 0.29 FE Y2 US NO
Hemidactylus flaviviridis House Lizard 32 9.33 C Y1, Y2, Y3 US NO
Hemidactylus frenatus Common House Gecko 140 40.82 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 US NO
Indotyphlops braminus Brahminy Blind Snake 1 0.29 FE Y3 G NO
Lissemys punctata Spotted Flapshell Turtle
1 0.29 FE Y3 PW NO
Pangshura tecta Roofed Turtle 128 37.32 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 PW NO
Varanus bengalensis Bengal Lizard 1 0.29 FE Y2 G NO
Xenochrophis piscator Checkered Keelback 37 10.79 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 PW NO
Amphibia
Duttaphrynus
melanostictus Common Toad 402 66.89 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 TW NO
Microhyla sp. Microhylid Frog 3 0.50 FE Y1 BU NO
Fejervarya asmati Asmat’s Cricket Frog 99 16.47 C Y1, Y2, Y3 BU, G
NO
Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Indian Bull Frog 94 15.64 VC Y1, Y2, Y3 TW NO
Polypedates leucomystax Common Tree Frog 3 0.50 FE Y2 T NO
Note: N- Number of individuals counted during study period; RA- Relative Abundance; OS- Observation
Status, VC- Very Common, C-Common, UC- Fairly Common; Few- FE, LC- Least Concern, NT- Near
Threatened; MH- Micro-habitat, T- Tree, US- Urban Settlement, G- Ground, PW- Permanent Waterbody, TW-
Temporary Waterbody, BU- Bush; W- Winter, S- Summer and R- Rainy; Y1- First year, Y2- Second year, Y3-
Third year; PR- Previous Record, S1- Akash et al.(19) (Curzon Hall), S2- Banu et al.(23) (Dhaka University
Campus), S3- Chowdhury et al.(24) (Dhaka University Campus), New- Not observed in previous studies but
present in this study, X- Observed in previous studies but not recorded in this study, NO-not studied
previously but recorded in the present study.
of frog species. For instance, a part of the botanical garden at Curzon Hall has been
replaced by a greenhouse for research purposes. Actually, this place was a suitable
breeding ground during the breeding season for Indian Bullfrog, Microhylid Frog and
some species of Cricket Frogs. These habitat changes caused the decrease for these frog
species(33). All five amphibian species were observed in the rainy season with more than
half (53.6%) of the total observed individuals (Table 1). Generally, the rainy season is the
peak breeding season for amphibians and they are the most active during this season(34).
Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus was abundant (66.89%) and dominant
among amphibians (Table 1, Fig. 2), because of their ability to adapt in all types of
habitats adjacent to water sources(34).
Reptilia: Among 10 species of reptiles, 8 belong to the order Squamata and the rest are
of Testudines (Table 1). Family Gekkonidae contained the highest number of species (3
Species, 30%). No venomous reptiles were recorded in this study. We found the highest
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 437
(8 species) number of species with the highest individual number in the second year
(March 2018 to February 2019) for reptiles. This result indicates that some species of
reptiles may adapt in the modified urban habitat(42). The abundance of Common House
Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus was the highest (40.82%) followed by Roofed Turtle
Pangshura tecta (37.31%) (Table 1, Fig. 2). This may be because Roofed Turtles was found
to breed in permanent water of Curzon Hall pond and Common House Gecko was found
in trees, buildings, household.
Fig. 2. Rank-abundance curve of the four groups of wildlife where species abundance represented
vertically and species rank represented horizontally. (Clock-wise: Amphibia-Reptilia-Aves-
Mammalia). The x-axis ranks the species in order of their abundance from the highest to
lowest and then y-axis shows the relative abundance.
Aves: Resident bird species were dominant among avifauna (60 species, 85.71%),
followed by winter migratory birds (9 species, 12.90%) and only one species was passage
visitor (1.42%). The order Passeriformes contains the highest number of bird species (34
species, 48.57%) among the 13 orders. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri was the
highest (18.73%) in abundance followed by Black Kite Milvus migrans (14.16%) as they are
supported by suitable tree species those providing enough food, shelter and nesting
facilities for them (Table 1, Fig. 2).
438 SHOME et al.
Mammalia: We observed 9 species of mammals in total and of them, 5 (55.56%)
species were rodents, mostly murids (4 species) (Table 1). House Mouse Mus musculus
(28.68%) was the most abundant mammal followed by Common House Rat Rattus rattus
(20.95%). Although, there is a huge possibility of the presence of some predatory species
for these rodents and we observed only Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus.
The excessive reproduction rate may have increased the rat population in the study area
causing the dominancy over other mammals (Fig. 2). Urban habitat provides suitable
facilities such as food sources and absence of natural stressors (e.g. less predation) for
some particular species of mammals(11,12).
No published literature is available on total wildlife diversity in Dhaka megacity
except some scattered studies on birds (Table 2). The present study found 70 bird species
in 3 year period indicating the decrease of avian species in the study area. Nine birds
species were newly recorded from the study site which were not documented in the
previous studies. Conversely, 26 species of birds were previously recorded but these
were not observed during the present study (Table 1). The comparison with other studies
on birds of Dhaka city showed that bird diversity is higher in Dhaka University campus
than in any other location of the city (Table 2). This indicates that this study area is an
ideal habitat for avifauna which may be due to the presence of diverse plant species,
mostly trees and relative food availability. But, recent developmental activities in the
campus such as metro rail, residence buildings may cause the decline of the bird
population from this area.
Table 2. A review of the bird diversity in different areas in Dhaka megacity.
Study area Number of
species Reference no.
Uttara (Sectors 7 and 9) 27 35
Curzon Hall 50 19
Dhaka University Campus 78 24
National Botanical Garden, Mirpur, Dhaka 65 36
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Campus 60 37
Ramna Park 50 38
Buriganga River 38 39
Dhaka University Campus 54 23
Megacity Dhaka 162 43
Dhaka University Campus 70 Present Study
Species diversity indices, richness, individual counts across years, season and habitats:
Species diversity of wildlife was the highest in the third year (72 species, 76.60%) and the
lowest was observed in the first year (63 species, 67.02%). Although, species diversity
was the least during the first year, we observed the highest number of individuals 5,227
ECOLOGY AND DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE IN DHAKA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 439
(35.73%) in this year followed by 4,791(32.75%) individuals in second year and 4,612
(31.52%) individuals in third year (Table 3). In 2018, the university administration has
taken some developmental projects (e.g. Science Cafeteria development project,
greenhouse project in the botanical garden, construction of academic and residential,
building) that might have affected wildlife in the study site. Besides, according to our
observation, sound pollution, traffic jams and huge public movements have increased
day by day causing the decline of wildlife in the study area.
Table 3. Diversity indices in terms of year, habitats and seasons.
Year H' E Ds S A
Year-wise diversity First year 3.166 0.376 0.929 63 5227
Second year 3.198 0.344 0.929 71 4791
Third year 3.265 0.363 0.933 72 4612
Habitat-wise
diversity Microhabitat H' E Ds S A
Bush 1.634 0.466 0.749 8 277
Ground 2.045 0.483 0.842 11 1803
Permanent Waterbody 1.697 0.455 0.775 16 426
Tree 2.790 0.270 0.890 60 10546
Temporary Waterbody 0.7216 0.686 0.405 12 538
Urban settlement 1.69 0.677 0.801 3 1040
Macro-habitat H' E Ds S A
Aquatic 1.743 0.440 0.762 13 962
Arboreal 2.885 0.280 0.900 64 11190
Terrestrial 2.484 0.444 0.898 27 2478
Seasonal diversity Season H' E Ds S A
Rainy 3.178 0.363 0.931 62 4705
Summer 3.187 0.391 0.930 66 4964
Winter 3.244 0.361 0.932 71 4961
Note: Shannon-Weiner Index (H'); Evenness (E); Simpson’s Index (Ds); Species Richness (S), Species
Abundance (A).
Different types of flowering plants and fruit trees attract birds in the Dhaka
University campus. Tree was the most used (60 species, 63.83%) microhabitat probably
due to the availability of native trees in the different parts of this campus which provided
good shelter, food, roosting and nesting facilities for birds(23). In total, 10,546 individuals
of wildlife (72.08%) were counted in trees (Table 3). Considering macro-habitat, arboreal
species were dominant and their diversity was the highest following terrestrial and
aquatic species. A total of 11,190 individuals representing 64 species were recorded in
arboreal habitats (Table 3).
440 SHOME et al.
Species diversity index (H' =3.244, Ds=0.932) was the highest in the winter season
(Table 3). This might have resulted due to the presence of winter migratory birds.
Previous studies also suggested that the highest diversity of birds in winter probably due
to the influx of migratory birds(40,41). In addition, some insectivore birds get more insects,
frugivorous birds forage on fruits and nectar feeder birds feed nectar when flowers
bloom in winter.
In conclusion, this three year study provides the scenario of total wildlife in Dhaka
University Campus. Proper planning and management for the wildlife are desirable since
new developmental activities are interrupting the breeding and foraging grounds of
wildlife in and around the campus. Moreover, human disturbances, particularly the
visitors make a great problem to wildlife in the area. Visitors dispose of waste materials
such as plastics, polythene, styrofoam food boxes, chips packets and other garbage in
aquatic and terrestrial habitats are also responsible for making some disturbances to
wildlife. Besides, drying up the temporary waterbody hampers the breeding of
amphibians causing the death of tadpoles and eggs. Therefore, strict maintenance of the
campus habitats is in need by limiting visitors and making awareness among teachers,
students and staff in the campus area.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the authority and members of Dhaka University Nature
Conservation Club (DUNCC) and Bangladesh Youth Wildlife Conservation Society for
providing facilities to conduct this research. We are also grateful to Professor Dr. M
Niamul Naser, Chairman of the Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka for his kind
support and for allowing us to use the museum specimens and field guide books from
the library for identification. We are very much grateful to Ashraful Iqbal and Shahida
Begum for their support.
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(Manuscript received: 1 May, 2021; accepted: 27 July, 2021)
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