Diversity distribution, land used type of small and medium-sized mammals in ghamot national park the state biosphere reserve-Neelum, Pakistan

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the impact of diversity distributions, seasonal variations, and land use types on the richness and diversity of native small mammal communities in Ghamot National Park, Neelum Valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The study employed five different land-use types and employed various methods, including live traps and indirect evidence, to sample small mammals during both summer and winter seasons. The study compared population numbers and species composition across different study sites and seasons.The findings were based on data from three sampling methods, which resulted in a total of 534 specimens representing 14 species from 8 families. The family Muridae stood out as dominant, with 4 species (28.57%) of rodents. During the summer, the highest number of individuals was observed in the forest zone (n = 171), whereas during the winter season, the highest abundance was recorded in the riparian zone (n = 128). In terms of species richness, the riparian zone (n = 9) and agricultural crop zone (n = 9) had the highest values during the summer season. The highest Shannon diversity values (3.48) were found in riparian and forest habitats, scrubland, and dense vegetation, while the lowest biodiversity (H = 0.77) was observed in high alpine pastures and wetland habitats. Notably, no significant differences were observed between the two seasons (summer and winter) in terms of species richness and abundances.

Further analysis using a one-way-ANOSIM test via the Bray-Curtis methods indicated a significant difference (R = 0.02144; p = 0.2873) among various survey locations and land types. Specifically, four habitat types—dense forest, riparian zone, scrubland, and dense vegetation—displayed significant correlations with each other (p < 0.05).