The Relationship between Carnivore Density and Birds in Selected Urban Area in Kuching and Samarahan Areas

• Main Author: Arleen, Hong
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2015
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QL Zoology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32673/1/Arleen%20Hong%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32673/

Density of birds as well as domestic cats and dogs were examined in ten urban areas from November 2014 to April 2015 using line transect method. There were 1844 observations of bird from 27 species. Shannon index (1.91) indicates the diversity of birds in urban area were not diverse compared to previous study which used the same method to estimate the diversity (e. g. Voon et al., 2014). In a prey and predator system, there is a potential for cat populations influence bird assemblage, which may have a negative correlation between cat density and bird density and richness. In this study, linear regression test indicates no significant relationship between bird and cat densities (p=0.622). However, cat density does affect bird species richness and bird diversity. It showed negative correlation between cat density and bird species richness and diversity. In contrast, dog density showed no effects on both bird density, richness and diversity. Species-area relationship showed a positive slope (b, =2.404), area size does affects bird species richness (RZ=0.610, p=0.008).