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Abstract The home range of a species is determined by a complex interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, which can have profound impacts on the species’ resource use. Understanding these dynamics is especially important for conserving critically endangered species. In this study, we used satellite telemetry to investigate the home range of the critically endangered lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus) in Gujarat, India. We analysed GPS locations from 10 lesser floricans deployed with GPS/GSM transmitters between 2020 and 2022. The average home range size (95% KDE) was 10.73 ± 10.70 km2 (mean ± SD), while the average core area (50% KDE) was 1.95 ± 1.56 km2 (mean ± SD). The monthly and daily distances covered were 286.29 ± 599.42 km and 10.11 ± 19.78 km, respectively. Our analysis indicated that suitable habitats and movement patterns were the most important factors explaining the variation in home range size. Specifically, our results suggest that lesser floricans prefer multi-use agro-grassland habitat systems with heterogeneous structures to accommodate different life history requirements. This preference may reflect the depletion and degradation of grasslands across the species’ range. Therefore, managing grassland habitats amidst croplands should be one of the key conservation strategies for the lesser florican.

The present study aimed to assess the population density, structure, and population change of nine wild prey species in the semi-arid landscape of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India. A total of eight sites, representing a gradient from highly protected woodlands and grasslands to unreserved grasslands, were selected for sampling. We employed the road transect methodology under a distance sampling framework to achieve our objectives. We evaluated the realized growth rate of the Gir ungulate population through linear regression analysis. Our findings revealed that deer species exhibited higher density and biomass in woodlands compared to grasslands and coastal forests. On the other hand, antelopes showed higher density and biomass in grasslands and coastal forests compared to woodlands. The density gradient of wild prey species was influenced by various factors, including habitat structure, social organization, grouping tendencies, and topography. Over the last four decades, the population of wild prey species in Gir showed minimal changes. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of wild prey species' density and biomass patterns at the landscape level. The inclusion of findings from ecologically significant and unique areas, such as coastal forests, further enhances the importance of this study. The implications of this study extend beyond the conservation of wild prey species alone; they also contribute to the conservation of the large carnivore guild in the Saurashtra landscape.

Previous studies have reported an enhancement of central cholinergic signal cascade by shilajit . For the present study, it was hypothesized that parasympathomimetic effect of shilajit accounting for relaxation of rat corpus cavernosum may be one of the major mechanisms attributing to its traditional role as an aphrodisiac. To test this hypothesis, the acute peripheral effect of standard acetylcholine (ACh), shilajit, and their combination was evaluated on cardiorespiratory parameters such as mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and neuromuscular transmission (NMT). Furthermore, in vitro effect of standard ACh, shilajit, and their combination was tested on the rat corpus cavernosum. Six groups were used for the in vivo study ( N = 5): Group I (control-saline), Group II (ACh), Group III (Sh), Group IV (Sh followed by ACh), Group V (Atropine followed by ACh), and Group VI (Atropine followed by Sh). The in vitro study included four groups: Group I (control-saline), Group II (ACh), Group III (Sh), and Group IV (Sh followed by ACh). The results of the in vivo study confirmed the peripheral parasympathomimetic effect of shilajit (400 µg/mL). The in vitro results revealed that shilajit (400 and 800 µg/mL) relaxed cavernous strips’ concentration dependently and enhanced ACh-mediated relaxations. The peripheral parasympathomimetic effects of shilajit were confirmed by blockade of shilajit-induced relaxations (in vitro) and shilajit-induced lowering of MABP and HR (in vivo) by atropine.