Tadpole Deaths during Check-dam Renovation Activities

Annual maintenance events are essential for check-dams created in streams for water extraction. But what happens to aquatic fauna during these recurring events that cause localised droughts? We do not have a clear answer to this question yet. Since it is important to document these anthropogenic influences on the aquatic community, during my master's dissertation field time, I carefully observed the check-dam maintenance events in the Dhobhighat stream flowing through the Mussoorie Wildlife Sanctuary.

In this short communication published in the British Herpetological Society's Herpetological Bulletin, we report the deaths of overwintering tadpoles of Nanorana spp. during check dam maintenance events; and discusses the conservation issues and further research required in the scenario.

Read the full article using DOI:

Jithin & Das (2022). Deaths of overwintering Nanorana spp. tadpoles due to desiccation during check dam maintenance in a western Himalayan stream, India. Herpetological Bulletin 162:23-25. DOI: 10.33256/hb162.2325

See the associated video on the BHS Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZbP4qgdro

Happy reading!