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Ecological niche modeling for conservation planning of an endemic snail in the verge of becoming a pest in cardamom plantations in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot
Full text linkConservation managers and policy makers are often confronted with a challenging dilemma of devising suitable strategies to maintain agricultural productivity
while conserving endemic species that at the early stages of becoming pests of agricultural crops. Identification of environmental factors conducive to species range expansion for forecasting species distribution patterns will play a central role in devising management strategies to minimize the conflict between the
agricultural productivity and biodiversity conservation. Here, we present results of a study that predicts the distribution of Indrella ampulla, a snail endemic to
the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, which is becoming a pest in cardamom (Ellettaria cardamomum) plantations. We determined the distribution patterns and niche overlap between I. ampulla and Ellettaria cardamomum using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) niche modeling techniques under current and future (2020–2080) climatic scenarios. The results showed that climatic (precipitation of coldest quarter and isothermality) and soil (cation exchange capacity of soil [CEC]) parameters are major factors that determine the distribution of I. ampulla in Western Ghats. The model predicted cardamom cultivation areas in
southern Western Ghats are highly sensitive to invasion of I. ampulla under both present and future climatic conditions. While the land area in the central Western Ghats is predicted to become unsuitable for I. ampulla and Ellettaria cardamomum in future, we found 71% of the Western Ghats land area is suitable for Ellettaria cardamomum cultivation and 45% suitable for I. ampulla,
with an overlap of 35% between two species. The resulting distribution maps are invaluable for policy makers and conservation managers to design and implement management strategies minimizing the conflicts to sustain agricultural productivity while maintaining biodiversity in the region
Effects of landscape context on the invasive species Lantana camara in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, India
No full textNon-native invasive species establish in favourable habitats in alien regions. Such favourable habitats are largely determined by local climatic, soil and biogeographic factors. Modelling these factors can help managers to identify areas of possible risk of invasion. This paper uses logistic regression modelling to identify variables conducive to high invasion in a tropical mixed forest in a biodiversity hotspot region in India. Using presence-absence data of an invasive species Lantana camara and local habitat variables from increasing buffer distances around sampling locations along with broad scale climatic parameters, we identify the variables that support invasion and spread. Results indicated that the percentage of moist deciduous forest at a distance of 50 m around the plot was significantly related to the invasion of L. camara. The study demonstrates the facilitation by moist deciduous forests to the growth and spread of L. camara in this region, and highlights the importance of using data at multiple scales for modelling invasion.Discover the world's researc
The wicked problem of invasive species management in India
Full text linkGlobally, climate change has been recognized as a critical threat to social and ecological systems. As climate change affects larger portions of our world, acknowledging the need to adapt to the change, and to build more resilient systems, becomes imperative. These challenges bear further complexity in developing countries such as India, which is characterised by its growing population, rapid economic growth, rampant socio-economic inequality and ecological and socio-cultural diversity
Biodiversity damage: once dense forests in Kumaon now resemble cremation grounds
Full text linkUttarakhand seems to be moving from one natural tragedy to the next – the devastating floods of 2013, to the current forest fires. Though rainfall in the first week of May largely doused the fires except in a few areas, official statistics say that the fires destroyed 1,900 hectares of forests
Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) Mass Spectrometric Imaging of the Distribution of Rohitukine in the Seedling of Dysoxylum binectariferum Hook. F
Full text linkAmbient ionization mass spectrometric imaging of all parts of the seedling of Dysoxylum binectariferum Hook. f (Meliaceae) was performed to reconstruct the molecular distribution of rohitukine (Rh) and related compounds. The species accumulates Rh, a prominent chromone alkaloid, in its seeds, fruits, and stem bark. Rh possesses anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and immuno-modulatory properties. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI MSI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis detected Rh as well as its glycosylated, acetylated, oxidized, and methoxylated analogues. Rh was predominantly distributed in the main roots, collar region of the stem, and young leaves. In the stem and roots, Rh was primarily restricted to the cortex
region. The identities of the metabolites were assigned based on both the fragmentation patterns and exact mass analyses. We discuss these results, with specific reference to the possible pathways of Rh biosynthesis and translocation during seedling development in D.
binectariferum
India faces a long and winding path to green climate solutions
No full textA little over a year ago, the global community proposed
an ambitious new set of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) to protect the environment and enhance human
well-being. Three months later, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, CoP21 in Paris, announced
equally ambitious new targets for action on climate
change. Such bold commitments have been facilitated
by development trends in several emerging economies.
India, for one, has made truly astonishing gains: the World Bank reports that in over just seven years, from 2004 to 2011, the number of Indian citizens living in acute poverty fell from 426 million to 263 million, a reduction in the proportion of the population in poverty from 38% to <22
BWSSB's wrong approach
Full text linkBengaluru’s wastewater woes—stinking rivers, fish kills, and froth and fire on lake spillways—have attracted global attention. This notoriety has triggered various policy responses. Mandating large apartment and commercial buildings to treat and reuse their wastewater has been one such response. Scarcity of fresh water lends support to this idea as wastewater reuse can reduce freshwater demand as well
SCUTIGER BOULENGERI (Xizang Alpine Toad). INDIA: SIKKIM
Full text linkNORTH SIKKIMDISTRICT: Gurudongmar Lake, 175.4 km N of Gangtok (28.026331°N, 88.714367°E; WGS 84), 5160 m elev. 20 June 2011. Barkha Subba. Verified by Annemarie Ohler and Alain Dubois. ATREE Museum, Bangalore (SB [IMG] 01a–c, photo voucher)
Mapping the Impact of Urbanization on Green Spaces: The Human Drivers of Land Use/Land Cover Change in Delhi
Full text linkRapid urbanization across the globe poses a severe threat to the urban environment and sustainability. The increasing urban population exerts pressure on existing natural resources for food and shelter, leading to degradation and loss of urban greenspaces and water bodies. The deficit of urban nature manifests in the loss of valuable ecosystem services like air purification, water infiltration, reduction in water pollution, micro-climate regulation, noise reduction and carbon sequestration (Kong et al., 2007) and other related nature-derived benefits. Thus, there is a pressing need to protect and restore the functioning of these spaces through conservation and suitable management practices (Devy and Swamy 2009). Towards this, the present research aims at critically analyzing the global drivers of changes in green spaces, understanding the impact of Delhi’s urban growth on the extent and fragmentation of green spaces, exploring the attitudes and perceptions of the public on parks (one of the most important remaining green spaces in most cities) in Delhi and finally, assessing the management and communication networks that are associated with park governance. The findings of this study can serve as a useful reference for planning authorities and urban designers for the enhancement and preservation of urban green cover, to help meet the needs of the park visitors, and improve effective park governance towards the goal of providing a satisfying urban park visitor experience. All this will ensure the protection and enhancement of biodiversity and support green spaces to improve human health and well-being in stressful urban environments
Modeling the impact of climate change on wild Piper nigrum (Black Pepper) in Western Ghats, India using ecological niche models
No full textThe center of diversity of Piper nigrum L. (Black Pepper), one of the highly valued spice crops is reported to be from India. Black pepper is naturally distributed in India in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot and is the only known existing source of its wild germplasm in the world. We used ecological niche models to predict the potential distribution of wild P. nigrum in the present and two future climate change scenarios viz (A1B) and (A2A) for the year 2080. Three topographic and nine uncorrelated bioclim variables were used to develop the niche models. The environmental variables influencing the distribution of wild P. nigrum across different climate change scenarios were identified. We also assessed the direction and magnitude of the niche centroid shift and the change in niche breadth to estimate the impact of projected climate change on the distribution of P. nigrum. The study shows a niche centroid shift in the future climate scenarios. Both the projected future climate scenarios predicted a reduction in the habitat of P. nigrum in Southern Western Ghats, which harbors many wild accessions of P. nigrum. Our results highlight the impact of future climate change on P. nigrum and provide useful information for designing sound germplasm conservation strategies for P. nigrum