572 research outputs found
Sort by
Snail-pollination in Volvulopsis nummularium
Get PDFPollination is a crucial ecological process that aids sexual reproduction in flowering plants. Although a variety of animals are known to bring about pollen transfer, pollination by snails (malacophily) has remained a rare and obscure phenomenon. Here we conclusively demonstrate the incidence of malacophily in Volvulopsis nummularium (family Convolvulaceae, commonly known as the morning glory family), a prostrate rainy-season weed, which is also visited by honey bees. Flowers open in the morning and last only for half a day. Apis cerana indica and Graceful Awlsnail (Lamellaxis gracile) are the pollinators. Snails are exclusive pollinators on rainy days, when bees are not active. Contrary to the belief that snails are destructive, we found that they do not affect the natural fecundity of V. nummularium. Manual pollinations indicated that the plants were facultative autogamous. Pollination in V. nummularium by snails and honey bees represents an interesting guild, which is of adaptive significance in achieving high reproductive success without resorting to obligate selfing
Chemical profiling of Nothapodytes nimmoniana populations in the Western Ghats, India for anti-cancer compound, camptothecin
Get PDFCamptothecin (CPT) is a potent anti-tumour isoquinoline
alkaloid used extensively in the treatment of several
cancers. Among several plant species known to contain
the compound, by far the highest concentration of about
0.3% (w/w) has been reported from Nothapodytes nimmoniana, a small tree distributed in the Western Ghats, South India. With no synthetic sources of this
alkaloid and with an increasing global demand, there has been a heavy dependence on naturally existing populations of N. nimmoniana. Prospecting for populations and or individuals of the species for higher yields of the alkaloid could potentially help in establishing high-yielding clonal orchards and in developing in vitro
production systems and thereby relieving the pressure
on natural populations.Towards this end, we have chemically profiled 148 individuals from 11 populations of N. nimmoniana in the Western Ghats, a mega-diversity hotspot in South India. CPT was estimated in stem and root bark of individual trees. There was significant variation in CPT content, both in stem and root bark samples, among the populations. Differences in CPT content among individuals did not seem to be related to either their size (age) or their geographical origin. Of the 148 individuals assayed, 23 yielded more than 1% CPT. These estimates are nearly three to eight-fold more than what has been reported hitherto in the literature. Subject to further confirmation, these ‘elite’ trees could be focused for conservation and judicious utilization through clonal multiplication, as also for deriving tissue material for in vitro production systems
A New Frog Species from the Central Western Ghats of India,and Its Phylogenetic Position
No full textTropical evergreen forests of Indian subcontinent, especially of the Western Ghats, are known hot spots of amphibian diversity, where many new anuran species await to be identified. Here we describe from the Sharavathi River basin of central Western Ghats a new shrub-frog taxon related to the anuran family Rhacophoridae. The new frog possesses the characteristic features of rhacophorids (dilated digit tips with differentiated pads circumscribed by a complete groove, intercalary cartilages on digits, T-shaped terminal phalanges and granular belly, the adaptive characters for arboreal life forms), but also a suite of unique features that distinguish it from all known congeners in the region. Morphogenetic analysis based on morphological characteristics and diversity in the mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes revealed it to be a new Philautus species that we named Philautus neelanethrus sp. nov. The phylogenetic analysis suggests the new frog to represent
a relatively early Philautus species lineage recorded from the region. The distribution pattern of the species suggests its importance as a bioindicator of habitat health. In general, this relatively widespread species was found distributed only in non-overlapping small stretches, which indirectly indicates the fragmentation of the evergreen to moist deciduous forests that characterize the Western Ghats. Thus the discovery of the new rhacophorid species described here not only further reinforces the significance of the Western Ghats as a major hotspot of amphibian biodiversity, but also brings into focus the deterioration of forest habitats in the region and the need for prioritization of their conservation
SHORT COMMUNICATION Pollination ecology of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in the Western Ghats, India
No full textHeterogeneous agroforestry systems play an important
role in maintaining animal pollinator diversity (Klein
et al. 2003, Perfecto et al. 1996),most likely by extending floral resources in lean periods. An understanding of the mutualistic relationship between flower-visiting insects and crop species in such agroforestry systems (Kearns et al. 1998), particularly on the diversity of pollinator species, their spatio-temporal variations, foraging behaviour (Cunningham 2000, Greenleaf & Kremen 2006, Klein et al. 2003) and their pollination efficiency (Motten et al. 1981), is important as they are some of the crucial biological predictors of pollination success
The Economic and Environmental Outcomes of Microfinance Projects: An Indian Case Study
No full textMicrofinance projects now seek to achieve improvement in environmental quality in addition to poverty alleviation. Achievement of these goals may depend upon the economic and environmental impact of microfinance businesses. This study is a quantitative analysis of these outcomes for Ecodevelopment, an Indian microfinance project, which aims to prevent forest degradation by poverty alleviation. The study divides businesses into perishable goods, non-perishable goods, simple skills, and special skills and measures their economic outcome by two indicators, repayment percentage and continuity of businesses. The study examines the effect of loan amount on the economic outcome of businesses. To quantify the environmental outcome, it analyzes the use of firewood or fodder and release of pollutants by businesses. The results show that loan amount does not affect the economic outcome, special skills have best performance, and skills cause less pressure on forest resources. These results suggest the need for development of knowledge-intensive skills, involvement of institutions in the operations of business, and inclusive policies for protected area management
Drivers of reforestation in human-dominated forests
No full textTropical forest habitat continues to decline globally, with serious negative consequences for environmental sustainability. The small mountain country of Nepal provides an excellent context in which to examine trajectories of forest-cover change. Despite having experienced large-scale forest clearing in the past, significant reforestation has taken place in recent years. The range of biophysical and ecological environments and diversity of tenure arrangements provide us with a context with sufficient variation to be able to derive insight into the impact of a range of hypothesized drivers of forest change. This article draws on a dataset of 55 forests from the middle hills and Terai plains of Nepal to examine the factors associated with forest clearing or regeneration. Results affirm the central importance of tenure regimes and local monitoring for forest regrowth. In addition, user group size per unit of forest area is an important, independent explanator of forest change. These variables also can be associated with specific practices that further influence forest change such as the management of social conflict, adoption of new technologies to reduce pressure on the forest, and involvement of users in forest maintenance activities. Such large-N, comparative studies are essential if we are to derive more complex, nuanced, yet actionable frameworks that help us to plan better policies for the management of natural resources
Genetic structure of the rattan Calamus thwaitesii in core, buffer and peripheral regions of three protected areas in central Western Ghats, India: do protected areas serve as refugia for genetic resources of economically important plants?
Get PDFGiven the increasing anthropogenic pressures on forests, the various protected areas--national parks, sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves--serve as the last footholds for conserving biological diversity. However, because protected areas are often targeted for the conservation of selected species, particularly charismatic animals, concerns have been raised about their effectiveness in conserving nontarget taxa and their genetic resources. In this paper, we evaluate whether protected areas can serve as refugia for genetic resources of economically important plants that are threatened due to extraction pressures. We examine the population structure and genetic diversity of an economically important rattan, Calamus thwaitesii, in the core, buffer and peripheral regions of three protected areas in the central Western Ghats, southern India. Our results indicate that in all the three protected areas, the core and buffer regions maintain a better population structure, as well as higher genetic diversity, than the peripheral regions of the protected area. Thus, despite the escalating pressures of extraction, the protected areas are effective in conserving the genetic resources of rattan. These results underscore the importance of protected areas in conservation of nontarget species and emphasize the need to further strengthen the protected-area network to offer refugia for economically important plant species
Poverty, biodiversity and institutions in forest-agriculture ecotones in the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalaya ranges of India
No full textForest-agricultural ecotones are defined as areas that adjoin forests and other natural habitats and that lie between forests and zones of intensive agriculture. These ecotones are critical for conservation of biodiversity and for the maintenance of livelihoods of people that inhabit these areas. Here we focus on three questions: (1) How can we make land use sustainable in forest agriculture ecotones? (2) How can forest agriculture
ecotones contribute to conservation of biodiversity? (3) How can we improve the institutions that foster sustainability and conservation of biodiversity in forest-agriculture ecotones? We address these questions in the context of interventions to foster biodiversity
and rural livelihoods made by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment(ATREE),Bangalore, in theWestern Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas, 2 of the 34 global hotspots of biodiversity in India. At several sites, ATREE’s interventions have improved the livelihoods of several rural communities by providing increased income from non-timber forest products (NTFPs), diversification of livelihoods and enhanced agricultural production. These interventions have improved the prospects for sustainable land use in the forest agriculture ecotones. Simultaneously, ATREE’s interventions have strengthened a range of village level and regional institutions that play a critical role in the rural economy and in conservation of biodiversity. We believe that the path to sustainability in agriculture as well as maintenance of biodiversity passes through adaptive strong and relevant institutions. The development of institutions however is severely constrained by low social and human capital and the neglect of forest-agriculture ecotones by the governmental agencies and international organizations. We argue that forest-agriculture ecotones offer a means to conserve biodiversity through alleviation of poverty and
development of community-based institutions
The mammalian communities in coffee plantations around a protected area in the Western Ghats, India
No full textForest reserves are increasingly becoming isolated, embedded in a matrix of various kinds
of human land-use. Coffee plantations form the dominant matrix around many forest
reserves in the tropics. In such a situation, the species richness and abundance of animals
in coffee plantations can be expected to be determined by their proximity to the forest
reserve and characteristics of the local vegetation. We tested this hypothesis with data
on mammals (excluding bats, murids and insectivores) collected from 15 coffee plantations
around the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats mountain ranges in India,
between December 2005 and May 2006. We estimated mammal species richness and abundance
from indirect evidence in belt transects and track plots, and from sightings during
night surveys. We sampled the vegetation of the plantations from 36 plots of 5 m·5m,
in each estate. Twenty-eight species of mammals were recorded from 15 plantations. The
number of species recorded in individual estates ranged from 5 to 19, with an average of
11.8. Distance from the Sanctuary was the most important factor that negatively influenced
species richness, and the abundance of many species. Local vegetation characteristics
influenced only the abundance of some small species. Coffee plantations can be a buffer
around forest reserves and improve connectivity between them. However, increasing conversion
of native shade into silver oak and hunting are two issues that must be addressed if
coffee plantations are to form high-quality matrix around forest reserves in the Western
Ghats
Patterns of species discovery in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity hot spot in India
No full textEven since Linnaeus, naturalists and taxonomists have been systematically describing species new to science. Besides indicating gaps in taxonomic effort, understanding the temporal patterns of species discovery could help in identifying drivers that determine discovery. In this study we report the patterns of discovery of eight taxa — birds, butterflies, frogs, tiger beetles, grasses, asters, ferns and orchids — in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity centre in India. Our results indicate that the discovery curves for birds and butterflies have been saturated while those for frogs and grasses continue to increase. Within each taxon, the major drivers of discovery were commonness of the species and their size. The average years taken for discovery across taxa were directly related to the percent endemicity and species richness of the taxa. We discuss the trajectories of discovery with respect to rarity or endemicity of the species and life history features, and the implications these might have for strategizing the discovery process in Indi