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Diversity and ecosystem functioning in managed tropical communities
No full textThe high productivity, nutrient retention, and stability (resistance and resilience in response to pests, pathogens, and invasive weeds) observed in natural systems are frequently attributed to their high diversity (Tilman, 2000). High productivity, nutrient retention, and stability are also associated with ecosystem sustainability. In much of the temperate world - as also in parts of the tropics - these aspects of ecosystem functioning have been achieved in highly simplified human-managed systems through subsidies in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. Over much of the tropical world, however, such fossil-energy-based subsidies continue to be an economically unviable option. Understanding the ecological underpinnings of the
diversity-functioning relationship, therefore, is crucial to the design of sustainable human-managed tropical systems
Additions to the birds of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India
No full textBiligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWLS) is located in the middle of the bridge between Eastern and Western Ghats. There are about 245 birds in the Sanctuary. The present study was aimed to determine birds in various macrohabitats in BRTWLS. Birds were monitored and censused during different seasons for 18 months using transects that were laid in different vegetation types. Twenty-eight species were newly recorded in the Sanctuary out of which 15 are water birds
Observations on debarking of trees by elephants in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka
Get PDFElephants play an important role in the dynamics of forest
vegetation by trampling and debarking. Indirect observations on debarking of trees in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary were made in three vegetation types along transects for one month. The study indicated that 14 species were commonly debarked by elephants among which the maximum number of debarked trees were from dry deciduous forests (68) followed by moist deciduous (46) and scrub jungles (12). Depending upon the extent of debarking the mortality rate of trees may vary
Mapping of forests based on biological diversity to identify conservation sites: A case study from Udupi and South Canara districts of Karnataka
Get PDFForest classification is traditionally based on the structure and composition of vegetation, which in tum is strongly linked with the climatic profile of the area. Forest maps thus prepared cannot appropriately meet the needs of the managers whose renewed mandate is to conserve the biological richness of the forests. The emerging need for protecting the forests is to understand the spatial distribution of the conservation value of the forests besides knowing their vegetation types. In other words, we need maps that depict the spatial distribution of biological diversity of the forests. In this paper, we rep011 on our attempt to develop such biodiversity maps for the forest ranges of Udupi and South Canara districts of Ka.rnataka state. Utilizing the data from the vegetation sampling of the Forest Survey of India, we developed a terrain view of the density and diversity of tree species and have attempted to identify the sites with the highest
conservation value. We propose that such maps be developed for the entire country and discuss the potentialities and
problems associated with this protocol
Bird, flowers and pollination ecology
Get PDFThe recent paper by Atluri et al.1 provides some interesting information on the pollination ecology of Helectresisora. Information on bird flowers, their visitors and their pollination ecology are few from the sub-continent and this paper is a welcome addition to our
knowledge of such systems. However, there are a few major errors in the paper that need to be addressed. The most
glaring of these is the identification of the bird pollinator. The authors refer toQuaker babbler (Alcippe poioicephala) as one of the pollinators, but according to Figure 1 d in the article, it appears that the bird is the white-headed babbler (Turdoises affinis). The two are very different birds. T. affinis is bigger with a broader bill that can closely fit an H.isora flower, while A. poioicephala is a small bird and its bill and forehead do
not fit the flower as closely as T. affinis. Consequently, pollination efficiency may be different between the two species. Misidentification can have important implications when it comes to conservation and in no case should betaken lightly, especially when the pollinators can be identified by proper use of
field guides
Deforestation and land use changes in Western Ghats, India
Get PDFWe estimated changes in forest cover between 1973 and 1995 in the southern part of the Western Ghats using satellite data. The study area of approximately 40,000 km2 showed a loss of 25.6% in forest cover over 22 years. The dense forest was reduced by 19.5% and open forest decreased by 33.2%. As a consequence, degraded forest increased by 26.64%. There has been a great deal of spatial variability in the pattern of forest loss and land use change throughout the region. Our estimates of deforestation in the region for the contemporary period are the highest reported so far
Fruit biomass and relative abundance of frugivores in a rain forest of southern Western Ghats, India
No full textFruit biomass and frugivore abundance were quantified over 3 y in a rain forest of the south Western Ghats, India. Fruit biomass was estimated by sampling fruit fall in the primary forest, and frugivore abundance by a 2.5-km transect. A total of 645 kg ha-' of fruit was produced annually in the forest. Only 49% of this is edible to the frugivores and the remaining 51% is in the form of non-edible husks. Mammalian frugivores outnumbered avian frugivores and the majority of the mammals were seed predators. The total fruit biomass produced at Kakachi is lower than in the lowland forest and mountain forests in the neotrop- ics but higher than in the wet sclerophyll forest of Australia. Lower diversity of trees and edaphic factors at Kakachi could be some of the reasons for these differ- ences. On the other hand, paucity of fleshy fruits, low density of trees producing fleshy fruits and irregular fruiting of these species, account for the low number of obligate avian frugivores at Kakachi
Ficus superba Miq. and F.fergusoni (King) worthington (Moraceae), two new reports from India
No full textFicus (Moraceae) is one of the largest plant genera of the tropics which enjoys a cosmopolitan distribution. It includes an estimated 900·950 species (750 known) In 4 subgenera viz .
Urostigma (Gasp.) Miq. Pharmacosycea Miq., Sycomorus (Gasp .) Miq and Ficus (Corner, 1965). India has a Ficus flora of 59 spp. (Corner,1967). Two more species, Ficus superba Miq. and F.fergusoni (King) Worthington belonging to the subgenus Urostigma are now reported from India
More on "taxanamists"
Get PDFI completely share the views put forth by Ajith Kumar (Curr. Sci., 1998, 75, 426-427) and Ganeshaiah (Curr.Sci., 1998, 75, 412) regarding the eroding standards of assigning names to organisms. In my opinion, names should be assigned to organisms in the following order of priority: character, type locality and ‘model taxanamists’ (who has played a remarkably significant role in documenting the flora or fauna)
Does forest type classification reflect spatial dynamics of vegetation? Analysis using GIS techniques
Get PDFThe existing methods of classification of forest vegetation rely more on the structure and composition of tree vegetation with little information derived from other layers. We suggest that any classificatory process of forest vegetation should consider the spatial dynamics of all the three layers namely, tree, shrub and herb. In this paper we have attempted to offer an objective method of classifying the vegetation at all the three layers utilizing GIS and multivariate statistical tools. Unlike the existing techniques, our method views the forest as a continuously changing mosaic of vegetation and not as an assemblage of discrete patches. Our study suggests that understanding the spatial dynamics of vegetation at one layer may not reflect that at others. Further, as an alternate to the existing methods, we also develop a continuum map of biodiversity of the forest that offers the conservation value of each patch, an element that is not conveyed in the existing classificatory processes.
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