Biodiversity of the Indian Desert and it´s value

The state of Rajasthan is situated between 23º3’ and 30º12’ N latitude and 69º30’ and 78º17’ E longitude . The total land area of the state is about 3,24,239 km²out of which about 1,98,100 km² is arid and the rest semi arid. The physical features are characterized mainly by the Aravallis and to the some extent by the vindhyan formation, and the Deccan trap. A major portion of western Rajasthan has desert soils and sandy plains. Sand dunes occupy a greater part of western Rajasthan ( 1,20, 983 km²). The soils of the desert plains are loamy sand to loam and the eastern part has alluvial soil which supports good forests and agricultural crop. Occurrence of saline soils with pH up to 9.0 is a common feature in the sandy areas of Rajasthan. The average annual rainfall in the state is 525-675 mm, and the annual precipitation in different tracts of Rajasthan varies from 13 mm to 1766 mm. Out of the total areaforests cover only about 37,638 km² and are rich in biodiversity. Rajasthan is rich in biodiversity which has a great economic value. Characterization of different plant species of economic value was undertaken. (Table 1-6)

Tree Species Composition and Forest Stratification along the Gradients in the Dry Deciduous Forests of Godavari Valley, Telangana, India

It is important to understand the tree species composition, abundance, species diversity and stratification in tropical dry deciduous forests that are under threat. A quadrat study was attempted in the dry deciduous forests along the ecological gradients in the Godavari Valley of northern Telangana, India. The study records the presence of 110 flowering plant taxa belonging to 82 genera and 37 families in 120 sampled plots, and there was enumeration of 15,192 individuals of ≥10 cm girth at breast height. Tectona grandis (teak) is the principal forest cover component in the region, which often formed pure stands in Adilabad and, to some extent, in Nizamabad districts. Further down to the Warangal district, teak was gradually replaced by Terminalia alata. Twenty tree species were found dominant at one place to the other, and the top 10 dominant taxa have shared nearly 41% of the total density of the forest cover. The tree relative density ranged from 0.007% to 20.84%. The values of Importance Value Index were between 0.245 (12 spp. including some exotics) and 32.6 (teak). These baseline data help to know the change detection along the gradients in the tropical forest ecosystem of a major river valley in the region and the drivers of change

Biodiversity of the Indian Desert and it´s value

The state of Rajasthan is situated between 23º3’ and 30º12’ N latitude and 69º30’ and 78º17’ E longitude . The total land area of the state is about 3,24,239 km²out of which about 1,98,100 km² is arid and the rest semi arid. The physical features are characterized mainly by the Aravallis and to the some extent by the vindhyan formation, and the Deccan trap. A major portion of western Rajasthan has desert soils and sandy plains. Sand dunes occupy a greater part of western Rajasthan ( 1,20, 983 km²). The soils of the desert plains are loamy sand to loam and the eastern part has alluvial soil which supports good forests and agricultural crop. Occurrence of saline soils with pH up to 9.0 is a common feature in the sandy areas of Rajasthan. The average annual rainfall in the state is 525-675 mm, and the annual precipitation in different tracts of Rajasthan varies from 13 mm to 1766 mm. Out of the total areaforests cover only about 37,638 km² and are rich in biodiversity. Rajasthan is rich in biodiversity which has a great economic value. Characterization of different plant species of economic value was undertaken. (Table 1-6)

Peaceful giant ground beetles: The genus Tefflus Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the Republic of South Africa

Two species of the genus Tefflus Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae), commonly known as “peaceful giant ground beetles,” are recorded from the Republic of South Africa: T. carinatus carinatus Klug and T. meyerlei delagorguei Guérin-Méneville. Distribution records from the Republic of South Africa are summarized and mapped for both species. Tefflus c. carinatus has been collected in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Provinces, while T. m. delagorguei has been recorded from Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga Provinces. Adults of both species are illustrated. Seasonal and temporal activity patterns and defensive and foraging behaviors are characterized for T. m. delagorguei based on recent field studies in the Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa

Pollenanalytical studies in NE-Nigeria: preliminary results from the Manga Grasslands and Lake Tilla, Biu Plateau

Two sites situated in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of NE-Nigeria were chosen for pollen analysis. A sediment core from an interdunal depression in the eastern Manga Grassland provides information on the Holocene vegetation history of the Sahel between c. 9600-3400 B.P. The 3 m pollen record indicates an open savanna during the mid-Holocene. The presence of Sudano-Guinean taxa, which were mainly restricted to the interdunal depressions, points to more humid conditions. Already before c. 4000 B.P., a slow change towards drier conditions and the establishment of the modern Sahelian vegetation is visible in the diagram. This development was accompanied by high fire frequencies. A 16 m core from a crater lake (Lake Tilla) in the Sudanian zone of NE-Nigeria provides a pollen record which can be dated back to approximately 11-12000 B.P. Preliminary pollen spectra show a relatively constant pattern with a dominance of grass pollen even during the middle Holocene.Deux sites situés dans la zone sahélienne et soudanienne du NE-Nigeria ont été choisi pour l'analyse de pollen. L'analyse palynologique d'une carotte provenant d'une dépression interdunaire dans les Manga Grassland de l'Est a mis en évidence de nouvelles informations sur l'histoire de la végétation holocène du Sahel entre ca. 9600 et 3400 B.P. Le profile pollinique de 3 m montre l'existence d'une savane ouverte pendant l'holocène moyen. La présence d'éléments soudano-guinéens dont l'extension était surtout limitée à la dépression interdunaire indique des conditions plus humides. Dès avant ca. 4000 B.P., un lent changement des conditions vers une plus grande sècheresse et l'établissement d'une végétation sahélienne comparable à l'actuelle est visible sur le diagramme. Cette évolution fut accompagnée de fortes fréquences de feu. Une carotte de 16 m d'un lac cratére (Lake Tilla) dans la zone soudanienne du NE-Nigeria proviens une profile de 11-12000 ans environs. Le spèctra polliniques préliminaires sont relativement constante avec une dominance de graminées même pendant l'Holocene moyen

Pemetaan Famili Mangrove Menggunakan Metode Object Base Image Analysis (Obia) Pada Citra Worldview-2 Di Balai Taman Nasional Karimunjawa

Penelitian ini memiliki tujuan untuk pemetaan mangrove di Taman Nasional Karimunjawa menggunakan metode Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) dan mengetahui tingkat akurasi kelas famili mangrove yang diklasifikasikan. Metode ini menggunakan 2 jenis klasifikasi yakni menggunakan rule class dan algoritma nearest neighbor. Hasil penelitian menunjukan pemetaan famili mangrove menggunakan metode berbasis objek pada citra Worldview-2 di Taman Nasional Karimunjawa dapat dilakukan dengan menghasilkan 6 kelas berupa Rhizophoraceae; Rhizophoraceae dan Combretaceae; Rhizophoraceae dan Euphorbiaceae; Rhizophoraceae, Euphorbiaceae dan Combretaceae; Rhizophoraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Combretaceae, dan Sonneratiaceae; dan Rubiaceae. Akurasi pemetaan famili mangrove yang berbasis objek (OBIA) menggunakan rule class didapatkan nilai akurasi total (Overall Accuracy) sebesar 52,17 % dengan Kappa sebesar 0,39 sedangkan pemetaan menggunakan klasifikasi nearest neighbor didapatkan nilai akurasi total (Overall Accuracy) sebesar 69,56 % dengan Kappa sebesar 0,66

The modern pollen-vegetation relationship of a tropical forest-savannah mosaic landscape, Ghana, West Africa

Transitions between forest and savannah vegetation types in fossil pollen records are often poorly understood due to over-production by taxa such as Poaceae and a lack of modern pollen-vegetation studies. Here, modern pollen assemblages from within a forest-savannah transition in West Africa are presented and compared, their characteristic taxa discussed, and implications for the fossil record considered. Fifteen artificial pollen traps were deployed for 1 year, to collect pollen rain from three vegetation plots within the forest-savannah transition in Ghana. High percentages of Poaceae and Melastomataceae/Combretaceae were recorded in all three plots. Erythrophleum suaveolens characterised the forest plot, Manilkara obovata the transition plot and Terminalia the savannah plot. The results indicate that Poaceae pollen influx rates provide the best representation of the forest-savannah gradient, and that a Poaceae abundance of >40% should be considered as indicative of savannah-type vegetation in the fossil record