Pollination biology of large cardamom (Amomum subulatum)

Amomum subulatum Roxb. (family Zingiberaceae) is the large cardamom of commerce cultivated in tropical wet evergreen forests of the Eastern Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan. This study seeks to identify floral visitors and pollinators, examine floral adaptations for pollination and evaluate pollination efficiency. Studies were carried out in two flowering seasons (2005, 2006) in a 6-ha plantation located adjacent to a degraded reserve forest in the Sikkim part of the Himalayas. Only two flower visitor species, a bumble-bee (Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith) and a honey bee species (Apis cerana F.) were recorded. The bumble-bee was the effective and only pollinator, but A. ceranawas the pollen robber. Major flower adaptations for pollination by the bumble-bee are the length of the nectar tube, which is not accessible to short-tongued bees and a narrow passage in the fresh flower between the anther–stigma column and the labellum. The narrow passage forces the bumble-bee to push the anther–stigma column to enter the flower, which brings the body of the bumble-bee in contact with the anther and the stigma, and effects pollination. A. cerana does not come in contact with the stigma during pollen foraging and hence is unable to bring about pollination. Thus, structural features of the flower of A. subulatum differentiate the pollinator and the pollen robber. Pollination efficiency in the plantation was low due to the low population density of wild native pollinator, B. haemorrhoidalis

Pollination biology of large cardamom (Amomum subulatum)

Amomum subulatum Roxb. (family Zingiberaceae) is the large cardamom of commerce cultivated in tropical wet evergreen forests of the Eastern Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan. This study seeks to identify floral visitors and pollinators, examine floral adaptations for pollination and evaluate pollination efficiency. Studies were carried out in two flowering seasons (2005, 2006) in a 6-ha plantation located adjacent to a degraded reserve forest in the Sikkim part of the Himalayas. Only two flower visitor species, a bumble-bee (Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith) and a honey bee species (Apis cerana F.) were recorded. The bumble-bee was the effective and only pollinator, but A. cerana was the pollen robber. Major flower adaptations for pollination by the bumble-bee are the length of the nectar tube, which is not accessible to short-tongued bees and a narrow passage in the fresh flower between the anther-stigma column and the labellum. The narrow passage forces the bumble-bee to push the anther-stigma column to enter the flower, which brings the body of the bumble-bee in contact with the anther and the stigma, and effects pollination. A. cerana does not come in contact with the stigma during pollen foraging and hence is unable to bring about pollination. Thus, structural features of the flower of A. subulatum differentiate the pollinator and the pollen robber. Pollination efficiency in the plantation was low due to the low population density of wild native pollinator, B. haemorrhoidalis

Frugivorous bird diversity and their post-feeding behaviour in fruiting Syzygium cumini (Myrtaceae) in fragmented forests of central Western Ghats, India

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SHORT COMMUNICATION Pollination ecology of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in the Western Ghats, India

Heterogeneous 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

A new species and a new record of the genus Australomymar Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from the Oriental Region

The genus Australomymar was raised by Girault in 1929 on the type species Australomymar aurigerum from Victoria, Australia. New (1974) redesribed the genus since the original description of Girault was inadequate for its easy recognition. Noyes and Valentine (1989) noted that there are several undescribed species of Australomymar in New Zealand, Neotropical region and in various parts of South East Asia. In this paper we describe a new species from India

The (a) rate of hyperparasitization and (b) the time taken for hyperaparsitization by <i>Brachymeria</i> sp. to hyperparasitze the pupa of <i>Microplitis pennatula</i> with and without host larva.

<p>The (a) rate of hyperparasitization and (b) the time taken for hyperaparsitization by <i>Brachymeria</i> sp. to hyperparasitze the pupa of <i>Microplitis pennatula</i> with and without host larva.</p

Pollination ecology of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in the Western Ghats, India

Heterogeneous 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 &amp; 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

Does predation pressure drive heronry birds to nest in the urban landscape?

Predation is an important selective force that determines breeding success in all animals. Animals adopt a range of antipredatory strategies to overcome predation pressure in the breeding site, which is also a major predation ground. Birds mitigate this pressure through parental care, colonial or group nesting, and selecting habitats that are predicted to hold less number and diversity of predators. Heronry birds' increasing use of urban habitats for breeding has been suggested as a measure to avoid predation pressure, despite quantitative support for this argument is lacking. We tested this hypothesis by comparing diversity, abundance, and frequency of predation attempts of birds of prey on heronries of wild (mangrove forest) and urban habitats. The house crow (Corvus splendens), brahminy kite (Haliastur indus), and black kite (Milvus migrans) were the major birds of preys in mangrove forests and urban areas. The predators partitioned the nest resources; the kites preyed the chicks, and the crows preyed the eggs. The abundance of avian predators and the frequency of successful predation of eggs and chicks were significantly lower in urban heronries compared with mangroves. Our results suggest that predation might be a reason for the birds to switch to urban habitats for breeding. Keywords: Breeding, Heronry, House crow, Predation, Urban ecosyste

Rate of feeding <b>(a)</b> and walking <b>(b)</b> of unparasitized (UP) and parasitized host larva of <i>P</i>. <i>pennatula</i> before (BE) and after (AE) the egression of the parasitoid.

<p>The numbers in the parentheses denote the number of samples.</p

Feeding Fauna and Foraging Habits of Tiger Beetles Found in Agro-ecosystems in Western Ghats, ndia

Cicindela (Calochroa) whithilli (Hope) and Cicindela (Calochroa) flavomaculata Hope (Cicindelidae: Coleoptera) are seasonally dominant predatory insects in the cultivated, and irrigated rice paddy fields of the South Indian peninsula. While studying the feeding ecology of these tiger beetles in rice paddy agro-ecosystems in Sringeri area of the central Western Ghats, we examined their potential as biocontrols on the major rice paddy pest populations available in this region. Earthworms and tadpoles were significant prey organisms during the early cultivation period, while other traditional prey organisms like ants and spiders (mainly wolf and jumping spiders) were more common as prey organisms toward the mid-season. The results showed that the feeding fauna of tiger beetles can extend to prey items beyond arthropods, to include vertebrates. Cicindela (Calochroa) duponti Dejean is another common species that occurs abundantly in the Areca orchards and on the bunds that separate rice paddy fields from adjacent uncultivated lands.We performed laboratory tests to determine the feeding guild of these beetles, and to investigate their possible role as a predator of the rice paddy pests. Although preliminary in nature, the results suggest that both C. whithilli and C. flavomaculata are ineffective as biocontrol agents of rice paddy agro-ecosystems. They appear to have only a marginal impact on the larvae of Leptocorisa acuta, a major insect pest of paddy rice, but further experimental and observational studies are needed to firmly establish the significance of this observation