3 research outputs found

    Remnant vegetation in farmland - its significance in ethnobotany and local ecosystem

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    This paper evaluated the structure of remnant vegetation (RV) in and around the farmlands of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu of Southern India, to understand its significance in the local ecosystem. Stratified quadrats along nine randomly selected transects were used for sampling vegetation. The study recorded 2495 specimens of 96 plant species under 43 families in 1848 quadrats (88 of 10 m × 10 m, 352 of 5 m × 5 m and 1408 of 1 m × 1 m dimensions) while there was a possibility of recording more species with better sampling efforts. To know the ethnobotanical uses of plants, interviews were conducted with local villagers and people belonging to the Irula tribe, and later the data were collated with published information. Sixty -six plant species were recorded with traditional uses in food, fodder, fuel, condiment and medicine. Prosopis juliflora, an alien invasive species, was a serious threat to the native flora since higher P. juliflora abundance was associated with declining diversity of other plants. The study found that the absence of monitoring and management protocols leading to uncontrolled propagation of invasive species could cause potential damage to the region’s dry evergreen forests, which were often located near the farmlands

    Molecular investigation of non-volant endemic mammals through mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from Andaman and Nicobar archipelago

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    The shrews, Crocidura andamanensis, Crocidura nicobarica (order Eulipotyphla), and treeshrew, Tupaia nicobarica, (order Scandentia) are highly threatened mammals; endemic to Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. The aimed study provides the first baseline mitochondrial cytochrome b (mtCytb) genetic information of Crocidura and Tupaia species from Andaman and Nicobar Island. The mtCytb data were well discriminated against to all three studied species from their congeners with sufficient genetic distance. Crocidura andamanensis showed less genetic distance (13%) with Crocidura grayi, while high (21.3%) with Crocidura phuquocensis. Besides, the C. nicobarica showed less distance (5.5%) with Crocidura vosmaeri and Crocidura beccarii, while high (19%) with C. phuquocensis. Both C. andamanensis and C. nicobarica also depicted a 15.6% genetic distance with each other. Further, the treeshrew species T. nicobarica is apparently discriminated by other congeners with a sufficient genetic distance ranging from 8.8 to 25.5%. The maximum-likelihood (ML) topology distinctly discriminated against all the shrews and treeshrews species with significant bootstrap supports. The aimed study fortifies the efficacy of mtCytb gene to segregate the above discussed non-volant mammal species. We recommended the widespread noninvasive sampling and genotyping to elucidate the population structure, which assists to formulate the precise conservation measures to protect these unique mammals

    Indian Grey Wolf and Striped Hyaena sharing from the same bowl: High niche overlap between top predators in a human-dominated landscape

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    The Semi-arid wildlands of the West Bengal state of India are known habitats of Indian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) and Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) in India. However, increasing anthropogenic pressure in these regions is one major factor behind habitat loss and rising carnivore-human conflict. We mapped the suitable habitat and estimated the niche overlap of both species in the study landscape. Further, we assessed the habitat quality, identified corridors and quantified land sharing by both species. The anthropogenic disturbance (human settlements) was found to be one of the most significant contributors for both species. The higher Schoener’s D (0.612) and Hellinger’s based I value (0.858) indicates a considerable niche overlap of about 3529 km2. We observed a high level of fragmentation in suitable patches of Grey Wolf compared to the Striped Hyaena. For both Striped Hyaena and Grey Wolf, connectivity exists among the large patch of western and southern Purulia and Bankura. The Grey Wolf corridors in the Jhargram district were also found connected with other areas. We found that both the species, which are generally known rivals showing tolerance towards each other, which is an strong evidence of land sharing among the species. We recommend that the suitable patches and corridors identified in the study may be prioritized for conservation and management
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