Occurrence and distribution of fungal endophytes in tropical forests across a rainfall gradient

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 818-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
T S Suryanarayanan ◽  
T S Murali ◽  
G Venkatesan
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
Entire Plant ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Western Ghats

Fungal endophytes occur in leaves of angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. The occurrence and distribution of fungal endophytes in the leaves of trees growing in four different types of tropical forests in the Western Ghats were studied. One thousand five hundred leaf segments from five different hosts were screened for each forest type. Endophyte communities of trees of the semi-evergreen forest showed the highest species diversity. More endophyte isolates were recovered during the wet season. Although several genera of endophytes were common for different hosts growing in different forests, the dominant endophyte was different for different forest types. Our results suggest that although tropical trees individually may be endophyte rich, the overall endophyte diversity of the entire plant community is not exceptional.Key words: tropical forests, fungal endophytes, fungal diversity, foliar endophytes.

scholarly journals The woody flora of Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India - A checklist

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 20033-20055
Author(s):  
Naveen Babu Kanda ◽  
Kurian Ayushi ◽  
Vincy K. Wilson ◽  
Narayanan Ayyappan ◽  
Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Central Western Ghats ◽  
The Western Ghats

Documenting the biodiversity of protected areas and reserve forests is important to researchers, academicians and forest departments in their efforts to establish policies to protect regional biodiversity. Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is an important protected area located in the central Western Ghats of Karnataka state known for its diverse flora and fauna with distinct ecological features. For the last four decades the sanctuary has witnessed the loss of forest cover, yet the vegetation in few locations is relatively undisturbed. The current inventory was undertaken during 2019–2020 to provide a checklist of woody species from SWS under-researched earlier. The list comprises 269 species of trees, lianas and shrubs distributed in 207 genera and 68 families. The most diverse families are Fabaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Lauraceae, Apocynaceae, Meliaceae, Malvaceae, Phyllanthaceae, and Anacardiaceae, representing 48% of total woody flora. The sanctuary shelters 263 native and six exotic plant species. Thirty-nine species were endemic to the Western Ghats, five species to peninsular India and one species to the Western Ghats and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Four forest types, i.e., dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests, are represented in the sanctuary. Of the total species, only seven occurred in all forest types, while 111 species are exclusive to a single forest type. One-hundred-and-four taxa were assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List. Ten species that fall under Near Threatened, Vulnerable, and Endangered categories were encountered occasionally. The baseline data generated on plant diversity will be useful in highlighting the importance of these forests for species conservation and forest management. Such data form a cornerstone for further research. For instance, to understand the effect of invasive species and human impacts on the diversity of the region. 

Estimating seasonal abundance and habitat use of small carnivores in the Western Ghats using an occupancy approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riddhika Kalle ◽  
Tharmalingam Ramesh ◽  
Qamar Qureshi ◽  
Kalyanasundaram Sankar
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Palm Civet ◽  
Leopard Cat

Abstract:Rigorous population studies on many small carnivores are lacking in India. Presence-absence models with habitat covariates were applied to estimate seasonal occupancy and abundance of nine small-carnivore species from camera-trap data in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (2010 and 2011). We deployed 25 camera-trap stations in the deciduous forest, 21 in the semi-evergreen forest and 26 in the dry thorn forest. In total, 7380 trap-nights yielded 448 photographs of small carnivores: jungle cat (n = 72), leopard cat (n = 6), rusty-spotted cat (n = 11), small Indian civet (n = 89), common palm civet (n = 37), brown palm civet (n = 20), stripe-necked mongoose (n = 66), ruddy mongoose (n = 96) and Indian grey mongoose (n = 51). In the dry season, rusty-spotted cat was the rarest carnivore with an average abundance (λmean) of 0.24 ± 0.26, while ruddy mongoose was the most abundant (λmean = 0.90 ± 0.40). In the wet season, leopard cat was the rarest species (λmean = 0.048 ± 0.041) while grey mongoose was the most abundant (λmean = 0.68 ± 0.35). Abundance of jungle cat, common palm civet, ruddy mongoose and grey mongoose increased in the dry thorn forest whereas in the dry season abundance of small Indian civet decreased in this forest type. Abundance of leopard cat and small Indian civet was not influenced by habitat in the wet season. Deciduous forest was positively associated with abundance of rusty-spotted cat. Deciduous and semi-evergreen forests had a positive effect on abundance of stripe-necked mongoose while the latter was a positive predictor of abundance and occupancy for brown palm civet. Improved modelling approaches can account for the spatio-temporal variation in habitat use of small carnivores occupying specialized niches in heterogeneous tropical forests of southern India.

scholarly journals Endophytic Fungal Diversity in Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats, India

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monnanda Somaiah Nalini ◽  
Ningaraju Sunayana ◽  
Harischandra Sripathy Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Healthy Plant ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Ethnobotanical Uses

Endophytes constitute an important component of microbial diversity, and in the present investigation, seven plant species with rich ethnobotanical uses representing six families were analyzed for the presence of endophytic fungi from their natural habitats during monsoon (May/June) and winter (November/December) seasons of 2007. Fungal endophytes were isolated from healthy plant parts such as stem, root, rhizome, and inflorescence employing standard isolation methods. One thousand five hundred and twenty-nine fungal isolates were obtained from 5200 fragments. Stem fragments harbored more endophytes (80.37%) than roots (19.22%). 31 fungal taxa comprised of coelomycetes (65%), hyphomycetes (32%), and ascomycetes (3%). Fusarium, Acremonium, Colletotrichum, Chaetomium, Myrothecium, Phomopsis, and Pestalotiopsis spp. were commonly isolated. Diversity indices differed significantly between the seasons (P<0.001). Species richness was greater for monsoon isolations than winter. Host specificity was observed for few fungal endophytes. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped the endophytes into distinct clusters on the basis of genetic distance. This study is the first report on the diversity and host-specificity of endophytic fungal taxa were from the semi evergreen forest type in Talacauvery subcluster of Western Ghats.

scholarly journals Butterflies associated with major forest types in Arunachal Pradesh (eastern Himalaya), India: implications for ecotourism and conservation planning

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 10047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
The State ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Arunachal Pradesh ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
State Planning ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Number Of Species

A three year study (from December 2011 to December 2014 and in June 2015) on butterflies covering four major forest sub-types as classified by H.G. Champion & S.K. Seth in 1968 in ‘Forest Types of India’, which occupy 60% of the forest area lying below 2,500m across Arunachal Pradesh State in the eastern Himalaya of India, revealed 415 taxa belonging to six families (Hesperiidae: 74 species of 42 genera; Papilionidae: 37 species of 10 genera; Pieridae: 36 species of 15 genera; Lycaenidae: 85 species of 49 genera; Riodinidae: 7 species of 3 genera & Nymphalidae: 176 species of 71 genera, respectively).  These included many endemic and rare species typical of these forest sub-types, i.e., (i) 2B/1S1 Sub-Himalayan Light Alluvial Semi-Evergreen Forest (32 species), (ii) 2B/ C1(a) Assam Alluvial Plains Semi-Evergreen Forests (5 species), (iii) 2B/2S2 Eastern Alluvial Secondary Semi-Evergreen Forests- (15 species) and (iv) 3/1S2 (b) Terminalia-Duabanga (3 species), respectively.  The relative number of species and individuals sampled were the highest at altitudes below 500m, and gradually declined as the altitude increased to 2,000m, and above 2,500m species richness declined sharply.  The number of species and their relative abundance were the highest during July–August (Monsoon-first peak) and then again in November-December (Autumn-second peak), while the numbers were lowest during winter.  These findings suggest that these four forest types are important both for the purpose of ecotourism as well as conservation of endemic and rare taxa found in the eastern Himalaya and northeastern India at altitudes below 2,000m.  A complete list of all the taxa sampled is given along with relative abundance status during sampling, Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 status, and distribution in different forest types in the state.  Ten potential butterfly ecotourism zones are suggested for the state.  Planning land-use for biodiversity conservation based on butterfly-forest type associations, by taking forest sub-types as units of conservation, is suggested as an option for the eastern Himalaya.

scholarly journals Soil N Fluxes in Three Contrasting Dry Tropical Forests

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 534-538
Author(s):  
Naoko Tokuchi ◽  
Asami Nakanishi ◽  
Chongrak Wachirinrat ◽  
Hiroshi Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
N Cycling ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Fine Soil ◽  
Resin Core ◽  
N Fluxes ◽  
Dry Tropical Forests ◽  
C And N

A comparative study of N fluxes in soil among a dry dipterocarp forest (DDF), a dry evergreen forest (DEF), and a hill evergreen forest (HEF) in Thailand was done. N fluxes in soil were estimated using an ion exchange resin core method and a buried bag method. Soil C and N pools were 38 C Mg/ha/30 cm and 2.5 N Mg/ha/30 cm in DDF, 82 C Mg/ha/30 cm and 6.2 N Mg/ha/30 cm in DEF, and 167 C Mg/ha/30 cm and 9.3 N Mg/ha/30 cm in HEF. Low C concentration in the DDF and DEF sites was compensated by high fine soil content. In the highly weathered tropical soil, fine soil content seemed to be important for C accumulation. Temporal and vertical fluctuations of N fluxes were different among the sites. The highest N flux was exhibited at the onset of the wet season in DDF, whereas inorganic N production and estimated uptake of N were relatively stable during the wet season in DEF and HEF. It is suggested that N cycling in soil becomes stable in dry tropical forests to intermediate in temperate forests. N deposition may result in large changes of N cycling in the DDF and DEF due to low accumulations of C and N.

scholarly journals Analysis of carbon and nutrient storage of dry tropical forest of chhattisgarh using satellite data

2014 ◽  
Vol XL-8 ◽  
pp. 659-665
Author(s):  
T. K. Thakur
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Central India ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Dry Tropical Forests

The purpose of this study was to characterize the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the Barnowpara Sanctuary, Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India through the use of satellite remote sensing and GIS The total storage of nutrients in vegetation (OS + US + GS) varied from 105.1 to 560.69 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> in N, 4.09 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> to 49.59 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> in P, 24.59 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> to 255.58 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> for K and 7310 to 4836 kg ha<sup>&minus;1</sup> for C in different forest types. They were highest in Dense mixed forest and lowest in Degraded mixed forest. The study also showed that NDVI and carbon storage was strongly correlated to Shannon Index and species richness thus it indicates that the diversity of forest type play a vital role in carbon accumulation. The study also developed reliable regression model for the estimation of LAI, biomass, NPP, C & N storage in dry tropical forests by using NDVI and different vegetation indices, which can be derived from fine resolution satellite data. The study shows that dry tropical forests of Central India are quite immature and not in standing state and have strong potential for carbon sequestration. Both quantitative and qualitative information derived in the study helped in evolving key strategies for maintaining existing C pools and also improving the C sequestration in different forest types. The study explores the scope and potential of dry tropical forests for improving C sequestration and mitigating the global warming and climatic change.

scholarly journals Insect diversity across an afro-tropical forest biodiversity hotspot

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-228
Author(s):  
Jan Christian Habel ◽  
Elisabeth Koc ◽  
Roland Gerstmeier ◽  
Axel Gruppe ◽  
Sebastian Seibold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Insect Diversity ◽  
Forest Biodiversity ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Relative Abundances ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Abstract Tropical forests host a remarkable proportion of global arthropod diversity. Yet, arthropod communities living in tropical forests are still poorly studied, particularly for dry forests of Eastern Africa. The aim of this study was to analyse community structures, species richness and relative abundances of insects across a heterogeneous forest consisting of various forest types. We collected insects in the lower canopies with light traps across the Arabuko Sokoke forest, part of the East African coastal forest biodiversity hotspot in southeast Kenya. Sampling was conducted across three forest types and along the forest edge. In total we collected > 250,000 individuals. We grouped these individuals into orders, and beetles into (sub)families. Representatives of the taxonomically well-known beetle families Cerambycidae, Tenebrionidae and Scolytinae were further determined to species level. We subsequently classified these groups into guilds according to their ecological requirements and life-histories. Relative abundances of arthropods strongly differed among taxonomic groups and forest types. Evenness was highest in the heterogeneous natural Brachystegia forest type. The mixed forest type and the forest edges showed intermediate degrees of evenness, while the structurally homogenous Cynometra forest showed comparatively low degrees of evenness. Implications for insect conservation We found that taxonomic and guild compositions strongly differed among the forest types. Our findings reveal that structural heterogeneity of a forest is the major driver of insect diversity, community composition, and relative abundance. Our study underlines that the preservation of all three forest types is crucial to maintain the complete diversity of arthropods across all taxonomic groups.

scholarly journals The Impact of Land Cover Change on Surface Energy and Water Balance in Mato Grosso, Brazil

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Pongratz ◽  
Lahouari Bounoua ◽  
Ruth S. DeFries ◽  
Douglas C. Morton ◽  
Liana O. Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Canopy Temperature ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The sensitivity of surface energy and water fluxes to recent land cover changes is simulated for a small region in northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Simple Biosphere Model (SiB2) is used, driven by biophysical parameters derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 250-m resolution, to compare the effects of different land conversion types. The mechanisms through which changes in vegetation alter surface fluxes of energy, momentum, water, and carbon are analyzed for both wet and dry seasons. It is found that morphological changes contribute to warming and drying of the atmosphere while physiological changes, particularly those associated with a plant’s photosynthetic pathway, counterbalance or exacerbate the warming depending on the type of conversion and the season. Furthermore, this study’s results indicate that initial clearing of evergreen and transition forest to bare ground increases canopy temperature by up to 1.7°C. For subsequent land use such as pasture or cropland, the largest effect is seen for the conversion of evergreen forest to C3 cropland during the wet season, with a 21% decrease of the latent heat flux and 0.4°C increase in canopy temperature. The secondary conversion of pasture to cropland resulted in slight warming and drying during the wet season driven mostly by the change in carbon pathway from C4 to C3. For all conversions types, the daily temperature range is amplified, suggesting that plants replacing forest clearing require more temperature tolerance than the trees they replace. The results illustrate that the effect of deforestation on climate depends not only on the overall extent of clearing but also on the subsequent land use type.

Female courtship calls of the litter frog (Rana curtipes) in the tropical forests of Western Ghats, South India

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savitha Krishna ◽  
Sharath Krishna
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
South India ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
Calling Behavior ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
Female Call ◽  
The Western Ghats

AbstractWe noticed an uncommon phenomenon of female vocalization in the forest litter frog, Rana curtipes during the breeding season. We digitally recorded the male and female vocalization of the litter frogs in the tropical rain forests of the Western Ghats of South India and analyzed the call characteristics. The female call varied from the male call by being single note in composition. In contrast, the male calls were composed of seven to eight notes and longer in duration. We observed that gravid females, occupying the same location every day, emitted low volume calls when numerous males were found calling at that time. Some females arrived asynchronously and called even in the absence of males possibly to declare their receptive condition. Calling females responded agonistically to receptive conspecifics of the same sex. In addition to declaring receptivity, this calling behavior may be a response to adjacent competing females when the males are few.

scholarly journals Effect of Disturbance Regimes on Spatial Patterns of Tree Species in Three Sites in a Tropical Evergreen Forest in Vietnam

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do Thi Ngoc Le ◽  
Nguyen Van Thinh ◽  
Nguyen The Dung ◽  
Ralph Mitlöhner
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Tropical Evergreen Forest ◽  
Disturbed Forest

The effects of disturbance regimes on the spatial patterns of the five most abundant species were investigated in three sites in a tropical forest at Xuan Nha Nature Reserve, Vietnam. Three permanent one-ha plots were established in undisturbed forest (UDF), lightly disturbed forest (LDF), and highly disturbed forest (HDF). All trees ≥5 cm DBH were measured in twenty-five 20 m × 20 m subplots. A total of 57 tree species belonging to 26 families were identified in the three forest types. The UDF had the highest basal area (30 m2 ha−1), followed by the LDF (17 m2 ha−1) and the HDF (13.0 m2 ha−1). The UDF also had the highest tree density (751 individuals ha−1) while the HDF held the lowest (478 individuals ha−1). Across all species, there were 417 “juveniles,” 267 “subadults,” and 67 “adults” in the UDF, while 274 “juveniles,” 230 “subadults,” and 36 “adults” were recorded in the LDF. 238 “juveniles,” 227 “subadults,” and 13 “adults” were obtained in the HDF. The univariate and bivariate data with pair- and mark-correlation functions of intra- and interspecific interactions of the five most abundant species changed in the three forest types. Most species indicated clumping or regular distributions at small scale, but a high ratio of negative interspecific small-scale associations was recorded in both the LDF and HDF sites. These were, however, rare in the UDF.

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