Seasonal pattern of food habits of large herbivores in riverine alluvial grasslands of Brahmaputra floodplains, Assam

Jarman–Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman–Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

Effects of Imperata cylindrica on Anti-hyperlipidemia: A Review

Imperata cylindrica is a well-known species of perennial rhizomatous grass native to tropical South East Asia, which possesses extensive medicinal value. It has major constituents such as saponin, flavonoid, phenols, and glycosides, efficacious as an anti-hyperlipidemia. Studies of pharmacological activities of I. cylindrica, a nutritious, medicinal herb, showed that it could cause blood lipid levels to be reduced. This systematic review article was designed to determine the existing studies related to the efficacy of I. cylindrica to lower blood lipid levels. PubMed and Scopus databases were used to search for suitable keywords such as Imperata cylindrica, cogongrass, hypolipidemic, triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Based on provided protocol, in this systematic review, we extracted the data and evaluated the quality of articles by two reviewers. (4) Results 73 articles were the search results and based on the inclusions and exclusions criteria, 8 articles were included in the final review. These studies demonstrated that two active compounds of I. cylindrica: flavonoids and saponins, were beneficial to reduce blood lipid levels. However, further clinical studies are urgently required to provide adequate evidence on the use application of I. cylindrica in medicinal properties.

A new report of three parasitoids of the cogongrass gall-midge Orseolia javanica Kieffer & Van Leeuwen-Reijnvaan (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Bogor West Java

The cogongrass gall midge, Orseolia javanica, has been identified as a biological control agent with the ability to specifically attack cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) or known in Indonesia as alang-alang. However, in the field, the cogongrass gall midge has a high parasitism by insect parasitoids, which could lead to population collapse. Information regarding the insect parasitoids of the cogongrass gall midge is a very limited. The objectives of this study was to describe and identify the new reported cogongrass gall midge parasitoids in Gunung Gadung cemetery in Cipaku, South Bogor District, Bogor. This study was conducted by taking the cogongrass galls in the field, maintaining in the laboratory, identificating the parasitoids, and calculating the percentage of parasitism. The study has been conducted from August 2020 to May 2021. Three new reported parasitoids were identified on O. javanica in addition to five already known parasitoid, they were Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), Lamprotatus sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), and Nigeriella sp. (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae). These parasitoids may be able to reduce the effectiveness of the cogongrass gall-midge in controlling the cogongrass. Their morphological characters, descriptions, and percentage of parasitism are presented.

Litter Decomposition of Imperata cylindrica in a Copper Tailing Areas With Different Restoration History: Fungal Community Dynamics and Driving Factors

Microorganisms drive litter decomposition while maintaining the chemical cycle of ecosystems. We used the dominant vegetation (Imperata cylindrica) in the mining area selected for this study for this experiment to explore fungal community characteristics, key fungal groups, and their associative driving factors during I. cylindrica litter decomposition. Maximum litter C/N values occurred 100days after the commencement of the decomposition experiment during all different recovery years in this copper tailings area. Heavy metals in litter [copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), plumbum (Pb), and cadmium (Cd)] accumulated gradually with decomposition. The dominant fungal phyla observed in the community were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, while the classes Sordariomycetes and Eurotiomycetes significantly increased as litter decomposition progressed. Degrees of connectivity and interaction between fungal communities were highest during the early litter decomposition stage. Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Leotiomycetes all played critical roles in maintaining fungal community relationships. The effect of physicochemical properties and enzyme activities in I. cylindrica litter was significant on the dominant fungi, while driving factors that affected fungal communities differed over different recovery stages. Total nitrogen (TN), heavy metals, pH, and enzyme activities in the little were significantly correlated with fungal community composition. Litter properties throughout the litter decomposition process mainly affected the dynamics of the fungal community structure. The main environmental factors that affected fungal community structure were copper content and pH. Dichotomopilus, Trichoderma, Knufia, Phialophora, Oxyporus, and Monocillium, which all played important roles in litter decomposition, positively correlated with heavy metals, sucrase, and catalase. Finally, results from this study will help us better clarify litter decomposition mechanisms in degraded ecosystems as well as provide a scientific basis for improving species cycling and nutrient transformation efficiency in mining ecosystems.

Adsorption Of Methylene Blue By Imperata Cylindrica: Reaction Optimization By Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Imperata Cylindrica (IC) is a solid waste that is readily available throughout the year known as one of the most important weed in the world and frequently causes major disposal issues. As a result, using IC as a low-cost adsorbent is beneficial from both, economic and environmental standpoint to remove colors from wastewater of textile industry. This work studies the reaction optimization of methylene blue (MB) removal using IC by response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM experiments were designed with 4 independent variables (initial adsorbent dosage, initial pH, initial dye concentration, and initial temperature) and 1 response variable (percent removal of MB). According to the pareto figure, the initial pH demonstrated the greatest impact on the percent removal of MB. The RSM data predicted the optimum condition of MB removal up to 86.61% using IC, by utilizing adsorbent dosage of 1.458 g/L, at 42 oC, initial pH of 6.8 and MB concentration of 235 ppm. The chacterization analysis revealed the physicochemical properties of IC in the adsoprtion process.

Application of Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica) as Biosorbent in Diesel-Filter System for Oil Spill Removal

Imperata cylindrica, often known as cogon grass, is a low-cost and useful sorbent for absorbing oil and optimising processes. The effects of temperature, time, packing density and oil concentration on oil absorption efficiency were investigated and optimised utilising one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and response surface methodology (RSM) approaches. Temperature and oil concentration are two important variables in the oil absorption process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to characterise cogon grass. After treatment and oil absorption, the FTIR method indicated new formation and deformation of functional groups, while SEM revealed changes in the surface and texture of cogon grass, including a roughened and jagged surface. Validation of the RSM model yielded 93.54% efficiency with 22.45 mL oil absorbed at 128 °C temperature and 36 (v/v)% oil concentration while keeping packing density and time constant at 30 min and 0.20 g/cm3, respectively. This study may provide an insight into the usefulness of a statistical approach to maximise the oil absorption of cogon grass as an oil sorbent.

Ecological Impacts of Megaprojects: Species Succession and Functional Composition

Land-use changes have huge impacts on natural vegetation, especially megaprojects, as the vegetation layer is destroyed in the course of construction works affecting the plant community composition and functionality. This large-scale disturbance might be a gateway for the establishment of invasive plant species, which can outcompete the natural flora. In contrast, species occurring in the area before the construction are not able to re-establish. In this study, we analyzed the impact of a pipeline construction on a wetland nature reserve located in northern Egypt. Therefore, we analyzed the plant species occurrence and abundance and measured each plant species’ traits before the construction in 2017 as well as on multiple occasions up to 2 years after the construction had finished on altogether five sampling events. We found that the construction activity led to the establishment of an invasive species which previously did not occur in the area, namely, Imperata cylindrica, whereas five species (Ipomoea carnea, Pluchea dioscoridis, Polygonum equisetiforme, Tamarix nilotica, and Typha domingensis) could not re-establish after the disturbance. The functionality of ecosystems assessed via the analysis of plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) changed within species over all sampling events and within the community showing a tendency to approximate pre-construction values. Functional dispersion and Rao’s quadratic diversity were higher after the megaproject than before. These findings are important to capture possible re-establishment and recovery of natural vegetation after construction and raise awareness to the impact of megaprojects, especially in areas which are high priority for conservation.