Report of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822) (Stylommatophora: Achatinidae) in rubber plantations of Western Ghats, Kerala

The giant African snail Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822) is reported as a pest in rubber plantations adjoining forest fringes in the Western Ghats region of Kerala. The snail was causing damage to rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) trees, by feeding on rubber latex and nutmeg twigs and leaves. L. fulica infestation on M. fragrans is a new record. The snail infestation in rubber plantations is the first report from the Western Ghats region in Kerala.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF TRIBAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE WESTERN GHATS

The Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri is a mountain range that covers an area of 140,000 square km parallel to the Western coast of the Indian Peninsula .It traverses the states of Kerala , Tamilnadu , Karnataka ,Goa ,Maharashtra, and Gujarat. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the eight hottest hot spots of biological diversity in the world. It covers 5000 species of flowering plants ,139 mammals species ,508 birds species, and 179 amphibian species ,many discovered species live in the Western Ghats . At least 325 globally threatened species occur in this region. The region glitches many anthropogenic intervention like illegal mining, the establishment of human settlement and deforestation etc. From a Historical view, the Western Ghats is the home for tribes > 50 types of tribes are living in the Western Ghats from the anecdotal period. The majority of the tribal are largely dependent on forests for their livelihood. After the implementation of the forest policy , the tribal livelihood status really worsened in the Western Ghats , they are unable to meet the daily requirement of recommended food intake >2500 Kcl. After post-independence (73years ) of India many development programs are implemented in the tribal area for improvement of livelihood status , but as of calendar date they are facing many problems like economic instability , lack of literacy , lower level of quality of life and not politically empowered . In this context , in the interest of policy implication at the tribal area , the present study was undertaken to study the socioeconomic status and spatial distribution of tribal in the Western Ghats. This study practically helps the policymakers , planners of the policy, and researcher scholars to extrapolate the tribal settlement through the geo-spacing tag of tribal , socio-economic level, Knowledge and attitude of Conservation of Western Ghats at the population level .

Review on Camptothecin Producing Medicinal Plant: Nothapodytes Nimmoniana

Nothapodytes nimmoniana is an endangered medicinal plant widely distributed throughout the Western Ghats of India. The plant contains camptothecin (CPT) which is renowned anticancer drugs. Though, CPT found in many plant species but maximum amount of CPT has been reported from N. nimmoniana. Due to very good source of CPT, this plant has been explored for its Phytochemical, Biotechnological and Pharmacological aspects. Looking to the huge global demand for CPT, overexploitation of N. nimmoniana, unplanned deforestation, and lowest production of CPT from intact plant, reduction of seed germination, high market cost and not have economically feasible process of production has optimistic us to investigate this plant in a systematic manner. The proposed article can be utilized for the establishment of extraction methods and analytical protocol for CPT. Also, Bioreactors production of CPT using high yielding cell line of N. nimmoniana. The pharmacological data will be applicable for discovery of new Drug and development lead to novel compounds which are safe and effective.

Extended distribution of two endemic epiphytes from the Western Ghats to the Deccan Plateau

Extended distribution of two endemic epiphytes, viz., Hoya wightii Hook.f. (Apocynaceae) and Bulbophyllum fimbriatum Rchb.f. (Orchidaceae) from Western Ghats to Deccan Plateau is reported during field explorations undertaken to document the flora of Kalwan tehsil. The presence of these two species in the Deccan plateau indicates the need of further explorations to document the diversity and endemism of strict endemics of Western Ghats in Deccan plateau.

Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Aryanad Grama Panchayat, Kerala, India

A year-long study to document the diversity and seasonality of odonates was conducted at Aryanad Grama Panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, southern India. A total of 93 species (56 dragonflies and 37 damselflies) belonging to 12 families were recorded. Twenty-four species of odonates recorded are endemic to the Western Ghats, three to peninsular India and one to India. Small streams showed the highest species richness, hosting 69 species and ponds the lowest with 59 species. Species richness showed a peak during the southwest monsoon season and a dip in winter. The study highlights the importance of biodiversity documentation at regional level.

Development of a new high spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°) long period (1901-2010) daily gridded rainfall data set over India and its comparison with existing data sets over the region

ABSTRACT. The study discusses development of a new daily gridded rainfall data set (IMD4) at a high spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°, latitude × longitude) covering a longer period of 110 years (1901-2010) over the Indian main land. A comparison of IMD4 with 4 other existing daily gridded rainfall data sets of different spatial resolutions and time periods has also been discussed. For preparing the new gridded data, daily rainfall records from 6955 rain gauge stations in India were used, highest number of stations used by any studies so far for such a purpose. The gridded data set was developed after making quality control of basic rain-gauge stations. The comparison of IMD4 with other data sets suggested that the climatological and variability features of rainfall over India derived from IMD4 were comparable with the existing gridded daily rainfall data sets. In addition, the spatial rainfall distribution like heavy rainfall areas in the orographic regions of the west coast and over northeast, low rainfall in the lee ward side of the Western Ghats etc. were more realistic and better presented in IMD4 due to its higher spatial resolution and to the higher density of rainfall stations used for its development.

Data assimilation by the variational method with results for the Indian region

ABSTRACT. The variational method for data assimilation as implemented in the operational scheme at ECMWF is briefly presented. The performance of the variational scheme (3D-Var) with respect to tropical cyclones and the Asian summer monsoon is investigated and compared to the Optimum Interpolation scheme. It is found that the analysis of near-surface winds has improved significantly particularly in the vicinity of tropical storms and depressions. The better analyses have led to improvements in the short range forecasts (day 1 to day 3) of such systems. The summer monsoon appears slightly stronger in the 3D-Var analyses, giving enhanced forecast precipitation over the Western Ghats and over large parts of northern India. Only in the latter of these two areas does this verify with observations. The forecasts for India of geopotential, wind and temperature have improved significantly at all forecast ranges, as verified against own analyses. These results are based on 28 cases in two separate 2-week periods.