Science and Conservation

Research at WRCT is organized under the following themes:

Biodiversity characterization, patterns and monitoring

The tropical countries are the most biologically diverse but their biotas are disappearing at alarming rates. The characterisation of biological diversity and, monitoring populations and their habitats plays a key role in conservation prioritisation and management. Our work focuses on studying diversity from the molecular level to the organismic level. We are also interested in both regional and large-scale biodiversity monitoring programmes.

Current and recent projects include:

Scientific information on the distribution, abundance and ecology of many carnivore species in Western Ghats are very limited. The Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii is one of the largest and rarest Indian mustelids and is endemic to the Western Ghats. Quantitative data on the microhabitat use by Nilgiri marten are scarce. Consequently, there is some uncertainty about the preferred habitats and altitudinal distribution of this species. Rarity of the species was established in a survey conducted in its known range. Maximum sightings of the species were obtained from the mid elevation evergreen forests in the unprotected areas. Measures for the effective conservation for the species were suggested.

Collaborators: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.

Distribution and ecology of many small mammals in India are poorly known.

Thumbergia bicolar is a climber in family Acanthaceae. This plant was first described by Gamble in 1889 and mentioned as very rare and located from Sispara and Walakkad. The importance of the plant is that it was known only from the type locality. After that it was remaining unattended for more than a century. Later, Manilal (1982) has found the plant from Walakkad and noted that it is confined to the upland regions of the Silent Valley. The floristic studies done by the Botanical Survey of India and others had not listed the plant. It is a large climber with long pendent branches, the conspicuous bracteoles which are bicoloured -half red and half greenish yellow. We studied the species ecology and the insects which are interacting with the plants.

Collaborators: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.

Thumbergia bicolor is one of the several rainforest flora which has not yet been assessed in terms of their conservation status.

Chalcides pentadactylus is a member of Scincidae family  described by Beddome 1870. The type specimen was collected from Kadalundi near Beypur, Kozhikkode District 11° 11'N; 75° 49'E, in Kerala State, South-western India (Boulenger 1890, Smith 1935, Das 1996). Later, for unknown reason, the type specimen was lost from the collection. Since then nothing more of the species was known, neither any observation on it's natural history nor its taxonomic position. Hence survey for the species was done in the type locality with the help of several volunteers apart from the WRCT research team. We could not locate the Chalcides pentadactylus despite the intensive search. However, the survey could document the reptilian fauna in this area. Further sampling with different methods are envisaged.

Mukherjee, D., Das, K.S.A. and P. Balakrishnan. 2000. Status survey of Chalcides pentadactylus (Beddome 1870) in Kadalundy, Kerala, India. WRCT Technical Report No. 1, Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust, Nilambur

Muthikkulam Reserved Forests, in the south western corner of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in the southern Western Ghats, India, which support a small stretch of evergreen forest as well as montane shola-grasslands remain unexplored and unprotected. An assessment of the biodiversity of this reserve was made by faunistic surveys and compilation of the existing information. This reserve supports more than 35 species of mammals (excluding Chiroptera, Rodentia and Insectivora), about 200 species of birds, 52 species of reptiles and more than 135 species of butterflies. Poaching of large mammals, illegal fishing and uncontrolled tourism are major threats. Results of this study urge the need for legal protection of Muthikkulam and surrounding hills.

Collaborators: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.

Outputs/publications:

The rich biodiversity of Muthikkulam reserved forest, located in south western corner of NBR need urgent legal protection.

Epiphytic bryophytes and lichens are an important component of biological diversity in the  tropical forests. However, there have been few studies on epiphytes in the rainforests of India. In a short-term study we examined the epiphytic flora on Eleocarpus tuberculatus, a dominant rainforest tree species in the Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats. Twenty-one species of epiphytes were identified belonging to eight families growing on the tree bark. We recognised Eleocarpus tuberculatus, as an umbrella species as it act as an important host tree for number of epiphytes and suggested the necessity of canopy studies in understanding  the host-specific interactions of epiphytic flora

Collaborators: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore; Kongunadu Arts & Science College, Coimbatore.

Outputs/publications:

Das K.S.A, Ramachandran V.S. and L.Vijayan. Epiphytes on a tropical rain forest tree Eleocarpus tuberculatus Roxb. in Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats. Adansonia (in review).

Aerdis crispa is a rare orchid found in the trunks of rainforest trees.

Biodiversity conservation in the human altered landscapes such as agroforestry systems are largely neglected in the past. However, they may play a crucial role in the conservation of tropical biodiversity. The shade-grown coffee plantations in the Western Ghats have significant conservation potential. In this study we made an assessment of the biodiversity of a partially-managed coffee plantation interspersed with islands of rainforest patches in the Nelliampathy Hills in the Western Ghats. The preliminary assessment indicates presence of more than 100 bird species, several species of mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. An intensive study using standard methods is proposed for the detailed examination of the biodiversity in order to assess the conservation potential of this estate and surrounding rainforest patches.  

Funding/collaborators: Inheritance India Land Conservation Pvt Ltd., Mumbai.

Outputs/publications:

Zaibin, A. P. 2005. A preliminary study on some of the ecological aspects of Golden Valley in the Nelliampathy Hills. Report submitted to Inheritance India Land Conservation Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.

Das, K.S.A., Zaibin, A. P. and Balakrishnan, P. 2008. Preliminary observations on the faunistic wealth of Golden Valley Estate, Nelliyampathy Hills, Western Ghats. Report submitted to Inheritance India Land Conservation Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.

Apart from the characterization of butterfly guilds in each of the different forest types, the study aimed at identifying indicator species of butterflies for the specific habitat types. Using Modified Pollard Walks and Van Someren traps the overall butterfly diversity and responses to the natural treefall gaps (which suddenly open up a strikingly different microhabitat within the forests) were assessed in this study.  A total of 133 species of butterflies belonging to five families were recorded during the study period. This included nine species endemic to the Western Ghats. Species abundance was more in forest edge area followed by gap, natural forest and canopy. At the gaps, higher diversity, greater evenness and lower scaled dominance of butterfly assemblages were observed. The study unequivocally showed that treefall gaps are not neutral with respect to the community structure of butterflies in the forests around them. The species composition at gaps resembled the open areas than the shaded forests which indicated the response of butterflies to a sudden habitat change as caused by a treefall.  Attempt was also made to infuse the importance of conservation of nature to the local residents living at the fringes of the National Park through photo exhibition and other programmes.

Funding/collaborators: Wildlife Trust, USA; Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.

Outputs/publications:

Das K.S.A and Vijayan L. 2007. Evaluation of butterflies as bioindicators in Western Ghats, India. Final Technical report Submitted to the Wildlife Trust, USA.

Das K.S.A. 2008. Responses of the butterflies to the natural tree fall gaps in a tropical evergreen forest in Western Ghats, India. In: Proc. of Student Conference on Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom p 29

This study highlight the importance of a bioindicator-based approach to ecological monitoring, rather than the use of a diversity index approach in which species identity plays no part.

Majority of the conservation efforts focus on the preservation of biodiversity in the pristine ecosystems. However, many human-dominated and modified landscapes are biodiversity rich and thus offer great opportunities to conserve at least a portion of the biodiversity that may otherwise be lost under the existing pressures. This study aims to understand the patterns of reptile distribution, abundance and threats in a tropical lowland landscape dominated by rubber, coconut and cashew plantations and other agricultural crops.

Dussumier's Litter Skink Sphenomorphus dussumieri is a common but poorly known  species occur in the rubber and other plantations in south India.

Though India host more then 500 reptile species, much of the information on the group is either preliminary or scattered. This database is intended to document and disseminate information on the ecology, distribution and life-history of all reptiles that occur in India, which may help to identify the lacunae areas that need further research. At present we are collating information from a number of books, checklists, research papers and monographs as a starting point for the database and later these data will be made available through the website.

Insects of small aquatic habitats found in plants, called 'phytotelmata' (plant-held waters), have attracted low attention from naturalists for the greater part of the last century. For biological investigations, the relatively small accumulations of water occurring in epiphytes, and tree holes offer several methodological advantages over lakes, streams, and other comparatively large systems. They are: 1) phytotelmata are discrete and can be treated as individual units for sampling and faunal surveys, 2) these habitats are often abundant where they occur, permitting sample sizes appropriate for statistical analyses, 3) the macrofauna of phytotelmata is often specialized and of manageable diversity and abundance-this is especially true of the aquatic insect inhabitants, and 4) water-filled tree holes are among the most tractable of small aquatic systems, in part because they are relatively persistent, and can be mimicked with plastic cups, bamboo sections, or other inexpensive materials. Despite these unique features of these water holes in the trees and their specialized inhabitants, the extent to which processes affecting their biodiversity and community structure can be generalized to larger systems remains to be examined. This study proposes to evaluate the variation in the structural and compositional diversity of the aquatic insect community at two spatial scales, viz., 1) vertical distribution of the aquatic insect community in natural tree holes, and 2) the community structure at different tree species in a tropical rainforest. The major objectives are: to enumerate the potential differences in the species assemblages in the water filled tree holes and its artificial analogues; to test the hypothesis that tree holes with higher quantity of water and leaf litter support higher richness and densities of common resident insects than treeholes with lower amounts of these resources; to determine the vertical stratification of the species composition in the trees and finally to  evaluate the aquatic insect community differences at the spatial scales at different locations in a tropical rainforest to assess/ predict the general ecosystem health and properties of forest stand dynamics. Read more

Funding/collaborators: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), M.E.S College, Mampad.

People and conservation

People: S. Manchi, K.M. Jayahari, D. Mukherjee, K.S.A. Das, P. Balakrishnan, A. Waran, T.N. Bindu, R. Dhanya

This thematic area seeks to understand the anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity and to develop practical solutions to tackle the global biodiversity crisis. Our approaches to reverse the biodiversity loss and natural resource depletion include developing land management techniques that enhance the biodiversity of human-dominated and modified landscapes; promoting sustainable use of natural resources; restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems; encouraging community participation in biodiversity conservation, and raising awareness of biodiversity's role in enabling the delivery of ecosystem services and of its worth to human societies.

Current and recent projects include:

Direct human kills, road kills and exploitation for food are important conservation problems of herpetofauna. However, relatively little attention has been devoted to understand the patterns of the direct killing and impact of such mortality on natural population of herpetofauna. This study aims to understand the patterns of direct killing, road kills and human exploitation of herpetofauna in a tropical countryside in peninsular India (Nilambur Taluk of Malappuram District, Kerala) through networks of students and informers and direct field studies. The preliminary result indicates that at least 15 species of snakes are persecuted by humans in this region. Majority of the species killed are non-venomous. Large number of snake bites and mortality in this region generate fear and dislike and leads to the persecution of any snake on sight. Large-scale road-kill mortality and exploitation turtles and monitor lizards for food are also recorded.

Outputs/publications:

Balakrishnan, P. 2010. Conservation Evidence, 7: 7-15

Human killed Common Indian Krait Bungarus caeruleus (above) and its Batesian mimic Travancore Wolf Snake Lycodon travencoricus

Malicious killing is an important cause of population decline for several venomous and non-venomous snakes.

Roads in the semi-natural areas cause significant levels of herpetofaunal mortality.

Bengal Monitor  is a commonly exploited species for its meat and for use in traditional medicine in the lowlands.

Wildlife trade is an enormous problem for biodiversity conservation in south-east Asia. In India, except for some studies on the illegal trafficking of certain large mammal species and their products (e.g., the tiger, elephant, musk deer, etc.), trade in lower vertebrates and invertebrates and their products has received little attention. Moreover, majority of the wildlife trade and seizure are reported from north east India. Recently reported seizures of wildlife (e.g., owls, butterflies) that are legally traded in south India indicates a gross underestimation of the actual extent of wildlife traded in the region. Our attempt is to track the existing trade routes and identify natural collecting areas to understand the extent and impacts of this trade. We also undertake wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, at times when the situation warrants.

Global change ecology

People: Sam Varghese, K.M. Jayahari, K.S.A. Das, P. Balakrishnan, R. Dhanya.

The ecosystems of the earth are exposed to various and rapid changes. The consequences of such changes in the structure and function of ecosystems are uncertain. Understanding the impacts of human activities on the functioning of ecosystems and their services is crucial in predicting and mitigating the future impacts of global climate change. Meeting this challenge will require innovative approaches in research and education as most of global change problems are entirely new and interdisciplinary nature. Our research under this theme is aimed at understanding the influence of the elements of global change like land-use and land-cover change, the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, pollution and other drivers affect the biota. Aided by remote-sensing technologies, simulation models and long-term individual-based studies our staff and associates examines both past climate events and land use patterns as well as modelling likely future global change scenarios and their impacts. Our scope also includes economic, social and political and ecological aspects of global change. We look forward to establish innovative collaborations in various research topics under this theme.

The projected changes in climate, including increasing mean global temperatures, changes in precipitation; increased frequency and intensity of some extreme climatic events and several other factors will impact the ecosystem services of wetlands, mountain forests and their dependent species.