Theme 2&3 - Exploring Biodiversity & Threats to Biodiversity in a changing climate by E_Foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r Biodiversity and Climate Change en-us 2019-01-15 20:36:06 UTC 2024-10-26 16:56:20 UTC hello@padlet.com STEP 1. ACTIVATE YOUR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - assess the problem e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/320995742 Come up with possible reasons for the decision to reintroduce grey wolves into the National Park. From the three options below, select the reason you find most likely.]]> 2019-01-15 20:38:38 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/320995742 Answer e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/320995954 The wolves were brought in because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen and cottonwood.]]> 2019-01-15 20:39:06 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/320995954 Predator - Prey interactions 1 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604428 King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) and Rat snakes (Ptyas mucosa)

Kind cobra is a venomous species of snake found in India and Southeast Asia. Rat snake is a widespread species found in Central, Southeast and South Asia. Kind cobras mainly eat other snakes with a preference rat snakes. 
]]> 2019-02-10 15:13:19 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604428 Predator Prey interactions 2 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604554 Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) and Indian Giant squirrel (Ratufa indica)

Lion-tailed macaque is an endangered primate species endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is omnivorous and it feeds primarily on fruits but also eat leaves, buds, seeds, flowers, fungi insects and small vertebrates.  Lion-tailed macaques might not feed frequently on vertebrates there have been several reports of them feeding on small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, bats, small birds, etc*. In 2008, a small communication was published were researchers had observed an adult Lion-tailed macaque feeding on an Indian giant squirrel*.   

*Sushma, H.S. & Singh, M. (2008). Hunting of Indian giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) by the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) in the Western Ghats, India. Current Science 95(11):1535-1536.]]> 2019-02-10 15:14:10 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604554 Parasitic organisms 1 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604814 Ticks - Amblyomma gervaisi
Amblyomma gervaise is a species of parasite found on snakes and monitor lizards. A study published in 2011 reported tick infestation by this species on two Indian snakes (Indian rat snake and Spectacled combra) from Northern Parts of the Western Ghats. Average prevalence on the India rat snake was 29.16% (N=48) whereas the average prevalence on Spectacled cobras was 30% ( N=20). They also noted that moulting behaviour did not affect the parasites as their numbers did not change before and after moulting.

Reference: Pandit, P. et al. (2011). Tick Infestation on Wild Snakes in Northern Part of Western Ghats of India. Journal of Medical Entomology, 48(3):504-507. ]]> 2019-02-10 15:15:57 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604814 Parasitic organisms 2 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604836 Leeches
The rainforests of Western Ghats are home to many species of leeches. Leeches are segmented parasitic organisms, mainly found in freshwater ecosystems. Some species can also be found in terrestrial ecosystems and with the onset of the monsoon season they can be found in great numbers in the rainforests. The majority of leech species feed on the blood of a host organism. They attach themselves to the host and secret a anticoagulant which prevents the blood from clotting. Once they have consumed enough blood they drop off from their hosts.

Indicative Reading:
Mandal, CK. & Nandi, N.C. (2008). Distribution of Leech Faunal Diversity in Freshwater Wetlands of West Bengla and Tamil Nadu. Proceedings of Taal 2007: The 12th World Lake Conference: 1831-1839. ]]> 2019-02-10 15:16:06 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329604836 Ecological niche 1 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605134 Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii)
Sangai is an endemic subspecies of brow-antlered deer. It is only found in Manipur, India and it is Listed as endangered in the IUCN Redlist. Even though not a Western Ghats species (but a Northeast Indian species) it is a remarkable example of an extremely narrow niche. This species' habitat is the floating meadow (called phumdi) of the southeastern part of Loktak Lake at the Keibul Lamjao National Park. This unique habitat is comprised by entangled vegetation, accumulated organic debris and biomass with soil. It feeds on various water plants, grasses, herbs and shoots. 
]]> 2019-02-10 15:18:27 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605134 Ecological niche 2 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605145 Purple frog 

(Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis)

The Purple frog is an endemic, endangered and very rare species of the Western Ghats. It is another example of an animal exploiting a unique niche. It spends most of its life underground and only emerges for a few days during the start of the monsoon period to breed. They eat primarily termites.

]]> 2019-02-10 15:18:34 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605145 Niche partitioning e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605236 Leopard (Panthera pardus) and Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
Leopards and Dhole (Indian wild dog) coexist in the forests of the Western Ghats. They both prey mainly on medium sized ungulates. In order to avoid direct conflict they are mostly active at different times. Dhole is diurnal whereas leopards hunt mostly at night. However, things are not always as clear-cut. For example, due to the leopard's ability to climb trees they could also feed on langurs which was an additional food resource for them.
Consequently, when species' niches overlap more than one strategy might come into play in order to avoid conflict.

Reference and more info:
Ramesh, T. Kalke, R. Sankar, K. & Qureshi Q. (2012). Dietary Partitioning in Sympatric Large Carnivores in a Tropical Forest of Western Ghats, India. Mammal Study, 37(4):313-321.]]> 2019-02-10 15:19:21 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329605236 Example of a tropic pyramid e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329647674 2019-02-10 20:21:03 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329647674 Step 1. Activate your knowledge e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329657764 2019-02-10 21:18:28 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329657764 Habitat Fragmentation e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658012 Valparai Plateau is a mosaic dominated by rainforest fragments, shaded coffee plantations and tea plantations, surrounded by protected areas. Many studies have been carried out in the area in order to examine the effects of rainforest fragmentation on different taxa. A recent study, examined the functional diversity of bat species in this landscape. The reseachers found that functional diversity was much lower in tea monocultures compared to forest fragments and shaded coffee plantation which were similar to protected areas.

Reference and more info:
Wordley, C.F.R Sankaran, M. Mudappa, D. and Altringham J.D (2017). Bats in the Ghats: Agricultural intensification reduces functional diversity and increases trait filtering in a biodiversity hotspot in India. Biological Conservation, 210 (A):48-55.
Trait filtering:]]> 2019-02-10 21:20:24 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658012 Wildlife overexploitation e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658545 One example of wildlife overexploitation in the Western Ghats is the exploitation of freshwater fish for the pet trade. In a 2013 study* researchers examined the extend of exploitation of endemic and threatened freshwater fish for the pet trade in India. They discovered that at least 30 endemic and threatened (IUCN Red List) freshwater fish species were exported. The majority of exports comprised of three species which were either listed as Endangered or Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. They conclude that current regulations are not sufficient to protect freshwater fish from the aquarium trade and that this threat is more severe that previously thought.

*Reference and more info
Raghavan, R. et al. (2013). Uncovering an obscure trade: Threatened freshwater fishes and the aquarium per markets. Biological Conservation, 164: 158-169.]]> 2019-02-10 21:23:35 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658545 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658707 Several species that are found in the Western Ghats appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. Some have already been mentioned previously (e.g. Lion-tailed macaque and Purple frog). Some more examples are provided below.

Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)
The Indian pangolin is a species of the Western Ghats listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List and whose population is believed to be declining significantly. It is mainly threatened by hunting and poaching. Its scales are used in traditional medicine and its meat is used as a food source. ]]> 2019-02-10 21:24:25 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658707 Invasions of alien species e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658855 There are several invasive species in the Western Ghats.
1. For example,  Chromolaena odorata*, Lantana camara* and Maesopsis eminii are invasive plant species found in the Western Ghats. Invasive plant species usually do not permit native species to regenerate. In a study in 2015, researchers found that densities of these invasive species were lower in a protected site compared to three disturbed sites.
2. Another example of invasive species are five freshwater fish: Oreochromis mossambicus*, Gambusia affinis*, Osphronemus goramy, Xiphophorus maculatus and Poecilia reticulata. These 5 invasive species were found in the Chalakudy river in Western Ghats. Research indicates that  Poecilia reticulata has established breeding populations. If these species proliferate they might pose serious threats to the native fish species of the river.

References and more details:
1. Joshi, A.A. Mudappa, D. & Shankar Raman, T.R. (2015).  Invasive alien species in relation to edges and forest structure in tropical rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats. Tropical Ecology, 56(2):233-244.
2. Raghavan, R. Prasad, G. Anvar-Ali, P.H. and Pereira, B. (2008). 

Exotic fish species in a global biodiversity hotspot: observations from River Chalakudy, part of Western Ghats, Kerala, India. Biological Invasions, 10(1): 37-40. 


* Species included in the list of "100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species"
]]> 2019-02-10 21:25:17 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658855 Signs of climate change e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658939 Signs of climate change such as weather extremes are more and more prevalent in the Western Ghats, a region which is characterised by the monsoon rains. Rainfall has been declining and some district are facing dry conditions. Floods are also more frequent as there is a shift in the rainfall pattern, where there is increased rainfall volume over a shorter time.
This severely impacts agriculture in the area but also ecosystems and  biodiversity. 
More info:]]> 2019-02-10 21:25:51 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329658939 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329661793 Efforts to restore and enhance rainforest fragments are ongoing. More information provided in the video below. ]]> 2019-02-10 21:44:22 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329661793 e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329671479 Indian Kangaroo Lizard (Otocryptis beddomii)
The Indian Kangaroo Lizard is an endemic species of the Western Ghats which is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List. It is a small sized terrestrial species found among leaf-litter and forest floor vegetation. It is threatened by agriculture and habitat modification.]]> 2019-02-10 22:51:46 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329671479 Varying rainfall threatens biodiversity in Western Ghats e_foui https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329678837 More reading

]]> 2019-02-10 23:40:14 UTC https://padlet.com/e_foui/28vwp6uul97r/wish/329678837