Search

The Asian elephant is mostly confined to mountainous ranges and therefore risks population fragmentation if hard protected area (PA) boundaries near steep slopes prevent movement. We tested whether elephant gene flow is (i) controlled by slope and (ii) affected by the interplay between barriers and slope. We used 176 unique genotypes obtained non-invasively from fresh elephant dung to assess individual-by-individual genetic distance across the Western Ghats of India, a biodiversity hotspot. To assess landscape distance, 36 resistance models were produced by transforming a slope raster. Core areas and corridors were calculated from the raster that provided the best correlation between the genetic and distance matrices. The influence of the closure of PAs on gene flow was examined for one region, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The best resistance raster obtained by transforming the slope occupancy model was better than Euclidean distance for explaining genetic distance, indicating that slope partially controls gene flow. Fencing elephant PAs on hilly terrain reduces core areas and disrupts corridors. Consequently, hard PA boundaries abutting slopes can fragment elephant populations, but this can be ameliorated by protecting the adjacent flatter terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We collated data on the latitudinal, elevation and seasonality ranges, local densities, stature and dispersal mode of 514 evergreen tree species (≥10 cm girth at breast height), including 317 endemics, from the rain forests of the Western Ghats (WG) of India using two complementary databases, (i) 68 tree inventory plots, and (ii) the Atlas of Endemics. We tested the hypotheses that (i) regional rarity would be associated with local rarity and narrower ecological amplitudes, (ii) shorter and mechanically dispersed trees would be rarer, (iii) higher proportion of endemic species would be rare (iv) regionally wide ranging species would be locally rare, and localised species would be denser, (v) families with single species would be relicts in this biome, (vi) larger families would have a higher proportion of rare and endemic species. We used Atlas records in a generalised least square model acknowledging phylogenetic relationships, to test hypotheses (i) to (ii), and non parametric tests for (iii) to (vi). We identified rare species using binary cut-offs and compared these with IUCN threat status. Rarity was associated with (i) narrower ecological amplitudes and shorter stature, independent of phylogeny, (ii) 18 wide ranging and locally sparse, 41 narrow ranging and locally dense species, (iii) relict species and families, (iv) larger families. Rare species were more likely to be threatened, but 39% were not evaluated. We identified zones of rare endemics to help with conservation planning. The WG rain forests have a unique evolutionary history and potential that require increased conservation measures. Highlights • We examined multiple facets of rarity among 514 species including 317 endemics from the Western Ghats of India. • Rare species tend to have narrower ecological amplitudes, be short statured. • Rare endemics, rare non-endemics and rarity among families is examined. • The results highlight the importance of this limited biome for its unique biodiversity and evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – The Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) in March 2010 to provide guidelines for improved management within the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. The WGEEP's Mandate was to identify ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs). The Panel submitted their report in 2011 but it remained unimplemented. It was not clear whether the delay was due to the unwillingness of civil society to accept ambitious environment management plans, or whether the report had shortcomings. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors undertook a critique of the WGEEP report and its Mandate, to evaluate key issues that could have prevented its implementation. Findings – The analysis indicated that the WGEEP Mandate was ill-defined and the WGEEP report identified ESAs without providing a working definition. The absence of critical review of earlier environment management failures, the delayed dialogue with civil society, the absence of legislative foundation upon which such a management plan could be implemented, and the vague definition of ESAs were possibly the reasons for the unease among various stakeholders. Originality/value – The paper stresses that in order for large-scale biodiversity management projects to succeed, it is important that first, the civil society understands the project's objective before its initiation, second stakeholders are formally involved alongside ecological experts and third, that methods are critically reviewed. The lack of acceptance of the report cannot be dismissed only as a rejection of enlightened practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tropical Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Deforestation in tropical countries has been partly attributed to the non-sustainable harvesting of forest biomass by local communities. We conducted a survey among 786 households in 31 agricultural villages adjoining the eastern boundary of the Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, in the southern Western Ghats to see whether household wealth, social status, literacy and distance to the forest boundary influenced resource harvesting. Fuel-wood, fodder and green leaves were the major products harvested in this agricultural region. The effect of distance from the reserve boundary differed with the product harvested and its use value. Distance was a constraint for households that harvested for domestic consumption, whereas it was not significant for households that harvested for earnings. Wealth was independent of resource interest in the forest, except for the poorer lower caste households with lower levels of literacy that sold fuel-wood to earn a living. Wealthier households harvested green leaves for fertilizing their fields, and fodder harvest was related to livestock ownership. The lower cost of forest products compared to commercially available substitutes probably fuelled extraction. Forest products contributed disproportionately to household consumption as compared with household earnings. Discouraging the harvest of forest products within protected areas might be the only viable conservation strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We assessed collection intensity of forest products in three regions of the Western Ghats: Kogar, Sigur and KMTR with differing population densities and levels of forest protection. Fuel-wood was intensively collected in all three regions; fodder and green leaves in predominantly agricultural regions and cattle manure in Sigur. Agriculture, wage labour and local and regional markets were associated with resource harvesting. Collection intensity decreased with increasing levels of protection, regardless of human density. Extensive forest degradation in these regions suggests that the intensive use of forests for sustenance and consumption is no longer viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim We assessed the rates of turnover of tree species with distance (beta diversity) in wet forests of the Western Ghats (WG) complex of India to see whether climate, topographic variation or species traits influence beta diversity. Location The Western Ghats is a chain of mountains about 1600 km in length, running parallel to the western coast of the Indian Peninsula from above 8° N to almost 21° N latitude. Methods We used data from 60 small plot inventories concentrated in three regions: the southernmost part of the Western Ghats (SWG) (8°24′ to 9°37′ N), the Nilgiri Hills (11°12′ to 11°14′ N), and the central Western Ghats (CWG) (12°32′ to 14°51′ N). We used Sorensen's index (SI) to estimate the similarity in species composition between two plots and regressed SI against the logarithm of the distance between plots to assess beta diversity. A bootstrapping procedure provided confidence intervals for regression coefficients. To test for the effects of climate, we regressed seasonality differences between plots against SI for low-elevation (< 800 m) plots along the north–south axis, and all plots in the SWG. We assessed the impact of the rainfall gradient in the Kogar region. Results Among all three regions, beta diversity was highest along the latitudinal axis, and along the rainfall gradient in the Kogar region. Differences in seasonality between sites were strongly related to beta diversity along the north–south seasonality gradient and within the SWG. Within the three regions, beta diversity was highest in the region with the strongest rainfall gradient and lowest for the topographically heterogeneous SWG. Beta diversity did not differ between forest strata and dispersal modes. Main conclusions We conclude that climate, particularly seasonality, is probably the primary driver of beta diversity among rain forest trees of the Western Ghats complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We assessed the effects of latitude, altitude and climate on the alpha diversity of rain forest trees in the Western Ghats (WG) of India. We tested whether stem densities, dominance, the prevalence of rarity, and the proportion of understorey trees are significantly correlated with alpha diversity.The WG is a chain of mountainsc.1600 km in length, running parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula from above 8° N to almost 21° N latitude. Wet forests occur as a narrow strip in regions with heavy rainfall.To assess tree diversity we used data from 40 small plots, < 1 ha in area, where all trees≥ 3.18 cm d.b.h. had been inventoried. These plots were distributed across 7 latitudinal degrees and at elevations between 200 and 1550 m. Fisher's alpha was used as a measure of diversity. For each plot, the proportion of trees belonging to the understorey, the proportion of trees belonging to the most abundant species in the plot, as a measure of dominance, and the proportionate representation of singletons, as a measure of rarity, were estimated, and correlated with Fisher's alpha, elevation, rainfall and seasonality.Annual rainfall and seasonality increased towards the north, but were not significantly correlated. Tree diversity increased significantly with decreasing seasonality. Tree diversity was not significantly correlated with stem density or with the proportion of understorey tree species, but was significantly correlated with tree dominance and rarity. Dominance increased and rarity significantly decreased with increasing seasonality.This study demonstrates that seasonality influences rain forest tree diversity in the WG of India. The relationship between alpha diversity, dominance and rarity lends correlative support for the Janzen–Connell pest pressure hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]