Geographical Distribution of Sageraea laurina Dalzell.

Background: The Western Ghats is one of the Mega Biodiversity hot spots at the global level due to its high number of endemic plant species. That plant species, especially the endemics, have been reported and published in Red Data Book regularly. Sageraea laurina Dalzell. belongs to the plant family Annonacea. It is endemic to Western Ghats of India. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provided the status of this plant which is present in the Western Ghats. This is coming under near threat in the Western Ghats. The present distribution of S. laurina is only restricted to the Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states only. Methods: For primary data collection used repeated surveys of some areas under study using GPS. For secondary data collection used different literature such as Floras, database and herbarium consultation from BSI and ARI, Pune. Their taxonomy was re-investigated to confirm their taxonomic distinctness and Identification and classification of S. laurina Dalzell by using different Floras. Results: During the study, 118 different GPS localities were noted in the Western Ghats of India. The population distribution of this species covered the Northern (81%), Central (16%), and Southern (3%) Western Ghats of India. Conclusion: In the present study, we are generating primary and secondary data to stand a species in the IUCN category. Generated data used for conservation of this species. The major goal of the species recovery programme will be to re-establish the populations within their natural habitat.

Efficacy of Benson抯 Relaxation Technique on Reduction of Pain and Anxiety among Post Cesarean Mothers

Background: The Western Ghats is one of the Mega Biodiversity hot spots at the global level due to its high number of endemic plant species. That plant species, especially the endemics, have been reported and published in Red Data Book regularly. Sageraea laurina Dalzell. belongs to the plant family Annonacea. It is endemic to Western Ghats of India. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provided the status of this plant which is present in the Western Ghats. This is coming under near threat in the Western Ghats. The present distribution of S. laurina is only restricted to the Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states only. Methods: For primary data collection used repeated surveys of some areas under study using GPS. For secondary data collection used different literature such as Floras, database and herbarium consultation from BSI and ARI, Pune. Their taxonomy was re-investigated to confirm their taxonomic distinctness and Identification and classification of S. laurina Dalzell by using different Floras. Results: During the study, 118 different GPS localities were noted in the Western Ghats of India. The population distribution of this species covered the Northern (81%), Central (16%), and Southern (3%) Western Ghats of India. Conclusion: In the present study, we are generating primary and secondary data to stand a species in the IUCN category. Generated data used for conservation of this species. The major goal of the species recovery programme will be to re-establish the populations within their natural habitat.

Genetic variability of early flowering and yield contributing traits in Barnyard Millet [Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb). Link] grown at different altitudes

Barnyard millet is an important up surging minor millet in Asia countries for food and nutritional security. Being a minorcrop, the genetics and inheritance of the traits need to understand, for effective utilization in the crop improvementprogrammes. Here, we investigated the genetic background and inheritance of different traits in barnyard millet genotypes.Forty germplasm accessions were evaluated in different ecological environments of southern India for 17 quantitative traits.Genetic variability analysis using GENSTAT and the pooled REML mean data results revealed that Phenotypic Co-efficientof Variation (PCV) was greater than the Genotypic Co-efficient of Variation (GCV) over the diverged ecological locationsindicating the existence of environmental influence on all the biometric traits studied. In the Western Ghats region (E1),high heritability coupled with high genetic advance was exhibited for traits like days to flowering, plant height, days tomaturity, number of nodes, length of nodes, number of basal tillers, stem diameter, flag leaf length, flag leaf width,inflorescence length, inflorescence width, length of peduncle, number of racemes, single ear head weight and grain yield perplant. Traits like thousand grain weight expressed moderate genetic advance with high heritability while, length of lowerracemes expressed moderate heritability with high genetic advance. Similarly, high heritability coupled with high geneticadvance was recorded for all the characters in valley region (E2) except thousand grain weight that showed high heritabilitybut moderate genetic advance. In contrast, in the area of plains (E3), all the traits exhibited high heritability coupled withhigh genetic advance. Since, majority of the traits have shown high heritability with high genetic advance, selection mightbe effective in these traits irrespective of the environment.

Identification of molecular markers to study the Garcinia spp. diversity.

The genus Garcinia shows a considerable variation in its morphological characters such as leaf, flower and fruit with taxonomic ambiguity. It is a potential under-exploited multipurpose crop that gained considerable attention for the presence of (-) hydroxycitric acid, an anti-obesity compound, in its fruit rind and leaves. Here, we evaluated the genetic relationship through molecular markers among the selected 9 species commonly available in the Western Ghats and the Northeastern Himalayan foot hills of India. The nucleotide sequence data obtained from two prominent monomorphic bands generated in ISSR profiling of the species was utilized for the study. The selected bands were found to be of ITS region (700 bp) and partial region of KNOX-1 gene (600 bp). The evolutionary cluster was formed using MEGA5 software. The study indicated 2 major clusters, influenced by floral morphology of the species and availability of (-) hydroxycitric acid in their fruit rinds. In the subclusters, one species from the Western Ghats were paired with another from Northeastern Himalayas with relatively similar morphological traits.

Bioprocess development for docosahexaenoic acid from novel fungal isolate of Fusarium solani.

Fungal cultures were isolated from soil samples collected from the Western Ghats regions of Kerala. Primary screening of isolated strains were done by Sudan black staining method and 15 lipid producing cultures were isolated. The fatty acid profiling of the positive strains were analyzed for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) production. Selected oleaginous cultures were grown in submerged culture condition to study the biomass yield and poly unsaturated fatty acid, DHA production. The optimization of production process under submerged conditions was carried out using statistical experimental design and confirmation of DHA was done by GC analysis. Maximum DHA production of 150 mg/l was achieved on 4 days of incubation at submerged condition in the presence of glucose as carbon source.

Mammalian gastrointestinal parasites in rainforest remnants of Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India.

Habitat fragmentation is postulated to be a major factor influencing infectious disease dynamics in wildlife populations and may also be responsible, at least in part, for the recent spurt in the emergence, or re-emergence, of infectious diseases in humans. The mechanism behind these relationships are poorly understood due to the lack of insights into the interacting local factors and insufficient baseline data in ecological parasitology of wildlife. Here, we studied the gastrointestinal parasites of nonhuman mammalian hosts living in 10 rainforest patches of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, India. We examined 349 faecal samples of 17 mammalian species and successfully identified 24 gastrointestinal parasite taxa including 1 protozoan, 2 trematode, 3 cestode and 18 nematode taxa. Twenty of these parasites are known parasites of humans. We also found that as much as 73% of all infected samples were infected by multiple parasites. In addition, the smallest and most fragmented forest patches recorded the highest parasite richness; the pattern across fragments, however, seemed to be less straightforward, suggesting potential interplay of local factors.

Sandfly species diversity in association with human activities in the Kani tribe settlements of the Western Ghats, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Sandfly prevalence in the Kani tribe settlements of Western Ghats in India was investigated. A total of 1,279 sandflies comprising 17 species was obtained. Sandfly abundance showed a negative correlation (r = -0.97, p = 0.003) with increase in altitudinal ranges from 0-1,000 m. When sandfly samples were grouped according to landscape characteristics of the location, the estimated Shannon-Weiner index (H) and species richness index (S) were high and species evenness index (J) was low in settlements located at 0-300 m altitudinal range. On the contrary, the values of H and J were high, while S was low at 301-600 m altitudinal range. With further increase in altitude, species diversity, S and J were low. Though the relative abundance of sandflies decreased with increase in altitude, the influence of altitudinal variation could not be attributed to determine sandfly diversity, since the number of sampling units were not uniform at all the altitudinal gradients due to nonavailability of suitable resting shelters. Sandfly species showed great aggregation at 0-300 m altitude interval, where not only the number of settlements were maximum (n = 19), but also the environmental conditions favoured sandfly abundance due to the concentration of tribal settlements, human dwellings and his activities.

Radical scavenging and antibacterial activity of three Parmotrema species from Western Ghats of Karnataka, India.

Western Ghats are one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world. The present study was conducted to determine antibacterial and radical scavenging potential of three Parmotrema species viz., P. tinctorum, P. grayanum and P. praesorediosum from Maragalale and Guliguli Shankara, Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. The powdered lichen materials were extracted using methanol. Antibacterial activity of lichen extracts was tested against three Gram positive and five Gram negative bacteria by Agar well diffusion assay. Radical scavenging activity of lichen extracts was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Total phenolic content of lichen extracts was estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. The lichen extracts showed dose dependent antibacterial activity. Overall, the lichen extracts were more inhibitory to Gram positive bacteria than Gram negative bacteria. P. grayanum displayed high inhibitory activity against test bacteria. Scavenging of DPPH radicals by lichen extracts was concentration dependent. Among the lichen species, P. grayanum showed higher scavenging potential as indicated by lower IC50 value. Total phenolic content was also high in P. grayanum. Thin layer chromatogram revealed the presence of Lecanoric acid, Orsellinic acid, Protolichesterinic acid, Chloroatranorin, Protopraesorediosic acid and Praesorediosic acid in lichen samples. The observed bioactivities of lichens could be ascribed to the presence of secondary metabolites. These lichens can be considered as suitable candidates for development of bioactive agents active against pathogenic microbes and oxidative damage.

Ethnomedicines used by Kaniyakaran tribes in Kaniyakumari district-Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India.

A survey was carried out among the Kani tribals in Kaniyakumari district- Southern Western Ghats, of Tamil Nadu, India. Traditional uses of 62 plant species belonging to 34 families are described under this study. In this communication, the informations got from the rural inhabitant were compared with the already existing literature. The medicinal plants were mostly used to cure asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, skin and sex related diseases. The medicinal plants used by people are arranged alphabetically followed by Botanical name, family, Voucher specimen number, Local name, Part used, mode of preparation.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of a macrolichen Usnea pictoides G. Awasthi (Parmeliaceae).

Lichens are self-sufficient symbioses between an alga and a fungus. In the present study, we have determined total phenolic content, antimicrobial and antioxidant efficacy of a macrolichen Usnea pictoides G.Awasthi (Parmeliaceae) collected at Mullayanagiri, Western Ghats of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India. The lichen was powdered and extracted sequentially using solvents of increasing polarity viz., petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. Total phenolic content of solvent extracts was estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. Antimicrobial activity of solvent extracts was tested against two bacteria viz., Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aerugionsa and two fungi viz., Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans by Agar well diffusion assay. Antioxidant activity of solvent extracts was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging assay and Ferric reducing assay. Thin layer chromatogram showed the presence of usnic acid. The total phenolic content was highest in methanol extract followed by ethyl acetate, chloroform and petroleum ether extracts. S. aureus and C. neoformans showed high susceptibility to solvent extracts among bacteria and fungi. A dose dependent scavenging of DPPH radicals by solvent extracts was observed. The scavenging potential of methanol extract was higher than other extracts. In ferric reducing assay, methanol extract showed stronger reducing power than other extracts. Overall, extracts containing high phenolic contents exhibited stronger antioxidant activity. The inhibitory potential of the lichen extracts might be attributed to the presence of usnic acid. The radical scavenging and ferric reducing potential of solvent extracts could be attributed to the phenolic compounds. A positive correlation was observed between total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of lichen extracts. The lichen U. pictoides can be a potential candidate for the development of bioactive agents.

Phytoplankton species diversity indices in Anjanapura reservoir, Western Ghat region, India.

A qualitative study on species composition and diversity of phytoplankton flora was carried out in the Anjanapura reservoir. Water samples were collected monthly at four sites from November 2005 to October 2007 for plankton analysis. A total of 152 phytoplankton species belonging to 59 genera were recorded. The species belonging to genera Crucigenia, Pediastrum, Scenedesmus, Tetraedron, Cyclotella, Gyrosigma, Melosira, Navicula, Fragillaria, pinnularia, Synedra, Closterium, Cosmarium, Euastrum, Staurastrum, Gleocapsa, Merismopedia, Microcystis,Oscillatoria, Euglena and Phacus were found dominant. Phytoplankton density was recorded in the range of 222-1467 Org l-1 for chlorococcales, 267-1467 Org l-1 for diatoms, 44-889 Org l-1 for desmids, 44-889 Org l-1 for blue-greens and 22-1667 Org l-1 for euglenoids. Seasonal density Shannon-Weiner diversity index (1.60-1.88) indicate that reservoir exhibited rich phytoplankton and Nygaard tropic status indices for myxophycean(1.0-1.50), chlorophycean(1.62-2.16), diatoms(0.10-0.14), euglenophycean(0.18-0.19) and compound quotient(3.25-4.66) showed that reservoir was moderately polluted. From the observed data, it could be concluded that the presence of more diverse group of phytoplankton indicate the productivity of the reservoir.

Exploitation of bacteria from forest ecosystem for antimicrobial compounds.

This study deals with bacterial prospecting from forest soil with special reference to antimicrobial substances. Total of 25 morphologically different bacterial colonies were isolated from soil samples collected from Anaimalai forest and Parambikulam tiger reserve forest, Western Ghats, India. About 12 (48%) out of 25 isolates showed antibacterial activity in which strain AF1 showed inhibitory activity against more number of test pathogens. Bioactive substance from strain AF1 was produced by adopting submerged fermentation and extracted using ethyl acetate and chloroform. In disc diffusion method, ethyl acetate extract showed good antibacterial activity (9-17 mm zone of inhibition). Active fraction present in the ethyl acetate extract was determined by thin layer chromatography based bioautography. Findings of this work supported that the forest ecosystems investigated in this study will be potential place for bacterial bioprospecting.

Diversity of wild fruits in Nilgiri Hills of the Southern Western Ghats- Ethnobotanical Aspects.

Nilgiri Hills are situated in the Western Ghats of India, one of the eight hottest hotspot of the world is known for its rich biodiversity. In view of the rich plant diversity in areas with a predominantly tribal population. Ethnobotany is an important tool to assess the wild edible species in plant genetic resources. The present survey resulted in the collection of 70- species belonging to 48 genera comes under 27- families. The present ethnobotanical aspects on wild and less- known plants of the Nilgiri region can be used to determine collection priorities and conservation strategies.

A new variety of Crotalaria ramosissima (Fabaceae) from Tamil Nadu, India

Objective: A new variety of Crotalaria ramosissima is described from the Western Ghats of India.Crotalaria ramosissima Roxb. var. kanuvayensis Binu T., K. M. Prabhu et A. Rajendran (Fabaceae) from Kanuvai hills, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Methods: Compare this species with available varieties of Crotalaria and cross checked with previous literature for authetification of this taxa. Results: The current paper provides a detailed description of the new taxa along with illustrations, colour plates and other relevant notes. Conclusions: The present study concluded that this taxa is new to science from the Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India.

A landscape approach to conservation of birds.

Landscape ecology as a discipline in science is rather young. However its principles appear promising in outlining conservation strategies including a wide range of organisms, particularly birds. Birds due to their mobility use a variety of environmental resources, especially habitats. However, currently these habitats are only available in patches over most of the tropical world. Further whatever is left is under constant human pressure. This paper, therefore, addresses this problem and suggests means of dealing with it using the landscape approach as outlined by landscape ecology. The landscape approach starts with the realization that patches of habitats are open and interact with one another. Corridors of trees along roads, hedgerows and canals in a landscape can aid in the movement of species. Hence the landscape approach considers patches of habitats as interacting elements in the large matrix of the landscape. The landscape approach also integrates concepts. It puts together often debated issues such as whether to preserve maximum species diversity, to maximize representativeness, or to preserve only the valuable species. Based on a case study of the Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, these oft-opposing views and complications can be dealt with practically and synthesized into a conservation strategy for the diverse avifauna of the Western Ghats.

Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala, India.

Germination, establishment and growth of seedlings of tree species Palaquium ellipticum (primary), Actinodaphne malabarica (late secondary) and Macaranga peltata (early secondary) were studied in a humid tropical forest at Nelliampathy, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. While the primary species completed its germination within a brief period of 1·5 months, at the other extreme, early secondary species showed slow germination extending for about 5 months, the late secondary species falling in between. Although, all the species studied showed higher establishment and growth under gaps, the early secondary species were more responsive compared to the primary species. Primary species showed better establishment in undisturbed sites and natural gaps than under selection felled gaps; the reverse was true for late and early secondary species. Survival of seedlings increased with gap size, but sharply declined with gap age. Shoot/root ratio was consistently higher in the early secondary species than in the primary species.

Phenology of tree species of tropical moist forest of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India.

Phenological observations on tree species in tropical moist forest of Uttara Kannada district (13°55' to 15°31' Ν lat; 74°9' to 75°10' Ε long) during the years 1983- 1985 revealed that there exists a strong seasonality for leaf flush, leaf drop and reproduction. Young leaves were produced in the pre-monsoon dry period with a peak in February, followed by the expansion of leaves which was completed in March. Abscission of leaves occurred in the post-monsoon winter period with a peak in December. There were two peaks for flowering (December and March), while fruit ripening had a single peak in May-June, preceding the monsoon rainfall. The duration of maturation of leaves was the shortest, while that of full ripening of fruits was the longest. Mature flowers of evergreen species lasted longer than those of deciduous species; in contrast the phenophase of ripe fruits of deciduous species was longer than that of evergreen species.