Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary Research Articles

Assessment of water quality of the tropical stream Somavahini in the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India

Assessment of water quality of the tropical stream Somavahini in the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India

Preliminary Phytochemical, Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectroscopy Analysis and in-vitro Anticancer Activities of Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser on Human Prostate Cancer Cell line (PC-3)

Background: Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser, a hemiparasitic mistletoe plant was collected from the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary to determine its phytoconstituents and in vitro anticancer activities against PC- 3 cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: The collected samples were subjected to a hot extraction by using a soxhlet extractor. Investigation of phytochemicals was done by preliminary qualitative and GC-MS screening. In vitro anticancer activities on PC-3 cell lines were determined by MTT assay. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the occurrence of a variety of phytochemicals. GCMS screening of leaf methanol extract showed the occurrence of sixteen phytoconstituents, with valuable therapeutic uses. The identified major phytoconstituents were Dihydrochrysin (45.03%); 1,6-Anhydro-beta-D-glucopyranose (15.42%), and minor constituents were Adenosine,4’-de(hydroxymethyl)-4’-[N-ethylaminoformyl]- (0.95%); 4alpha-Phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (0.84%) and Agaricic acid (0.49%). The methanolic leaf extract showed moderate cytotoxicity on PC-3 lines at higher concentrations with IC50 values of 448.7μg/ mL. while it had no cytotoxic effects on MEF-L929 non-cancerous cells. Conclusion: It is concluded that Macrosolen parasiticus contains a wide variety of secondary metabolites and also it proved a potential anticancer agent for PC- 3 cells. Therefore, more research is required to determine its biological activities.

Tree Diversity, Biomass and Carbon Stock in Quartz Mined Area of Bilikal Hillock, hunasaekatte, Bhadravathi, Karnataka, South India

To learn about the abandoned mined area tree diversity, aboveground biomass and carbon stock a study was conducted in quartz mined Bilikal hillock area which is geographically adjacent to Umbalebylu 8 km to Bhadra wildlife sanctuary and 10 km of Kuvempu University. In the present study 0.14ha (350 m×4m) transect, we recorded 1527 individuals comprising 22 families among them Papilionaceae with 6 genera and 7 species, Combretaceae with 2 genera and 4 species followed by Rubiaceae with 3 genera and 3 species and Apocynaceae with 2 genera and 3 species. Based on girth class assessment nearly 1564 individuals comprising 1-10 cm had 559 individuals, the basal area was more within the girth class of 40-50 cm. But aboveground biomass and carbon stock were highest within the girth class of 20-30 cm. varying with species structure and girth class were a disturbed forest patch, the species composition needs management and restoration to retain the biodiversity intact to provide a niche for other co-species.

Diversity and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi from aromatic plants of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, Karnataka

Diversity and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi from aromatic plants of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, Karnataka

Community, Dominant Tree Species Leaf Phenology and Seasonality in a Tropical Dry Forest, India

Aims: Plant phenology is a tool to assess climate variability, but less is known about the differences in phenological sensitivity at community, life-form and individual species level. The aim of the present study is to know the contribution of individual, life-form leaf phenophases within the community.
 Methodology: The leaf phenology of tropical dry forest trees in Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India was observed during June 2004 to May 2009. A total of 277 trees belonging to 45 species were monitored on monthly basis for different phenophases of leaf phenology. Simple Spearman’s correlations and multiple regressions were performed between different phenophases and environmental factors like rainfall and temperature. Seasonality was determined with circular statistics analyses using the phenological variables and dates of observation.
 Results: The influence of temperature was stressed with multiple regressions. Seasonality of each of the phenophases was also tested with circular statistics. There is a strong seasonality observed in all phenophases, the strength of seasonality was highest with leafless phenophases. Leafing phenophases among some dominant species within the community was described for seasonality and differences among them were also analyzed. Understorey species had longer leaf life span compared to canopy species. At the community level different phenophases are distinctly seasonal, though the strength of seasonality varied considerably with flushing and expansion of leaves, the strength of the seasonality was high with leaf senescence for all species.
 Conclusion: The results of this research are in agreement with previous study but the present study suggests that community, population and individual sensitivity might vary under the present context of increasing climatic variability and their adaptation helps to understand the climatic influence in shaping phenology at individual, species and community level.

Spatial variation in the response of tiger gene flow to landscape features and limiting factors

AbstractIntegrated landscape management of key population areas along with the corridors linking them is important for tiger conservation in the Indian subcontinent. Relationships between gene flow and landscape patterns, however, cannot be generalized given that different limiting factors influence movement in different spatial contexts. Here, we study the landscape features affecting tiger gene flow in the Western Ghats, and examine how and why limiting landscape features differ between Central India and the Western Ghats. We also assess whether these landscape features have been altered by land use changes in the last five decades. Our study area covers 30 000 km2 from Bhadra Tiger Reserve to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in India. We used genetic data of 115 tigers and landscape resistance model optimization to create a resistance surface to gene flow in the Western Ghats. Tiger gene flow, both in Central India and the Western Ghats, is primarily related to topographic roughness and secondarily to diffuse disturbance, however these relations are inverted in the two landscapes ‐ in Central India, gene flow correlates with rough terrain, whereas in the Western Ghats, it correlates with smooth, forested terrain with minimal human disturbance. Topographic complexity is an important factor affecting tiger dispersal, but tiger's response to topography seems to be dependent upon interactions with human‐related disturbance. Tigers in Central India favor rough terrain for dispersal primarily because it is the only part of the landscape without heavy human footprint and the last refuge for natural vegetation, whereas in the Western Ghats, forest cover is more extensive in flatter terrain and human footprint is generally lower.

Deforestation Increases Frequency of Incidents With Elephants (Elephas maximus)

Damages by the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus) range from crop raiding to loss of human lives, and understanding the underlying causes thereof could help reduce such incidents. Land-use change could be among the major causes of elephant incidents since they are long-lived and tend to have particular home ranges. To test this hypothesis, we assessed deforestation rates in sites between the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats of India between the 1960s and 2000s. Deforestation was calculated in windows of varying sizes to account for spatial scale responses. The locations of 624 incidents between April 2008 and March 2011 were used, and a database of 20,000 random locations provided contrasts. We used sets of 250 logistic regressions at each scale of deforestation to ensure that the significance of deforestation was independent of the randomly sampled contrast locations. A total of 6,761 km2 of forest and scrubland have disappeared from private forests in 50 years, with an average deforestation rate of –0.85%⋅y−1. The distribution of incidents followed an exponential decay with increasing distance from protected areas and a beta distribution against deforestation. Logistic regressions indicated a significant effect of deforestation at the small scale (1 km2 particularly and 4 km2). These results show that (a) incidents occur mostly near protected areas, and barriers or adaptation of livelihoods could address this problem and (b) deforestation is associated with increasing incidents with elephants. Avoiding deforestation and maintaining elephant population connectivity may help avoid incidents.

Substituting space for time: Empirical evaluation of spatial replication as a surrogate for temporal replication in occupancy modelling

AbstractOccupancy models that account for detection probability are important analytical tools in conservation monitoring. Traditionally, occupancy models relied on detection/non‐detection data generated from temporal replicates for estimating detectability. Due to logistical challenges and financial costs involved, many large‐scale field studies instead use spatial replication as a surrogate. The efficacy of the two approaches and their statistical validity has generally sought support from simulation‐based inferences rather than empirical data.Using the sloth bearMelursus ursinusas an example, we compared estimates of occupancy and detection probabilities obtained from temporal and spatial sampling designs. We carried out temporally replicated camera trap surveys and spatially replicated sign surveys across a 754‐km2area around Bhadra Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats of India.We sampled along forest/coffee plantation roads in 58 grid cells of 13 km2each, treating these cells as independent sites. We used the standard single‐season model for the camera trap survey data, and the single‐season correlated detections model (with Markovian dependence) for the sign survey data, and incorporated ecological covariates that likely influenced occupancy and detection probabilities.Occupancy estimates from the two surveys and corresponding modelling approaches were similar [ = 0.58 (0.03) for camera trap surveys; = 0.56 (0.03) for sign surveys]. In both cases, the influence of covariates corroborated oura prioripredictions. Site‐level estimates of occupancy from the two methods were highly correlated (r = .78). We generated a combined estimate of sloth bear occupancy in the region as an inverse‐variance weighted average of the two estimates [ = 0.57 (0.02)].Synthesis and applications. Studies that aim to evaluate occupancy models should account for spatial variation in occupancy/detection probabilities, particularly when making inferences on species–habitat relationships. We show that spatial replication can serve as a good surrogate for temporal replication in occupancy studies, which may be useful for distribution assessments of species when field resources are limited or logistical challenges preclude traditional survey approaches that yield temporally replicated data. Our results therefore provide a basis for efficient targeting of funds and field resources, particularly for practitioners involved in monitoring species at large landscape scales.

Leafing phenology of tropical forests of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India

Leafing phenology of tropical forests of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India

Estimating population sizes of leopard cats in the Western Ghats using camera surveys

The status of several small carnivores in Asia remains poorly known because of the lack of rigorous population assessments. The leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is one such species assumed to be common and widespread within the Indian subcontinent. We conducted surveys using automated cameras to estimate densities and abundance of leopard cats in and around 4 protected reserves in the Western Ghats of India. A total effort of 16,736 camera-days across a 2,075-km2 area resulted in 65 detections of 43 uniquely identified individuals. We estimated leopard cat densities using closed population spatial capture—recapture models under a Bayesian framework. Estimated density was highest in Bhadra Tiger Reserve at 10.45 (± 3.03 SD)/100 km2 followed by 4.48 (± 1.31 SD)/100 km2 in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve. The surveys yielded sparse data from Nagarahole and Bandipur reserves. High local densities in Bhadra and BRT were clustered around secondary, disturbed or partially modified forests and ...

Isolation and partial purification of fungal ligninolytic enzymes from the forest soil fungi isolated from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

Screening was done for the isolation of effective lignin degraders from the forest soil samples, by providing lignin as a carbon source through the enrichment method, which leads to the isolation of 8 effective fungal isolates among 14 isolates. Submerged fermentation was done for the production of ligninolytic enzymes with the effective microorganisms by providing Guiaicol as a carbon source. The assay of laccase, lignin peroxidise activity and specific activity was done after the incubation intervals of 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 days at 27±2°C under shake culture condition. Partially purified protein content was estimated by using Lowry’s method. Pleurotus sp. and Phanerochaetae chrysosporium are more effective at the 2nd and 7th days of incubation for the production of laccase and lignin peroxidases among the effective isolates.

Phenology of a tropical dry deciduous forest of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, southern India

IntroductionThis paper describes the leafing, flowering and fruiting phenology of canopy trees in the dry deciduous forest of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary from June 2004 to May 2006.MethodAll the woody canopy individuals (> 20 cm girth at breast height) were identified and tagged with a unique number along a transect of approximately 2 Km comprising 157 individuals of 22 species. Observations were made at monthly intervals from June 2004 to May 2006 for leafing, flowering and fruiting phenophases.ResultLeaf fall starts in September, with a peak in December and January. Leaf initiation begins in February, with a peak in April before the monsoon. Leaf expansion starts in February from pre-monsoon with a peak in May and July during the monsoon. Leaf senescence begins in September to November and peaks in January to March. Flower bud initiates in January with a peak in April and May, and pollination begins in April with a peak in May and July before the monsoon to onset of monsoon. Fruit bud initiates in May with a peak in September and October. Unripened fruit was observed in May with a peak in September and November. Fruit fall begins in November with a peak in March.ConclusionOur results show that leafing and flowering activities occur in the summer or pre-monsoon. Fruiting patterns occur during the monsoon to post - monsoon season. Seasonality among various phenophases indicates that leaf senescence flower initiation and fruit fall have strong seasonality.

Conservation-induced Displacement: The Anatomy of a Win–Win Solution

India’s wildlife conservation strategy relies on creating ‘inviolate’ protected areas (PAs) free from human disturbance, using policing of PAs and physical displacement of human populations as the preferred tools to do so. Conservation-induced displacement causes not just loss of livelihood and dwellings but also increases vulnerability and impoverishment risks of displaced people. By and large, the state’s record of rehabilitating people displaced from PAs has been quite dismal in India. This article examines a rare case of conservation-induced displacement and resettlement where the livelihood outcomes for the displaced people are said to be positive. The relocation of over 400 households from the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka in the late 1990s has been held up as a case where both conservation goals and local people’s livelihoods gained from displacement. The success of Bhadra has inspired a spate of calls by conservationists in India to use village relocation as a ‘win-win’ opportunity to attain simultaneously the goals of wildlife conservation and poverty alleviation for forest-dwelling communities. This article delves into the process and politics of displacement, resettlement and rehabilitation in Bhadra from the point of view of examining this claim and assessing its replicability elsewhere.

Phoma Leaf Spot Disease of Tinospora Cordifolia and its Effect on Secondary Metabolite Production

AbstractTinospora cordifolia is one of the important medicinal climbers growing extensively in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India. The plant foliages were found infected with Phoma putaminum in different parts of the sanctuary. A three‐year (August 2006–July 2009) study of the disease due to the pathogen indicated that the disease incidence (DI) ranged from 0 to 100% (maximum in Kakanahasudi), while disease severity (DS) ranged from 1.60 to 45.00% (maximum in Madhuguni). The environmental parameters like rainfall and relative humidity (RH) correlated significantly with DI and DS, while temperature correlated negatively. The regression analysis indicated that DI and DS were affected due to increase in RH and decrease in temperature and rainfall. The spatial heterogeneity of the foliar disease determined by the binary form of modified Taylor's power law indicated that the disease incidence showed the regular pattern of dispersion (P < 0.001) in seven forest regions and heterogenous pattern (P < 0.001) in one forest region. The result also indicated that the alkaloid content decreased drastically following infection with P. putaminum, while phenol, flavonoid and steroid contents increased with increase in the severity of infection.

Fungal foliar diseases in Withania somnifera and its effect on secondary metabolites

Withania somnifera is a promising revitalizing medicinal herb. The plant is affected by foliar diseases in Lakkavalli forest region of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The symptomatology of foliar fungal disease incidence, severity and distribution in the study area was examined during 2006–2009. The seedborne nature and transmission of the causal pathogen and its management with seed dressing fungicides were studied. The results of the study indicated that Alternaria alternata caused severe leaf spot disease, while Myrothecium roridum and Fusarium oxysporum caused minor diseases. Based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) regions of rDNA, the major pathogen was identified as A. alternata. The disease is homogeneously distributed in Lakkavalli forest region and high severity is recorded during November. Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum were the dominant seedborne pathogens that are transmitted to seedlings. Among the seed dressing fungicides used, Hyzeb was the most effective, followed by Captra, Antracol and Bavistin, in reducing the incidence of A. alternata and other seedborne fungi. The infected W. somnifera foliages had decreased steroids and alkaloids and increased phenolics and flavonoids. Analysis of alkaloids in diseased foliages by high performance thin layer chromatography indicated the occurrence of transformed compounds at Rf = 0.1, 0.77 (254 nm) and 0.2 (366 nm).

Fungal foliar diseases of Rauwolfia serpentina in wild, its seasonal occurrence, seed transmission and disease management

Rauwolfia serpentina is an important medicinal herb. Studies were conducted to determine causal organisms of foliar diseases in R. serpentina in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary during 2006–2009. The foliar disease incidence and its distribution and disease severity in nine state forest regions of the sanctuary were determined. The seedborne nature and transmission of the causal organism was also determined. The management of seedborne inoculum was done by seed dressing with fungicides. The effect of foliage infection on secondary metabolite content was also determined. Results of the present study indicated that Cercospora rauwolfiae is major leaf spot disease causing pathogen. The disease is homogeneously distributed through the study area. The foliar disease severity was high in Kagemanegiri forest during October–November. The minor leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata occurred occasionally. Alternaria alternata is seedborne and seed transmitted and could be managed by seed treatment with Captra or Hyzeb. The secondary metabolites like alkaloids and steroids decreased with increase in foliar infection by C. rauwolfiae, while phenol and flavonoid contents increased. The study suggested that R. serpentina is affected in wild by C. rauwolfiae and A. alternata. The latter pathogen is seedborne and seed transmitted and controlled by seed treatment.

English

  Leaf phenology tree species of dry deciduous and evergreen forests of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (13°25’ and 13°50’ N, 75°15’ and 75°50’ E) was studied during June 2004 to May 2006. Leaf fall starts in September and with a peak in December and January. Leaf initiation starts in February and with a peak in April before monsoon, while leaf expansion starts in February with a peak in May and July during monsoon in dry deciduous forest. In evergreen forest, leaf falling and leaf initiation was observed in one or the other species with a peak in January to February, leaf expansion too observed throughout the year with a peak in January and April before monsoon. Varying leaf phenology of these forest types is dependent on a regional rainfall pattern.   Key words: Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, dry deciduous forest, evergreen forest, leaf phenology, seasonality.

Leafing Phenology of Canopy, Under-Storey Trees and Seasonality in a Tropical Evergreen Forest of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, Southern India

Leafing phenology and seasonality of canopy and understorey trees among different species in evergreen forest Kemmanugundi of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is studied. Seasonal rainfalls as a influencing factor for leafing patterns were reported.

Diversity of soil fungi in dry deciduous forest of Bhadra Wildlife sanctuary, western Ghats of southern India

We assessed soil fungal diversity in the dry deciduous forest of a Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary of the Western Ghats (210.31 m a.s.l.; N 13°44′ and E75°37′). Soil samples were collected by random mixed sampling during winter (November, 2008), summer (March, 2009) and monsoon (August, 2009) seasons, and physico-chemical parameters were recorded. During winter, summer, and monsoon seasons, 49, 45 and 49 of fungal species belongs to 20, 18 and 19 of genera were isolated, respectively. Isolated soil fungi were mainly of the Mitosporic fungi, followed by Zygomycotina, Ascomycotina, Oomycotina and Coelomycetes. Indices of diversity, dominance and fisher alpha during winter, summer and monsoon seasons were 3.756, 3.638 and 3.738 (H′), 0.9737, 0.9694 and 0.9726 (1-D) and 18.84, 29.83 and 19.46 (α), respectively. Spearman’s (r) correlation coefficient of fungal population with physico-chemical parameters of soils showed significantly positive and negative correlations (p<0.01) during winter, summer and monsoon seasons. Physico-chemical soil parameters played an important role in the occurrence, diversity, distribution, and relative abundance of fungal species in the tropical dry deciduous forest soil.

Mineral Composition, Total Phenol Content and Antioxidant Activity of a Macrolichen Everniastrum cirrhatum (Fr.) Hale (Parmeliaceae)

In the present study, we investigated for the first time mineral composition, total phenol content and antioxidant activity of a foliose macrolichen Everniastrum cirrhatum (Fr.) Hale (Parmeliaceae) from Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India. Mineral content of the lichen was estimated by Atomic absorption spectrophotometer after acid digestion. The secondary metabolites were detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and phytochemical assays. The lichen material was extracted with methanol in soxhlet apparatus. Total phenol content was estimated by folin ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH, Ferric reducing and metal chelating assays. Among the principal elements, calcium was found in high concentration followed by magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Among trace elements, iron was detected in high amount followed by zinc, manganese and copper. The DPPH radical scavenging activity was found to be dose dependent with an IC50 of 6.73 μg/mL. In ferric reducing assay, the absorbance increased with the concentration of extract suggesting reducing power. The extract exhibited good metal chelating activity with an IC50 value of 29.28 μg/mL. Total phenol content was 101.2 mg tannic acid equivalents per gram of extract. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and terpenoids. TLC revealed atranorin, salazinic acid and protolichesterinic acid. The lichen can be consumed as a source of minerals required for the body as appreciable amount of minerals has been detected. The marked antioxidant activity may be attributed to the presence of phenol content in the extract. Further studies on isolation of metabolites and their bioactivities are under investigation.