Cold Arid Region Research Articles

Soil Carbon Sequestration and Rhizospheric Microbial Population in Apricot Orchards Following Plastic Film Mulching Under Cold Arid Region

The study of agricultural management practices on rhizospheric microbial population and phytomass carbon sequestration in apricot orchard in cold arid region is conducted. Plastic mulching conserved the soil moisture and stabilized rhizospheric temperature of apricot which enhanced the microbial activity in the rhizosphere and plant growth of apricot. Significantly higher soil moisture conservation (19.75) per cent in July, maximum microbial population of fungi (15.36 cfu/gx10 4 cfu/g soil) and bacteria (11.45 cfu/gx10 6 cfu/g soil) in month of September and enhances in plant growth (17.73) per cent at end of season recorded in red plastic mulch with mulch size 1.5 m x1.5 m. Active plant growth phase of apricot plant also influence the microbial activity. All the plastic mulch found better in producing phytomass than control. Increased plastic mulch increases microbial growth, plant biomass and carbon sequestration in cold arid region.

Changing water regime and adaptation strategies in Upper Mustang Valley of Upper Kaligandaki Basin in Nepal

Recent climate change has brought changes to the water regime that has affected the traditional agro-pastoral production systems and livelihoods in the Upper Kaligandaki Basin of the Nepal Himalayas. Based on fieldwork and available meteorological and hydrological data, this paper examines the changing water regime and various adaptation strategies that local farmers have adopted in this cold arid region. Increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall and snowfall have resulted in a negative water balance. In this scenario, farmers have implemented six major adaptive strategies in the trans-Himalayan Upper Mustang Valley.

Genetic resources of wild edible plants and their uses among tribal communities of cold arid region of India

This paper analyzes the diversity, consumption and gathering patterns, and uses of wild edible plants among the tribal communities living in cold arid region of Indian Himalaya. Eco-geographically, extremely cold climate, open vegetation, strong afternoon winds and loose soils characterize the region. Wild edible plants have special significance in the livelihoods of tribal people particularly during harsh winters when nothing grows on field. We gathered information on 164 wild edible plant species belonging to 100 genera and 37 families sharing 14% of total plants species occurring here. Around 83% plant species were present in pure wild state while 17% were in semi wild state/cultivated occasionally. Wild plants are eaten more as vegetable and it was found that out of 101 plants used as vegetable, 57 are cooked and eaten and the rest (44) eaten raw. The species like Pinus gerardiana, Prunus armeniaca, Hippophae rhamnoides, Bunium persicum are harvested more for commerce in the downtown markets while Lepidium latifolium, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica hyperborea, Capparis spinosa, Fagopyrum tataricum, Malva verticillata, and Rhodiola heterodonta are preferred for their medicinal and nutritional properties locally. Infrastructure development, more tourists flow, agricultural intensification, more jobs and business opportunities have led to rapid changes in the life styles and food habits of the people. Consequently, the age-old tradition of gathering wild edible plants is fading particularly among younger generations. Nevertheless, people do realize the importance of wild edible plants, and therefore to harness the benefits of this unique diversity participatory management and conservation programs, investigations on nutritional and pharmacological attributes, and regulated market support for some important WEPs have taken up in the region.

Role of glaciers in watershed hydrology: a preliminary study of a "Himalayan catchment"

Abstract. A large number of Himalayan glacier catchments are under the influence of humid climate with snowfall in winter (November–April) and south-west monsoon in summer (June–September) dominating the regional hydrology. Such catchments are defined as "Himalayan catchment", where the glacier meltwater contributes to the river flow during the period of annual high flows produced by the monsoon. The winter snow dominated Alpine catchments of the Kashmir and Karakoram region and cold-arid regions of the Ladakh mountain range are the other major glacio-hydrological regimes identified in the region. Factors influencing the river flow variations in a "Himalayan catchment" were studied in a micro-scale glacier catchment in the Garhwal Himalaya, covering an area of 77.8 km2. Three hydrometric stations were established at different altitudes along the Din Gad stream and discharge was monitored during the summer ablation period from 1998 to 2004, with an exception in 2002. These data have been analysed along with winter/summer precipitation, temperature and mass balance data of the Dokriani glacier to study the role of glacier and precipitation in determining runoff variations along the stream continuum from the glacier snout to 2360 m a.s.l. The study shows that the inter-annual runoff variation in a "Himalayan catchment" is linked with precipitation rather than mass balance changes of the glacier. This study also indicates that the warming induced an initial increase of glacier runoff and subsequent decline as suggested by the IPCC (2007) is restricted to the glacier degradation-derived component in a precipitation dominant Himalayan catchment and cannot be translated as river flow response. The preliminary assessment suggests that the "Himalayan catchment" could experience higher river flows and positive glacier mass balance regime together in association with strong monsoon. The important role of glaciers in this precipitation dominant system is to augment stream runoff during the years of low summer discharge. This paper intends to highlight the importance of creating credible knowledge on the Himalayan cryospheric processes to develop a more representative global view on river flow response to cryospheric changes and locally sustainable water resources management strategies.

The application of artificial neural networks to simulate meltwater runoff of Keqikaer Glacier, south slope of Mt. Tuomuer, western China

Because glacial melting provides a significant amount of surface water resources, especially in cold arid regions, it is critical that effective methods be developed for predicting their behavior. Glacier runoff differs from other types of stream flows, being characterized by large diurnal fluctuations, with maximum discharge during the summer months. Moreover, the size and remoteness of glaciers makes them difficult to study directly. Hence, developing effective modeling techniques is our best hope for understanding and predicting glacial melting phenomena. In the past, physics-based models have been used with some success. In this study, conducted in 2003 and 2004 on the Keqikaer Glacier on the south slope of Mt. Tuomuer, however, we used the newer artificial neural networks (ANNs) modeling technique. As the input nerve cell, we used the hourly wind speed, precipitation, air temperature, radiation balance, and ground temperature; the output nerve cell was the diurnal runoff at the glacial terminus. We then analyzed the simulated results under different scenarios by varying the input-nerve-cell parameters. It was found that ANN can simulate the process of glacier meltwater runoff successfully when basic parameters such as air temperature, precipitation and radiation balance are few. The results indicate that ANN can simulate the process of glacial meltwater runoff quite well, and that meteorological variables could in fact be used successfully to simulate glacier meltwater runoff using the ANN method.

Ecological implications of traditional livestock husbandry and associated land use practices: A case study from the trans-Himalaya, India

The importance of indigenous knowledge is being increasingly realized for identifying sustainable interventions enabling environmental conservation coupled with socio-economic development of local communities. This study aimed to evaluate livestock diet composition, diet overlap, forage selection and livestock husbandry and associated land use practices in a typical traditional village landscape in the cold arid region of the trans-Himalaya, India. The village territory (4300–4600 m amsl.) was differentiated into (i) irrigated cropping on terraced slopes, (ii) meadows valued for hay and mulch material and (iii) meadows grazed by cows, non-lactating dzomos (female offspring of cow–yak cross), goats, donkeys and sheep. The traditional livestock husbandry and grazing management practices included: (i) dependence of livestock almost exclusively on grazing during summer (May–September) and on stall feeding during winter (November–March), (ii) regulation of utilization of hay and mulch material by the village council, (iii) divison of grazing area into blocks, each grazed for 5–7 days followed by an equally long rest phase and (iv) regulation of animal movements by herders such that donkeys did not mix with other animals and all animals spent almost equal foraging time in moist depressions dominated by graminoids and dry slopes by legumes and forbs. The livestock types did not differ significantly in respect of foraging period and bite rate. Bite size and daily forage intake of goats and sheep were markedly lower but search cost higher as compared to those of dzomos, donkeys and cows. Sheep and goats foraged on all plant species, while Astragalus zanskarensis was excluded by cows, Caragana versicolor by cows and dzomos and Thermopsis inflata and Potentilla fruticosa by cows, dzomos and donkeys. Goats showed the highest degree of selection for T. inflata and all other livestock types for Carex infuscata. The highest level of similarity in diet composition during grazing was observed between sheep and goats followed by that between donkeys and cows. Goats and dzomos showed the highest diet breadth value (0.73) followed by sheep (0.53) and cows or donkeys (0.44). The bulk of stall-feed comprised the species that were not preferred during grazing. Local people consider Cousinia thomsonii and Cicer microphyllum to be the best quality winter feed for all livestock. Thermopsis inflata was considered harmful to dzomos, cows and donkeys and Seseli trilobum to dzomos and cows. People do not harvest C. versicolor, a poor forage but an excellent fuelwood species, from village lands as they consider it as a ‘keystone’ species facilitating regeneration and growth of high-quality forage species. The traditional land use and animal husbandry systems need to be improved with appropriate scientific and institutional inputs to meet the challenges arising from market forces on one hand and environmental conservation on the other.

RESPIRATORY EVAPORATION IN BIRDS

Summary 1. Many birds are capable of varying the rate of evaporative heat loss during respiration as a means of temperature regulation. 2. Respiratory heat loss becomes increasingly important as air temperatures rise. Above the body temperature of the bird it is the only means of heat loss. 3. The rate of respiratory heat loss varies from one species of bird to another. The rate is also dependent on environmental atmospheric humidity. 4. The rate of heat loss by respiratory evaporation is dependent on the difference in vapour pressure between that of the respiratory surface and of the inspired air, on the degree of saturation of the expired air, and on the volume of air expired per breath and per unit time. 5. There is a constant relation between breathing rate and heat production in the House Sparrow above the upper critical temperature. 6. Other things being equal, there is a constant relation between evaporative rate and the vapour pressure difference between the air and the evaporative surface, if one assumes that the vapour pressure of the respiratory surface is equal to that of water at the rectal temperature of the bird. 7. When variations due to differences in respiration rate, metabolic rate, atmospheric humidity and body size are excluded, in some species of birds the rate of evaporative heat loss is essentially constant at air temperatures above the upper critical temperature (the upper limit of the thermo-neutral zone, see p. 114, footnote). In other species the rate of respiratory evaporation increases as air temperatures rise above the upper critical temperature. 8. From this evidence and other data in the literature, there appear to be four classes of species: one in which respiratory evaporation as a temperature-regulating mechanism is unimportant or non-existent; a second in which respiratory evaporation takes place in the lungs and air sacs and in which, at air temperatures above the upper critical temperature, increased evaporation is achieved only by an increased respiratory rate; a third in which respiratory evaporation takes place in the lungs and air sacs but the evaporative rate can be enhanced without an increase in respiratory rate; and a fourth in which evaporation takes place in the more anterior regions of the respiratory tract such as the trachea or buccal cavity. 9. These four groups are interpreted as representing various stages between two extremes of specialization. One extreme is represented by species of cold arid regions in which all or most of the tidal air passes through the lung parenchyma. Respiratory evaporation and hence heat loss is thus minimized. The other extreme is represented by species of hot humid regions in which the major function of ventilation is to provide evaporative heat loss. Respiratory gas exchange is a minor purpose and only a small fraction of the tidal air traverses the lung passages.