Western Ghats Of Kerala Research Articles

Plagiochila javanica (Sw.) Nees & Mont. (Marchantiophyta: Plagiochilaceae) rediscovered from the Western Ghats after 180 years

Plagiochila javanica, a widespread Asiatic member of the liverwort family Plagiochilaceae, is rediscovered from Western Ghats of Kerala, India after about 180 years of its first record from the country. The present discovery is a new record for Kerala state. A detailed description along with illustrations and images of the species are provided.

Algal Flora of Malakkappara Sholayar Stream, Trichur District, on the Western Ghats of Kerala

Kerala is blessed with a number of freshwater bodies. However, the freshwater algal resources have been infrequently documented for the past several decades. The present study is an attempt to enumerate the diversity of algae of Malakkappara Sholayar stream, a small stretch of water between the upper and lower Sholayar dams. A total of 43 species belonging to class <i>Bacillariophyceae</i> (19), <i>Cyanophyceae</i> (3), <i>Chlorophyceae</i> (18) and <i>Euglenophyceae</i> (3) are reported and added to the algal diversity of Kerala.

Screening and Molecular Identification of Potential Lignolytic White Rot Fungi Isolated from Western Ghats

ABSTRACT: The mounting concerns over the usage of enormous amount of wood and perilous chemicals in paper industry have led the researchers to develop ecofriendly green technologies for pulp and paper production. Lignocellulosic agro-waste can be an excellent alternative to the wood in papermaking. White rot fungi with ligninolytic properties can be effectively used for pretreatment of agro-wastes for pulp making. This study isolates and identifies previously unexplored strains of white rot fungi from Western Ghats of Kerala, India which can be used for developing biological systems for lignocellulosic treatment in pulp and paper production. Ten isolates were identified using molecular techniques and screened for their extracellular enzyme activities, including laccase, Manganese peroxidase and Lignin peroxidase. Among the 10 isolates, Trametes versicolor (Laccase activity 31.79 U/ml, Manganese peroxidase (MnP) 42.336 U/ml and Lignin peroxidase (LiP) - 50.65U/ml, Favolus teniculus (Laccase - 41.54 U/ml, MnP - 44.07 U/ml &LiP - 30.54), Coriolopsis byrsina (Laccase - 42.56 U/ml, MnP - 43.54 U/ml and LiP - 25.14 U/ml) Lenzitus betulina (Laccase - 37.15 U/ml, MnP - 38.97 U/ml and LiP - 30.43 U/ml) exhibited highly promising lignolytic enzymatic system. The study’s findings may provide a better eco-friendly substitute for conventional chemical treatments in various industrial applications.

Acidodontium indicum (Bryaceae: Bryophyta)—a new species from the Western Ghats of India

Acidodontium indicum sp. nov. (Bryaceae), is described and illustrated from the Western Ghats of Kerala. Since the genus has not been reported from India, it represents a new generic record as well. The species is compared with Acidodontium megalocarpum (Hook.) Renauld & Cardot and A. exaltatum (Spruce ex Mitt.) A. Jaeger. Acidodontium indicum is distinguished by small broadly lanceolate to more or less spathulate leaves having a strong, short excurrent costa, margin completely entire, bordered by 1–4 rows of long incrassate cells, short setae, capsule clavate with short apophysis, operculum conic without apiculus and endostome with high basal membrane and forked endostome segments diverging at a different angle.

Determination of tannin acyl hydrolase activity of Streptomyces mirabilis TBGS10 by measuring gallic acid using high-pressure liquid chromatography

Tannase is a hydrolytic enzyme known as tannin acyl hydrolase that acts on the ester bonds of hydrolyzable tannins and produces gallic acid. Tannase enzymes are obtained from various sources. Tannase from microbial sources, especially fungi like Aspergillus spp., has been used in the food, brewing, and pharmaceutical industries. Tannin acyl hydrolase activities of Actinomycetes are seldom reported, though they are known to produce a wide range of industrial enzymes. This communication deals with the tannase activity of a Streptomyces isolate from the shola forests of Munnar in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The isolate is identified as S. mirabilis TBGS10 based on morphological characters and 16s rDNA homology. The isolate showed promising tannase activity in plate assays, submerged, and solid-state fermentation conditions. High-pressure liquid chromatography determines the industrially important intermediate gallic acid produced through solid-state fermentation using cashew apple bagasse as substrate. The extract observed a gallic acid (GA) content of 142.624 g/mL with a retention time of 2.506 min. The tannase gene of the strain TBGS10 was PCR amplified using specific primers designed based on similar Streptomyces sequences available in the NCBI-GenBank

Impact of Cymbidium mosaic virus on Native and Cultivated Orchids in Western Ghat - Kerala.

Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) and Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) are two major orchid viruses detected in native and imported orchid plants of India. These viruses are growth debilitating with high stability and high spread rates. A survey was conducted in eight districts of Kerala for detecting the prevalence of CymMV and ORSV in native and cultivated orchid plants. DAC- ELISA technique using specific antibodies for CymMV and ORSV was used to detect viruses in collected orchid samples. The presence of CymMV was detected in all orchid nurseries surveyed, and the incidence varied from five to 100% in different areas. The coat protein of the CymMV strain was cloned and sequenced and its similar sequences were observed against the available database, and it was found to be more related to foreign strains. It was confirmed that the plants acquired the infection either during importation or later during close maintenance in the nurseries post-importation. Whereas the wild population of orchids surveyed from the Western Ghat of Kerala, did not test positive for CymMV, they were able to take up the infection upon artificial inoculation. CymMV is highly contagious and can easily transmit through infected plant sap, there is a greater possibility of spread of this virus to other orchids when kept in its vicinity. Even though CymMV was not a quarantined pathogen, there are possibilities of its spread to the native wild orchid population, and it may have unfavourable results, especially in the biodiversity hotspots like the Western Ghats of Kerala.

Diversity, distribution, and conservation status of fish species in Kallar Stream, Achankovil River, Western Ghats of Kerala, India

The current study presents the findings of fish species inventories conducted at 12 locations in ‘Kallar’, the perennial tributary of the undammed Achankovil River that flows through the Achankovil Reserve Forest in Kerala State. A new checklist of ichthyofauna is prepared, by adding the updated scientific names, which comprises 35 species from 27 genera, 13 families, and eight orders. In order of abundance, Opsarius bakeri, Salmostoma boopis, and Garra surendranathanii were the most prevalent species in the Kallar tributary. Eight of the total species documented are listed as threatened on IUCN Red List. The study reports the presence of a poorly known smiliogastrin cyprinid, Dawkinsia lepida for the first time in the Achankovil River as well as the range expansion of the threatened catfish, Batasio travancoria, and the Malabar Spiny Eel Macrognathus guentheri to the Kallar tributary. The study also reports a species of Balitora from Kallar, distinct from its congeners in several morphometric and meristic characteristics. The absence of any non-native fish species in the study area revealed the pristine nature of the stream habitat. A comparison of diversity indices with the available pre-flood study revealed that the fish species composition in Kallar stream has not altered as a result of the 2018 catastrophic flood. The main existing threat is the practice of destructive fishing at high levels by local communities adjacent to but outside the forest area during the dry season by damming the streamlets and then applying plant-based piscicides. It is recommended that fishing be banned during dry season because this is the time of year when the majority of the upstream fishes breed. The existing environment and fisheries acts should also be strictly enforced. For the sake of future conservation, the competent authorities should see to it that the last remaining natural forest cover in the Kanayar and Kallar ranges are safeguarded from being converted to forest plantations.

Exoenzyme Profiling of Soil Bacteria from Thattekad Bird Sanctuary for Bioprospection

Thattekad bird sanctuary, located in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, which hosts an unexplored microbial community, is selected for the present investigation. Microbes play a major role in mineral recycling and nutrient absorption by the flora and fauna in the habitat. Various bacterial extracellular enzymes facilitate all these activities. The increasing demand for microbial enzymes in favor of green technology encouraged us to focus on exoenzyme profiling of bacterial isolates from forest soil samples. The present study is aimed at the screening and identification of exoenzyme producing soil bacterial strains isolated from evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests of Thattekad bird sanctuary. In this study, only multienzyme producing bacteria were selected for detailed analysis because such bacteria are highly relevant in multi-enzyme dependent processes such as biowaste degradation. We screened for nine hydrolytic exoenzymes namely, amylase, cellulase, ligninase, pectinase, xylanase, caseinase, gelatinase, esterase and lipase, and identified 79 multienzyme-producing bacterial strains, mostly belonging to phylum Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Firmicutes from evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests produced a greater number of enzymes compared to Proteobacteria. Also, bacterial strains isolated from evergreen forest soil produced more enzymes compared to moist deciduous forest. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain TBS040 isolated from moist deciduous forest soil was found to produce all the nine enzymes screened. Enzymatic hydrolysis of biowaste using cell free crude enzyme extract from Bacillus velezensis strain TBS064 resulted in enhanced bioethanol production. These findings highlight the importance of screening unexplored habitats for the identification of novel strains, which can contribute to the future of green technology.

Does climate change leads to severe household-level vulnerability? Evidence from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Due to climate change, erratic and extreme rainfall events are rising in Kerala, India. This, in turn, is triggering landslides and floods in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Accordingly, this study analyzes the assessment and distribution of household level vulnerability toward climate change among the occupational categories in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Based on landslide data of Kerala for the years 2018 and 2019, five villages from the Idukki district of Kerala that accounts for the highest number of landslides are selected as the study region. The landslides and floods have either entirely or partially destroyed 3367 households in the study region during 2018 and 2019. Among these, 348 families are chosen for the study. We have adopted a stratified random sampling technique. The households belonging to all occupational categories are included in the sample. To facilitate the analysis, we have developed the concept of adaptive capacity entitlement to analyze the household-level vulnerability differences among occupational categories. Accordingly, data is elicited using an interview schedule and analyzed using robust logistic regression models. The results show that agrarian households are significantly vulnerable to landslides and floods. Among agrarian households, agricultural laborers tend to be the most vulnerable. A substantial number of agricultural laborer households live in hazard-prone regions, resulting in unequally distributed exposure to climatic hazards. The study reveals that the family's historic wealth (landholding) plays a significant role in households' capacity to attain entitlement. Besides, the entitlement enables the household to migrate to safer locations. The study highlights the need to frame a holistic climate adaptation policy for the region. For this reason, a sustainable land use policy has to be developed. Consequently, we recommend further studies to analyze the prospects and challenges of rehabilitation as well as land use regulation policies.

Butterflies of Silent Valley National Park and its environs, Western Ghats of Kerala, India

The butterfly fauna of Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) and its buffer zone in Kerala is discussed. Of the 335 species listed from the Western Ghats (WG) and 326 from Kerala, 269 species were recorded from inside the boundaries of the core of SVNP, while an additional 21 species were confirmed from its buffer zone making a total of 290 species as an aggregate for SVNP and its environs. This included 19 species of Papilionidae, 26 Pieridae, 85 Nymphalidae, one Riodinidae, 82 Lycaenidae, and 77 Hesperiidae. Thirty-one species were strictly endemic to the Western Ghats and 63 species were listed in schedules of WPA 1972, and 19 species were in the IUCN Red Lists. The region harbours 89% of all butterflies of Kerala (326 species), and 87% of those seen in the Western Ghats (335 species). About 11% of butterfly fauna of SVNP is endemic to the Western Ghats. Silent Valley and adjoining regions have 86% of all IUCN Red listed species listed for Kerala and the WG. The region also holds 91% of the species listed under WPA known from Kerala and 90% of those listed from WG. Thus, SVNP and its environs are one of the richest regions with respect to butterflies.

Physcomitrium eurystomum Sendtn. (Funariaceae: Bryophyta) and Splachnobryum obtusum (Brid.) Müll. Hal. (Splachnobryaceae: Bryophyta), two rare moss species from the Western Ghats of Kerala

Physcomitrium eurystomum Sendtn. is a temperate to tropical species, Red Listed in Europe, now collected on the way to Mattupetty from Munnar of Idukki district in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Splachnobryum obtusum (Brid.) Müll. Hal. was collected from the lateritic midland of Malappuram district of Kerala. Both these species are of rare occurrence and poorly known in the Western Ghats, hence described in detail with images.

Note on the distribution of Riccia beyrichiana Hampe ex Lehm. (Ricciaceae: Marchantiophyta) in India

Riccia beyrichiana Hampe ex Lehm. is a more or less cosmopolitan species. In India, it was earlier known to be distributed in the Western Himalayas, Northeast India, Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Western Ghats of Kerala. This species has now been collected in the Nilgiri Hills on the Western Ghats which is an addition to Tamil Nadu. A detailed description of the species with a photographic plate and a distribution map is provided.

Proximate and mineral composition of small indigenous fishes (Sifs) from the western ghats of Kerala

Proximate and mineral composition of small indigenous fishes (Sifs) from the western ghats of Kerala

Bioactive molecules and the antidiabetic efficacy of <em>Memecylon randerianum</em> — an ethnomedicinal plant from the Western Ghats

Diabetes is one of the most chronic diseases and a leading cause of death even though it is preventable. There are multiple therapeutic strategies like daily intake of drugs, insulin treatment and islet transplantation to manage severe diabetic complications. But the plant based therapy with regular exercise can improve diabetic control with reduced medication. The Malabar Memecylon, Memecylon randerianum S.M. Almeida & M.R. Almeida, is a medicinal shrub widely distributed in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Leaves are the most utilized plant part in traditional medicine. In vitro antidiabetic activity and HR-LCMS-QTOF analysis of the leaves, along with the screening of phytochemicals, has been executed in the present investigation. The methanolic extract showed the highest presence of phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, saponins etc. The quantitative screening revealed that saponins (211.16±1.9 mg/g) and flavonoids (209.74±2.12 mg/g) were highly concentrated, and the leaf extract showed significant dose-dependent inhibition on α-amylase and α- glucosidase. The glucose uptake in L6 cell lines was found to be increased by 25% compared to untreated cells (control) at 100 μg/mL sample concentration. HR-LCMS-QTOF analysis detected nine major compounds and showed that leaves of the plant could be used as an effective therapeutic agent against the most common type 2 diabetes.

Assessment of variability in Asystasia gangetica (L.) T Anderson from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

The variability shown by Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson has been thoroughly analyzed by considering gross and micromorphology. The species shows variability in flower color and leaf shape among the accessions collected from different geographical locations. However, the microspore sculpturing was found to be uniform and the seed surface architecture showed variation in one of the accessions as well as A. gangetica var. krishnae.

COLURA ACROLOBA (LEJEUNEACEAE, MARCHANTIOPHYTA) FROM WESTERN GHATS OF KERALA, INDIA

Colura acroloba(Prantl) Jovet-Ast an interesting species rare in India, having a unique leaf morphology, characterised by club shaped leaf lobule, which ends in a sac is reported for the first time from the Western Ghats of Kerala.

A new species of lynx spider (Araneae: Oxyopidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Oxyopes thumboormuzhiensis sp. nov. is described from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. A detailed morphological description, diagnostic features, and illustrations of the copulatory organs of both sexes of this new species are presented.

Distributional record of Annandaliella travancorica Hirst 1909, (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Only three species of Annandaliella are known from the Western Ghats of Kerala, A. travnacorica Hirst 1909, A. ernakulamensis Jose and Sebastian 2018, A. pectinifera Gravely 1935. A. travnacoricais distinguished by its primary apophysis on first leg, which has a horn-like projection with a pointed black spine at the tibial end. The presence of a tibial apophysis with a thick black spine distinguishes it from A. ernakulamensis and A. pectinifera. A. travancorica has previously been reported in Kerala’s Travancore, Kozikode, and Thrissur. This is the first report from Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary.

Freshwater fishes of the Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India

The fish diversity of Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Kerala was studied between January 2018 and December 2020. The ichthyofauna comprised of 40 species belonging to 11 Orders, 17 Families, and 29 genera, of which 35% are endemic to the Western Ghats region, and two are endemic to the state of Kerala. Cyprinids were the most dominant family, represented by 19 species belonging to three genera, followed by family Channidae (3 species) and loaches belonging to the family Nemacheilidae (3 species). Of the 40 species, one (Mesonemachelius herrei) belonged to the ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), one species is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU), and four ‘Near Threatened’ (NT) category and on the IUCN Red List. Results are presented in the form of a primary checklist of the freshwater fish fauna of the Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, together with remarks on their threats and conservation requirements.

Butterflies of Eravikulam National Park and its environs in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

The Eravikulam National Park (ENP) holds the largest remaining pristine patches of southern montane wet temperate forests and southern montane wet temperate grasslands of peninsular India. The study shows that ENP harbours 198 species of butterflies, constituting 60.73% of the butterflies recorded from Kerala and 59.10% of butterflies observed in Western Ghats (WG). Thirty-five species of butterflies seen in ENP have some level of endemicity associated with them and 22 of them (52.38%) are strictly endemic to WG. Twenty-seven species are under the schedules of Indian Wildlife Act 1972 (WPA) and its amendments. This National Park has montane grassland-Shola dependent super-endemics like Neptis palnica and Telinga davisoni. ENP also holds Parantica nilgiriensis a Near Threatened species and another 11 Western Ghats endemics, namely, Telinga davisoni, T. oculus, Ypthima chenu, Y. ypthimoides, Arnetta mercara, Baracus hampsoni, B. subditus, Thoressa astigmata, T. evershedi, Oriens concinna, and Caltoris canaraica, which are primary grass feeders. Eravikulam, on the Anamalai–High Range–Palni landscape, lies on a major path of the return migration of butterflies to Western Ghats before the north-east monsoons. Although well-protected, the ENP has anthropogenic pressures from tea estates surrounding it, mammal-oriented management practices like controlled burning of primary grasslands, and natural forest fires, that can significantly affect the invertebrate fauna especially montane grassland shola-dependent butterflies.