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Nestled in the deep valleys of the Western Ghats that is home to arich diversity of flora and fauna are the vestiges of a pristinehabitat that could yield precious information about evolutionarybiology and climate change. Scientists from the Centre for Earth Science Studies here and theAgharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune are studying theMyristica swamps, a vanishing ecosystem, now largely confined to 53patches in the Kulathupuzha and Anchal forest ranges and theShendurney wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. A study by the ARI scientists, published recently in the journal, Quaternary International , describes the discovery of plant fossils of the ancient Myristicaswamps from the Konkan coast. The fossils, estimated to be 44,000 years old, throw light on theevergreen vegetation along the Konkan coast. The study infers thatKonkan lost its wet evergreen forest cover due to the changes inthe monsoon pattern. The Myristica swamps are tropical fresh water swamp forests with anabundance of Myristica trees, the most primitive of the floweringplants on earth. The evergreen, water-tolerant trees have densestilt roots helping them stay erect in the thick, black, wetalluvial soil. The swamps are typically found in valleys, making them prone toinundation during monsoon rains. The trees form a fairly denseforest with a closed canopy. Studies have shown that the swamps, which would have occupied largeswathes of the thickly- wooded Western Ghats in the past, are nowrestricted to less than 200 hectares in the country. "As of now, the Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats arefragmented, with Kerala holding a major share of this habitat.Leaving aside a few more patches in Karnataka and Goa, thisexceptional wetland has almost disappeared from the Indiansubcontinent due to the climatic vicissitudes over the last 18,000to 50,000 years, a period referred to as the Late Pleistoceneperiod," said K.P.N. Kumaran, CSIR Emeritus Scientist, ARI. According to C.N. Mohanan, Head, Department of EnvironmentalSciences, CESS, the swamps could promote better understanding ofthe influence of climate change on the evolution of plants."They are living museums of ancient life." Dr. Mohanan said human activities posed a major threat to theunique habitat. "Over time, many of the patches of swamps inKerala have been converted to paddy fields, arecanut plantations orsettlements while others were submerged for irrigation projects.There is an urgent need to conserve the remaining swamps." Mr. Kumaran said: "These swamps have high watershed value.When they are drained, filled or otherwise disturbed, their waterholding capacity is lost, resulting in floods and erosion duringthe rainy season and dry streambeds the rest of the year." The swamps in Kerala provide habitat for a rich diversity ofinvertebrate and vertebrate species, including amphibians, reptilesand mammals. A total of 65 tree species and 72 species of shrub- herb combinehave been recorded from the swamps. It is estimated that thewetlands contain 23 per cent of butterflies, 11 per cent ofspiders, 8.4 per cent of fishes, more than 50 per cent ofamphibians, more than 20 per cent of reptiles, 26.6 per cent ofbirds and 6.6 per cent of mammals in the whole of Kerala. Of the animals recorded from the swamps, 16.3 per cent are endemicto the Western Ghats and 24.2 per cent of the vertebrates are RedListed. Species diversity and species abundance inside the swamps aresignificantly higher than that recorded from outside, for bothreptiles and amphibians. I am an expert from advertising-led-displays.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Rental LED Display Manufacturer , China Billboard LED Display, Outdoor Full Color Led Display,and more.
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