T. Ganesh

Fruit biomass and relative abundance of frugivores in a rain forest of southern Western Ghats, India

Fruit biomass and frugivore abundance were quantified over 3 y in a rain forest of the south Western Ghats, India. Fruit biomass was estimated by sampling fruit fall in the primary forest, and frugivore abundance by a 2.5-km transect. A total of 645 kg ha -1 of fruit was produced annually in the forest. Only 49% of this is edible to the frugivores and the remaining 51% is in the form of non-edible husks. Mammalian frugivores outnumbered avian frugivores and the majority of the mammals were seed predators. The total fruit biomass produced at Kakachi is lower than in the lowland forest and mountain forests in the neotropics but higher than in the wet sclerophyll forest of Australia. Lower diversity of trees and edaphic factors at Kakachi could be some of the reasons for these differences. On the other hand, paucity of fleshy fruits, low density of trees producing fleshy fruits and irregular fruiting of these species, account for the low number of obligate avian frugivores at Kakachi.

Patterns of butterfly distribution in the Andaman islands: implications for conservation

Twenty-five islands of different sizes were rapidly surveyed in the Andaman islands for patterns of butterfly distribution and abundance. The surveys were conducted in the dry seasons of 1992 in the South Andaman islands, 1994 in the North Andaman islands and on both these years on the Little Andaman Island. Different habitat types were identified on each island and butterflies were sampled by the line transect method in each habitat type. Sixty-five species of butterflies were recorded from six families. Fifty-one species were less common and contributed to 25 % of the total count. Six species were very common. The overall distribution patterns of the species were nested. This suggests that small islands share their species with the larger islands but not vice versa. Many uncommon species were found exclusively on large islands. The presence of evergreen forest on islands significantly influenced the species encountered. Small and medium sized islands with evergreen forests had significantly more species than those without evergreen forests. Loss of primary forests due to logging and encroachment will result in the loss of many butterfly species. It is recommended that the large patches of primary evergreen forests be protected on a priority basis on large islands.

Flowering phenology and flower predation of Cullenia exarillata (Bombacaceae) by arboreal vertebrates in Western Ghats, India

Thc flowcring phcnology and flowcr prcdation of Cildlenia e.xarillata, a canopy trcc at Kakachi in the southcrn Westcrn Ghats, Inclia, was studicd from 1991 to 1993 in rclation to gcncral phcnological pattcrns at thc community lcvel. Flowering was monitorccl fiom 30 markccl trccs and flowcr prcdation cstimatcd from fallcn flowcrs in 40, 1 m2 ncts placcd undcr thc trecs. Flowcring occurs in thc dry scason and coincidcs with thc pcriod of fruit scarcity in thc forcst. Flowcring is synchronous in thc population and each trec produccs a mncan of c. 8730 flowcrs pcr trcc ovcr a pcriod of c. 47 d. Flowcrs produccd littlc ncctar but thc ecliblc flcshy scpals compcnsatcd for this. Six spccics of arborcal mammals and scvcn spccics of birds atc thc flowcrs. Thcse consumed 57% of thc flowcr crop of which 37% wcre complctcly dcstroycd. Flowcr prcdators could bc important in flowcr fcrtilization. Thc ovcrabundancc of thc flowcr crop and thc timing of flowcring, may havc cvolvcd as a stratcgy to satiatc prcdators and cnablc thc flowcrs to bc pollinatcd during thc annual pcriocl of fiuit scarcity in thc forcst. This in turn makcs Cildleniia exarillata a possiblc kcystone spccics in this forcst.

Fruiting Phenology and Pre-dispersal Seed Predation in a Rainforest in Southern Western Ghats, India

The mid-elevation non-dipterocarp wet forests in southern Western Ghats, India are some of the largest stretches of undisturbed forest remaining in this biodiversity hotspot. We established a long-term study of tree phenology in this forest to study the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on phenological patterns. We measured seed predation of selected canopy trees across three years. Seed predation intensity was measured through seed fall, phenology by fruit fall, and animal abundance through transect sampling. A total of 42 tree species was sampled for phenology and 35 species for seed predation intensity. Nine of these species fruited annually, seven fruited once in two years and the remaining species fruited once in several years. Two primates and two arboreal squirrels were the major seed predators in the forest. Primates were responsible for some intact seed dispersal, while squirrels were obligate seed predators. For numerous tree species seed predators were the only seed dispersers. Seed predator abundance showed no significant changes across years except for the case of the lion tailed macaque, which appeared to show seasonal population movement. No community-wide mass fruiting phenomena were noticeable in the forest but there was significant variation in fruit availability between years. A few tree species appeared to show mast fruiting in certain years. A majority of the species suffered high levels of seed predation. Seed predation intensity decreased during mast fruiting events for certain species while for others it had no effect. There was no difference in predation intensity between annually and supra-annually fruiting species. Masting as a means of overcoming high seed predation at the population level in the Western Ghats was limited to only a few tree species.

The Role of Scientific Conferences to Foster Conservation Solutions for Global Forests

The professional group of biologists who prioritize studies of the forest canopy hosted their first international conference in Sarasota, Florida, in 1994, and the field’s first textbook was published the same year. Subsequently, canopy scientists have convened a dedicated conference every 4 years, with a mission of advancing the scientific field through collaborative exchange of ideas. For its first time ever, the fifth International Canopy Conference (ICC) convened in an emerging country, hosted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, India. Also, for the first time ever, education outreach was added as a new session to the conference agenda, including a highly popular canopy education workshop that drew Indian students, teachers, scientists, and stakeholders from all regions of the country. This session was advertised as an open forum where laypersons and teachers could interface with canopy scientists, who enthusiastically shared their experiences, thereby taking science outside the conventional walls of academia. In a country like India, this was groundbreaking. In subsequent feedback, we were inspired by the reports of burgeoning education outreach activities in India spawned by this conference session.

“Canopy-Less” Monitoring of Biodiversity and Climate Change: Signs of a Leaky Roof

Several anthropogenic factors such as selective logging, agriculture, and fire have led to severe deforestation globally; these are considered as major forces of ecological change throughout tropical regions (Asne et al. 2006; Hansen et al. 2010). A number of studies show that such changes alter species distributions and abundance (Hansen and Defries 2004; Laurance and Peres 2006) and in the future may even lead to the extinction of a large fraction of the species on earth (e.g., Thomas et al. 2004; Raxworthy et al. 2008).