ID: 52102
Title: Diversity, distribution pattern and conservation of Pteridophytes in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh
Author: Vineet Kumar Rawat and T.R.Sahu
Editor: Dr. V.R.R.Singh
Year: 2009
Publisher: The Indian Forester, Vol 135, No 10, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: The Indian Forester
Keywords: Pteridophytes, Diversity, Distribution, Conservation, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh
Abstract: Maximum number of pteridophytic diversity observed in Himalayan region and most Protected Areas of the Indian Himalayan Region have not received much attention in terms of floristic exploration. In Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary (MWLS) comprehensive studies on diversity, distribution pattern, habitat preference, rarity and conservation status of the Pteridophytes have been carried and 205 species of Pteridophytes were recorded. The altitudinal distribution of the species revealed that the maximum numbers of species were presented in the subtropical to temperate zone (900-3500m) and a decrease in diversity was noticed with increasing altitude. Terrestrial habitats showed maximum species richness and twenty one pteridophytic species had been identified as rare-endangered.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52101
Title: Anthropogenic pressures on grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii) habitats at Gudalur range in Theni forest division, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu
Author: N. Ramesh and M.C.Sathyanarayana
Editor: Dr. V.R.R.Singh
Year: 2009
Publisher: The Indian Forester, Vol 135, No 10, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: The Indian Forester
Keywords: Grey junglefowl, Gallus sonneratii, Anthropogenic pressures, Gudalur Range, Theni Forest Division, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu
Abstract: 894 cattle and 250 goats visited Gudalur Range from three villages/settlements. A total of 37 food plant species of Grey Junglefowl were recorde. Out of 37 plant species observed, 15% of the plant species have been trampled by the scrub cattle. The cattle browsed 50% of plant species and grazed 5% of plant species. Forty five firewood collectors visited the forest area to collect 1,125 kgs of fire wood. Out of 15 plant species, Schleichera oleosa, Grewia tillifolia and Acacia torta were the dominant plant species preferred as firewood by the local people. They carried the fire wood by head load (n=41), by cycle (n=3) and by motor cycle (n=1). They sold the fire wood for Rs 60 -75 per load to the local tea shop. It was observed 60% of the fire wood for sale and 40% for own use. At Gudalur range 12 Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) items were collected by 760 local people throughout the year. Disturbances associated with two hydroelectric projects are also having a negative influence in the area. Three metal roads criss cross the study area where the wild animals were accidentally killed by the vehicles. There are two temples located in the boundary of the reserve forest where the pilgrims visited often. Mangala Devi Kannaki temple is situated in the hill top (1,050 m) of the study area where many thousands of people visit every year to worship the Goddess Kannaki. There is an urgent need for surveys to be done to determine the whereabouts of viable populations of the Grey junglefowl. It is essential as a long-term aim that conservation education should encourage people as the Grey Junglefowl is involved in seed dispersal, controlling insect pest in the forest level and fall prey on predators; totally it is maintaining the ecosystem in the wild.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52100
Title: Role of frugivorous birds in seed dispersal in the mixed dry deciduous forests of Attappady and Anaikatty, Western Ghats
Author: R.Aruna, P. Balasubramanian and P. Radhakrishnan
Editor: Dr. V.R.R.Singh
Year: 2009
Publisher: The Indian Forester, Vol 135, No 10, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: The Indian Forester
Keywords: Frugivory, Birds, Seed dispersal, Western Ghats
Abstract: The Attappady Hills Area Development Society (AHADS) as part of eco-restoration programmes in Attappady hills, Western Ghats, initiated tree planting programmes to identify the bird-attracting species. Study sites were chosen in the degraded dry deciduous forests of Attappady and the adjoining Anaikatty reserve forests representing the mixed dry deciduous forest. Frugivorous birds were ascertained by making extended feeding watches on fleshy-fruited plant species and bird counts along transects. Twenty nine bird species were observed to eat fruits. Among the frugivore visitors, bulbuls (5 species) made highest number of feeding visits (45%), followed by mynas, 2 species (16%), babblers, 3 species (14.5%) and others. A total of 40 bird-attracting species were recorded in the study area. Moraceae represented by six species was found to be the most dominant bird-attracting family followed by Rutaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Among the 40 species, Ficus benghalensis attracted maximum number of avian frugivores followed by Ficus microcarpa, Benkara malabarica, Cassine glauca and Canthium dicoccum. A suggestion is made to plant the bird-attracting native species in the degraded sites of Attappady.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52099
Title: Nectar resource use by butterflies in a dry deciduous forest in Eastern Ghats, India
Author: T. Selvarathinam, P. Balasubramanian and G.Kumaravelu
Editor: Dr. V.R.R. Singh
Year: 2009
Publisher: The Indian Forester , Vol 135, No 10, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: The Indian Forester
Keywords: Butterflies, Nectar feeding, Mud-puddling, Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, Eastern Ghats
Abstract: This paper discusses the butterfly, flower interrelationships in a dry deciduous forest in Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, Eastern Ghats. A total of 86 species of butterflies belonging to five families were recorded in the study area. Butterfly foraging observations were recorded on 27 plant species belonging to 17 families. A total of 49 species of butterflies foraged on floral nectar of 21 plant species. Maximum number of flower-visiting butterfly species (n=17) belonged to Nymphalidae. Small-sized flowers (<1cm) attracted maximum number of butterfly species (n=48). Among the various flower colours, red were visited by maximum number of species (n=36). Mud-puddling behaviour of butterflies is also discussed.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52098
Title: Relative suitability of indices derived from Landsat ETM + and SPOT 5 for detecting fire severity in sagebrush steppe
Author: J. Norton, N . Glenn, M. Germino, K. Weber, S. Seefeldt
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Rangeland, Spectral sensitivity, Land cover, Satellite, Burn severity
Abstract: Remote sensing indices of burn area and fire severity have been developed and tested for forest ecosystems, but not sparsely vegetated, desert shrub-steppe in which large wildfires are a common occurrence and a major issue for land management. We compared the performance of remote sensing indices for detecting burn area and fire severity with extensive ground-based cover assessments made before and after the prescribed burning of a 3 km2 shrub-steppe area. The remote sensign indices were based on either Landsat 7 ETM + or SPOT 5 data, using either single or multiple dates of imagery. The indices delineating burned versus unburned areas had better overall, User, and Producer ' s accuracies than indices delineating levels of fire severity. The soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) calculated from SPOT had the greatest overall accuracy (100%) in delineating burned versus unburned areas. The relative differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR) using Landsat ETM + provided the highest accuracies (73% overall accuracy) for delineating fire severity. Though SPOTs spatial resolution likely conferred advantages for determing burn boundaries, the higher spectral resolution (particularly band 7, 2.21 ?m) of Landsat ETM+ may be necessary for detecting differences in fire severity in sparsely vegetated shrub-steppe.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52097
Title: A Kernel functions analysis for support vector machines for land cover classification
Author: T.Kavzoglu, I. Colkesen
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Classification, Support vector machines, Radial basis function, Polynomial kernel, Maximum likelihood
Abstract: Information about the Earth ' s surface is required in many wide-scale applications. Land cover/use classification using remotely sensed images is one of the most common applications in remote sensing, and many algorithms have been developed and applied for this purpose in teh literature. Support vector machines (SVMs) are a group of supervised classification algorithms that have been recently used in the remote sensing field. The classification accuracy produced by SVMs may show variation depending on the choice of the kernel function and its parameters. In this study, SVMs were used for land cover classification of Gebze district of Turkey using Landsat ETM + and Terra ASTER images. Polynomial and radial basis kernel functions with their estimated optimum parameters were applied for the classification of the data sets and the results were analyzed thoroughly. Results showed that SVMs, especially with the use of radial basis function kernel, outperform the maximum likelihood classifier in terms of overall and individual class accuracies. Some important findings were also obtained concerning the changes in land use/cover in the study area. This study verifies the effectiveness an robustness of SVMs in the classification of remotely sensed images.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52096
Title: Assessing optical earth observation systems for mapping and monitoring temporary ponds in arid areas
Author: Valerie Soti, Annelise Tran, Jean-Stephane Bailly, Christian Puech, Danny Lo Seen, Agnes Begue
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Remote sensing, Monitoring, Temporary ponds, Water indices, Arid areas
Abstract: Remote sensing methods for locating and monitoring temporary ponds over large areas in arid lands were tested on a study site in Northern Senegal. Three main results are presented, validated with field data and intended to highlight different spectral, spatial and temporal characteristics of the methods: (1) Among several water indices tested, two Middle Infrared-based indices (MNDWI - Modified Normalized Difference Water Index and NDWI1 - Normalized Differnce Water Index) are found to be most efficient; (2) an objective method is given prescribing the necessary sensor spatial resolution in terms of minimal detected pond area; and (3) the potential of multi-temporal MODIS imagery for tracking the filling phases of small ponds is illustrated. These results should assist in epidemiological studies of vector-borne diseases that develop around these ponds, but also more generally for land and water management and preservation of threatened ecosystems in arid areas.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52095
Title: A multi-resolution satellite imagery approach for large area mapping of ericaceous shrubs in Northern Quebec, Canada
Author: Olivier R. Van Lier, Richard A. Fournier, Robert L. Bradley, Nelson Thiffault
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Multi-resolution, Object-oriented classification, Ericaceous shrubs, Forestry
Abstract: Invasive ericaceous shrubs (e.g. kalmia angustifolia, Rhododendron groenlandicum, Vaccinium spp.) may reduce the regeneration and early growth of black spruce (Picea mariana) seedlings, the most economically important boreal tree species in Quebec. Our study focused, therefore, on developing a method for mapping ericaceous shrubs from satellite images. The method integrates very high resolution satellite imagery (IKONOS) to guide classifiers applied to medium resolution satellite imagery (Landsat-TM). An object-oriented image classification approach was applied using Definiens eCognition software. An independent ground survey revealed 80% accuracy at the very high spatial resolution. We found that the partial use (70%) of classified polygons derived from the IKONOS images were an effective way to guide classification algorithms applied to the Landsat-TM imagery. The results of this latter classification (78.4% overall accuracy) were assessed by the remaining portion (30%) of unused very high resolution classified polygons. We further validated our method (65.5% overall accuracy) by assessing the corresponding of an ericaceous cover classification scheme done with a Landsat-TM image and results of our ground survey using an independent set of 275 sample plots. Discrimination of ericaceous shrub cover from other land cover types was achieved with precision at both spatial resolutions with producer accuracies of 87.7% and 79.4% from IKONOS and Landsat, respectively. The method is weaker for areas with sparse cover of ericaceous shrubs or dense tree cover. Our method is adapted, therefore, for mapping the spatial distribution of ericaceous shrubs and is compatible with existing forest stand maps.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52094
Title: An improved procedure for detection and enumeration of walrus signatures in airborne thermal imagery
Author: Douglas M.Burn, Mark S. Udevitz, Suzann G. Speckman, R. Bradley Benter
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Airborne thermal imagery, Pacific walrus, Aerial survey, Alaska, Bering Sea
Abstract: In recent years, application of remote sensing to marine mammal surveys has been a promising area of investigation for wildlife managers and researchers. In April 2006, the United States and Russia conducted an aerial survey of Pacific walrus (odobenus rosmarus divergens) using thermal infrared sensors to detect groups of animals resting on pack ice in the Bering Sea. The goal of this survey was to estimate the size of the Pacific Walrus population. An initial analysis of the U.S.data using previously - established methods resulted in lower detectability of walrus groups in the imagery and higher variability in calibration models than was expected based on pilot studies. This paper describes an improved procedure for detection and enumeration of walrus groups in airborne thermal imagery. Thermal images were first subdivided into smaller 200 x 200 pixel ' tiles ' . We calculated three statistics to represent characteristics of walrus signatures from the temperature histogram for each tile. Tiles that exhibited one or more of these characteristics were examined further to determine if walrus signatures were present. We used cluster analysis on tiles that contained walrus signatures to determine which pixels belonged to each group. We then calculated a thermal index value for each walrus group in the imagery and used generalized linear models to estimate detection functions (the probability of a group having a positive index value) and calibration functions (the size of a group as a function of its index value) based on counts from matched digital aerial photographs. The new method described here improved our ability to detect walrus groups at both 2m and 4m spatial resolution. In addition, the resulting calibration models have lower variance than the original method. We anticipate that the use of this new procedure will greatly improve the quality of the population estimate derived from these data. This procedure may also have broader applicability to thermal infrared surveys of other wildlife species.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52093
Title: Regional hydrologic mapping of flows in stream networks
Author: Bahram Saghafian
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Low flow, Regional analysis, Mapping, Transposition, Flow profile, Flow contribution, DEM
Abstract: River low flow (LF) is an important hydrological characterisitc used in management of the quantity and quality of water resources. A common way to transpose at - station low flow quantiles to ungaged locations involves development of regional multivariate regression models. In site selection studies of water control facilities, need arises to automate the mapping of LF characteristics onto the stream network in a continuous manner. This would allow estimation of LF at any desired ungaged location. A mapping algorithm is introduced that determines the value of regression model ' s independen variables (input components) over the drainage area of each stream pixel and calculates the flow (output). The mapping algorithm relies mainly on the digital elevation model (DEM) and its derivatives, such as flow direction and flow accumulation. Furthermore, the contribution of each independent variable of the regional model to the total flow may be plotted to represent the flow profiles along the streams. A case study involving LF mapping in rivers of Gilan province, Iran, where LF quantiles are required for issuing water withdrawal permits a well as maintaining water quality standards, is also described in the paper. Overall, the maps and profiles of flow statistics in the region of interest provide convenient visualization and assessment tools for water resource and environmental engineers. The transposition algorithm may also be applied in regional mapping of other flow characteristics such as flood or average flows.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52092
Title: A comparative analysis of a fixed thresholding vs. a classification tree approach for operational burn scar detection and mapping
Author: C.C.Kontoes, H. Poilve, G.Florsch, I. Keramitsoglou, S.Paralikidis
Editor: Alfred Stein
Year: 2009
Publisher: Elsevier, Vol 11, Issue 5, October 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: International Journal of Applied earth observation and Geoinformation
Keywords: Earth observation, Burn scar mapping, Wildfires, Fixed thresholding, Decision tree classification, Landsat 5 TM, SPOT XS, RISK-EOS
Abstract: The scope of this paper is to demonstrate, evaluate and compare two burn scar mapping (BSM) approaches developed and applied operationally in the framework of the RISK-EOS service element project within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program funded by ESA (http://WWW.risk-eos.com). The first method is the BSM_NOA, a fixed thresholding method using a set of specifically designed and combined image enhancements, whilst the second one is the BSM_ITF, a decision tree classification approach based on a wide range of biophysical parameters. The two methods were deployed and compared in the framework of operational mapping conditions set by RISK-EOS standards, based either on sets of uni- or multi-temporal satellite images acquired by Landsat 5 TM and SPOT 4 HRV. The evaluation of the performance of the two methods showed that either in uni-or multi-temporal acquisition mode, the two methods reach high detection capability rates ranging from 80% to 91%. At the same time, the minimum burnt area detected was of 0.9-1.0 ha, despite the coarser spatial resolution of Landsat 5 TM sensor. Among the advantages of the satellite-based approaches compared to conventional burn scar mapping, are cost-efficiency, repeatability, flexibility, and high spatial and thematic accuracy from local to country level. Following the catastrophic fire season of 2007, burn scar maps were generated using BSM_NOA for the entirety of Greece and BSM_ITF for south France in the framework of the RISK-EOS/GMES Services Element project.
Location: 231
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52091
Title: Effect of Vitamin C enrichment on economic characters of the silk worm Bombyx mori
Author: D Balasundaram and Selvisabhanayakam
Editor: Dr. S. Palanichamy
Year: 2009
Publisher: Palani Paramount Publications, Vol 24, N0. 4, June 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Journal of Ecobiology- An International Journal for Scientific Research on Environmental Biology, Toxicology and Inter Relations
Keywords: Bombyx mori, Vitamin C , Mulberry leaves, Feed efficacy
Abstract: An experiment was conducted to find out the feed efficacy of Bombyx mori with mulberry leaves (MR2 variety) and MR2 treated with vitamin C in order to know the economic characters of silk worm. It has been revealed that the MR2 variety with vitamin C treated is considered as the most effective feed for silk production rather than control MR2 variety. The results obtained that the cocoon weight, shell weight, filament length and silk ratio were 158g, 30g, 5.000g, 680 m, 16:000 when B, mori fed with mulberry leaves (MR2) variety, where as been cocoon weight, shell weight, filament length and silk ratio 186g, 39g, 6.400g, 770m, 16:85 when B. mori fed with vitamin C treated leaves.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52090
Title: Influence of nutrients and hormones on yield maximization of blackgram
Author: M Rajavel and S Vincent
Editor: Dr. S. Palanichamy
Year: 2009
Publisher: Palani Paramount Publications, Vol 24, N0. 4, June 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Journal of Ecobiology- An International Journal for Scientific Research on Environmental Biology, Toxicology and Inter Relations
Keywords: Nutrients, Hormones, Blackgram, Yield
Abstract: An investigation was carried out to study the morphological, physiological and biochemical effects of foliar spray of nutients and plant growth regulators on yield and productivity of blackgram. The treatments include foliar spray of 2% DAP, 0.2% Boric acid, 0.5% FeSO4, 0.5% ZnSO4, 0.5% sodium molybdate, 2% urea, 0.1% humic acid, 1% KCl, Salicylic acid 100 ppm, Brassinolide 0.1 ppm and humic acid 20 kg basal application. Among these treatments, foliar spray of 2% urea recorded the highest yield of 955 kg/ha followed by foliar spray of KCl 1% along with soil application of humic acid @ 20 kg/ha (926 kg/ha). Application of PGR and nutrients increased the growth characters viz., Crop Growth Rate (CGR), Net Assimilation Rate (NAR), Leaf Area Development (LAD) at all growth stages. The yield enhancement may be due to improved morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters. The tested chemicals particularly 2% urea was found effective towards yield maximization in blackgram.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52089
Title: Bio reduction of industrial waste water hardness by oligochaete worm
Author: M Deepak
Editor: Dr. S. Palanichamy
Year: 2009
Publisher: Palani Paramount Publications, Vol 24, N0. 4, June 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Journal of Ecobiology- An International Journal for Scientific Research on Environmental Biology, Toxicology and Inter Relations
Keywords: Bioreduction, Waste water, Hardness, Oligochaeta worm
Abstract: The oligochaete worm Tubifex tubifex is known for the degradation of pollutants. The sugar factory effluent has the characteristic of hardness due to the presence of Ca ++. In the present study an attempt has been made to employ the Tubifex tubifex to reduce the hardness of the reclaimed water from sugar factory. There was a significant decrease of Ca ++ against controls. There were 14.9; 17.5 and 17.9% reduction at the intervals of 20, 30 and 40% in field applications of worms. This was substantiated by histochemical studies on the enzymes activities such as adenosine triphosphate, succinic dehydrogenase, NADH-reductase, cytochrome oxidase etc. in earthworm tissues used investigation. These enzymes activities were enhanced due to Ca++ absorption in excess. The results are discussed with Ca++ pollution reduction.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 52088
Title: Assessment of floral diversity in the Kothagiri Hills of Western Ghats
Author: G P Saravanan, N Gurunathan and R Senthil Kumar
Editor: Dr. S. Palanichamy
Year: 2009
Publisher: Palani Paramount Publications, Vol 24, N0. 4, June 2009
Source: Centre for Ecological Science,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-12
Reference: None
Subject: Journal of Ecobiology- An International Journal for Scientific Research on Environmental Biology, Toxicology and Inter Relations
Keywords: Floral diversity, Western ghats
Abstract: The study was conducted in the western ghats of Niligiri biosphere reserve in Tamil Nadu, India to assess the prevalence and existence of floral composition over seasons and phases of time during August 2007 to May 2008 at three different elevations and seasons. Floral composition was higher in the upper elevation (1100-1200 MSL), while shrubs, herbs and climbers varied seasonally. Lantana camera and Pavetta indica were found in all the three seasons. The tree diversity indices values were more in upper elevation, which was found using Shannon Wiener Index and Simpson Index.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None