PhD Theses (SACON)
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Item Study on avian frugivory and seed dispersal in the shoal forests of Nilgiri Hills, Western Ghats, India.(SACON, 2013) Anbarasu, C.; Balasubramanian, P.A study on avian frugivory and seed dispersal in 111'0 shola forests of Nilgiri hills, Western Ghats was carried out from January 2009 to July 20 I I. Longwood shola is situated between 11 °43.494'N and 0760 87A63'E) and Eppanadu shola between I lo29. IS]'N and 0760 47.223'E. The objectives or the present study were, i). study avian frugivory and find out major frugivores in the shola forests ii). assessing fruiting phenology of fleshy-fruited tree species and find out the fruiting seasonality, iii). establish the role of avian frugivores in seed dispersal and forest regeneration. Vegetation sampling was done in both the shola forests, Longwood and Eppanadu. One h3 plot (50x20m) were laid in e3ch of the above-mentioned two shola s. Data collected were analyzed to obtain quantitative structure and composition of plant communities. Fruiting periodicity was determined by monitoring tagged trees for 24 months.Item Natural recovery of tsunami impacted littoral and mangrove forests in Nicobar Islands, India(SACON, 2012) Prabhakar, N.; Balasubramanian, P.Tropical forests are one among the species rich biome on earth. The high species diversity and complexity in its functionality makes this forest type as the most resilient ecosystem. The ever increasing anthropogenic pressures and natural -calamities are placing tropical forest at a high risk in the recent time. Due to high levels of disturbance, most of the tropical forests of today are in various stages of succession. Natural disturbances such as flood. forest fire, land slide and hurricane are known to cause long lasting impacts on a large scale in tropical forests. Tsunami perhaps could be the new addition to the above list. The natural recovery of vegetation after large scale disturbances are influenced by many ecological and environmental factors. Hence, understanding the vegetation recovery pattern and the influencing factors are important in planning and implementing habitat restoration programme.Item Study on Avian frugivory in Tropical Mixed Dry Deciduous and Scrub Forest in Southern India(SACON, 2012) Aruna, R.; Balasubramanian, P.Mutualistic plant-animal interactions exist in a wide variety with one of the most important being seed dispersal or the transport of seeds away from a parent plant by animals. Not only plants depend on animals for the dispersal of their seeds, animals, too, rely on plants for fruit as a food resource. Avian frugivores are considered the most important seed dispersers in several ecosystems, as assessed by the numbers of successful propagules disseminated. Fruit-eat in g birds play a critical role in the functioning of tropical ecosystems and may assist in the natural regeneration of forests by dispersing seeds into cleared areas. Seed dispersal by animals and frugivory have reached the pinnacle in tropical forests, where a percentage of up to 90% of tree and shrub species produce fleshy fruits adapted to animal dispers.:11 and eaten by a large number of vertebrates. In tropical forests, frugivorous animals are the dominant group of vertebrates. The challenge of frugivores is to find, eat and subsist partially or entirely on fruits that arc mostly deficient in protein, but rich in carbohydrates or lipids. Fruit availability is one crucial factor influencing the frugivore community. A study on frugivory by birds was carried out in two forest types namely, Tropical mixed dry deciduous forest in the Western Ghats and Scrub forest in the Eastern Ghats, Southern India. The research work was carried out in the tropical mixed dry deciduous forest of the Anaikatty hills of Nilgiri Biosphere ReserveItem Studies on Frugivory and Seed Dispersal by Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) in Sathyamangalam Forest Division, Eastern Ghats(SACON, 2010) Santhosh Kumar, E.; Balasubramanian, P.Seed dispersal refers the removal and deposition of seeds away from parent plants, by which a plant scatter its offspring away from their source of origin to reduce competition. Seed dispersal and its establishment are the crucial moments in the life cycle of plants which determine the success of plant populations. Basic knowledge about fruit-frugivore interactions and especially the seed dispersal process in forest ecosystems is essential for conservation of endangered animals and the forest itself. Fruit consumption by birds is an important species interaction that contributes to seed dispersal in forests. Hornbills, being primary frugivores of the tropical forest, play an important role in seed dispersal and regeneration of forest trees. Their ability to open and swallow large, ripe fruits and their defecation and regurgitation of undamaged viable seeds make them ideal dispersers. Hornbills are one of the most recognizable groups among birds. They are distributed in Sub-saharan Africa, Australia, South-east Asia and India. Among the 54 species of hornbills in the world, 9 species occur in India. Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) also known as Common Grey Hornbill is distributed in India, Pakistan, Nepal and North-west Bangladesh. Hornbills have specific food preferences and foraging techniques. A review of literature revealed the absence of detailed research on Indian Grey Hornbill. Hence, a study was undertaken with the following objectives, I. assess 94 frugivory by Indian Grey Hornbill and establish its role in seed dispersal and regeneration of its food plants. The study was carried out in Sathyamangalam Forest DivisionItem Studies on Taxonomy, Ecology, Distribution and Conservation values of Sthalavrikshas (Temple Plants) in Tamil Nadu, South India(SACON, 2007) Gunasekaran, K.; Balasubramanian, P.A review of previous studies in this field reveals that the information is found scattered. Only a handful of scholars have conducted research in Ulis field and that too based on medicinal, religious and mythological literature. Hence, a systematic study is felt as the need of the hour with the following objectives.1. To conduct taxonomic survey of s tha1avrikshas and bring out an authentic list of sthala vrikshas of Tamil Nadu. 2. To assess the ecological importance and conservation values of sthalavrikshas. 3. To document the role of traditional customs and beliefs of sthalavriksha worship in conserving the botanical resources. Tamil Nadu s tale along with union territory of Puducherry comprises the study area. Tamil Nadu (8" 5' and 13° 35' N Latitude and 76° 15' and BOO 20' E Longitude) is situated in the southern part of peninsular India. Tamil Nadu has wide range of land forms such as Coast, Plains and Ghats and is often known as the land of temples. There arc about 25,000 temples in the state.Item Habitat utilization by Malabar Grey Hornbill at Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats. (TH12)(SACON, 2002) Maheswaran, B.; Balasubramanian, P.Utilization of habitat resources, particularly fruit and nest trees, by an endemic bird species, Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) was studied in a tropical semi-evergreen forest and the adjoining tea/coffee plantations at Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats. This bird species is mainly distributed in the moist forests of southern Western Ghats. Though some aspects of Malabar Grey Hornbill in an evergreen forest at Anamalai Hills have been studied during the breeding season, fruit utilization during the non-breeding season is not known. Also, the preference of this endemic hornbill for food and nest tree species is unknown. This study aimed to assess the food preferences of Malabar Grey Hornbill during breeding and non-breeding seasons, nest-tree preferences and to identify the keystone resources for the Malabar Grey Hornbill in the semi-evergreen forest.