Myristica swamp

Last updated April 26, 2019

Myristica swamps are a type of freshwater swamp forest predominantly composed of species of Myristica . These are found in two localities in India. Myristica swamps have adapted to inundation by way of stilt roots and knee roots. Myristica swamps are found in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State and in the southern parts of Kerala State.

Myristica is a genus of trees in the family Myristicaceae. There are over 150 species distributed in Asia and the western Pacific.

Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes. Freshwater swamp forests are found in a range of climate zones, from boreal through temperate and subtropical to tropical.

Uttara Kannada/ North Canara is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District and Udupi District to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. The city of Karwar is the administrative headquarters of the district. Sirsi, Dandeli and Bhatkal are other major towns in the district. The district has 2 agroclimatic divisions, namely:

History

Myristica swamps were described as a separate evergreen forest type by Krishnamurthy in 1960. [1] These received attention in 1988 when Rodgers and Panwar [2] described it as the most endangered forest ecosystem in India. The swamps in Karnataka has been studied in detail by Chandran, MDS and his colleagues in 1999. [3] [4]

An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers, live oak, and holly in cold climates, eucalypts, acacias and banksias in more temperate zones, and rainforest trees in tropical zones.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one-another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and other microbes.

Nair, PV and his team has conducted a detailed study on the flora and fauna of the Myristica swamps of southern Kerala in 2007. [5] In Kerala, the Myristica swamps are found predominantly in Kulathupuzha , Anchal and Shendurney regions of Kollam district. Nair PVand Pandalai carried out successful re-introduction of one of the swamp tree species in 2012. [6]

Kulathupuzha Panchayat A Grade in Kerala, India

Kulathupuzha is a village in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala state, India. This town is situated on the Kollam – Shenkottai National Highway road. Kulathupuzha is 63 km away from Thiruvananthapuram and 58 km away from Kollam and 28 km away from Kadakkal and 19 km away from anchal. Thenmala eco tourism is just 9 km away. It is one of the most modern dairy farms situated in Kulathupuzha i.e. indo Swiss project.

Kollampronunciation (help·info), also known by its former name Quilonpronunciation (help·info) and Coulão and Desinganadu, is an old seaport and city on the Laccadive Sea coast of the Indian state of Kerala. The city is on the banks Ashtamudi Lake. Kollam has a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Fed by the Chinese trade, it was mentioned by Ibn Battuta in the 14th century as one of the five Indian ports he had seen during the course of his twenty-four year travels. Desinganadu's rajas exchanged embassies with Chinese rulers while there was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam. In the 9th Century, on his way to Canton, China, Persian merchant Sulaiman al-Tajir found Kollam to be the only port in India visited by huge Chinese junks. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller, who was in Chinese service under Kublai Khan in 1275, visited Kollam and other towns on the west coast, in his capacity as a Chinese mandarin.

Mapping

The swamps occur on either side of first order streams. The swamp boundary can be seen distinctly in the field due to the stilt roots. Chandran and his colleagues were able to locate 51 swamps in Uttara Kannada. [4] They were able to show them on maps, and describe location, but exact boundary mapping was not attempted. Mapping by Nairpv and colleagues in 2007 was more detailed and they mapped 60 swamps using GPS technology. [5] The swamps ranged in area from about 0.25 to 10 hectares. The swamps are distributed in two river systems spread over two districts. Boundary mapping has revealed that the total area of Myristica swamps in Kerala is about 1.5 km2 which hardly make up 0.004% of the total land area of Kerala (38,864 km2) and 0.014% of the total forest area of Kerala (11,126 km2). The swamps in Karnataka are located at about 300m altitude, the swamps in Kerala are at an altitude of 200m.

The hectare is an SI accepted metric system unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides, or 10,000 m², and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is about 0.405 hectare and one hectare contains about 2.47 acres.

Kerala is a state on the southwestern, Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km² (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty-second largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea and Arabian Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.

Flora

Chandran and his colleagues give detailed description of the flora. They found that 63 of 130 flowering plants identified are endemic to Western Ghats of India. Major species of trees were Gymnocranthera canarica, Myristica fatua, Mastixia arborea, Semecarpus travancorica, Hopea whitiana, Lophopetalum whitiana, Holigarna grahami, Sysygium laetum, etc. [4] Studies by Nair and colleagues in southern Kerala in 2007 documents eighty two trees and ninety four species of herbs/shrubs. Forty nine lianas have also been recorded. Twelve of these plants species have been redlisted and about 28 species of them are endemic to Western Ghats. Out of the 19 sample plots, Gymnacranthera farquhariana was dominant in 10 plots. Myristica fatua was the dominant tree in 6 swamps. In the remaining plots, Vateria indica was the dominant tree. Holigarna arnottiana and Lophopetalum wightianum dominated in another two plots. [5]

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animal life is fauna. Flora, fauna and other forms of life such as fungi are collectively referred to as biota. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms gut flora or skin flora.

Western Ghats also known as Sahyadri is a mountain range that covers an area of 140,000 km² in a stretch of 1,600 km parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight "hottest hot-spots" of biological diversity in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It is a biodiversity hotspot that contains a large proportion of the country's flora and fauna; many of which are only found in India and nowhere else in the world. According to UNESCO, Western Ghats are older than Himalayan mountains. It also influences Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea. A total of thirty-nine areas including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites - twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.

Mastixia arborea is a species of plant in the Nyssaceae family. It is found in India and Sri Lanka.

Fauna

Nair and colleagues in southern Kerala in 2007 focussed on fauna also. [5] Faunal biodiversity of the Myristica swamps consisted of Platyhelminthes- (Bipalium-2, tapeworm-1) 3 species, Nemathelminthes – 1 species, Annelida (Oligochaeta -2and Hirudinea-2) 4 species, Mollusca- 10 species, Unidentified Crustacean-1 species, Insecta- 281 species belonging to 83 identified families, Myriapoda- 6 species and Arachnidae 54 species, Pisces 14 species, Amphibia 56 species, Reptilia 55 species, Aves 129 species and Mammalia 27 species. [7] [8] Quantitative analysis of herpetofauna revealed that the differences in the environmental characteristics inside and outside the swamp play an important role in regulating the species diversity and abundance of both amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians were more susceptible to environmental changes. Patterns of diversity and abundance during day and night, across swamps and among months varied. There was no significant difference in patterns of diversity and abundance recorded during the two years. Many of the animals documented belong to red list and endemic categories.

Nematode phylum of animals with tubular digestive systems with openings at both ends

The nematodes or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broad range of environments. Taxonomically, they are classified along with insects and other moulting animals in the clade Ecdysozoa, and unlike flatworms, have tubular digestive systems with openings at both ends.

Oligochaeta is a subclass of animals in the phylum Annelida, which is made up of many types of aquatic and terrestrial worms, including all of the various earthworms. Specifically, the oligochaetes contain the terrestrial megadrile earthworms, and freshwater or semiterrestrial microdrile forms, including the tubificids, pot worms and ice worms (Enchytraeidae), blackworms (Lumbriculidae) and several interstitial marine worms.

Mollusca Large phylum of invertebrate animals

Mollusca is the second largest phylum of invertebrate animals. The members are known as molluscs or mollusks. Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species.

Conservation

Nair and colleagues in southern Kerala highlight the enormous biodiversity of the Myristica swamp forests. The study also indicates that there are gaps in information which can be filled up only with further studies in this region. A challenge is how further studies can be carried out without disturbing the delicate ecosystem of these swamps. A pertinent question is whether all human entry should be banned into the best and least disturbed patches of swamps, leaving only the disturbed patches for human visits (tourism and academic study). Conservation of these small and scattered swamp patches must also address the contiguous areas. Strategies for management and conservation have been suggested in the above context. [5]

Related Research Articles

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Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located about 24 km from Sagara, are formed by this river. The river itself and the region around it are rich in biodiversity and are home to many rare species of flora and fauna.

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Draco dussumieri or southern flying lizard, is a species of agamid lizard capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found in the Western Ghats and hill forests of southern India. They are almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where they climb trees to forage for insects and glide to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which are supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck are also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue to support them. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. Males have a more colourful patagium than females and they prominently extend their yellow dewlaps forward in display. Although living almost their entire lives on the trees, females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the western most distribution within the genus Draco, the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia.

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Stripe-necked mongoose species of mammal

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Trans Himalayan zone.
Himalayan zone
Desert zone.
Semiarid zone.
Western ghat zone.
Deccan plateau zone.
Gangetic plain zone.
North east zone.
Coastal zone.
dhanoa zone

<i>Mercurana</i> species in the genus Mercurana

Mercurana is a genus of arboreal frogs belonging to the family Rhacophoridae. The genus was named from the only known species Mercurana myristicapalustris, which was described in 2013 from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The generic name was derived from and given as a tribute to Freddie Mercury, the late vocalist of the British rock band Queen, in combination with the Latin name for "frog". The frog is different from other related frogs in that it has extensively webbed toes, lives only in swampy lowlands, and lays its eggs on mud with which it carefully mixes leaf litter.

Calocypha laidlawi, or myristica sapphire, is a rare species of damselfly belonging to the family Chlorocyphidae. It is found only from Karnataka and Kerala in South India.

Phylloneura westermanni, Myristica bambootail is a damselfly species in the family Platycnemididae. It is endemic to Myristica swamps of Western Ghats in India. The habitat is restricted to a few localities in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

References

↑ Krishna Moorthy, K. 1960. Myristica swamps in the evergreen forests of Travancore. Indian Forester 86(5):314-315.
↑ Rodgers, WA. and Panwar, HS. 1988. Planning Wildlife Protected Area Network in India. Wildlife Institute of India.
↑ Chandran, MDS, Mesta, DK, Naik, MB. 1999. Myristica swamps of Uttara Karnataka District. My Forest 35(3):217-222.
1 2 3 Kerlalapages.org Myristica swamps, Karnataka
1 2 3 4 5 Kerlalapages.org Myristica swamps, Kerala
↑ Nair, PV and Pandalai, RC. 2012. Species recovery plan for Semecarpus kathalekanensis: a critically endangered fresh water swamp species of western ghats. Research Report. Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, India.
↑ Joyce Jose, Ramachandran, K. K. and Nair, P. V. 2007. A Preliminary Overview and Checklist of the spider fauna of Myristica swamp forests of southern Kerala, India. Newsletter of British Arachnological Society109: 12-14.
↑ Joyce Jose, Ramachandran, K. K. and Nair, P.V. 2007. A rare and little known lizard, Otocryptis beddomi from the Myristica swamps of Southern Kerala, India. The Herpetological Bulletin 101:27-31.

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[1] Krishna Moorthy, K. 1960. Myristica swamps in the evergreen forests of Travancore. Indian Forester 86(5):314-315.

[2] Rodgers, WA. and Panwar, HS. 1988. Planning Wildlife Protected Area Network in India. Wildlife Institute of India.

[CHANDRAN_REPORT-3] Chandran, MDS, Mesta, DK, Naik, MB. 1999. Myristica swamps of Uttara Karnataka District. My Forest 35(3):217-222.

[CHANDRAN_PDF-4] 1 2 3 Kerlalapages.org Myristica swamps, Karnataka

[NAIRPV_PDF-5] 1 2 3 4 5 Kerlalapages.org Myristica swamps, Kerala

[6] Nair, PV and Pandalai, RC. 2012. Species recovery plan for Semecarpus kathalekanensis: a critically endangered fresh water swamp species of western ghats. Research Report. Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, India.

[7] Joyce Jose, Ramachandran, K. K. and Nair, P. V. 2007. A Preliminary Overview and Checklist of the spider fauna of Myristica swamp forests of southern Kerala, India. Newsletter of British Arachnological Society109: 12-14.

[8] Joyce Jose, Ramachandran, K. K. and Nair, P.V. 2007. A rare and little known lizard, Otocryptis beddomi from the Myristica swamps of Southern Kerala, India. The Herpetological Bulletin 101:27-31.