A floristic study on herbs and climbing plants at Puducherry, South India: an approach to biodiversity conservation and regeneration through eco-restoration

Abstract

A qualitative floristic exploration with life form classifications and monitoring of flowering and fruiting phenology has been carried out at a restored site near Puducherry, South India in 2009 and 2010. The species were classified into three categories based on their occurrence status, namely, Naturally Occurring, Naturally Regenerated and Introduced. The present study focuses only on two life forms, the Herbaceous and the Climbing plants. The site selected for eco-restoration originally comprised of an eroded and severely degraded landscape with scattered remnant species. However, active human intervention over a thirty year period included the introduction of appropriate plant species and other physical measures to enhance soil fertility and ground water level, and regenerate and conserve the deteriorating typical Tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEF) vegetation. A large number of naturally ccurring herbaceous, climbing species (172) and a consistent number of naturally regenerated species (44) are now observed as a result of eco-restoration. Lowland herbaceous species have also established themselves as a green cover at ground level. At present, parts of the area have fertile soils and rich floristic composition with the herbaceous life form represented by 165 species encompassed in 105 genera and 37 families, and the climbing plants represented by 68 species belonging to 54 genera and 25 families. ‘Genus to family’ and ‘species to genus’ ratios indicate the establishment of diverse vegetation in the study site. Nearly one third of the species have been observed flowering throughout the year and about half of the species were observed fruiting throughout the year. We emphasize that the two fold approach of land and vegetation reclamation has been very effective in helping restore the unique TDEF vegetation at the local level and the same may be extended to help regenerate and conserve the Coromandel Coastal vegetation at the regional scale.

Honey Pollen: Using Melissopalynology to Understand Foraging Preferences of Bees in Tropical South India

“…The bees were reared in wooden beehives placed in four locations. The locations were chosen to reflect the complex mosaic of vegetation ( Figure 1 ; [26] ). One beehive per location was considered in this study.…”

Monitoring land sensitivity to desertification using the ESAI approach and evaluation of the key indicators: A spatio‐temporal study in India

“…This could be due to the implementation of close monitoring of the desertification hazards and changes in government land policies performed afterward such as the introduction of Rajasthan State Action Plan on Climate Change (RAPCC) under Rajasthan State Climate Change Agenda (RCCA) for 2010–2014 (TERI, 2010). Implementation of projects concerning saline soil and water treatment, land reclamation, sustainable land use management, agro‐forestry, eco‐restoration, and most importantly, adaptation strategies to the changing environment adopted in these areas has provided satisfactory outcomes (Ponnuchamy et al, 2013; Singh, 2009).…”

“…In Rajasthan, Critical-3 lands decreased distinctly by 20.05% in 2010-F I G U R E 5 Spatial distribution of mutation occurring to the lands due to desertification over three classified periods (a) 1992-1996, (b) 1997-2009, (c) 2010-2015, along with (d) , 2010). Implementation of projects concerning saline soil and water treatment, land reclamation, sustainable land use management, agro-forestry, eco-restoration, and most importantly, adaptation strategies to the changing environment adopted in these areas has provided satisfactory outcomes (Ponnuchamy et al, 2013;Singh, 2009). Among the northern states and UTs, Ladakh has been facing the most severe form of desertification.…”

Reproductive phenology of Ditassa burchellii (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a herbaceous vine, in a semi-deciduous forest from Brazil

“…2008; Rubim et al 2010;Fonseca et al 2013), besides providing information on the sexual reproductive mechanisms of plant species. In the case of climbing species, flowering can be unimodal (peaking in the dry season) or bimodal (peaking in both wet and dry seasons), while the fruiting peak is commonly associated with the type of fruit dispersal (Putz & Windsor 1987;Morellato & Leitão-Filho 1996;Ramírez & Briceño 2011;Romaniuc Neto et al 2012;Ponnuchamy et al 2013). However, most of the studies addressing the reproductive phenophases of climbing species have focused on woody lianas and did not evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on the phenological responses of the species.…”

“…Asclepiadoideae, the largest subfamily in the Apocynaceae, commonly has herbaceous vine representatives in tropical forests (Morellato & Leitão-Filho 1996;Ponnuchamy et al 2013), including Ditassa burchellii Hook. & Arn., the species addressed in the present study.…”