Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Puyravaud, J-P
• Mohandass, D
• Davidar, P

Titel

Impact of human-related disturbance on Eriochrysis rangacharii Fischer, a rare keystone endemic grass (Nilgiris, southern India): a preliminary assessment

Ist Teil von

• Tropical ecology, 2012-01, Vol.53 (1), p.25-32

Erscheinungsjahr

2012

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• We assessed the factors influencing the perceived decline of Eriochrysis rangacharii, a rare endemic swamp grass species of the Nilgiri plateau (Western Ghats of India), which had been listed as "presumed extinct" for over 100 years in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants. This grass is used by the Todas, a local ethnic community, to thatch their temple roofs. We conducted the study in 2001 - 2002 in five swamps in the Upper Bhavani region of the Nilgiris: two swamps were intensively grazed by livestock, one was burnt in 1995, one was surrounded by exotic pine plantation, and the last was an "undisturbed" control. We recorded species richness, the number of native/exotic species, and frequency of occurrence, cover, and average height of E. rangacharii in each swamp. Disturbance, particularly grazing, affected E. rangacharii and increased the proportion of invasive species.