Class1 Campus Ecology Parag Susy

ID1200: Ecology and EnvironmentJul-Nov-2014

Campus Ecology - I

10 AUG 2014

Campus Ecology - I ID1200: Ecology and Environment Jul-Nov-2014

Acknowledgement

Discussions with and suggestions from Prof. AbhijitDespande have helped shape this presentation.


Ecosystem Services

The Millenium ecosystem assessment by UN 2001-2005by >1500 scientistsThe central premise of MEA: all the constituents ofwell-being, including security, basic materials forprosperity, health, good social relations and even freedomof choice and action are directly dependent uponecosystem services


Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature isparty to all our deals and decisions, and she has morevotes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justicethan we do.– Wendell BerryBerry’s work demonstrates that a farmer must have anintimate relationship with his land and its secrets tosustainably reap its harvests. A project site occupies aspecific place in the ecosystem. The site may becharacterized as belonging to a biome, ecoregion andwatershed, but also the site itself has definingcharacteristics relative to its contribution to the ecosystem.


Ecosystem Functions

Regulating FunctionsProduction FunctionsHabitat FunctionsInformation functions

Regulating FunctionsGas regulationClimate regulationDisturbance regulationWater regulationWater supplySoil retentionSoil formationNutrition


Production Functions

FoodRaw MaterialsGenetic ResourcesMedicinal resourcesOrnamental

Habitat functionsRefuge function


Information function

Aesthetic informationRecreationCultural and artistic informationSpiritual and historicScience and education


Impact of biodiversity on ecosystem services


“The life around us has a vital meaning. We have to be fullyalive to it and establish a consious connection to it. This is notimpelled by the greed of material advantage or arid scientificcuriosity, but by realizing it in the spirit of empathy with a feelingof joy.”


“Only a few cities are as blessed as Chennai is with variedgeographical features - rivers, sea front, hills, lakes,backwaters, swamps and an estuary. And few havesquandered such a heritage as we have done in a frenzied andunbalanced urbanization.”

– Theodore Bhaskaran - a well knownwild life conservationist


The Campus Ecosystem

The beginning: Governor’s Country retreat!The earliest information on this land is that it was carvedout of the Guindy forest by a Governor of Madras, WilliamLanghorne between 1671 and 1678 [2]After changing hands several times, it was acquired by theBritish government in 1821. The Governor’s estate (TheGuindy Lodge) was originally 1300 acres.In 1910 it came under the supervision of the forestdepartment and was declared a reserve forest.By 1978 forest reserve dwindled to about 680 acres andwas declared a national park.In 1958, IIT Madras was carved out of the original reserveforest : a lovely 628-acre campus.


Campus Ecosystem

It has the rarest vegetation type - the tropical dry evergreenvegetation [6].The terrain slopes slightly towards the south andsouth-east.Mini Ecosystems:

open grasslands:wetlands:thick forest patches:patches of scrub jungle:


Open Grasslands

The ideal open grasslands with original vegetation is nomore seen in IITM campus.The open areas with some features of grasslands aremostly found in and around the academic zone and thehostel zone. These are patches of open land betweenbuildings, along the road sides and playgrounds.The blackbuck favors this type of ecosystem.The Blackbuck live in habitats which are essentially dry innature and feed on short grass, various herbs and shrubs,flowers, leaves primarily seen in open spaces. Their waterneeds are met from the dew on found on grass. Many plantspecies required for the blackbuck have disappeared fromthe campus due to un-witting cleaning and clearingprogrammes.


Wetlands (the lake and surrounding marshy region)

The campus lake is located towards the Eastern boundarywall. The lake is source of fresh water supply to thecampus residents. It is also the only natural source ofwater for the wild animals and birds.On the other side of the lake are two oxidation ponds forwaste water treatment. These artificially created oxidationponds and the surrounding marsh form a wonderfulwetland ecosystem

Figure : The LakeCampus Ecology - I ID1200: Ecology and Environment Jul-Nov-2014

Wetlands

The oxidation ponds attract a large number of water birds:little grebe, cormorants, herons, ducks, lapwings to theponds.The surrounding marsh has very good growth of waterreeds which also acts as a natural water cleaning system.The marsh also caters to birds like white breasted waterhen, Indian Moor Hen, a large number of pond and nightherons, reed warblers etc. The marsh also has a goodpopulation of crabs, Flap shell and star shaped tortoises,jackals, mongooses etc. The deer and blackbuck use thesurrounding forest area during the hot day time and feedon the pods of Prosopis which is rich in proteins.


Wetlands

The surroundings of these marshy area as well as themarsh have a thick growth of ’Prosopis juliflora’ or’velikkathan’ trees which give ideal roosting ground forbirds like open-billed stork and white ibis, night and pondherons, black, yellow and chestnut bitterns. IIT Campus isthe only roosting site in the city for open billed storks andwhite ibis. These birds might have chosen this habitat dueto: Sturdy trees which can carry their weight andtemperature control by the marsh and the water reeds.Prosopis (velikkathan) forms an ideal one at that.


Thick forest patches

There are a few areas on the campus with forest patches.These areas show a typical three/multi storied foreststructure with tall trees forming the canopy, an intermediatelayer of bushes and climbers smaller plants at the groundlevel.


Patches of scrub jungle

It is estimated that today only one per cent of this forestremains worldwide. More endangered than the rainforests !Isolated patches of scrub jungles are visible through outthe length and breadth of the campus except some heavilyconstructed and fenced off areas.These scrub jungles are rich with a variety of plants andother life forms which are native and wild.These scrub jungles form the life line of the majorherbivores like blackbuck and deer and home to smalleranimals like wild hare, mongoose, large number ofbutterflies etc.Some of the unique herbs, shrubs, climbers, grass etc.It is critical that we refrain from destroying/cutting theseplants and trees on campus.


Birds on Campus

Residents and Migrants.About 100 species of birds are seen on campus.


Golden Oriole Paradise Fly Catcher


Magpie Robin Copper Smith Barbet


An Activity

M. Krishnan, a well known wildlife photographer, writer andnaturalist, was unhappy with the Indian system of schooleducation. In a 1947 essay, he wrote,

“The average educated adult knows little or nothing of theteeming plant and animal life of the country, and cares less.Livestock does not interest him, and the world is to him a placewhich holds only human beings. He can never make friendswith a hill or a dog, and if he has no one to talk to, no book toread, and no gadget to turn and unturn, he is quite lost. Schooleducation is solidly to blame for all this.”


Identify these bird calls

Call 1:play pause resume stop






Blackbuck

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is the only representativeof genus antilope found in India. (Kala Hiran or KrishnaMrig)Used to be seen in thousands at the beginning of thiscentury all throughout the plains of India except theWestern coast.Due to extensive poaching and habitat loss, blackbucknumbers have nosedived. Now they are only seen in a fewprotected areas.Blackbuck require open grass lands with intermittent tallgrass or bushes. This is unlike the spotted deer, which cansurvive in dense forests and bush jungles.


Akbar hunting with Cheetahs A Brass blackbuck from BiharFrom: Life at court From: Everyday Art of Indiaby Vishakha Desai by Bussabarger and Robbins


Blackbuck are also very territorial and sensitive toenvironmental pressures. An adult male blackbuck tries tomaintain his territory by marking it and defending it in thebreeding season.

Figure : Hiran Minar: constructed by Jahangir in memory of hisblackbuck Mansraj

Source: www.wikepedia.com


Blackbuck

The female blackbuck requires tall grass or small bushes torear the young. The fawn stays hidden during the first oneweek in tall grasses/bushes. The blackbuck fawns arequite weak during the first few weeks and can be easilyprey for dogs. Therefore it is essential to have undisturbedopen areas with small bush/tall grass cover for the healthysurvival of young blackbuck. The fawn joins the mother andother group members when it is about two weeks old.Their capability to run at speeds of 70 kmph makes themthe fastest surviving species on the subcontinent andprotects them against most predators alive today.


Figure : Juvenile hiding in tall Grass

Source: http://www.arkive.org/blackbuck/antilope-cervicapra/image-G37088.html


According to some estimates there were once 4 millionblackbuck on the Indian subcontinent [1].

Figure : Blackbuck range: Historial and present(1976)

Source: Elizabeth Mungall: The Indian Blackbuck Antelope: A Texas View


Blackbuck of IIT Madras

The blackbuck are native inhabitants of this region [4]. Itappears that white Blackbuck were introduced by theMaharaja of Bhavnagar [4]Older surveys of Blackbuck numbers on the IIT Madras aremuch higher than today [2]. Today there are 31 on campus.White blackbuck with black eyes, are not true albinos,since true albinos lack even eye pigmentation.Unlike the antlers of deer, the horns of black buck are notdeciduous, that is, they do not fall off once a year to growagain - they are permanent.


Blackbuck

Due to shrinkage and fragmentation of habitat everywhere,the pressure on existing habitats is quite high.This also tells us that it is inappropriate to think of shiftingand relocating them elsewhere.In addition, the casualities asssociated with suchprocesses are quite high [1] . It is important to protect themin distributed and more number of habitats, where everpossible.Today, blackbuck is included in the endangered species listin India (included in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife Act,1972).Therefore we at IIT Madras have an important role inprotecting the blackbuck in the campus which is theiroriginal and native habitat.


Problems for Blackbuck

Destruction of native wild plants, grass and herbs withoutrealizing their role in sustaining a species like blackbuck bycreating lawns or just by clearing plants annuallyIntroduction of non-edible, exotic grass species, sprayedwith pesticides in the name of lawns is shrinking vitalspace of the blackbuck furtherSpeeding vehicles and increasing number of vehicles inthe campus.


REFERENCES

Mungall, E.C. The Indian blackbuck antelope:A Texas view.Cesar Kleberg Studies in Natural Resources, 1978.

Menon, R. K. G. (1986) The Guindy National Park: itshistory and physiogeography. Blackbuck 2(1): 14-21.

Muthiah: Madras Rediscovered

Ecology and management of chital and blackbuck inGuindy national park, Madras, T. R. Shankar Raman, R. K.G. Menon and R. Sukumar, Journal of the Bombay NaturalHistory Society, Vol 93, 1996.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macaca_radiata.html

http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/wildbiodiversity/np_gnp.html

Trees of Delhi, Pradip Krishen






Book of Indian birds, Salim Ali, BNHS.

http://window2nature.wordpress.com/category/other-animals/monkeys/

Population Dynamics and Conservation of CommensalBonnet Macaques Mewa Singh and N. Raghunatha Rao,International Journal of Primatology, Vol. 25, No. 4, 2004

Less than wild? Commensal primates and wildlifeconservation, S Radhakrishna and A Sinha, J. Biosci.36(5), December 2011, 749-753




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Class1 Campus Ecology Parag Susy