Amphibians of Sahyadri Gururaja KV Centre for Ecological Sciences IISc, Bangalore 12 [email protected] [email protected]
Amphibians of Sahyadri
Gururaja KVCentre for Ecological Sciences
IISc, Bangalore [email protected]@gmail.com
Flow of talk
• Key Research areas in the Western Ghats• Overview of Amphibian diversity• What do we do?
– Impact of land-use change– Impact of land-use change– Natural history, call pattern analysis, niche
partitioning and Ecology– Spatial distribution modeling
• What we can do?– Plenty to explore…
Discoveries and more…
From Sahyadri…in last nine years
• 50 species new to science• Rhacophoridae 26• Gymnophiona 12
Genus # species
Fejervarya 4
Gegeneophis 7
Ghatixalus 1
Ichthyophis 2
Microhyla 1Microhyla 1
Minervarya 1
Nasikabatrachus 1
Nyctibatrachus 5
Philautus 23
Polypedates 1
Rhacophorus 1
Uraeotyphlus 30
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0
5
10
15
20
25
1799 1824 1849 1874 1899 1924 1949 1974 1999
Cum
ulat
ive
num
ber
of s
peci
es
# Sp
ecie
s
Western Ghats
Amphibian diversity in Sahyadri
• 155 species (287 from India)
• 141 described from SahyadriSahyadri
• 135 are endemic
Other issues…
• Viviparity in caecilians
Geneophis seshachari
Gower et al., 2008. J Evol Biol. 21(5):1220-6
Other issues…
• Frog skipping tadpole stage
Gururaja and Ramachandra, 2006. Curr. Sci. 90(3):450-454
Other issues…
Biju and Bossyut, 2003. Nature. 425: 711–714
India’s smallest frog
Biju et al., 2007. Current Science 93(6): 854-858.
Skin extracts and pesticidal impacts…
1. Giri et al., 2006. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.06.0112. Sai et al., 2001. doi:10.1074/jbc.M006615200 3. Gurushankara et al., 2007. doi:10.1007/s00244-006-0015-5
Conservation and Management
Das, A., Krishnaswamy, J., Bawa, K. S., Kiran, M. C., Srinivas, V., Kumar, N. S., et al. 2006. Prioritization of conservation areas in the Western Ghats, India. Biological Conservation, 133, 16−31.
Gururaja KV, Sameer Ali and Ramachandra TV. 2008. Influence of land-use changes in river basins on diversity and distribution of amphibians. In: Environment Education for Ecosystem Conservation
Sharavathi River basin
• Sharavathi River in central Western Ghats, Karnataka• west-flowing river, about 132 km an average altitude of
500 m) • Linganamakki reservoir is about 326 sq. km• In 1932, a small dam was built at Hirebhaskara• In 1932, a small dam was built at Hirebhaskara• In 1964, a major dam at Linganamakki, which
submerged the Hirebhaskara dam and the lands belonging to 32 villages.
• Later, in the 1990s, another dam was built at Gerusoppa, affecting 705 ha of primary forests.
Study areaStudy area
Methods• Systematic stratified random sampling • night survey with torch lights (17:30-20:30 hr), from 2003 – 2006,
seasonal, search for all (including calls, tadpoles), in all micro habitats • Identify and record species, numbers etc.• Opportunistic observations also included for overall diversity in the
region•• Shannon’s index (Shannon’s index (H’ = H’ = -- Σ pΣ pii lnln ppii)), , •• Shannon’s index (Shannon’s index (H’ = H’ = -- Σ pΣ pii lnln ppii)), , •• Simpson’s index (Simpson’s index (D = 1/ Σ pD = 1/ Σ pii
22))
Classified image of LandClassified image of Land--use Analysis inuse Analysis inSharavathiSharavathi river basinriver basin
SubSub--basin wise fragmentation analysis in basin wise fragmentation analysis in SharavathiSharavathi river basinriver basin
Sub-basins Interior Perforated Edge Transitional Patch UndeterminedNandiholé 9.58 19.37 7.15 10.85 52.95 0.11Haridravathi 5.02 13.15 5.36 10.76 65.6 0.1Haridravathi 5.02 13.15 5.36 10.76 65.6 0.1Mavinaholé 9.96 21.26 7.83 13.38 47.42 0.15Sharavathi 8.09 18.96 6.27 15.06 51.54 0.08Hilkunji 21.02 32.98 8.52 12.37 24.86 0.24Hurliholé 16.47 30.05 9.74 14.43 29.14 0.17Nagodiholé 24.91 28.98 10.38 14.83 20.62 0.29Yenneholé 14.69 25.2 10.12 16.84 32.92 0.22
Fragmentation analysis
Nandi Haridravathi
Mavinhole Sharavathi
Background colour
Result ….Result ….•• 42 species, 7 families 42 species, 7 families •• 27 endemic to Western Ghats (64%) 27 endemic to Western Ghats (64%) •• 12 vulnerable12 vulnerable•• 17 near threatened 17 near threatened •• NandiholNandiholéé least richness, abundance least richness, abundance •• YenneholYenneholéé highest highest
Sub-ba sin Rich ness A bu n d. En dem ic En .A bu Non -en d. Non .A bu Sim pson Sh a nn on
Na n di 1 0 3 6 4 1 2 6 2 4 5 .4 5 6 1 .9 6 3
Ha r idr a v a th i 1 4 4 9 6 2 8 8 2 1 8 .7 4 7 2 .3 5 6
Mav in h ole 1 4 4 8 8 2 8 6 2 0 7 .6 2 9 2 .2 9 8
Sh a r a v a th i 1 4 3 3 9 2 7 5 6 7 .3 1 6 2 .2 9 8
Hilku n ji 2 0 4 8 1 1 3 1 9 1 7 1 0.1 2 8 2 .6 5 3
Na g odi 1 8 5 9 1 1 4 5 7 1 4 7 .5 4 8 2 .4 3 6
Hu r li 1 5 3 8 9 2 6 6 1 2 1 1 .1 00 2 .5 4 4
Yen n e 2 2 6 6 1 3 3 5 9 3 1 1 3 .2 9 9 2 .8 07
Variable loadings PC 1 PC2
Tree endemism (%) 0.233 0.194
Tree evergreenness (%) 0.282 0.231
Stream flow (%) 0.257 -0.087
Canopy (%) 0.086 0.101
Rainfall (mm) 0.191 -0.049
Evergreen-Semi-evergreen (%) 0.509 -0.015
Moist-deciduous (%) -0.101 -0.038
Component loadings…
Moist-deciduous (%) -0.101 -0.038
Agriculture (%) -0.373 0.657
Open land (%) -0.133 0.124
Interior forest (%) 0.178 -0.304
Perforated forest (%) 0.101 -0.122
Patch forest (%) -0.143 0.218
Shape index 0.214 0.2
Contiguous forest (m2) -0.157 -0.169
Shannon’s index 0.254 0.232
Total edge (m) 0.364 0.404
Principal Component Analysis...
0.3
1.0
1.6
Tree endemism
Evergreenness
Agriculture field
Open field
Patch forest
Landscape shape index
Shannon’s patch index
Total edge forest
4
5
0.3
1.0
1.6
Tree endemism
Evergreenness
Agriculture field
Open field
Patch forest
Landscape shape index
Shannon’s patch index
Total edge forest
4
5
Axi
s 2
Axis 1
-0.3
-1.0
-1.6
-0.3-1.0-1.6 0.3 1.0 1.6
Stream flowRain fall Evergreen-Semi-evergreen
Interior forest
Contiguous forest
Vector scaling: 2.50
6
71
2
3
5
8Axi
s 2
Axis 1
-0.3
-1.0
-1.6
-0.3-1.0-1.6 0.3 1.0 1.6
Stream flowRain fall Evergreen-Semi-evergreen
Interior forest
Contiguous forest
Vector scaling: 2.50
6
71
2
3
5
8
1. Nandihole, 2. Haridravathi, 3. Mavinhole, 4. Sharavathi, 5. Hilkunji, 6. Hurli, 7. Nagodi and 8. Yennehole.
Finally…
Conservation Priority Regions inUttara Kannada District
Sampling localities
Gowliwada
Castle rock
KaneriGunjavathi
Anashi
Kathagala
DabguliHasehalla Chitageri
Sapurthi
Ulluru BaillalliChandavara
MagodKathalekan
Hosagadde
Results
• 32 species, 8 families• 17 endemics, • 4 terrestrial, 16 aquatic, 3 semiaquatic and 9
arborealarboreal
Triplot
Conservation priority must be givento
Gowliwada
Castle rock
KaneriGunjavathi
Anashi
Kathagala
DabguliHasehalla Chitageri
Sapurthi
Ulluru BaillalliChandavara
MagodKathalekan
Hosagadde
Niche partitioning• Four species of Philautus• P. cf. ponmudi, P.cf.neelanethrus, P.cf.amboli and
P.tuberohumerus• Snout vent lenght, Weight, perching height during
advertisement call, call frequencySpecies SV L (m m ) Weigh t (g) Pf (kHz) Heigh t (m )Species SV L (m m ) Weigh t (g) Pf (kHz) Heigh t (m )
P. cf. ponmudi 3 3 .2 2 ±0.7 2 4 2 .7 8 ±0.3 1 1 2 .00±0.02 4 7 .9 0 ±0.8 2 1
(3 2 - 3 4 .1 ) (2 .2 2 - 3 .2 1 ) (1 .9 6 - 2 .05 ) (7 – 9 )
N 9 9 1 6 9
P.tuberohumerus 2 0.06 ±1 .8 6 7 0.6 1 ±0.1 4 4 3 .4 6 ±0.1 5 3 1 .05 ± 0.5 7 6
(1 6 - 2 2 .6 ) (0.2 6 - 0 .8 4 ) (3 .1 1 - 3 .6 8 ) (0.3 - 2 .5 )
N 1 2 1 2 3 7 1 2
P.cf. neelanethrus 2 8 .8 1 ±1 .4 5 2 1 .3 7 ±0.2 6 6 2 .3 9 ±0.03 1 2 .7 8 - 1 .1 7 2
(2 6 .5 - 3 1 .4 ) (1 .09 - 2 .06 ) (2 .3 5 - 2 .4 8 ) (0.5 –5 )
N 1 7 1 7 1 6 1 7
P. cf.am boli 2 7 .3 6 ±1 .8 2 6 1 .5 2 ±0.2 5 6 2 .5 6 ±0.05 4 1 .5 7 ±0.4 9 6
(2 2 .2 - 3 1 .9 ) (0.9 3 - 2 .2 ) (2 .4 4 - 2 .6 3 ) (0.7 5 - 2 .3 )
N 8 6 8 6 2 3 2 1
Peak
Fre
quen
cy (k
Hz)
Peak
Fre
quen
cy (k
Hz)
Snout vent length (mm) Snout vent length (mm)
Peak
Fre
quen
cy (k
Hz)
Peak
Fre
quen
cy (k
Hz)
Breeding behavior
• Foot flagging in Micrixalus saxicola
Breeding behavior
• Satellite males in Nyctibatrachus petraeus
Call patterns and natural history
• Pedostibes tuberculosus
Species distribution modeling
• Paa minica GARP
Raster Format: Range: 0-254, Nodata: 255
Area Under Curve (AUC) : 0.88Area Under Curve (AUC) : 0.88
Accuracy : 67.57%
Omission error : 61.11%
Commission error : 5.26%
Cells predicted present : 0.64%
Total number of cells : 7683100
Sampling points
Paa minica at Moolbari
Common Indian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictusup to 16cm, noctornal, terrestrial, human habitation, water bodies
Ferguson’s toad, “Bufo” scaberup to 5cm, noctornal, terrestrial, human habitation, water bodies
Some common anurans…
Malabar tree toad, Pedostibes tuberculosus, Endemicup to 6cm, noctornal, arboreal, forest streams
Indian burrowing frog, Sphearotheca brevicepsup to 6cm, noctornal, fussorial, human habitation, water bodies
Ornate narrow mouthed frog, Microhyla ornataup to 3cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, human habitation, water bodies
Red narrow mouthed frog, Microhyla rubraup to 3cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, human habitation, water bodies
Karnataka night frog, Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensis Endemicup to 9cm, noctornal, aquatic, forest streams
Castlerock night frog, Nyctibatrachus petraeus Endemicup to 5cm, noctornal, aquatic and arboreal, forest streams
Aloysius skittering frog, Euphlyctis aloysiiup to 5cm, noctornal, aquatic, human habitation, water bodies
Common skittering frog, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctisup to 6cm, noctornal, aquatic, human habitation, water bodies
Golden frog, Hylarana aurantiaca Endemicup to 5cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, streams, paddy fields, ponds
Bronzed frog, Hylarana temporalis Endemicup to 6cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, river, streams
Wrinkled cricket frog, Fejervarya caperataup to 4cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, paddy fields, pools
Kudremukh cricket frog, Fejervarya kudremukhensisup to 5cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, ponds, pools, water bodies
Reddish cricket frog, Fejervarya rufescens Endemicup to 5cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, laterite rocks, ponds, pools
Indian bull frog, Hoplobatrachus tigerinusup to 25cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, ponds, streams, paddy fields
Small torrent frog, Micrixalus saxicola Endemicup to 4cm, diurnal, semi-aquatic, stream/river falls
Amboli bush frog, Philautus amboli Endemicup to 3.5cm, noctornal, arboreal, shrubs, bushes, tree bark
Common tree frog, Polypedates maculatusup to 6cm, noctornal, arboreal, tree trunks, bushes, walls
Malabar gliding frog, Rhacophorus malabaricus Endemicup to 7cm, noctornal, tree trunks, shrubs, bushes
Bicolored frog, Clinotarsus curtipesup to 6cm, nocturnal, semi-aquatic, reservoirs, streams, river
Fungoid frog, Hylarana malabarica Endemicup to 7cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, ponds, pools, water bodies
Sahyadri minervarya frog, Minervarya sahyadris Endemicup to 3cm, noctornal, semi-aquatic, paddy fields, ponds, pools
Small leaping frog, Indirana semipalmata Endemicup to 4cm, diurnal, semi-aquatic, stream beds, leaf litter, crevices
What we can do?
• Know your neighbours …who are there in the campus!
• Report on calls, breeding and other issues• Research on Anti Microbial Peptides• Research on Anti Microbial Peptides• Think…Think…Set objectives…Refine and be
independent researchers
AcknowledgementsThis work was not possible otherwise, if the people mentioned below had not accompanied me in field and made me feel secure, while they took the pain of travelling during night hours, amidst dense forest, heavy rains, tough terrain, creeping creatures and frightening animals. Special thanks to you all - SameerAli, Vishnu D Mukri, Karthick B, Sreekantha, Srikanth Naik, Lakshminarayana, Nayak CR, Dinesh KP, Amit Yadav, Seshadri KS, Dhanpal G Naidu, Alkananda, Supriya, Uttam Kumar, Hemant Ogle, Palot MJ, Divakar K Mesta, Rao GR, SudhiraSupriya, Uttam Kumar, Hemant Ogle, Palot MJ, Divakar K Mesta, Rao GR, SudhiraHS, Vijaya Cavale, Harish Bhat, Sumanth, Thulasiraman, Vishnupriya S, MittalGala, Ramanath Chandrashekar, Dayani Chakravarthy, Vipul Ramanuj, SrinidhiKashyap, Subramanian KA, Gowri Shanker, Pradeep Gangadkar AS, ArchnaSingh, Boominathan M, Subash Chandran MD, Ramachandra TV, Nisarg R Prakash, Ganesh HS, Aravind NA, Vijay Mohan Raj, Manoj Kumar, Lingaraja, Manikantan, Avinash KG, Suresh GB, Manjunatha MJ, Sushanto Sen, Preeti and forest guards, watchers and many on lookers.
Thank you