Human and insect pollinator perceived floral colors of 81 species of angiosperms (flowering plants) from Trivandrum (Kerala, India) was represented using the CIE 1976 L*a*b* color space and color ...hexagon, respectively. The floral color difference among human perceived red, yellow, and blue‐hued flowers and that of each flower from its respective pure hue was calculated using the CIE ΔE 2000 formula. Human perceived floral color difference values were consistently higher than 3.5, indicating the uniqueness of floral colors. Flowers perceived red and yellow by humans were dominant and of comparable proportions. Insect pollinators perceive most of the flowers as blue‐green. Quantitative representation of human and pollinator perceived floral colors would be invaluable to understand the information broadcasted by flowers. It can form the basis of flower grading in the floriculture industry and underpin objectivity in evolving the framework for national pollinator strategies.
Business-as-usual is no more an option on the table for biodiversity conservation. Disruptive transformation at both policy and polity levels are pressing needs. The possibilities presented by the ...current wave of information and communication technology can act as travelators to meet the conservation targets. Here, we introduce twin concepts of biodiversity clock and conservation triangle that posit as convergence plane to seamlessly consolidate ongoing discrete efforts and convey real-time biodiversity information in a lucid schematic form. In its present form, the biodiversity clock depicts 12 ecological and 6 biophysical components. The universal consistency in clock-reading facilitates the biodiversity clock to be read and interpreted identically across the world. A ternary plot of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species conservation status is presented as the conservation triangle. Together, the biodiversity clock and the conservation triangle are invaluable in strategizing biodiversity conservation, post-2020. Leveraged smartly, they make possible pre-emptive intervention for biodiversity conservation.
Editorial Wetlands for human well-being Ramachandra, T.V.; Asulabha, K.S.; Jaishanker, R.
Journal of environmental biology,
03/2024, Letnik:
45, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
Wetlands, transitional lands bridging the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems, with biophysical interactions that provide numerous ...ecological, economic, and social benefits for human well-being.These vital ecosystems sustain ecological processes to provide services such as nutrient cycling, water purification, reducing pollution, carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, flood reduction, erosion control, habitats for aquatic biota (Fig. 1), education opportunities, aesthetics, and recreation (Ramachandra et al., 2021; Ramachandra, 2022). In this context, World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2nd February to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for human well-being and commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2nd February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The Convention underscored sustainable and wise use of wetlands while advocating ecosystem approaches for the preservation of fragile ecosystems. Currently, 172 Ramsar Convention Contracting Parties and 2,500 Ramsar Sites totalling 2.5 million square kilometers are designated Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. There are 80 wetlands of international significance in India (https://www.ramsar.org/) spanning 1,332,200 ha (which includes recently (on 31st January 2024) designated five wetlands - Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve, Aghanashini Estuary (Ramachandra et al., 2018; Fig. 2) and Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve in Karnataka, and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary and Longwood Shola Reserve Forest in Tamil Nadu). Pledged contracting parties advocate wise use of wetlands and water resources in the respective regions through national conservation plans, policies, legislation, management actions, and public education as per the tenets of 'seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations to ensure sustainable water and land resource use, food and water security, biodiversity conservation, poverty alleviation, and climate change mitigation (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). Wetlands are aptly known as the "kidneys of the landscape" because of their enduring ability to assimilate contaminants through soil and plants and ensure clean water for society. Biotic and abiotic constituents of wetlands perform physical, chemical, and biological functions that provide an array of services for human well-being (Ramachandra et al., 2016; 2023). Wetlands act as sponges in the landscape as natural reservoirs by allowing water infiltration during monsoons and providing water during post-monsoon periods (lean seasons). A significant hydrological function is the ability to lessen the peak intensity of floods through infiltration and retention, which helps to regulate water flow (Zedler and Kercher, 2005; Ramachandra, 2022). Emergent vegetation in wetlands regulates water flow and captures sediment-associated contaminants, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth and provide a plethora of ecological services encompassing tangible and intangible benefits to sustain human livelihood and well-being (Clarkson et al., 2013; Ramachandra et al., 2021). Appraisal of ecosystem services (ES) through compilation of provisioning services, regulating services, and cultural services allows for adjusted national accounts that reflect the output of ecosystem services as well as the depletion of natural resources and the degradation costs (externalized costs of the loss of ecosystem services) of ecosystems in economic terms (De Groot et al., 2012; MEA, 2005; Ramachandra et al., 2021), which will help raise awareness and provide a quantitative tool to evaluate the sustainability of policies towards prudent management and conservation of fragile livelihoods supporting ecosystems (SEEA, 2021). Global wetlands were estimated to be worth US$4.9 trillion annually (Costanza et al., 1997). The value of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services provided by freshwater lentic ecosystems in Karnataka is 50, 197, and 38 billion rupees/year, respectively. The total ecosystem supply value (TESV) provided by the freshwater ecosystem of Karnataka is 285 billion rupees/year, and the net present value (NPV) amounted to 7321 billion rupees. Similarly, the value of services provided by the estuarine ecosystem in Karnataka is 5, 10, and 1 billion rupees/year from provisioning, regulating, and cultural services (Ramachandra et al., 2021; Ramachandra, 2022). The TESV provided by the estuarine ecosystem of Karnataka is 16 billion rupees/year, and the NPV amounts to 411 billion rupees. The total value of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services considering both freshwater and estuarine ecosystems was 55 billion Rs/yr (1,83,328 Rs/ha/yr), 207 billion Rs/yr (6,91,577 Rs/ha/yr), and 39 billion Rs/yr (1,30,686 Rs/ha/yr), respectively. The total ecosystem supply value of the Karnataka aquatic ecosystem was 301 billion Rs/yr (10,05,591 Rs/ha/yr), and the net present value amounts to 7,732 billion rupees, which highlights the ecological, social-cultural, economic, and environmental significance of wetlands (Ramachandra et al., 2021). Wetland ecosystems, repositories of rich biodiversity, play a vital role in sustaining life on the Earth through the provision of food, fodder, and water apart from aiding as kidneys of a landscape (removal of contaminants), sequestering carbon, moderate micro-climate and mitigate detrimental consequences of floods and storms. These fragile ecosystems worldwide have been facing severe challenges due to unplanned developmental activities resulting in hydrologic regime changes, nutrient enrichment, land use changes, biodiversity loss, pollution, invasive species invasion, unsustainable resource use, and climate changes due to global warming. Nutrient enrichment leads to eutrophic conditions, lowering dissolved oxygen, which results in disruption of the aquatic food chain, as evident from the frequent occurrence of large-scale fish mortality, the profuse growth of invasive alien species, and pollution-tolerant species, affecting native biota and the livelihood of dependent local people (Ramachandra et al., 2020). Wetlands help maintain carbon balance through carbon sequestration in biota and soils. However, the degradation of wetlands leads to the release of a higher quantum of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere through breakdown of soil and vegetation carbon pools (Xu et al., 2018), which necessitates immediate mitigation measures to arrest wetland degradation or loss while acknowledging the significance of healthy wetlands for human well-being and the attainment of the SDGs (clean water, good health and well-being, zero hunger, alleviating poverty, climate action, gender equity, sustainable food production, and sustainable resource management). The responsibility of maintaining intergenerational equity through sustenance of clean water, air, and the environment by ensuring ecological balance via sustainable management of natural ecosystems lies with the present generation. The 21st-century decision-makers need to recognize the crucial role of wetlands in securing food and clean water supplies and integrate ecosystem services through adjusted national accounts reflecting the ecosystem services as well as depletion of natural resources with degradation costs (externalized costs of the loss of ecosystem services), which will help in prudent management and conservation of ecosystems essential for human well-being.
Genus Ensete, a native of tropical regions of Africa and Asia comprises nine species. Out of these, Ensete super-bum (Figure 1 a) and Ensete glaucum are found in India. The former, commonly known as ...cliff banana, belongs to the family Musaceae. Although reported endemic to the Western Ghats super(1), India, it is also found in Assam and Rajasthan sporadically. The plant is known as 'kal-luvazha' in Kerala, 'kalvazhai' in Tamil Nadu, 'kallubale' in Karnataka, 'rankeli' in Maharashtra and 'junglikela' in Gujarat.
Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman is an endemic wild banana species of Western Ghats, northeastern hills of India and northern Thailand. The white powdery endosperms of the seeds are widely used to ...treat various human disorders. The present study examined the exomorphic characteristics of E. superbum seed coat and starch crystals of endosperm using scanning electron microscopy to highlight and document the surface ornamentation pattern of E. superbum grown at different locations. Interestingly, the size of seeds decreased with the increase in latitude from 8°N to 22°N and unveiled the phenotypic variation in genetic diversity of E. superbum in India. Information on macro and micromorphological variations of seed coat and endosperm of E. superbum has been reported for the first time in India.
Relative radiometric normalization is a prerequisite for multi-temporal remotely sensed data analysis. Dark object subtraction (DOS) and pseudo-invariant feature (PIF) methods are two commonly ...employed scene-based methods for relative radiometric normalization. Both these methods have known limitations. The authors describe a soil line transformation method for multi-date relative radiometric normalization, which circumvents the limitations of the DOS and PIF methods.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of trees and the estimation of biophysical parameters is significant for the management of forest resources, ecological studies carbon cycle and biodiversity. ...Terrestrial LiDAR data provides detailed, objective and three-dimensional measurement of forest structure and exact metrics of the tree canopies. Several methods for tree detection including canopy height models and raster interpolation models are based on commercial software and huge data processing. The objective of the given study is the three-dimensional reconstruction of trees by implementing segmentation algorithms and thereby estimating the Leaf Area Index of individual tree segments by terrestrial laser scanned data in the Mudumalai forests of Western Ghats, India. The hierarchical minimum cut segmentation method is used for the three-dimensional reconstruction of the individual trees by tracking cylinders along individual branches and trees in a hierarchical order. Super voxel clustering method is also implemented in the study for tree reconstruction and estimating the tree parameters. Leaf area index is calculated by applying a multivariate regression technique for the heights and the diameter obtained from both the segmentation methods. Results obtained indicated a strong correlation with the in-situ measurements which are obtained from the instruments. The approach addresses the applicability of segmentation algorithms which can be run fully automatically. The approach successfully reconstructed a high precision and realistic model of trees in the Western Ghats region which failed in the case of traditional tree modeling methods which requires multiple instruments operating simultaneously for extracting each parameter. The method proved that using TLS; multiple forest parameters can be estimated simultaneously.
•Application of Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) in heterogeneous forest•3D reconstruction of trees•Estimation of Leaf Area Index(LAI) from the TLS point cloud•Segmentation of Trees in Heterogeneous Forest•Potential solution for estimating LAI by rapidly extracting dense three- dimensional structural data of trees in a forest environment
Video journals for science communication Kumar, V. Saroj; Sooraj, N. P.; Sajeev, C. R. ...
Current science (Bangalore),
07/2020, Letnik:
119, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing is a promising method for accurate estimation of various forest structural parameters. A ground based LiDAR scanner, terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) ...has been used for the reference field measurements for the estimation of structural parameters such as tree height, DBH across large area forests sites. Leaf Area Index (LAI) is important forest structural parameter which has recently been estimated from TLS point cloud by geometrical/statistical modeling with tree height and DBH as proxy variables. In this work we present a method for direct estimation of LAI of tropical forests from TLS point cloud proposing a new algorithmic approach named as Point Spatial Density (PSD) algorithm. As an intermediate processing, the proposed method involves filtering and 3D reconstruction of individual trees using super voxel and min-cut segmentation approaches. Reconstructed trees are then extracted and geometrically modelled for estimating the LAI by the proposed PSD algorithm. The proposed PSD algorithm establishes a relationship between TLS point density, point spacing, and height of trees. Based on the number of points and the point spacing, the value of LAI found has been observed to be varying in sparse and dense canopy tree stands. Validation of the results with reference LAI measurements obtained using a LAI meter (LiCOR LAI Meter 2200) indicates a consistent correlation (R2 = 0.96) between the estimated and reference LAI measurements. The results suggest that the LAI in dense heterogeneous forests could be accurately estimated by the proposed PSD algorithm based approach.
•Estimation of Leaf Area Index (LAI) directly from the Terrestrial Laser Scanner point cloud.•Novel algorithm to estimate LAI Directly.•Tree reconstruction in Heterogeneous Forest.•Terrestrial laser scanner applications in forestry.
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