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BIODIVERSITY : LIFE TO OUR MOTHER EARTH - S. John William

SECNARM,
P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

The term biodiversity refers to the wealth of the earth, viz., the millions of plants, animals and microorganisms that live on our mother earth, the genes they contain, and the intricate and often delicate ecosystems they formulate. Human beings can coexist only with the abundance and diversity of nature. Living things are interdependent, intricately linked in birth, death and renewal. Human beings are just one small part of this voluminous and vibrant mosaic, yet they inflict increasing pressure and pain on species and environment. As a result, many plants and animals are at risk and under threat of extinction. They deserve our conservation.
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PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
P. Ravichandran¹ and V. Manimekalai²,

¹ Plant Developmental Biology and Biotechnology Division,
Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Sciences,
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Alwarkurichi-627 412.
² Department of Botany, Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam - 627 802.

Plant genetic resources are the major biological basis of the world food security. In all means they support the livelihoods of every life on planet earth. Biodiversity is the store house and acts as a cushion against potentially dangerous environmental changes and economic reforms. Such a buffer is facing threat due to manmade and ecological disasters. Hence, conservation of Biodiversity is considered fundamental and provided priority in all sectors of global development. Traditional means of germplasm storage and conservation of plant genetic resources has been immensely useful and are not without drawbacks. Thus utilizing the biotechnological approaches towards the improvement of in situ and ex situ conservation programmes are becoming vital. Integrating biotechnology in plant conservation programmes is a prerequisite to achieve success in sustainability and to complement the existing technologies. In this context, the conservation of plants through in vitro propagation and inducing slow growth in some of the economically important and threatened plant of Southern Western Ghats is presented. During the last ten years of intensive research programmes we are able to develop in vitro protocol for rapid regeneration and establishment of plants in the field conditions for about thirty different species of this region.
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MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF NIF GENES OF HETEROTROPHIC AND ENDOPHYTIC DIAZOTROPHS IN RICE -

K. Kumar¹ and S. Kannaiyan²,
¹Department of Agrl. Microbiology,
Agricultural College and Research Institute,
TNAU, Madurai - 625 104.
²National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai - 600 041.

Diverse Nitrogen fixing microorganisms (aerobes, facultative anaerobes, heterotrophs, phototrophs) grow in wetland rice fields and contribute to soil Nitrogen pools. The recent isolation and study of endophytic nitrogen fixing bacteria from several grasses represent an exciting period in the field of biological nitrogen fixation. A substantial molecular diversity of Nitrogen fixing bacteria has been detected in field grown rice based on retrieval of nif H or nif D gene fragments from root DNA. Targetd PCR finger printing of heterotrophic and endophytic diazotrophs from rice, using nif H primer, generated specific replicon with a molecular weight of approximately 750 bp. However, multiple replicons with molecular weight ranging from 500-1500 bp were observed in some isolates. The existence of considerable genetic and molecular diversity in the diazotrophic bacteria of rice and the scope for its better exploitation to achieve sustainable rice production.
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THE NATURAL BIO WALL - MANGROVES -

A. Ernest Dominic Savio¹ and S. John William²,
¹E.P.S. S.,
Department of Biology and Fisheries Science,
Republic of Maldives.
² SECNARM,
P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Mangroves (Bio wall) are found all along the Indian coastline. They are salt tolerant ecosystem of the intertidal regions of the world. They are reservoirs of many species of plants and animals and are avenues to gainful employment of the people inhabiting these regions. Mangroves are rich in nutrients, so, different varieties of animals inhabit them. Mangroves are natural resources of the country and are of primary importance for its economic development; they serve as bio wall in protecting the coast against tsunami waves. Some of the mangroves are the source of flourishing apiary industry and wild life recreation centres. Mangroves are appreciated for they have a pivotal role to play and with judicious management will be a source of perennial benefit to the Nation. Hence, the management and conservation of mangrove forests are very important for development and should aim primarily at protecting and augmenting the compendium of natural resources to optimum use. The mangrove forests should be first realized, as (Bio Wall) they conserve the coastal biodiversity against the pounding waves.
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MICROBIAL DIVERSITY WITH POTENTIAL FOR APPLICATION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY - J.Joel Gnanadoss

Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


Microorganisms are the pioneering colonizers of this planet and have become the most adaptable organisms on Earth. They survive a variety of habitats including those with the extremes of temperature, pH, water and salt stress. Bestowed with physiological and biochemical diversity, micro organisms have found application in agriculture, medicine, industry and environment. Despite our knowledge on the value of these organisms, the understanding of their diversity and their role in sustainable development is scarce. This paper discusses the diversity of microbes in various habitats and also their potential in biotechnology and sustainable development.
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FORTIFYING INDIA'S FUTURE THROUGH BIODIVERSITY ORIENTED RURAL DEVELOPMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY - S.K. Prakash

Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Our Planet is shared by 6.4 billion people and millions of species. In brief, wide variety of life on earth, as shown by the many species, is called biodiversity. India has 8.1% of the world's total biodiversity in contrast to her 2.4% of the world area. But unfortunately, there is enormous loss of biodiversity and one of the root causes identified for the loss in India is our wrong model of development followed so far which has centered on commercial and mono cultural agricultural production, large scale industrial expansion and increasing the consumption of goods and benefits through exploiting natural resources with less regard for sustainability. In other words, today replacement of the communities of nature by man made communities as become the new reality to protect life on earth. People must learn to control and adjust the balances in nature that are altered by their activities. In this context, 70% concentrated population of rural India and its development should be analyzed. According to our policy makers, rural development encompasses economic, agricultural, industrial, infrastructural and its management aspects. But the imperative need today in India is the preservation of biodiversity which is sine qua non for participatory rural development.
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LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FARM ANIMALS
T. Sivakumar and M. Murugan

Livestock Research Station,
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,
Kattupakkam - 603 203.

Biodiversity in its broader sense is the variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations and its interactions, consisting of species, genetic and ecosystem diversity. Farm animal genetic resources are those animal populations that are used, may be used, for the production of food and agriculture. In animal farming, production systems and its genetic diversity are having a close link and interaction. Intensification of agriculture and animal farming is having a direct impact on loss of genetic diversity in farm animal genetic resources. So the rational and sustainable way to prevent the loss is to keep the "locally adapted" breeds of animals of a particular location as a functional part of any production system, which not only assures the conservation, development of farm animal genetic resources but also ensures the sustainable food security in developing countries like India.
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BIO-DIESEL : AN ECO-FRIENDLY SUSTAINABLE FUEL SOURCE
A.J. Solomon Raju

Department of Environmental Sciences,
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam - 530 003.

Fuel is an essential requirement in our daily life. It occurs in three physical forms - solid, liquid and gas. Liquid fuels include petro - bio-fuels. Petro-fuels are fossil fuels. These have been the primary sources of energy for transportation and industrial sectors. But, these fuels are non-renewable. Increasing trends of consumption of these fuels would soon result in the depletion of reserves. As India is importing large reserves of crude petroleum, it would face economic catastrophe in the event of shortage of this natural fuel source. In view of this, the alternative renewable resources assume high importance not only in terms of rescuing the national economy and developmental activities but also in the context of reducing pollution. Therefore, bio-diesel is a sustainable green fuel and potential alternative for non-renewable fuels. The best option is biofuel, which comes from different biological materials. This paper provides some inputs to show the importance of bio-fuels to combat pollution problems and solve fuel crisis.
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MARINE TURTLE RESOURCES OF INDIA

M.C. John Milton¹ and K. Venkataraman²,
¹P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.
²National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai - 600 041.
Sea turtles are ancient reptiles that have changed little over their 150 million year history on Earth. Turtles are the oldest living vertebrate animals. They may live to be 100 years old. They have been on Earth for 150 million years since even before the time of the dinosaurs. They are the largest reptiles in the world by weight. A giant leatherback that washed up along the coast of Wales weighed over 2,000 pounds and measured 9 1/2 feet from head to tail. They do not have teeth, but have powerful jaws with sharp edges, like birds. Turtles are adapted to living in the marine environment by having flippers instead of legs and a stream lined body shape, so they are fast and graceful in the water, but slow and clumsy on land. They breathe air like all reptiles and human, and can hold their breath for long periods of time and can dive very deep (Fugazzatto and Behera, 1999).

There are seven species of sea turtles found in the world's warm oceans. They are Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) (Green Turtle), Chelonia depressa Garman, 1880 (Flatback sea turtle), Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1757) (Hawksbill Turtle), Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Loggerhead Turtle), Lepidochelys olivacea Eschschlotz, 1829 (Olive Ridley), Lepidochelys kempii Garman, 1880 (Kemps ridley sea turtle) and Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) (Leatherback Turtle) of which five species of marine turtles are reported from India. They are Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) (Green turtle), Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1757) (Hawksbill Turtle), Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Loggerhead Turtle), Lepidochelys olivacea Eschschlotz, 1829 (Olive Ridley) and Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) (Leatherback Turtle).
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BIODIVERSITY OF MARINE PHARMA - C.P. Anitha Devi and D. Sudarsanam

School of Genomics,
P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

The biodiversity of ocean living resources provide an ample scope for the extraction of drugs and chemicals for therapeutic purposes. The oceans are the source of a large group of structurally unique natural products that are mainly accumulated in invertebrates such as sponges, corals, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicate, shark, sea hare, etc. Nature has gifted mankind continuously with a broad and structurally diverse arsenal of pharmacologically active compounds that continue to be utilized as highly effective drugs to combat a multitude of deadly diseases or as lead structures for the development of novel synthetically derived drugs that mirror their models from nature. There are a growing number of marine-derived chemicals in the late stages of development particularly in the anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory domains. The sea's potential as a medicine cabinet remains largely in the realm of exploration and experimentation. But science is moving quickly, and the world's waterways may soon yield some effective medical treatments, if not some miracle cures. The world's oceans and waterways may harbor the next generation - drugs, biologics, and even a few medical devices. India has enormous assets - human, infrastructural, natural, and financial which should be used to the best of our welfare. Marine products, many of which have yet to be discovered are the key to the development of new types of drugs and products, which will allow us to address public health and environmental issues in the next century. Humankind must adhere to boundaries for harvesting the living resources from the sea in order to ensure disease free endeavour. The following table cables man with medicine of marine resources.
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BIODIVERSITY AND BIOLOGY OF MARINE ORNAMENTAL REEF FISHES OF GULF OF MANNAR - PARROTFISHES (FAMILY: SCARIDAE) - V.K. Venkataramani and N. Jayakumar

Fisheries College and Research Institute,
Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,
Thoothukudi - 628 008.

Many highly priced ornamental reef fishes are available in the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve. Among the 113 marine ornamental finfish species recorded, parrotfishes coming under the family Scaridae, show a very rich biodiversity and species richness. Studies made on the biodiversity of parrotfishes of Gulf of Mannar revealed the occurrence of 9 species of which Scarus gibbus formed a year round fishery in Gulf of Mannar (9.4 tonnes). A study made on biodiversity using different indices showed that in parrotfishes, diversity and evenness were higher at Thoothukudi coast than Mandapam coast. Examination of gut contents of all the recorded revealed that many species feed on living coral polyps and medusae. In addition to corals, algal matter and crustacean remains were also recorded in the gut contents. By virtue of their high biodiversity, the reefs of Gulf of Mannar serve as good breeding grounds for 4 species of parrotfishes.
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CORAL REEFS IN INDIA - K. Venkataraman

National Biodiversity Authority,
Chennai - 600 041.

Coral reefs are one of the most ancient and dynamic ecosystems of India. The coral reefs not only provide a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key role in protecting the coastline from erosion. In addition, people living along the 8,000 km long coastal stretch of our country depend on coral reefs for their livelihood. India is centrally placed within the warm tropical region of the Indian Ocean and exhibits extensive coral reefs throughout its marine territories. In India, all the three major reef types (atoll, fringing and barrier) occur, and the region includes some of the most diverse, extensive and least disturbed reef areas of the Indian Ocean, many of which are among the least scientifically known. Pillai recorded a total of 199 species divided among 37 genera, from India, which includes both hermatypic and ahermatypic corals recorded by him from the four major coral reefs of India. The present study includes 15 families, 60 genera and 208 species of Scleractinia (only reef building, hermatypic corals) from the four major reefs of India such as Gulf of Kachchh (36 species, 20 genera), Lakshadweep (91 species, 34 genera), Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay (82 species, 27 genera), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (177 species, 57 genera). The Scleractinia corals of India have rich diversity as compared to the other reefs of the tropical world. Among the four major reef areas of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are found to be very rich and Gulf of Kachchh is poor in species diversity. Lakshadweep Islands have more number of species than the Gulf of Mannar. There are 18 families reported from the world, of which 15 are represented in India. This diversity is almost the same when compared biogeographically to all reefs in the world. However, of the 111 genera reported from the world, India has only 60, which is slightly less when compared to Indo-Pacific centre of diversity (82 genera). Of the 793 species of reef forming shallow water corals reported from the world, India has 208+ species (it is expected to increase up to 400 when intensive studies are carried out), which is far less when compared to 581 species reported from the neighbouring Indo-Pacific centre of diversity. Among the 208 species reported in the present account, the family Acroporidae has the maximum number of species (74 species, which is 34% of scleractinian fauna of India). Probably during the coming years many more new records on the scleractinian fauna of the coral reefs of India are expected to emerge.
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AGRO-BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - Tribhuwan Pant, Vandana Pandey and Subhash Chandra Das

Defence Agricultural Research Laboratory,
Pithoragarh - 262 501, Uttaranchal.

India is one of the largest and oldest agricultural societies of the world and despite the modernization process of the decades, it still remained rural. Approximately 900 million of people are governed by the agricultural sector. The Indian region is one of the world's eight centers of crop plant origin and diversity. At least 166 food and crop species and 300 wild relatives of crops have originated here. Plant genetic resources of any crop constitute a spectrum of "gene and gene complexes", so essential for progressive improvement of crop plants. There is need on priority to develop the strategy as how to protect the extinction of this valuable gift of the nature that leads to the process of creating new life to meet the requirement of living being. Current Green Revolution methods and use of chemical based products by each and every human-being, the waste of which is going in water streams and polluting the available precious water, posses threat to the marine diversity, life of birds, wild animal, growth of vegetation and ecosystem. There is also need to develop the policies that only ecofriendly and biodegradable chemical products are launched for mass consumption through industrial processes so that the question of sustainability is taken care at global level.
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CONCEPTUAL CONSERVATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR WILDLIFE BIODIVERSITY
- K. Ramalingam

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
Govt. Arts College (Autonomous),
Chennai - 600 035.

The conservational and management of wildlife biodiversity is an essential component in the natural resources potential. Understanding wildlife biodiversity is beyond the comprehension of our theoretical knowledge about habitat level, community level and trophic level biodiversity and necessitates the need for humane approach in safeguarding the various wild life fauna existing as endangered categories. The current perspectives of wildlife conservation involve awareness, action plans, environmental laws/policies and protective measures through projects, natural parks and sanctuaries. Inspite of such measures human activities and the consequent environmental assaults forewarning the impending disasters and wildlife erosion. Hence, it is very much compelling on our part, especially the biologists and environmentalists, to share information and data dissemination through worldwide web and to undertake virtual ecotourism to conserve wildlife biodiversity.
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THREATS TO INDIAN BIODIVERSITY - A.J. Thatheyus

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
The American College, Madurai - 625 002.

India, being a tropical country harbours a rich biodiversity especially for the coral reefs, mangroves and tropical forests. It is the Vavilovian centre for several crop plants and has a high degree of endemism. Such a rich biodiversity is under threat due to habitat destruction, natural causes, modern agriculture practices, development activities and socio-economic factors. Efforts must be taken in the right direction to conserve the biodiversity so that sustainable development is feasible
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BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS
J. Suresh, P. Hemalatha and R. Selvi

Horticultural College & Research Institute,
TNAU, Periyakulam East - 625 604.


India is a vast repository of medicinal plants, accounting for more than 8,000 species in its natural habitat. Indian System of Medicines (ISM) such as Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani and the Homeopathy use around 2,000 species of herbal plants for their therapeutic uses. There are around 50 species, widely used under cultivation. About 90% demand of the herbal industry is met from the destructive forest collection. Though India has a rich biodiversity, the growing demand is putting a heavy strain on the existing resources. While the demand for medicinal plants is growing, some of them are increasingly being threatened in their natural habitat. This situation warrants for short listing conservation of these valuable resources for our own needs and for posterity.
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CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN INDIA - G.A. Kinhal and R. Jagannatha Rao

Conservation Action and Research Unit,
Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT),
Bangalore - 560 064.


This paper describes efforts related to conservation and sustainable management of medicinal plants in India with specific reference to Karnataka. The conservation models developed and implemented by the FRLHT are discussed with a greater emphasis to sustainable harvesting methodology, designed and developed in two study sites in Karnataka.
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THREATENED MEDICINAL PLANT BIODIVERSITY OF WESTERN HIMALAYA AND ITS CONSERVATION - H.K. Pandey, Deendayal and S.C. Das

Ministry of Defence,
Defence Research & Development Organization,
Defence Agricultural Research Laboratory,
Pithoragarh - 262 501,
Uttaranchal.

Since time immemorial Himalaya is famous for its rich medicinal and aromatic plant biodiversity. The varying soil, topography and occurrence of different climatic and micro-climatic zones of the region provide very congenial conditions to grow a number of therapeutically important medicinal plant species. Nowadays due to increasing awareness towards herbal products there is tremendous pressure on Himalayan medicinal plants. In this region no serious attempts are made for commercial scale cultivation of these important plants, especially medicinal and aromatic plants of high altitude areas. The unscientific, over and irregular exploitation of medicinal plants from its natural habitat has resulted in very fast depletion as well as extinction of some important medicinal plant species. So development of agro-technology of highly demanded medicinal plants and their commercial scale cultivation are the need of the hour. The threat of extinction can be reduced by developing their agro-technology, adopting scientific methods of collection, in situ and ex situ conservation, etc. The total geographical area of Indian Himalaya is about 5,94,427 sq. km., which is about 18% of the total area of the country. Length of Indian Himalaya is about 2,400 km and width is around 240-320 km.
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MICROPROPAGATION OF PHYLLANTHUS AMARUS SCHUM. AND THOM. BY MERISTEM CULTURE

R. Ravindhran¹, L. Antoine Lebel1 and S. Ignacimuthu²,
¹Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.
²Entomology Research Institute,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

A novel protocol for production of multiple shoot tip clumps of Keela nelli (Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thom.), were developed in vitro from shoot tip explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing only BAP or BAP with NAA, 3% sucrose and 0.8% agar. The addition of the following combination of growth substances 0.1mgL-1 BAP and 0.05mgL-1NAA, caused an extensive proliferation of multiple shoot primordia. Subculture of these on the same medium was successful for the multiplication. High frequency rooting was observed in MS medium containing IBA (1.0mgL-1). The plants were successfully transplanted to glasshouse and grown to maturity with a survival rate of 95%.
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IMPACTS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ON BIODIVERSITY - P. Agastian

Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College,
Chennai - 600 034.


Biodiversity is threatened by agriculture as a whole, and particularly by traditional methods of agriculture. Knowledge-based agriculture, including GM crops, can reduce this threat in the future. The introduction of no-tillage practices, which are beneficial for soil fertility, has been encouraged by the rapid spread of herbicide-tolerant soybeans. The replacement of pesticides through Bt crops is advantageous for the non-target insect fauna in test-fields. Biodiversity differences can mainly be referred to as differences in herbicide application management.
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RELEVANCE OF FOREST LITTER FAUNA IN ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING AND MAINTENANCE OF BIODIVERSITY - Sabu K. Thomas

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
St. Joseph's College, Devagiri,
Calicut - 673 008.

A healthy and sustainable soil and litter system make the foundation on which the forest stands, and there is growing recognition that litter biota plays a vital role in modifying or even controlling many physical and chemical processes necessary for maintaining a sustainable soil system. The quality of plant litter is a key factor regulating the decomposition of litter and transformation of litter nutrients into soil humus. Analyses of decomposing litter inform us about the distribution and abundance (structure) of litter biota such as insects and arachnids and other invertebrates which in concert with various chemical changes, cause transformations in litter quality (eg. increase in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations) that influence decomposition dynamics. Various basic aspects of the litter ecosystem are discussed.
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BIODIVERSITY: COLOUR PATTERN AND BUTTERFLY DIVERSITY IN TIGER RESERVE IN TADOBA NATIONAL PARK, MAHARASHTRA

M.M. Rai¹, P. Giradkar², M.K. Rathod¹ and A.M. Khurad^1,3
1Centre for Sericulture and Biological Pest Management Research,
Nagpur University, Nagpur - 440 022.
²Department of Zoology,
K.G. Somaiya College of Science and Commerce,
Vidya Vihar, Mumbai - 400 077.
³Department of Zoology,
Nagpur University Campus, Nagpur - 440 033.

Biodiversity is contraction of two simple terms "Biological Diversity". This means that sum total of all biological variations in a particular ecological system. Although biological diversity can never be fully assessed by assigning single number study of particular facets, it has led to rapid, exciting and sometimes alarming discoveries. There is no doubt that humans are now destroying the diversity at an alarming rate. Biodiversity has multitude facts that can be quantified using common measures, which are classified into three approaches such as, numbers of individuals, similarities or evenness and differences. The present report describes the diversity of butterflies in Tadoba Tiger Reserve; the butterflies recorded in this reserve belong to 7 families comprised of 29 genera and 43 species.
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SPECIES DIVERSITY OF WHITEFLIES (ALEYRODIDAE: HOMOPTERA) IN INDIA - R. Sundararaj

Wood Biodegradation Division,
Institute of Wood Science & Technology,
Bangalore - 560 003.

Whiteflies comprise a single hemipterous family, Aleyrodidae, and they are economically important as sap-sucking insects infesting a wide range of host plants. The taxonomy of whiteflies is based on nymphal characters, which have great advantage because of the sessile nature of the puparium and it is possible to collect and identify host-plants with the species of whitefly. In India, the family Aleyrodidae is represented by two subfamilies, Aleyrodinae and Aleurodicinae, comprising 290 species under 57 genera. Among them several species are economically important as pests of crops, ornamental plants and forestry plants. In addition, a few Indian whiteflies are reported to exhibit phenotypic plasticity and hence there is a need for the study of large number of specimens associated with different hosts to establish species status of whiteflies.
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BIODIVERSITY OF MOSQUITOCIDAL FUNGI AND ACTINOMYCETES

K. Balaraman, V. Vijayan¹ and I. Geetha,
Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Pondicherry.
¹M/s CADILA Pharma Ltd., Ahmedabad.

Fungi belonging to several genera are most frequently associated with insect diseases including mosquitoes. The genus Coelomomyces is composed of a large group (ca.70 species) of obligately parasitic aquatic fungi, the overwhelming majority of which have been reported from mosquito larvae. All of them are obligate parasites and require a mosquito host and a copepod host to complete their life cycle. There are several isolates of the fungus Lagenidium giganteum, which are pathogenic for mosquito larvae. They are facultative parasites and not tolerant to organically polluted water or brackish water. Significant numbers of adults of Culex pipiens are infected with Entomophthora spp. Entomophthora aquatica infecting Aedes larvae was also reported. Investigation of the potential of some isolates of Beauveria bassiana for larval mosquito control was not promising. Another species, Beauveria brongniartii (=tenella) was found to be virulent against larvae of a wide variety of mosquito larvae. Culicinomyces clavoporous were originally found as contaminants in laboratory populations of mosquitoes. They are facultative parasites and unlike other Fungi Imperfecti, conidia are produced on submerged mosquito cadavers in water. Some isolates of Metarrhizium anisopliae were found to be pathogenic to mosquito larvae. The fungus is a facultative parasite and all mosquito species tested are susceptible to its conidia.
The secondary metabolites of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Rhizopus, Amanita, Syncephalastrum, Monilia and Tolypocladium species have been reported to be toxic to mosquitoes. The secondary metabolites of actinomycetes, tetranectin, avermectins, faerifungin and macrotetrolides and flavonoids produced were found to be toxic to mosquitoes and the species genera involved are Micromonospora, Actinomadura, Actinoplanes, Micropolyspora, Nocardiopsis, Oerskonia, Thermomonospora, Sreptoverticillium and Chainia.
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GENETIC DIVERSITY IN RICE AND ITS CONSERVATION - M. Subramanian

Former Director of Research, TNAU,
Coimbatore.


Rice (Oryza sativa L.) the important global food crop is gifted with a lot of biodiversity both in the form of land races and wild species. This variability is scattered in many parts of the world, particularly found abundant in South east and Asia and African countries. The traditional varieties / land races and wild species are the genetic wealth of a country, because they are enriched with valuable gene system. This germplasm is very much useful to breed genotypes resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses and also to improve the grain quality characters. Therefore, exploration, collection and conservation of these gene pools had been started during 1960s to study their origin, variability relationship and also being exploited for rice improvement. The responsibility of conservation and regeneration of all these germplasm is vested in many countries. Inspite of a lot of constraints and problems, this task is in progress.
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ASSESSMENT AND CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY USING REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) - M.C. Gupta

Remote Sensing Application Centre,
Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology,
Bhopal - 462 003.

During, late 20th century, the humans are coming to realize that the biological resources in landscapes have limits of exploitation and that we are exceeding these limits thereby depleting the biological resources and their diversity at a level which is irreversible. This is, therefore, a time of change not only in the attitude of the present society but also in the relationship between people and the natural resources upon which their welfare depends. Species are becoming extinct at the fastest rate known in geological history and climate appears to be changing more rapidly than ever before. The sustainable management of biodiversity has become a key issue for survival of man on the planet Earth. In this effort conservation of landscape biodiversity has been put to the highest priority.

India is one among the top twelve mega-diversity countries in the world in terms of biodiversity. There is a direct relationship between biodiversity and bioproductivity. The North Eastern region of India occupies nearly 7.7% of the geographical area of the country comprising most diverse flora and fauna. The human interventions in the North Eastern region through developmental activities and shifting cultivation have resulted in deforestation. The age-old practice of shifting cultivation and lumbering was a major cause of extensive changes in biodiversity in Papumpare District of Arunachal Pradesh in North Eastern region. Reduction in jhum cycle to 3-5 years as compared to 20–30 years earlier due to increase in human population has accelerated the process of landscape biodiversity changes leading to degradation and fragmentation with poorer species composition with the passage of time.
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THREATS TO INDIA'S BIODIVERSITY: CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
A.J. Solomon Raju

Department of Environmental Sciences,
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam - 530 003.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of forms - the different plants, animals and microorganisms. It also includes the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form. India is exceptionally rich in biodiversity and is one of the 12 mega-diversity centers of the world. The biodiversity hot spots include mainly the Eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats and the North Eastern hills. Deforestation, developmental activities, ecotourism and cattle browsing and grazing activities collectively contribute to the decimation of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Illegal commercial felling of trees to provide the material for furniture factories across the country is the main threat for biodiversity. The still existing species are facing insecurity from habitat disturbance from human-based activities, non-availability of food sources, nesting, mating and resting places in case of animal species, altered species composition and climate as well.

Biodiversity provides food, nutritional and environmental security. It is imperative for us to protect and manage different forest ecosystems and their inherent diversity for the security of human and other life on this planet. Appropriate measures are required for judicious utilization of resources and sustain biological diversity for the present and future generations.
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BIODIVERSITY OF INSECT AND CONSERVATION
M. Jayakumar, M. Raja and S. John William

SECNARM,
P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Biological diversity of insect has undergone changes over a period of time. A variety of factors influence the diversity and species dynamics of insects. Insects occur in a wide range of habitats and have acquired specific adaptations, for feeding habits, behaviour patterns and other biological features that contribute to their diversity. Insects comprises of 73% of total animal species constituting, the single and most dominant group of organisms on earth. The most conservative estimates suggest that five to eight million insect species have not been discovered. Coleoptera are the most diverse species of animals, containing about 38% of all insects and 10% of all animals. They are ideal models in evolutionary biology for examining speciation, biogeography of species, and organismic interactions such as mimicry, mutualism and parasitism. Genetic diversity among insects is increasingly becoming necessary keeping in view of the alarming growth of pest population and the quickness with which the insects are able to adapt themselves to the changing pest control and crop breeding strategies. Techniques like PFLP and PCR come handy in the mapping of genes. The majority of animals on the planet are insects and, if the factors that endanger other animals also affect insects, the number of endangered insects must be very large.
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FOREST AND MANKIND - A. Yousuf Khan and S. John William

SECNARM,
P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


Forest is a very complex system of abiotic and biotic components in constant dynamic equilibrium. The future of mankind is intricately intertwined with the extent and nature of forest cover. Deforestation can considerably disrupt ecosystem and afforestation can provide "Carbon Sinks" for absorption of carbon-di-oxide, the major green house gas in earth's atmosphere and thereby reducing to a large extent, the consequences arising due to accumulation of greenhouse gases in the biosphere.
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INDIA'S MIGHT IS REVEALED FROM THE STATE OF INDIA'S BIODIVERSITY - S.K. Prakash

Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

India to her credit has 8.1% of the total World's biodiversity, which puts her one among the 12 mega diversity countries in the world. India is well known for the first domestication of several crop and livestock species. India is also considered one of the World's eight centres of origin of cultivated plants. India’s ecosystem is based on biogeography. This ecosystem divides India into 10 biogeographic zones and sub-divided into twenty six biotic provinces, viz., the Trans Himalaya; the Himalayas; Desert; Semi-Arid; Western Ghats; Deccan Peninsula; Gangetic Plains; Coasts; North-east; and the Islands. Based on the above classification, if we look at the Natural terrestrial ecosystem, we will find the forests ranging from dry thorn scrub to wet evergreen classified into 16 major forest- type groups and 221 minor forest- type groups, 5 types of grassland, deserts ranging from sandy, salt to cold and permanently snow-bound areas. In each of this there is a lot of diversity found. Apart from this, India has rich variety of wetland and marine habitats ranging from small streams and village ponds through large lakes and reservoirs. Some of the longest rivers in the world, coastal lagoons, estuaries and backwaters, the unique Rann of Kachchh, Coral reefs and Mangroves to open coastal and oceanic waters the list is infinite. This rich biodiversity is the unique strength of India. But unfortunately India's rich state of biodiversity is at stake. At the ecosystem, Species and genetic levels causes of India's biodiversity erosion have also been identified and classified as Proximate causes and Root causes. The causes are mainly identified due to erosion of customary rights and traditional management, increasing social, political and economic inequality, Change in cultural, ethical and moral values, lack of recognition of the full values of biodiversity, some inappropriate, inflexible, weak and contradictory laws and policies, demographic changes and inappropriate trade systems. With these above causes in mind, I have discussed in this paper an integrated package of measures to safeguard and renew the "Biodiversity Might of India" and make it a BIODIVERSITY CONSERVED SUPER POWER BY THE YEAR 2020.!!!

DIVERSITY OF COCKROACHES OF TAMIL NADU
S. Prabakaran and G. Thirumalai

Southern Regional Station,
Zoological Survey of India,
Chennai - 600 028.

Cockroaches are one of the oldest insect orders with a fossil history extending back more than 300 million years. There are 3,500 - 4,000 known species world wide, under six families, Blattidae, Cryptoceridae, Polyphagidae, Nocticolidae, Blaltellidae and Blaberidae. The vast majorities of cockroach species (more than 99%) live in the wild and are probably playing an important role in the forest eco-system. In this paper, the diversity and bio-ecology of cockroaches known from Tamil Nadu are presented.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: DEVELOPING A BOTANIC GARDEN AND BIODIVERSITY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN - C.R. Vijayalakshmi

The Children's Garden Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 004.

The botanic garden and resource centre is to be developed by The Children's Garden School Society in collaboration with Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Centre Pallode, Kerala. The Garden already has a rich collection of over 200 species that include flowering plants and non-flowering plants.

The focus of our activity will be on education and awareness.

The Centre will be a place where:

• Academic knowledge, popular interest and local traditional knowledge can converge
• Taxonomic expertise on indigenous flora is available
• Programmes are offered that complement school curriculum
• Plants that represent genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity are grown
• Sensitising children through experiencing biodiversity are to be designed
• The role of teachers will be to co-ordinate the needs of the student community and the resources of the centre.

BIODIVERSITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT - G. Rajah

Department of Botany,
S.I.V.E.T. College, Chennai - 601 302.

Basic needs such as fuels, fodder, medicinal plants, non-timber forest produce, etc., of the rural community depend upon the plant Biodiversity. Native plant species are exploited for fuels. They can be grown in wastelands, so that the Biodiversity in the forest can be saved. Some exotic plants like Prosopis juliflora (Velikathan) can also be grown in less fertile areas. The Government can encourage rural people to develop exclusive fuel plantation. The rural people must also be encouraged to plant tree fodder species such as Vagai tree, Vanni tree, Pungam tree, etc. Medicinal plants play a role in rural health management. Primary health care needs can be met with less or no cost with available plant resources. Cardiospermum helicacabum (mudakkathan), Phyllanthus amarus (Kilanelli), Justicia adathoda (Adathoda), Ocimum sanctum (Tulasi), etc., are some of the medicinal plants, which are given for common ailments in the rural areas.
People in the coastal villages grow palmyra (Panai), casuarina (Sowkku), cane (Pirambu), etc., for their different needs and economic gains. The tree belts in the coastal villages act as BIOWALL in protecting the people from natural calamities like Tsunami. For enhancing the rural income a number of diverse species such as Sapindus emarginatus (Soapnut), Albizzia amara (Soapleaf), Syzigium cumimi (Naval), Phyllanthus emblica (Nelli) can be planted. Because of the above uses of biodiversity for the rural community, biodiversity is conserved through the involvement of rural people. The ecological and environmental benefits are achieved by promoting rural biodiversity.

BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE WHITEBREASTED KINGFISHER HALCYON SMYRNENSIS IN NAGAPATTINAM

Madhuramozhi Govindarajalu¹ and S. Asokan²,
¹A.D.M. College for Women (Autonomous), Nagapattinam.
²P.G. and Research Dept. of Zoology and Wildlife Biology,
A. V. C. College (Autonomous), Mayiladuthurai - 609 305.

The breeding biology of Whitebreasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was studied in Nagapattinam area from March to May 2005. Data relating to nest site features, morphometry of eggs, clutch size and nestling growth pattern of the kingfisher were collected. The breeding season of kingfisher was from February to June. The nests of kingfisher consisted of excavated tunnels along the river banks. The nests were spherical with a diameter ranging from 8.00-15.00 cm, their mean length being 39 cm. The nests around the pond on earthen banks were square shaped. The nest building materials included dried leaves and bones of vertebrates. The clutch size ranged between 4 and 5. The length of eggs varied from 28.50-31.00 mm; width from 26.00 - 29.00 mm and weight from 10.50 - 13.50 g. The nestling's growth was studied once in 3 days with respect of the body weight, total body length, bill length, wing length, wing span, tarsus length, tail length, beak colour and feather colour. All the variables showed gradual increase corresponding to days of growth. However, the weight of the nestlings showed a drop before attaining full growth.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL FOR CONSERVATION OF COASTAL BIODIVERSITY P. Gandheeswari, M. Selvanayagam and S. Vincent

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Coastal areas host some of the most ancient, complex and productive ecosystems of Earth. They possess the capacity to supply two-thirds of the world's seafood. Since human, use land and water of the coast, play major roles in determining the quality of coastal ecosystems and habitat, the present investigation focuses on:

• Monitoring the quality of coastal habitat.
• Assessment of pollution in selected sites.
• Minimizing the negative impact of human - induced changes to coastal ecosystems.
• Developing and implementing conservation strategies using Biotechnological Tools.

BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS - A PROMISING DECISION MAKING TOOL FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

L. Antoine Lebel¹, R. Ravindhran¹ and B. Balaguru²,
¹ Departmentof Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.
² National Innovation Foundation,
Ahmeddabad, Gujarat.


The most striking feature of earth is the existence of life, and the most striking feature of life is its diversity. Global biodiversity data and information are necessary to support well informed decision making at the global level; yet information critical to such decisions are not available readily. Part of the problem is associated with the complex nature of biodiversity data and information given the uncertainties in terms of their existence and distribution. Recent development in information and communication technology is allowing new experiences in the integration, analysis and visualization of biodiversity information, and are leading to development of a new field of research, biodiversity informatics. Open access is a fundamental principle in most biodiversity networking initiatives; however, in many areas, some agreement must be made concerning the level of detail on information, which will be generally available through out networks. By supporting the efforts of the biodiversity informatics community, those most directly responsible for stewardship of the earth's natural resources support their own efforts to preserve and protect the living capital of the planet.

BALANCING AND INTEGRATING IN SITU AND EX SITU CONSERVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE BIODIVERSITY AND SECURE INDIA - S.K. Prakash

Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

India's rich biodiversity and its rapid erosion in recent time calls for a balancing conservation strategy so as to sustain our biodiversity and secure India. Towards this approach we should follow both In situ and Ex situ conservation strategy in a balanced way. In situ conservation refers to the conservation of ecosystem and species in this natural surrounding. This kind of conservation not only ensures the continuation of the full range of conditions needed for eco system and species to thrive, but also provides for the elements of evolution to continue. On the other hand, Ex situ conservation refers to the conservation through Zoological Parks, Botanical Gardens and Culture collections for micro-organisms. These conservation strategies are not new to India, but there are some vital gaps found in these strategies practiced and they have to be bridged at any cost soon. These vital gaps can be generalized as lack of transparency, lack of financial resources, lack of technical and legal support, lack of central database and lack of vision and direction to link In situ and Ex situ conservation strategy. In this paper, I have mainly focused on the importance and methods of linking In situ and Ex situ conservations and the resultant "Employment generation potential".

ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN INDIA - Aaron John

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


Red panda (Ailurus fulgens )

The red panda is listed as an endangered animal due to continuous fragmentation of its habitat due to deforestation. It is also hunted for its beautiful fur and faces stiff competition from domestic livestock leading to habitat degradation.

Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis )

The Indian rhinoceros is one of the largest rhinoceroses and they have very few predators but man has hunted them to the near point of extinction just for their horns, which is used for ornamentation or as medicines although its medicinal properties still have not been proved. The Indian rhinoceros is also classified as an endangered species but is now making a healthy comeback.

Indian python ( Python molurus molurus )

The Indian python has mostly been killed by humans out of fear, or for their skin, which is used to make fashionable leather bags and shoes. More recently they have become sought after for the pet trade and for zoos. As a result, they have become endangered and no proper estimates of their actual remaining numbers are available.

DIVERSITY OF TRADITIONALLY USED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MADURAI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU - M. Ayyanar and S. Ignacimuthu

Entomology Research Institute,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Traditional medical practices are an important part of the primary healthcare system in the developing world. An ethnobotanical survey has been made to evaluate the traditionally used medicinal plants found in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu. This paper enumerates traditional uses of 60 plant species belonging to 32 families used by the Paliyar tribals. The documented plants have been mostly used to cure skin diseases, poison bites, wounds, stomachache and rheumatism. The narrative contains information regarding part of the plant used, medicinal uses, mode of preparation, form of usage and mixtures of other plants used as ingredients. This study offers a model for studying the relationship between plants and people, within the context of traditional medical system. It also generates a broad spectrum of information concerning medicinal plants used by tribals.

INDIAN FLYING FOX PTEROPUS GIGANTEUS INTERACTIONS ON FLORAL DIVERSITY

S. Ezil Vendan¹, A. Ramakrishnan¹, G. Alagesan¹, and A. Alwin Prem Anand²,
¹ Research Centre for Biological Sciences (RCBS),
Naesam Trust, Madurai - 625 010.
² Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,
Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany.

Bats belong to the order Chiroptera. The Indian Flying Fox, Pteropus giganteus, is a fruit bat belongs to the Megachiroptera and it is more commonly found in Indian subcontinent. These bats are completely depended and dispersal interactions with the plant species. These bats freely hang on the top of the root trees; mostly prefer Ficus bengalensis, F. religiosa, Tamirindus indica and Eucalyptus globulus. They consume the major fruits, leaves and flowers of F. bengalensis, F. religiosa and Tamirindus indica. Although P. giganteus disperse some plant species like Ficus sp. Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Prosopis juliflora, Tamarindus indica, etc., in its broad sense, Pteropus giganteus plays a major role in plant interactions (seed dispersal, foraging behaviour and roosting bahaviour) of the terrestrial ecosystem.

IMPACT OF YELLOW CRAZY ANT ANOPLOLEPIS GRACILIPES ON FAUNA DIVERSITY, MADURAI, INDIA

B. Kaleeswaran¹, R. Maheswaran², A. Alwin Prem Anand³ and S. Ezil Vendan¹,
¹ Centre for Biological Sciences (RCBS),
Naesam Trust, Madurai - 625 010.
² Entomology Research Institute,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.
³ Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,
Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany.

Impact of Anoplolepis gracilipes on fauna diversity was studied in the ant populated villages (6 sq. km) of Mellur, Madurai. Ant colonies distributed areas showed adverse effects in fauna diversity. In the ant-distributed area, there was a remarkable reduction in the number of animal species, such as newborn cattles, rats, rabbits, calotes, snakes and crabs and the ant non-distributed area showed well representation of those common species. This one of the largest invasive ant kills the common animal species in the study area. With regard to agriculture, the ant-distributed areas had root affected cultivated crops like paddy, ground nut, brinjal, sugarcane and jasmine. It can also become a household and village pest; formic acid can cause skin burns and irritate the eyes of humans. The impact of A. gracelipes disturbance on fauna diversity was evident from the ant distributed and non-distributed areas. The rapid spreading and impact of A. gracelipes on faunal diversity, indicate the need of controlling measures to maintain fauna diversity and sustainable agriculture.

GUT MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN XERIC AND MESIC HABITAT MILLIPEDES

S. Ezil Vendan¹, K. Baskar² and M. Abdula Saleem¹,
¹ Research Centre for Biological Sciences (RCBS),
Naesam Trust, Madurai - 625 010.
¹ Entomology Research Institute,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Millipedes are a group of fascinating group of macrodetritivores. They are broadly distributed over a variety of habitat types. Geographically Harpurostreptus hamus were xeric type of semi-arid habitat collected from Madurai and Aulacobolus newtoni were mesic type collected from Palani Hills. Both millipedes consume the fallen leaf litter and dried wood. The gut bacteria isolated were identified and found to be Bacillus circulans, B. pantothenticus and Sarcina sp., in Harpurostreptus hamus, and B. circulans, B. megaterium, B. thuringiensis and Staphylococcus sp., in Aulacobolus newtoni. The faeces of millipedes are an ideal medium for soil microbes. Faeces of millipedes contain more bacterial colonies than the gut bacteria of millipedes. Diet palatability and attractiveness can be altered by gut microbial action.

GIS IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - Anand Thiyagaraj

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Biodiversity is receiving the attention of various scientists/planners/decision makers, due to its importance as a natural reservoir with tremendous economic potential. Conservationists have focused attention on this fast depleting resource. So a Comprehensive, quality information on the distribution, status and utilization of India's biodiversity is the cornerstone for planning its conservation. The technology that has given many more dimensions to the applicability of remote sensing based vegetation type map is 'Geographic Information System'(GIS). To name one, Landscape Ecology is benefited most with the availability of spatial analysis tool like GIS. Thus, remote sensing and GIS, besides their contribution in scientific studies, have been accepted as the most effective tool for decision-makers.

TRIBAL COMMUNITISATION - P.M. Jaykrishna, M. Muralidharan and Tarun Kumar

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Since the age of kings protecting our natural history both floral and faunal have been important endeavours. The aftermath of the Sariska tragedy and the new Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights), Bill 2005 have lead to increased calls for anti-poaching reform and tribal removal. The lack of consensus between governmental and scientific communities adds to the confusion.

Communitisation is a solution to both while maintaining a pristine and ancient way of life. It involves increased tribal involvement in both socio-economic and environmental activity bringing about change in the national economic structure and also protecting natural history by decentralizing governmental activity and ecological policy.

A PRELIMINARY SURVEY ON THE BENTHIC MACRO INVERTEBRATES DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION IN LAKES OF CHENNAI CITY
S. Indumathi and R. Ramanibai

Unit of Biomonitoring and Management,
Department of Zoology, University of Madras,
Guindy Campus, Chennai - 600 025.


A survey was made on the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna of Chennai city. The survey was carried at 6 stations on a monthly basis from various lakes of Chennai city from April to August 2005. The primary aim is to study the diversity and abundance of taxa found in these areas. Four orders of meiobenthos and two orders of macrobenthos, mainly of insect larvae and shelled gastropods were recorded. The benthic diversity found in this area was typically of the meiobenthos and macrobenthos found in lakes. From the results obtained, we can suggest the quality of the lakes by assigning values to the macro-invertebrates. Based on the results obtained, we conclude, that the lakes surveyed for the present work may be polluted. This survey has made an attempt to assess the quality of the lakes, which leads to health status.

STUDIES ON FRESHWATER CALANOID COPEPODS OF CHENNAI CITY, TAMILNADU - K. Renuga and R. Ramanibai

Unit of Biomonitoring and Management,
Department of Zoology, University of Madras,
Guindy Campus, Chennai - 600 025.

A survey was made on calanoid copepods in Chennai city, for 5 months from June to October 2005. Samples were collected from different lakes and ponds situated in Chennai city, using 150 m m plankton net and preserved in 4% formalin, for the taxonomical studies. In this study diaptomid, calanoid, copepods were the dominant group among the copepod group. Among the diaptomid copepods Neodiaptomus satanas was the predominant species present with other species under this group. During the pre monsoon season of the year 2005 only 4 species under this group were isolated and identified. Organisms were counted by using sedge wick rafter counting chamber, and the units were expressed in Ind / L. The abundance of calanoid species found in various lakes and ponds ranges from 150-1,600 Ind / L.

SHORT-TERM SURVEY ON THE PLANKTONIC DIVERSITY OF COOUM ESTUARY AND ADYAR ESTUARY - N.S. Bharathidevi and R. Ramanibai

Unit of Biomonitoring and Management,
Department of Zoology, University of Madras,
Guindy Campus, Chennai - 600 025.


A Short-term survey was carried out on the occurrence and distribution of zooplankton and phytoplankton in relation with their environmental parameters. This short-term survey was carried out in three locations of each estuary on a weekly basis during the month of February to April 2005. The work was planned in such a way to assess the impact of tsunami on the planktonic community. The abundance of both phyto and zooplankton was analyzed both in water and sediment samples. From this survey, we concluded that the occurrence of zooplankton was high in Adyar estuary, when compared to cooum estuary, whereas the abundance of phytoplakton was high in cooum estuary than in Adyar estuary. The water quality conditions prevailed in cooum estuary was found to be deteriorated. This brief investigation needs further detailed study to get a clear picture of water quality and diversity exposed soon after tsunami impact. Further investigations are going on.

POPULATION DYNAMICS OF ZOOPLANKTON DIVERSITY AT MUTTUKAD ESTUARY - J. Chitra and R. Ramanibai

Unit of Biomonitoring and Management,
Department of Zoology, University of Madras,
Guindy Campus, Chennai - 600 025.


Zooplankton have a universal occurrence in natural waters and form the prime component in the food chain of an ecosystem. Muttukad estuary, situated along the northeast coast of Tamil Nadu was studied from July to December 2004. The investigation on the zooplankton diversity of the Muttukad estuary indicated the occurrence of 14 species of Copepods, 7 species of Rotifers and 3 species of Ostracods. The copepods numerically dominated the community structure followed by rotifers and ostracods during the study period. Nauplii, copepodites, medusae, mysis and nematodes were also recorded. The population dynamics of the dominant species are described and discussed in detail. The present study suggests that it is highly desirable that this system be protected, conserved and effectively managed.

A CASE STUDY ON INTEGRATED WETLAND DETERIORATION ON LOKTAK LAKE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE HABITAT- Chongtham Narajyotshreth

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Loktak lake has been the source of livelihood for many Manipuris in terms of its socio-economic value, environmental, cultural, tourism, ecological system, potential natural resources, etc. It was recognised as a wetland of international importance in 1990 by the Ramsar Convention, 1971, thereby bringing the lake into international status. This is due to the variety of habitats with its biological diversity. These include 233 species of emergent, submergent, free-floating and floating leaves types, 32 species of phytoplanktons and 55 species of zooplanktons. These are supported by 425 species of animals (249 vertebrates and 176 invertebrates). All the fauna and flora reside on the phumdis, which are heterogeneous mass of soil vegetation organic matter. The single largest phumdi became the Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is the habitat of rare species (eg. Python molurus), endangered species (eg. Muntiacus muntjak, Cervus eldi eldi, etc.), etc. But human activities deteriorate this beautiful wetland. Wastes from rivers, shallowing of lake, soil erosion, exotic species, high water level, power station, irrigation plant, etc. are some of the contributing factors.

This paper presents the study made on the biggest freshwater lake in the North-East India.

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF CARABID BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN THE CALICUT-WAYANAD REGION

Abhitha Prabhakar¹ and S. Murugesan²,
¹ P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
St. Joseph's College, Devagiri, Calicut, Kerala - 673 008.
² Institute of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding,
R.S. Puram, Coimbatore - 641 002.


Diversity of the carabid beetles at Calicut-Wayanad region was analysed. Though both pit fall traps baited with meat and light traps were used for collection, majority of the catches were from light traps. Members of 12 tribes, namely, Brachinini, Omphrini, Orthogonini, Lebiini, Harpalini, Tetragonoderini, Perigonini, Pterostichini, Helluodini, Chlaenini, Scaritini and Helluonini were recorded. Only four tribes could be worked out upto the genus as no literature on the remaining tribes of the region are available indicating the "taxonomic impediment" of Indian carabids. Three species of Orthogonini, the termitophilic ground beetles, are recorded and all are first report from the South Indian region. Tribe Scaritini is characterized by the presence of modified foreleg adapted for digging. Four genera of Scaritini are collected from the region. Tribe Omphrini, represented by a single species, is very prevalent in this region.

FUNCTIONAL GUILD CLASSIFICATION OF EVERGREEN FOREST LITTER ANT ASSEMBLAGES - Anu Anto and Sabu K. Thomas

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Calicut - 673 008.

Litter ants in the wet evergreen forest of Western Ghats were analysed based on Anderson’s functional guild model as it considers ecology, biology and feeding behaviour of ants. 22 ant species from 16 genera, 11 tribes and 4 subfamilies were collected from the study habitat. Members of 7 functional groups were present (dominant Dolichoderinae, subordinate Camponotini, hot climate specialist, cryptic species, generalized Myrmicinae, specialized predator and opportunists) with cryptic species as the most common functional guild. The presence of Acropyga sp., and Paratrechina sp., exclusively in the evergreen forest is indicative of the role of litter habitat conditions in determining the habitat preference of ants.

CHANGES IN SPECIES DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF WATERBIRDS IN ASHTAMUDI ASSOCIATED WITH LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS - Manoj Balakrishnan and Sabu K. Thomas

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Calicut - 673 008.

Ashtamudi is an excellent habitat for resident as well as migratory waterbirds. Population dynamics over a three-year period indicated a declining trend. Taxonomic diversity indices-Average Taxonomic Distinctness (∆+) and Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (Λ+)- were corroborative for Kandachira (47sp.). At Monroethuruth (41sp.) the Average Taxonomic Distinctness (AvTD, ∆+) increased at a low Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (VarTD, Λ+) towards the third year even if the number of species declined. The species are poor at Dhalavapuram (20 sp.) and Resort (16 sp.) and are less capable of detecting any changes in the Taxonomic Distinctness of the assemblages under consideration.

ECOTOURISM : TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - M.S. Gopinath and J. Margeret Marie

P.G. & Research Department of Chemistry,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


Tourism is often described as the world’s “biggest” industry on the basis of its contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP), the number of jobs it generates and the number of clients it serves. The scale of the industry and the rate at which it continues to grow present both opportunities and threats for biodiversity conservation.

Ecotourism grew out of a sense of urgency about the need to minimize tourism’s negative impacts and simultaneously maximize its positive contributions to nature protection and the quality of life of local people. By linking tourism with biodiversity conservation and the well being of local communities and understanding how and where they overlap, we can develop strategies that conserve earth’s most endangered ecosystems and make a significant contribution to alleviate poverty at the same time.

BIODIVERSITY OF MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM - ITS ROLE IN COASTAL PROTECTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE - V. Neetha

Institute for Ocean Management,
Anna University, Chennai - 600 025.

Mangroves worldwide cover an approximate area of 2,40,000 square kilometers of sheltered coastlines in the tropics and subtropics with around 7,00,000 ha. in India. Four of the most common ecotypes include fringe, riverine, basin and scrub forests. In India mangroves are found along the coasts of Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Pichavaram, Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Orissa, Sunderbans in West Bengal, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Species of mangroves commonly seen here are Rhizophora sp., Avicennia sp., Bruguiera conjugata, Excoecaria agallocha, Sonneratia apetala, Aegiceras majus, Salvadora persica and Acanthus illicifolius. Mangroves provide both habitat and a source of food for a diverse animal community. Numerous insect species, amphibians and reptiles such as frogs, snakes, lizards and crocodiles, birds, mammals including raccoons, wild pigs, rodents, deer, monkeys and bats are found here, as well as turtles, manatees, dolphins, and porpoises can be occasional visitors to mangrove-dominated estuaries. Mangrove forests absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) through tree photosynthesis and store carbon. It is also known that the mangrove forests emit minuscule quantities of greenhouse gas such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) thus playing an important role in climate change. Mangroves in general have a great capacity to recover from major natural disturbances. Mangroves are located in the intertidal zone and are able to absorb and reduce the impacts of the strong winds, tidal waves and floods that accompany tropical storms, thus playing a role in coastal protection. They help in the abatement of the effects of the recent tsunami that hit South East Asia in the year 2004 especially in the Andaman Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coastal villages near Muthupet, Pichavaram, etc. Even though some of these forces can devastate the mangrove forest, mangroves in general have a great capacity to recover after major disturbances.

BIODIVERSITY OF FRESH WATER FISHES - V. Rajalakshmi

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Large scale episodal mortality among the fresh water fishes of certain lakes of India occurred in June 1995. About 10,000 (40%) of the known fish species are fresh water forms. Nearly 800 native fish species in 36 families inhabit the fresh water rivers, streams, lakes of the United States and Canada. 29 species of fresh water fishes have been identified and more are to be identified. The Grayling (Shortjaw kokupu) is a species that became extinct early in the 1900s. 10 fresh water fishes are considered to be endangered. Nearly 90% species of fresh water fish are endemic. It is interesting to state that the fish is a source of ideal human food. It is nutritiously high in protein, minerals, vitamins and beneficial omega oils and low in fat and cholesterol. Even fish eggs are luxury foods that command premium prices. Major threats on such fresh water fishes are dams and impoundments, water pollution, over fishing and introduction of exotic species. Dams block fish spawning and migration, causing a population of fish to decline. Hence, there is a need for the conservation efforts and recovery projects by State and Federal agencies to artificially culture, reintroduce native fishes, improve their habitat and also to diverse native fish population and to safeguard rivers and streams for future generations.

BIOLOGICAL UTILITY OF A PLANT FOR OBESITY

V. Madhan Chakkaravarthy¹, P. Karthiyayini¹
S. Jega Jothi Pandian² and S. Gnanasekari²,
¹ P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.
² Literary Research & Documentation Department,
Central Research Institute for Siddha, Chennai - 600 106.

Obesity is a common problem of the upper and above middle class people in global level especially among Indians. This is increasing day by day due to the lifestyle changes against the law of nature such as over consumption of fats, excess sleep, over sexual contacts, unnecessary fearness and lack of exercise, which result in increase in body weight which, in turn, leads to the rise in blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, over strain of vascular system, etc.

A non-complicated drug especially derived from common medicinal plants is essential to solve the problems in this instance. This paper dealt with a very good potential/effective plant material for the same, i.e., Garcinia cambogia (Kodampuli).

AWARENESS IS THE PANACEA - Jennifer Immaculate Divia

Institute for Ocean Management,
Anna University, Chennai - 600 025.

Mangrove ecosystem is an interphase between terrestrial forests and aquatic (marine) ecosystems. The term "mangrove" refers to a salt tolerant group of plants, which dominate the world's tropical and subtropical coastlines. They have critical ecological importance like protecting shorelines; help prevent erosion; maintain water quality used as renewable resource. The mangrove swamps also serve as valuable nursery/breeding grounds for crustaceans, molluscs and fishes.

Such an ecosystem has been widely accepted by scientists as important only in the last decade. As there is a list for its ecological importance, so also there is a long list of threats for this wonderful habitat like dredging, pollution, urban development, floods and storms. Kumar R., Divisional forest officer concludes the lack of education and awareness regarding the importance of mangroves; the poverty and increasing population of the local inhabitants are the reason in the destruction of this ecosystem. Therefore, a panacea for the conservation of mangroves is a broad scale Awareness Programme to inform (through the different media) and involve people in the restoration and management plans of the government.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION
S. Maria Packiam and S. Ignacimuthu

Entomology Research Institute,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Biological diversity or Biodiversity refers to the variability that exists among the living organisms in atmosphere including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes; this includes the diversity within species and between species. India, which is one of the twelve mega biodiversity centers of the world can boast of a rich biodiversity of plants and animals. Biosystematics estimate about 1.5 million biological species all over the world. Among this, at least 166 species of crops and 320 species of wild relatives of crops seem to have originated from India. Today, biodiversity is under threat due to various environmental factors. India has lost at least 50% of its forests and polluted over 70% of its water bodies. In addition, hunting, over exploitation, poisoning by pesticides, excessive botanical and zoological collection and other activities have reduced the richness of biodiversity. This calls for immediate attention. The conservation and management of natural resources is a must for the future well-being. In order to bring about sustainable resource conservation and management, it is essential to adopt several different approaches for managing biodiversity of fauna and flora. This is discussed in this paper.

MOLECULAR BIODIVERSITY - P. Prabu and Sharmil Suganya

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


The emerging “modern RNA world” and molecular networks are perhaps the most important new research frontiers in molecular diversity studies. Molecular markers alone and differences in the DNA of protein coding genes, are not sufficient to describe molecular diversity. Genomic information, transcript information, protein variation and variation in the networks that drive complex cells function, and allow multicellular development, are all needed for an understanding of molecular biodiversity. As opposed to the marker-based descriptions, this could be seen more as functional molecular diversity and thus come closer to uniting genotype and phenotype.

The current impressive effort in collecting organism data is of paramount importance, especially for conservation, nature management and traditional biological sciences. Understanding and characterizing molecular diversity are likely also to become important in medicine, molecular engineering and of course, molecular genetics.

SEAHORSES: UNIQUE CREATURES THREATENED BY HABITAT LOSS AND OVERFISHING - J.D. Marcus Knight

Centre for Biotechnology,
Anna University, Chennai - 600 025.

Seahorses are small fish that inhabit shallow temperate and tropical waters along coastal ecosystems throughout the world's oceans. They are unique in many ways. Their appearance is so different from that of other fish that people long ago believed they were insects. Instead of what we normally think of as fish, these creatures look like an amalgamam of parts from different species of animals. Their head resembles that of a miniature horse. Their small, delicate fins remind us of fish. They also have long, prehensile tails that seem out of place in a fish. Despite such odd combinations, seahorses are among nature's most beautiful creations. They look like ornaments in their coral reef, seagrass and mangrove habitats. They are also unique because in seahorses it is the male rather than the female who becomes pregnant. Seahorses are also totally monogamous. Unfortunately, seahorses are threatened by habitat loss and overfishing.

BIRDS AS BIOCONTROL AGENTS IN AN AGRO-ENVIRONMENT
S. Asokan, A. Mohamed Samsoor Ali, G. Thomas Nithiyanandam and M. Chakravarthi

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology,
A.V.C. College, Mayiladuthurai - 609 305.

The population, foraging behaviour and diurnal time activity pattern of five insectivorous birds, viz., The Black Drongo, Dicrurus macrocercus; the Indian Roller, Coracias benghalensis; the Small Bee-eater Merops orientalis; Whitebreasted Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis and Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis were studied in three habitats, viz., Agricultural lands, river banks and social forests in Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India between February 2004 and January 2005. The density of all the species was the highest during summer in all the three habitats. Foraging variables included perch types, perch height, perching height, foraging height, foraging substrate, foraging plants and foraging methods, which showed variations among the bird species. The pellet analysis revealed that coleopteran beetles were the predominant prey item to all the bird species. The daily activities included feeding, flying, breeding, resting and ‘other activities’ by the birds. In majority of the observations the percent time spent by birds on feeding was relatively high during 6-9 hrs, 15-18 hrs and thereby indicated the bimodal pattern of feeding.

VARIATIONS IN NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF THE OSTRACOD CYPRIS PROTUBERA FED WITH CHROOCOCCUS TURGIDUS AND SCENEDESMUS QUADRICAUDA - Suman Gulati, K. Revathi, R. Subalakshmi, N. Uma Chandra Meera Lakshmi and V. Rekha

P.G. & Research Department of Zoology,
The Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai - 600 008.

Nutritional quality of live planktonic feeds used in aquaculture is an important factor for survival and optimal growth of larvae and juvenile fishes, crustaceans and molluscs. Thus live feed organisms form an important part of the food chain in any ecosystem. Much attention has been given to the description of feed organism composition today. In the present study a proximate and mineral analysis of Cypris protubera fed with algal diets such as Chroococcus turgidus and Scenedesmus quadricauda was carried out to determine its suitability in aquaculture as a live feed. In the present study algae proved to be good source of nutrition, with the efficient increase in the proximate and mineral composition of C. protubera. Because of the increasing need of the live feed in the aquaculture industry, Cypris protubera can very well suit for the purpose. Because of the large size than other zooplankton in common practice, Cypris protubera can be more effective in serving as a live feed for fishes and prawns.

METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF VITEX NEGUNDO LEAF EXTRACT AGAINST PREMATURE STAGES OF AEDES AEGYPTI - P. Thiyagarajan, K. Murugan and S. Kamalakannan

Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology,
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 641 046.

Methanolic extract of the leaves of Vitex negundo (Tam. : Nochi) were evaluated for mosquitocidal properties against 1, 2 and 3rd instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. It was found that after the treatment of Vitex negundo, the premature larvae were found more susceptible than the 4th and 5th instars. Lethal concentrations were worked out to find out the efficacy of VNLE on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. An increasing trend of LC50 and LC90 values were recorded. The LC50 and LC90 were higher when compared to 4th and 5th instars.

EFFECT OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA FOR THE CONTROL OF MALARIAL VECTOR ANOPHELES STEPHENSI (DIPTERA: ANOPHELINAE)
S. Kamalakannan, K. Murugan and P. Thiyagarajan

Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology,
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 641 046.

Investigations have been made to evaluate on the larvicidal and pupicidal effect of neem (Azadirachta indica) on the malarial vector Anopheles stephensi. Methanolic extract of neem seed kernel (NSKE) and leaf extract of neem (NLE) showed higher larvicidal activity on the fourth instar larvae and also having pupicidal mortality higher in neem (NSKE, NLE). The LC50 and LC90 values of NSKE and NLE were observed in the two experiments respectively. This may be due to the toxic impact of larvicidal and pupicidal activity greater than other plant extracts. After the toxicity test of NSKE, the larval and pupal duration were extended due to emergency of adult always for 4 to 6 days. This is mainly due to growth regulatory effect of neem active compound; the Azadirachtin on the moulting hormone and further arresting moulting process of mosquitoes for NSKE treated insects also layed significantly. Further in the present study after the compound toxicity test of neem caused toxic effect on larvae and pupae. Hence, the present paper discusses the possible role their plant compound due to the mosquito control progress.

CONTROL OF MOSQUITO LARVAE USING MICROBIAL BIOPESTICIDES AT TSUNAMI AFFECTED VELANKANNI AND NAGAPATTINAM AREA AT TAMIL NADU, INDIA - S. Kamalakannan, K. Murugan and P. Thiyagarajan

Division of Entomology, Department of Zoology,
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore - 641 046.


Biopesticides, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus, to control mosquito larvae in Tsunami affected Velankanni and Nagaipattinam area were sprayed in stagnant seawater bodies. Investigation have been made to evaluate the higher toxic effect of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis than Bacillus sphaericus on the larvae and pupae of the mosquito, using bacterial powder mixed with a litre of water for spraying at Tsunami affected area with the help of a hand pump sprayer. The evaluation was made to find out LC50 and LC90 values of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus sphaericus. Further in the present study after the toxicity of bacterial suspension shows higher mortality of mosquito larvae. The present paper discusses the possible role of bacterial toxins in the mosquito control.

PROTECT NATURE TO PROTECT OURSELVES - Benazir Banu and S.Janani

La Chatelaine Residential Junior College,
Chennai - 600 087.


In our day-to-day life we utilize hundreds of plant and animal products knowingly or unknowingly. Conserving biodiversity is an indirect method of conserving the human race itself. Biodiversity is a network linked through many food chains and food webs. Erosion of biodiversity has been increasingly observed through natural, pseudo-natural and human caused extinction. In situ conservation and ex situ conservation of planting germ plasm using seed bank and gene banks will allow the preservation of large populations of plants and animals with minimal genetic erosion.

ILLS OF SPILLS - Lakshmi Priya and V. Vinodini

Padma Sheshadri Bala Bhavan,
Chennai - 600 034.


Our poster depicts the struggle of the aquatic life to escape from an oil-coated sea or treacle-like waves of jet-black oil washing on sandy beaches and rocky shores.

Capsized oil tankers, offshore oil mining, oil exploration operations and oil refineries are the contributors. Significant ecological effect of oil spills is the death of plankton, seabirds, fishes and oysters. Birds smeared with oil lose the capability to fly, fishes die due to shortage of oxygen, breeding and feeding are also destroyed. Oil and water are immiscible by nature. Why go against nature and harm our water mates?

ECO - CONSCIOUSNESS - R. Nandhini

Alpha Matriculation Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 035.

Human beings are organisms who try to modify the environment to fulfill their needs. The imbalance created by them has given rise to various environmental problems, which include pollution, desertification and extinction of species and total change in our environment. This led to vulnerable ecosystems placed in the place of more complex and stable ecosystems, depletion of natural resources, waste accumulation, deforestation, thinning of ozone layer and global warming.

We treat our earth as garbage and hence where it becomes dirty and unlivable.

Hence, as mankind needs energy to do work, our earth needs its resources to bring us up for our future generations.

"BIODIVERSITY" - D. Narendran

Alpha Matriculation Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 035.

Biodiversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are parts.

HUMAN CAUSED REDUCTION:

Natural areas are converted to farms housing subdivisions, shopping malls, marinas and industrial centers, eg. when a forest is cleared, it is not just the trees that are destroyed, but also every other plants and animals that occupies that destroyed ecosystem, either permanently or temporarily also suffers.

To save the races of endangered and endemic species the bio resources should be identified and the hotspots in each country should be given prior importance to conservation. Only then the remaining species at the verge of extinction could be saved.

BIODIVERSITY (EXPLOITATION & CAUSES) - M. Malini and N. Sindhu Bhargavi

The Childrens’ Garden Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 004.

Biodiversity is made up of all species of plants and animals, their genetic material and the ecosystem which they are part.

A cheque passed in excess amount than in the account, the cheque bounces and you get a “nasty gram” from the bank. Likewise habitats and species are overexploited, destroyed and lost which can’t be renewed and gone forever.

Overpopulation, deficient knowledge, and over consumption and exploitation of biodiversity lead to imbalance in nature. Our poster exhibits the unprecedented level of pollution that disturbs the delicate network of the ecosystem. The factors like, overburning of fuels, refrigerants, industrial waste and smoke, vehicles smoke, green house gases, etc., cause environmental disorders, ozone depletion, green house effect and global warming, thus affecting the biodiversity.

INDIAN HOTSPOTS AND CONSERVATION - K. Radhika

Lady M.Ct. Muthiah Chettiar Girl's Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 084.

Hotspots are regions that harbour the great diversities of endemic species facing extinction due to human activities. This concept was focussed by the British ecologist, Norman Myres in 1988. Identified are 25 hot spots in the world among which 2 are in India comprising Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats having diversified organisms. Some of the organisms facing extinction in these areas are the Nilgiri Tahr, the Laughing thrush, the Great Pied Hornbill, the Fairy Blue Bird, Hawk – Eagle, Lizard Hawks, Loris, Blackbuck, Red Panda, Swallow, Tailed Butterflies, Frog Mouth (Owl), etc. Control Measures

• Recreation of Habitat loss
• Avoiding poaching
• Reforestation
• Managing natural Resources
• Enforcing law and action

THREAT TO INDIAN MARINE BIODIVERSITY - M.S. Nirmal Kumar and V. Jaya Prasanth

C.S.I. St. Thomas Hr. Sec. School,
Chennai - 600 016.


The marine biodiversity of India is represented by rich corals, diverse fish species including the whale sharks, aquatic mammals such as whales, dolphins and dugong, and a plethora of economically important arthropods. With tremendous rise in population and subsequent depletion of resources on land, oceans and seas are looked as major sources for food and other related industries.

But all these wealth is under serious threat due to habitat degradation, global climate changes, UV-B radiation, effect of fishing and other forms of overexploitation, pollution and marine litter, oil spills, etc. In order to save these precious resources, effective preventive measures should be taken. This poster aims to depict some of the serious threats and preventive measures.

THREAT TO INDIAN BIODIVERSITY - Jewel Varghese Menachery, Tinu Prakash, Anjalika Chongtham and P. Irene Rosita Pia

Department of Zoology,
Stella Maris College, Chennai - 600 086.


Biodiversity represents the treasure trove of our unique planet encompassing the legion of flora and fauna. It is a matter of pride that India is a hotspot in biodiversity- a home to a kaleidoscope of ecosystems.

However, this gift of nature is now facing a mighty challenge concerning its conservation.

Forests are burning with the fire from our hungry industries. The marine ecology is drowning in the whirlpool of our carelessness. Our mates in the wild are bleeding the wounds that the merciless poachers have inflicted on them. The atmosphere is choking from the fumes of pollution…
BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE!
As Indians we shall show the world, that the strength of our people and attitude to our Mother Earth is as rich and beautiful as nature itself.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION - R. Surya and J. Suguna

Department of Zoology,
S.I.V.E.T. College, Chennai - 601 302.


BIODIVERSITY is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Though it concerns all of us, biodiversity is most directly related to the everyday lives of the people in our ecosystem. The loss of diversity is a direct attack on their very survival. All development and technology should conform to the principles of biodiversity conservation. Moreover, diversity of nature and health are intrinsically linked. To be a part of a greater system has health benefits. To spell out this entire message, global platform can be effectively used.

BIODIVERSITY OF MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM IN INDIA - G. Rajalakshmi

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

India has a remarkable coastline length of 17,181 Km in which mangrove forest occurs in a range of 3,036 Km. As per the Coastal Biodiversity & Protected Areas Data 2000 this part of the forest is situated on the West and East coasts of India and on Andaman and Nicobar islands. India has lost 40% of its mangrove area in the last century as reported by Indian Government. The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) recorded a decline of 7,000 ha and 22,400 ha of mangrove ecosystem in India and Andaman & Nicobar islands respectively within a six year period (1987-1993). The need for conservation of mangrove is that it protects the coastlines from floods, tsunami, etc. It is interesting to state that it acts as a good source of timber, fuel wood, fodder, medicines, resins and a potential source for the culture of shrimps and fishes. Major threats on such a good ecosystem are climatic changes, cyclones, physical process, diseases, pollution, human encroachment, etc. Hence there is a sheer need for the conservation of the mangrove ecosystem in India and it can be achieved by the implementation of strict rules and regulations by the state and central governments.

"SAVE THE EARTH - GO VEG!" - Niranjan S. Amaranth

Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

Today our earth is being destroyed in an unimaginable way. Millions of people haven’t realized that a meat-eating diet destroys our delicate earth. Every year, the population in India grows by 17 million people. Famine is widespread and increasing as the population rises. According to The Hunger Project, one-third of the world's hungry people live in India. Each animal bred and raised to be killed for meat eats 10 acres' worth of vegetables and cereals! Those 10 acres could feed 100 people for more than one year. Do you want an acre of land that can grow 165 pounds of beef or 20,000 pounds of potatoes? Scientists have estimated that reducing meat production by just 10 percent will free up enough grain and vegetables to feed 60 million people. Meat production takes a toll on India's water supply as well. It takes 20,861 liters of water to produce a kilo of meat but only 209 liters to produce a kilo of wheat. A totally vegetarian diet requires 1,136 liters of water per day, while a meat-based diet requires more than 15,141 liters of water per day. The annual water requirement for Al-Kabeer (48,00,00,000 liters of potable water), an abattoir in Hyderabad, has caused an acute shortage of drinking water in the entire area around the plant, and most villagers have to trek 10 to 15 kilometers a day to obtain water for their homes. Raising animals for meat is also a major contributor to topsoil depletion since forestland is cleared for cattle grazing. Loss of trees leads to loss of valuable, nutrient-rich topsoil, increases the risk of flooding and drought and causes climatic imbalances. Loss of topsoil and a drying-out of the land lead to desertification. Already in India, deforestation and desertification can be found over wide areas. Intensive animal farming and slaughterhouses are major sources of water pollution through blood and animal excreta, which contains nitrates, antibiotics, parasites, heavy metals and pesticides. Totally untreated waste is often dumped into streams, rivers and groundwater. Colonies near Delhi slaughterhouses that depend on hand pumps for their drinking water have reported that blood often comes out of the pumps.
Raising animals for food is wreaking havoc on the Earth. The most important step we can take to save our planet is to go vegetarian.

VANISHING WETLANDS - Anjali N. Upadhyay and Nini Nevil

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


Wetlands are water bodies, which form an intricate part of the ecosystem. In this poster the state of wetlands over the past ten years has been depicted. Due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and other anthropogenic activities, an evil impact of destruction has been felt in all spheres of ecosystem including wetlands. The migratory birds and other animals seldom visit wetlands as they have been converted into dumping grounds serving no means of food and shelter for animals. The vanishing wetlands can be saved by proper disposal of wastes, abatement of pollution, a curb on release of effluents, awareness among people, etc. So, let us all join hands and act collectively for protection and conservation of wetlands and prevent it from becoming a wasteland.

MARINE BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA - W.K. Karthikeyan

P.G. & Research Department of Chemistry,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.

India contains a great wealth of biological diversity in its marine areas. This richness is shown in absolute numbers of species and the proportion they represent of the world. Marine biodiversity is very important for a reason of Adaptation, Food, Raw Materials, Climate and Knowledge.
The marine environment has received much less attention than its terrestrial counterpart in the area of biodiversity. A 540 square kilometers protected area forms a part of India's Western Ghats, one of the global hotspots of biodiversity. This lack of attention probably results from the relatively limited accessibility of the ocean as well as its vast nature (i.e., covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface). A new study of marine ecosystems suggests that the preservation of biodiversity is more than just a lofty goal. In this review, the biodiversity of the coastal marine regions of the Indian Ocean is depicted contrast with that of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We also discuss important gaps in our knowledge and aspects of the biodiversity A nation-wide marine pollution monitoring programme operating is improving the marine system from the loss of biodiversity in many ways. The main problem of marine biodiversity and its control measures are discussed.

TIGERS IN INDIA: THREATS, CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
M.S. Gopinath and J. Margeret Marie

P.G. & Research Department of Chemistry,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034.


The tiger (Panthera tigris), one of the world’s most beloved and a revered animal, stands near the brink of extinction. Since the turn of this century, its habitat has been reduced to 95%. Since the occupation of India by the British, the Bengal tiger population has dwindled to mere 5,000 from over one lakh just a century ago. The current estimates predict that at least one tiger is poached everyday.

One of the primary threats to tigers is the destruction of habitat. The second primary threat to the tigers is the illegal poaching of them for their bone, skin, teeth, nails, etc; for this reason, the government has tightened its legislative measures. This poster aims to portray some of the threats faced by the Indian tigers and strategies for their effective conservation and management.

MOST WANTED - V. Rajagopal and P. Nagarajan

Department of Zoology,
Guru Nanak College, Chennai - 600 042.

Earth, also called as biosphere (the sphere of life), is blessed with flora and fauna. The biosphere, which contains about 0.35million species of plants and about 11 million animal species, is facing threat by human activity such as depletion of habitat (estimated more than 100 sq. km of rainforests are destroyed every year), poaching and hunting, pollution causing a major adverse effect on the biosphere.

The ransack of the biodiversity and its consequential adverse effect has already reached a menacing level. Many plants and animals are on the verge of extinction and many critically marked as threatened, endangered and vulnerable species by the Red Data book of IUCN. Of late, international community has joined its hands over the protection of biodiversity of plants and animals and also to safeguard its genetic diversity. So let us give a cry “MOST WANTED” and join our hands for safeguarding the diversity of nature.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN BIO-DIVERSITY - S. Arockiaraj

P.G. & Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology,
Loyola College, Chennai - 600 034. "If you want to live and thrive
Let a spider run alive"
Children saying cited by the Opies, reminds us the bondage between the nature and human being. The bio - diversity in olden days had been an inextricable part of traditional practice and equated with gods. But the technologically restricted environment of today has a discretion leading to overexploitation of the nature to the core. And we are aware that disturbance to any part of this bio-diversity triggers a chain reaction which is a looming thread to the existence of this planet. At this juncture, it is a dire need that we should have a change of attitude towards nature and protect ourselves by protecting the nature.