Lateritic Plateaus in the Northern Western Ghats, India; a Review of Bauxite Mining Restoration Practices

Thorpe, C. J.; Watve, Aparna

doi:10.54081/jes.024/03

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…Apart from lining the paddy, large rocks are also used extensively to construct compound walls and mark land borders among other activities (Mirza & Sanap, 2012; Thorpe & Watve, 2015). All of these activities reduce the availability of large rocks on neighbouring plateaus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Between a rock and a hard place: Effects of land-use change on rock-dwelling animals of lateritic plateaus in the northern Western Ghats

Jithin

Rane²,

Watve³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Open natural ecosystems like lateritic plateaus, are undergoing rapid transformation with very poor understanding of these impacts on the threatened and endemic biodiversity. The unprotected, low-elevation lateritic plateaus of the northern Western Ghats are case to the point, as they have high endemicity but remain unprotected under Indian law. We aimed to understand the impact of the conversion of the natural lateritic plateaus to agroforestry and paddy cultivation on biodiversity. We compared the prevalence of two species of endemic herpetofauna of the northern Western Ghats (Gegeneophis seschachari and Hemidactylus albofasciatus) and a widespread snake (Echis carinatus) and the composition of other rock-dwelling animals across 12 undisturbed plateau sites and 10 sites each in agroforestry plantations and abandoned paddies on plateaus using time-constrained searches. We had 5738 encounters with 38 different animal species/groups. We found that the abundance of large rocks, which were the most-preferred size class of rocks by animals, was higher in abandoned paddy compared to plateaus and orchards. However, the prevalence of H. albofasciatus and E. carinatus was highest on undisturbed plateaus. Contrastingly, the prevalence of G. seshachari was significantly higher in abandoned paddy than undisturbed plateau or orchards. Non-metric multi-dimensional analysis showed that the assemblage of rock-dwelling fauna differed significantly across the three land-use types. Despite being adapted to persist in extremely variable climates on lateritic plateaus, we find that multiple species/groups are vulnerable to land-use change. However, G. seshachari and a few other taxa appear to benefit from certain kinds of land-use change, highlighting the context-specificity in species responses. While multiple studies have determined the impacts of forest conversion to other land-uses, this is one of the first studies to determine the impacts of the conversion of rocky outcrops, thereby highlighting the conservation value of habitats that are often classified as wastelands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hot and dry conditions during the dry season and water-logging during the monsoon expose animals inhabiting the rocky plateaus to extreme environments (Watve, 2008). The loose rocks on the lateritic plateaus provide refuge to a diverse array of invertebrate and vertebrate fauna (Thorpe & Watve, 2015).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Between a rock and a hard place: Effects of land-use change on rock-dwelling animals of lateritic plateaus in the northern Western Ghats

Jithin

Rane²,

Watve³

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Unfortunately, the network of protected areas in the northern WG is not as extensive as in the southern WG, though they consist of areas identified to be of high conservation value (Das et al., 2006; Watve, 2013). The protected areas in the northern WG are small in size and consist of fragmented forests with high anthropogenic disturbance located in the vicinity of urban centers (Gadgil, 2011; Thorpe & Watve, 2015). Apart from centipedes, there have been records of other range‐restricted species on these plateaus across different taxa (snails: Aravind et al., 2005; plants: Lekhak & Yadav, 2012; Shigwan et al., 2020; amphibians: Katwate et al., 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity and endemism in the Western Ghats, India: A case study using ancient predatory arthropods

Bharti

Edgecombe

Karanth

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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The Western Ghats (WG) mountain chain in peninsular India is a global biodiversity hotspot, one in which patterns of phylogenetic diversity and endemism remain to be documented across taxa. We used a well-characterized community of ancient soil predatory arthropods from the WG to understand diversity gradients, identify hotspots of endemism and conservation importance, and highlight poorly studied areas with unique biodiversity. We compiled an occurrence dataset for 19 species of scolopendrid centipedes, which was used to predict areas of habitat suitability using bioclimatic and geomorphological variables in Maxent. We used predicted distributions and a time-calibrated species phylogeny to calculate taxonomic and phylogenetic indices of diversity, endemism, and turnover. We observed a decreasing latitudinal gradient in taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in the WG, which supports expectations from the latitudinal diversity gradient. The southern WG had the highest phylogenetic diversity and endemism, and was represented by lineages with long branch lengths as observed from relative phylogenetic diversity/endemism. These results indicate the persistence of lineages over evolutionary time in the southern WG and are consistent with predictions from the southern WG refuge hypothesis.The northern WG, despite having low phylogenetic diversity, had high values of phylogenetic endemism represented by distinct lineages as inferred from relative phylogenetic endemism. The distinct endemic lineages in this subregion might be adapted to life in lateritic plateaus characterized by poor soil conditions and high seasonality.Sites across an important biogeographic break, the Palghat Gap, broadly grouped separately in comparisons of species turnover along the WG. The southern WG and Nilgiris, adjoining the Palghat Gap, harbor unique centipede communities, where the causal role of climate or dispersal barriers in shaping diversity remains to be investigated. Our results highlight the need to use phylogeny and distribution data while assessing diversity and endemism patterns in the WG.

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“…Thus, the fauna on the plateaus are exposed to hot and dry summers and water-logged monsoons (Watve, 2013). The microhabitats on these rock outcrops, such as loose rocks, pools, streams, and flush vegetation, provide refuge to multiple fauna (Jithin et al, 2023; Thorpe and Watve, 2015).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orchards and paddy differentially impact rock outcrop amphibians: Insights from community- and species-level responses

Jithin,

Rane,

Watve

et al. 2023

Preprint

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With agricultural demands increasing globally, determining the nature of impacts of different forms of agriculture on biodiversity, especially for threatened vertebrates and habitats, is critical to inform land management. We determined the impacts of converting rock outcrops (a habitat more threatened than rainforests) to orchards and paddy on anurans in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. We sampled 50 belt transects four times across four sites during the rainy season and recorded information on amphibians and their microhabitats. We determined community-level responses using Hill numbers, beta-diversity measures, and non-metric multidimensional scaling, and species-level responses using joint species distribution modelling. Converting rock outcrops to paddy and orchards significantly altered microhabitat availability. Conversion to paddy mostly had community-level impacts, i.e., lowered species richness and more nested communities, whereas conversion to orchards mostly had species-level impacts, i.e., lowered species occurrence, highlighting the differential impacts of different forms of agriculture on amphibians and the need to determine impacts of land-use change on communities and species concurrently. We show that large rock pools are critical microhabitats for anurans as they serve as a refuge and protect anurans from desiccation during dry spells, which may be prolonged by climate change. Since rock outcrop habitats in low elevations are rapidly being converted to orchards, efforts are needed to conserve them in partnership with local communities, the custodians of these habitats. Our findings demonstrate that different forms of agriculture can have divergent impacts on biodiversity, and determining their impacts may require assessments at multiple scales, from species to communities.HIGHLIGHTSOrchard and paddy conversions affect anurans and their microhabitats on rock outcropsConversion to paddy has community-level impacts, i.e., reduced diversityConversion to orchards has species-level impacts, i.e., lowered species occurrenceRock pools, an important habitat for outcrop anurans, must be preserved or createdThere is a need to study species-and community-level impacts simultaneously

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Lateritic Plateaus in the Northern Western Ghats, India; a Review of Bauxite Mining Restoration Practices

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Between a rock and a hard place: Effects of land-use change on rock-dwelling animals of lateritic plateaus in the northern Western Ghats

Between a rock and a hard place: Effects of land-use change on rock-dwelling animals of lateritic plateaus in the northern Western Ghats

Spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity and endemism in the Western Ghats, India: A case study using ancient predatory arthropods

Orchards and paddy differentially impact rock outcrop amphibians: Insights from community- and species-level responses

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