P: ISSN No. 0976-8602 RNI No.  UPENG/2012/42622 VOL.- XII , ISSUE- II April  - 2023
E: ISSN No. 2349-9443 Asian Resonance
Spatial Analysis of Plant Diversity in Habitat Fragmentation Area of the Desertic Landscape of Bikaner, Rajasthan
Paper Id :  15937   Submission Date :  2022-09-23   Acceptance Date :  2023-04-07   Publication Date :  2023-04-25
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Anil Kumar Dular
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science
MGS University
Bikaner,Rajasthan, India
Abstract
Rajasthan, has endowed with diversified ecological landforms to sustain with their various topography as unique setting in perspective of ecologicl attributes. The Aravallis, one of the oldest mountain system, divide the state in two unequal parts. Over 30 percent of the state is covered by Aravallis and a vast expanse of arid and semi arid tract lies in the west of Aravallis. The State of Rajasthan has rich and diversified social, cultural, ethnic heritage and distinct flora and fauna. The floristic component and faunistic component of rajasthan is having numerous diversity from microbes to plants and animals sofar depicted as a most generic desertic ecosystem in the world. According to Good (1964) the earth has been divided into six floral kingdom, Rajasthan falling under Neotropical or Oriental floral kingdom.Abstract: The present study narrates the prevailing condition of abndoned landform that is the part of remnant Thar desert.The study area of varsity is having great experience of habitat loss or fragmentation due to developmental activites as well as migration of city towards this grazing land or gauchar. Present study reveals on desertic patch of university campus which was earlier declared as a common grazing land, now having developmental activities due to construction and other mobilization.some findings pertaining to the ecological parameters as the study of concern in abandoned landscape in consonance of present and previous status.The resulting habitat fragments are surrounding by agriculture, urban landscapes, plantation forests, secondary forest or wastelands. In general, habitat fragmentation can be expected to cause local extinction of original species, and fragmented will contain fewer of the original species than continuous habitat. An attempt has been made to find out the status of various ecological parameters of study area in consonance of loss and threat on their survivility.
Keywords Endemism, Desertic, Ecology and Phenology. Phytoecological, Abandoned Landscape Biodiversity.
Introduction
Study area is part of remnant of Thar desert under as per classification of champion and seth category of tropical dry deciduous forest heterogeneity of herbs , shrubs and grasses. Study laid on tree mortality and damage were patchy and episodic in nature, with most biomass being lost within the perceding years after fragmentation. It is not yet known whether biomass in fragments will eventually recover to pre-fragmentation levels or whether fragments will develop a new, post-fragmentation equilibrium that is lower than the original patch. The study emphasize the latter is more likely because fragments are prone to recurring wind disturbance which can kill and damage many small trees, and because tree, shrubs and herbs mortality rates in our fragments have remained atypically high during the last 10 years after fragmentation. If this the case, complex, old-growth in fragments will tend to be replaced over the long term by shorter, scrubby forests with lower volume and biomass. The area is blessed with so many forms of unique sand dunes with scarce vegetation and scanty rainfall.Modeling indicates that under the most frequent environmental conditions, fires are highly unlikely in grazed . Even under windy and dry conditions, in grazed would affect relatively little because they spread slowly and have short lengths, which would allow most shrubs to survive eventhough when cattle are removed, grasses accumulate and catastrophic.Smaller fragments are less likely to support viable population sizes if connesctivity is not maintained across the linear clearing . Previous studies have demonstrated a number of impacts of roads on small mammals of the fragmented habitat, including edge effects and inhibition of road crossings . These impacts are modulated by several factors, including the width of clearing between habitat edges, the degree of canopy closure and therefore alien road verge habitat, and the presence of such as culverts that allow movements by several species. There are a number of challenges in fragmented habitat for maintaining original status of study area and conservation of biodiversity. It is due to a number of originally occurring university premises with peoples marching for a long time and also surrounding with local peoples and their cattle population, agricultural activities, deforestation activities, grazing by livestock .
Objective of study
An attempt has been made during the study to find out the various consequences of habitat fragmentation of such a fragile ecosystem in perspective of biodiversity loss especially plant diversity as a pilot study for desert ecosystem i.e Thar Desert.
Review of Literature

The pertaining study is based on the cited literature & so far of the author's best knowledge no related other work has been considerate.The criteria of present study has been based on earlier studies which are mentioned in the literature.

Main Text

Panoramic aerial view of the University  campus shown by Google Earth

Methodology
In the present study an attempt has been made (i) to ascertain the current status of fauna and flora in all the possible study area. (ii) to find out number and names of plants species important from the point of view of medicinal properties and economic importance. (iii) to find out details about the rarely and uncommonly occurring species. (iv) to determine the impact of grazing and other activities on desertic landscape (v) to find out miscellaneous causes of deforestation and ecological imbalances in the study area. Extensive field studies has undertaken by the help of mapping and traverse method of the area in several directions and put stakes at number of points, photography, and quadrate methods for community structure to calculate the frequency, density, abundance, cover and basal area and Importance value index and other ecological parameters were taken into consideration.The following indices phytoecological parameter were used for the present study to ascertain species richness, diversity ,evenness and dispersion of the permanent vegetation of the study area of desertic landscape.Various anthropogenic activities were identified viz. agriculture, human settlement, livestock grazing, encroachment and poaching etc. Field visits were regularly conducted in the study area of respective anthropogenic activities and impacts were studied and recorded. Photographs were taken and information was collected through interview schedulesPersonal observations were taken in the field by visiting the study area and its different landforms. It was a great help that the field staff of, Department of Forest, Government of Rajasthan was associated always in the field. Plant samples (leaf, flower etc.) were brought to department of environment of the university, herbarium sheets for important species were prepared and help and cooperation was sought from the “Herbarium” of the department for finding out the current status of vegetation in the study area.
Analysis

Table A: Phyto-ecological parameters of the fragmented habitat landscape


Botanical names of species

frequency

density

Abundance

RF

RD

RA

IVI

Total Basal Area in Sq.cm

Octhocloa indica

100

18.8

18.8

8.7

39.4

27.93

76.03

49075.6

Heliotropium indicum

80

4.7

5.87

7.01

9.8

8.72

25.53

12206.6

Euphobia microphylla

90

3.9

4.33

7.8

8.1

6.43

22.33

10089.1

Indigophera linnaei

70

1.6

2.2

6.1

3.3

3.26

12.66

4110.39

Boerhavia diffusa

90

2.4

2.6

7.8

5.04

3.8

16.64

6277.6

Convovulus desertii

20

0.3

1.5

1.75

0.63

2.22

4.6

784.7

Eragrostis minor

20

0.8

9.0

1.75

3.7

13.37

18.82

4608.6

Fagonia cretica

50

1.1

2.2

4.3

2.3

3.2

9.8

2864.8

Acacia italica

40

0.5

1.25

3.5

1.05

1.85

6.4

1307.8

Aerva persica

50

0.6

1.2

4.3

1.26

1.78

7.34

1569.4

Aristida funiculata

60

0.9

1.8

5.2

1.89

2.67

9.76

2354.1

Tribulus terrestris

80

1.9

2.37

7.01

3.9

3.52

14.43

4857.7

Aerva pseudotomentosa

100

1.5

1.5

8.7

3.1

2.22

14.02

3861.2

Crotolaria burhia

50

1.0

2

4.3

2.1

2.97

9.37

2615.7

 Cyprus rotandus

60

1.0

1.42

5.2

2.1

2.10

9.4

2615.7

 Indigofera cordifolia

100

1.5

1.5

8.7

3.1

2.22

14.02

3861.2

 Cenchrus setigerous

70

1.0

1.42

6.1

2.1

2.10

10.3

2615.7

Lasiurus sindicus

20

0.2

1.0

1.75

0.4

1.48

3.63

498.2

Tragus biflorus

80

1.8

2.25

7.01

3.7

3.34

14.05

4608.6

Brachiaria ramosa

50

0.8

1.6

4.3

1.6

2.37

8.27

1992.9

Gisekia pharnacoides

20

0.3

1.5

1.75

0.6

2.22

4.57

747.3






Result and Discussion

Grasses

1.

Allotropis cimiciana

Leaves

2.

Aphluda mutica

Leaves

3.

Aristida adscenscionis

Leaves

4.

Brachiaria distachya

Leaves

5.

Cenchrus setigerus

Leaves

6.

Chloris dolichostachya

Leaves

7.

Chloris barbata

Leaves

8.

Cyandon dactylon

Leaves

9.

Dactyloctenium aegypticum

Leaves

10.

Dendrocalamus  strictus

Leaves

11.

Dichanthium annulatum

Leaves

12.

Digitaria abludeus

Leaves

13.

Eragrotis ciliaris

Leaves

14.

Heteropogon contortus

Leaves

15.

Seteria verticillata

Leaves

16.

Sorghum halepense

Leaves

17.

Sporobolus coromandelianus

Leaves

18.

Tetrapogon tenellus

Leaves

19.

Themeda quadrivalis

Leaves

Quantitative evaluation by establishing statistically designed census quadrate sampling method revealed that present study area as a remnant of Thar Desert is highly generic endowed with low biological diversity and habitat heterogeneity but due to the anthropogenic activities leads or transforming into an abandoned landscape. It is assumed that if prevailing condition sustained this ecological habitat became degenerated drastically and the succession and regenerational process become curtailed and fragility increases. In the present study it is observed that maximum relative frequency of species are Octhocloa indica, Aerva pseudotomentosa, Indigofera cordifolia and minimum relative frequency was observed of Convovulus desertii, Eragrostis minor Lasiurus sindicus, Gisekia pharnacoides  species respectively. The relative maximum density are found of species Octhocloa indica and minimum with species Convovulus desertii, Lasiurus sindicus.The relative maximum abundance shown by species Octhocloa indica, Eragrostis minor and minimum relative abundance of Cyprus rotandus, Cenchrus setigerous, Lasiurus sindicus respectively.It was observed that maximum IVI related to the species Octhocloa indica , Heliotropium indicum , Euphobia microphylla showing their ecological dominance while minimum IVI observed for species Convovulus desertii, Lasiurus sindicus, Gisekia pharnacoides respectively.The total basal area of the studied quadrates in present landscape comprises of( 123522.8 sq.cm) with maximum basal area of species Octhocloa indica is (49075.6sq.cm) and minimum basal area with Lasiurus sindicus (498.2sq.cm )and Gisekia pharnacoides (747.3sq.cm) respectively. Detail studies of flowering and fruiting phenology have been conducted in almost every area of present study randomly. The results show that different species may produce flowers and fruiting annually in favorable period of monsoon.  The majority of species rely on air borne and animal to transfer their pollen, seeds are also transfer by animal dispersal during grazing or consuming comes through their excreta which are abandoned due to demarcation of the boundary around the campus.the present study an attempt has been made to find out the current status of interaction between the environment existing biodiversity and anthropogenic activities. Results in this study includes information related to existing biodiversity in the given study area and various anthropogenic activities viz.  activities, human settlements and habitation, grazing camps  loping for the collection of wood, livestock grazing, poaching, encroachment, introduction of exotic species, development of waterholes, and agriculture. Results associated with above activities are mentioned here.Grazing is reported to be an activity which has potential to damage biodiversity. The existence of livestock is directly associated with human population. In the present study during the field visits it was observed that intensive grazing is done at several place in the . If the Due to increase number in livestocks more than the carrying capacity, biodiversity is affected in irreversible manner.Climax community of a given area is a result of interaction, interdependence, and interrelations between the living organism and their respective environment among the populations of the climax community over a long period of time. Thus there is a close intimacy between the species and their respective habitat to the extent that some of the species become endemic to the given area. This is the characteristic feature of specific habitat that they are harbouring large number of endemic species per hectare. It is quite unfortunate that there is systematic removal of indigenous species. They are not allowed to regenerate due to formation of approach roads and developmental activities. The barren land created due to elimination of indigenous species are covered by exotic species.It is advocated that exotic species are fast growing and producing fuel wood. As a matter of fact introduction of exotic species exerts pressure allelopathic and allelochemically on soil and ultimately on indigenous species.During the field visits it was observed that the livestocks graze upon trees, herbs shrubs with their respective specific choices due to choosy nature of different livestock. Only certain selected plant species face problem of grazing and resultantly their number reduces.A list has been prepared according to the choice of grazing of different species by reared livestock (cattles, buffaloes and goats). The observation related to grazing indicates that , 19 grass species might face the problem of thining in their frequency of occurrence in the given study area.

Conclusion
In this study emphasis was laid on the floral diversity with their uses products inside and outside the fragmented habitat.The study revealed that the loss biodiversity of the study area due to anthropogenic activities leads in scarcity of underground vegetation, which is basis of livelihood of faunistic component. Due to the human interference fragmented habitat will lead to deterioration of so many species which have great importance to stability in the fragile ecosystem as a part of Thar desert.
Acknowledgement The author is extremely thankful to their colleagues of the Department for the help rendered during the study and field excursion.
References
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