Species in News

Published: 27th Jan, 2023

1. Alien plants threatening tiger habitats

Several alien invasive plants growing together can have a detrimental effect to the biodiversities in tiger habitats, a new study has found.

About the study:

It highlighted that there are many negative impacts of multiple co-occurring alien plants on biodiversity.
The study is the first of its kind in India and was published in journal Forest Ecology and Management by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
The plants can put pressure on native forage plants and drive away wild herbivores, the food source for the big cats.
The invasive alien varieties include Lantana camara, Parthenium hysterophorous, Prosopis juliflora, etc, introduced during British colonisation.
Lantana alone has pervasively invaded 44 per cent of India’s forests.
The study was conducted in Kanha Tiger Reserve, comparing un-invaded native forests with old-growth invasions of single and multiple alien plants.
The researchers evaluated the differences in soil parameters, native grasses, herbs, shrubs, tree regeneration, habitat use by mammals, herbivory, bird occurrence, etc.

2. Olive Ridley Turtle

The Olive Ridley turtles were seen dead in delta of Godavari

In Andhra Pradesh.

About:

Olive Ridley Turtle occurs in the tropical and hot waters of Pacific and Indian Oceans.

It is also known as the Pacific Ridley sea turtle.
Olive Ridley turtles are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed arribadas.
The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica
The olive ridley is predominantly carnivorous, common prey items include jellyfish, bryozoans, snails, shrimp, crabs, rock lobsters, and worms.
Most of these are found in shallow waters, around 15 Kms from the mainland.

It has been observed that a number of Olive Ridley Sea turtles are nesting around the islands of East Godavari district. Initially the seashores in Odisha were the most sought sites, but now they are arriving at the Hope Island, Sacemento Island, Yellaiahpeta and Surasani Yanam.

Major threats:

This incredible nesting event is threatened by a multitude of dangers, including:
- by catch in mechanised shrimp trawlers off the coast in the nesting season
- unregulated development of the coast
- beach erosion
- predation of the eggs by dogs and foxes

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