Native Perennial Forb Variation Between Mountain Big Sagebrush and Wyoming Big Sagebrush Plant Communities

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) occupies large portions of the western United States and provides valuable wildlife habitat. However, information is lacking quantifying differences in native perennial forb characteristics between mountain big sagebrush [A. tridentata spp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle] and Wyoming big sagebrush [A. tridentata spp. wyomingensis (Beetle & A. Young) S.L. Welsh] plant communities. This information is critical to accurately evaluate the quality of habitat and forage that these communities can produce because many wildlife species consume large quantities of native perennial forbs and depend on them for hiding cover. To compare native perennial forb characteristics on sites dominated by these two subspecies of big sagebrush, we sampled 106 intact big sagebrush plant communities. Mountain big sagebrush plant communities produced almost 4.5-fold more native perennial forb biomass and had greater native perennial forb species richness and diversity compared to Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities (P < 0.001). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) and the multiple-response permutation procedure (MRPP) demonstrated that native perennial forb composition varied between these plant communities (P < 0.001). Native perennial forb composition was more similar within plant communities grouped by big sagebrush subspecies than expected by chance (A = 0.112) and composition varied between community groups (P < 0.001). Indicator analysis did not identify any perennial forbs that were completely exclusive and faithful, but did identify several perennial forbs that were relatively good indicators of either mountain big sagebrush or Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities. Our results suggest that management plans and habitat guidelines should recognize differences in native perennial forb characteristics between mountain and Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities.     

Are There Benefits to Mowing Wyoming Big Sagebrush Plant Communities? An Evaluation in Southeastern Oregon

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) communities frequently are mowed in an attempt to increase perennial herbaceous vegetation. However, there is limited information as to whether expected benefits of mowing are realized when applied to Wyoming big sagebrush communities with intact understory vegetation. We compared vegetation and soil nutrient concentrations in mowed and undisturbed reference plots in Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities at eight sites for three years post-treatment. Mowing generally did not increase perennial herbaceous vegetation cover, density, or biomass production (P > 0.05). Annual forbs and exotic annual grasses were generally greater in the mowed compared to the reference treatment (P < 0.05). By the third year post-treatment annual forb and annual grass biomass production was more than nine and sevenfold higher in the mowed than reference treatment, respectively. Our results imply that the application of mowing treatments in Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities does not increase perennial herbaceous vegetation, but may increase the risk that exotic annual grasses will dominate the herbaceous vegetation. We suggest that mowing Wyoming big sagebrush communities with intact understories does not produce the expected benefits. However, the applicability of our results to Wyoming big sagebrush communities with greater sagebrush cover and/or degraded understories needs to be evaluated.     

Allelopathic response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vetiveria zizanioides</Emphasis> (L.) Nash on members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> spp.

The biological removal of phosphates was carried as a part of treatment strategy. Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash belonging to the family Poaceae was used for biological removal of biostimulants. Vetiver reportedly has mycorrhizal association; besides having potential for removal of PO₄ ⁻³ also showed allelopathic affect on the microorganisms present in the water. In fact after a period of 96 h old roots of this plant have been found to have killing effects on the E. coli, Enterobacter spp. Pseudomonas spp. belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. The paper is opening a new face of study.     

Phytoremediation of heavy metals by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eichhornia crassipes</Emphasis>

Eichhornia crassipes was tested for its ability to bioconcentrate 8 toxic metals (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) commonly found in wastewater from industries. Young plants of equal size were grown hydroponically and amended with 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mM of each heavy metal individually for 21 days. The test plant had the lowest and the highest tolerance indices for Hg and Zn, respectively. A significant (P ≤ .05) reduction in biomass production was observed in metal treated plants compared with the control. All strace elements accumulated to higher concentrations in roots than in shoots. Trace element concentrations in tissues and the bioconcentration factors (BCF) were proportional to the initial concentration of individual metal in the growth medium and the duration of exposure. From a phytoremediation perspective, E. crassipes is a promising plant species for remediation of natural water bodies and/or wastewater polluted with low levels of Zn, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ag and Ni.     

Petroleum hydrocarbons and limiting nutrients in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macura reptantia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Procambarus clarkii</Emphasis> and benthic sediment from Qua Iboe Estuary,Nigeria

The levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons in two commonly consumed benthopelagic shellfishes, Macura reptantia and Procambarus clarkii, harvested from benthic sediment of Qua Iboe Estuary were determined using a gas chromatography with flame-ionization detector. Seventy-two (72) samples each of benthic sediment and the shellfishes were collected monthly between June 2003 and February 2004 covering the peak periods of the wet and dry seasons. Concentrations of hydrocarbons were highly variable and ranged between 5.00 and 232.00 μg/g dry weight of benthic sediment, 3.05 and 11.30 μg/g dry weight of M. reptantia, 1.62 and 9.00 μg/g dry weight of P. clarkii. Pearson’s correlation analysis of total hydrocarbon concentrations in subtidal sediments with levels in the fauna species yielded positive significant (P < 0.05) correlations in M. reptantia (r = 0.737) and P. clarkii (r = 0.924). This is indicative of a long term and chronic accumulation of hydrocarbons in the estuarine ecosystem, reflecting the potential for exposure of the resident biota and the risk to human health.     

Growth and fecundity of earthworms: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perionyx excavatus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perionyx sansibaricus</Emphasis> in cattle waste solids

Epigeic earthworms (Oligochaeta) have been appeared as key organisms to convert organic waste resources into value-added products, i.e., vermicompost and worm biomass. The assessment of reproduction potential of composting earthworm may be beneficial for large-scale earthworm production. Although, the waste minimizing potential of Perionyx excavatus and Perionyx sansibaricus is well proved, but little information is available about their fecundity rate. In this study, the efforts have been made to explore the growth and reproduction biology of P. excavatus and P. sansibaricus, using cattle waste solid as culture substrate, under laboratory conditions. Earthworms were weighed weekly and number of cocoons produced per week assessed. Biomass productions, fecundity, maturation, natality all were significantly different between P. excavatus and P. sansibaricus. The highest mean individual biomass was 767.7 ± 18.4 mg and 612.6 ± 20.6 mg, respectively in P. sansibaricus and P. excavatus. However, the highest cocoon numbers occurred in P. excavatus (492.3 ± 13.6), significantly higher than P. sansibaricus (269.6 ± 17.1). Fecundity was slightly different in both species: 1.38 ± 0.77 cocoons adult worm⁻¹ week⁻¹ (P. excavatus) and 1.58 ± 0.74 cocoons adult worm⁻¹ week⁻¹ (P. sansibaricus). The hatchling success rate (%) was highest in P. excavatus. Overall natality (juveniles adult⁻¹ week⁻¹) was highest in P. sansibaricus (1.52) than P. excavatus (1.26), which suggests that P. sansibaricus may be a better candidate for rapid propagation of earthworms in cattle waste solid.     

Investigating efficiency of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lampito mauritii</Emphasis> (Kinberg) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perionyx ceylanensis</Emphasis> Michaelsen for vermicomposting of different types of organic substrates

The vermicomposting ability of Lampito mauritii (Kinberg) and Perionyx ceylanensis Michaelsen was evaluated by using three different types of organic substrates such as leaf litter of Polyalthia longifolia, Pennisetum typhoides cobs (pearl millet) and a weed, Rottboellia exaltata (whole plant except the roots) in combination with cowdung (1:1). Vermicomposting studies (120 days) conducted to optimize the number of worms required for efficient conversion based on the reduction of C/N ratio, percentage decomposition of organic substrates, total number and biomass of earthworms recovered from the vermibed substrates clearly showed that vermibeds with 4 kg of organic materials can hold about 60–80 L. mauritii and about 90–120 P. ceylanensis for efficient decomposition. The percentage decomposition of each organic substrate treated with different numbers of L. mauritii (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 earthworms) and P. ceylanensis (30, 60, 90, 120 and 150) showed significant difference (P < 0.001) between numbers of worms introduced per vermibed but the difference between substrates was not significant within the treatments. Vermicomposting resulted in significant increase in electrical conductivity (28.54–49.82%), total nitrogen (43.96–90.83%), total phosphorus (27.42–68.10%) and total potassium (27.42–113.18%), whereas decrease in organic carbon (35.05–49.74%), C/N ratio (55.48–73.18%) and C/P ratio (50.46–66.90%) in different vermibeds introduced with L. mauritii and P. ceylanensis. Both the earthworm species can be used for vermicomposting different organic substrates; however, duration of vermicomposting with P. ceylanensis is not as much of L. mauritii. The use of L. mauritii for vermicomposting of other substrates has been well established by other workers also but standardization of P. ceylanensis, a locally available species, for vermicomposting of different organic substrates is a new finding and the species could be useful for vermiconversion of organic substrates under local conditions.     

Metal contamination of surface water,sediment and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tympanotonus fuscatus</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">radula</Emphasis> of Iko River and environmental impact due to Utapete gas flare station,Nigeria

Inter-seasonal studies on the trace metal load of surface water, sediment and Tympanotonus fuscatus var. radula of Iko River were conducted between 2003 and 2004. The impact of anthropogenic activities especially industrial effluent, petroleum related wastes, gas flare and episodic oil spills on the ecosystem are remarkable. Trace metals analyzed included cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn). Sediment particle size analysis revealed that they were characteristically psammitic and were predominantly of medium to fine grained sand (>73%), less of silt (<15%) and clay (<10%). These results correlated with low levels of trace elements such as Pb (0.03 ± 0.02 mg kg⁻¹), Cr (0.22 ± 0.12 mg kg⁻¹), Cd (0.05 ± 0.03 mg kg⁻¹), Cu (0.04 ± 0.02 mg kg⁻¹) and Mn (0.23 ± 0.22 mg kg⁻¹) in the sediment samples. This observation is consistent with the scarcity of clayey materials known to be good scavengers for metallic and organic contaminants. Sediments indicated enhanced concentration of Fe, Ni and V, while other metal levels were relatively low. The concentrations of all the metals except Pb in surface water were within the permissible levels, suggesting that the petroleum contaminants had minimal effect on the state of pollution by trace metals in Iko River. Notably, the pollutant concentrations in the sediments were markedly higher than the corresponding concentrations in surface water and T. fuscatus tissues, and decreased with distance from point sources of pollution.     

Role of physiographic factors in distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies pindrow</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Silver Fir</Emphasis>) along an altitudinal gradient in Himalayan temperate forests

We have made an attempt to understand the significance of physiographic factors viz., altitude, aspect, slope and soil characteristics in determining the structure, composition, growth behavior and distribution of Himalayan Silver Fir (Abies pindrow Spach.) through a comparative analysis of two temperate forests. The occurrence of highest density (370 and 225 ind/ha), importance value index (213.10 and 190.60) and total basal cover (TBC; 95.72 and 51.15 m²/ha) values along with the availability of higher organic carbon (6.53 and 4.47%), nitrogen (N; 0.73 and 0.44%) and potassium (K; 621 and 319 ppm) contents in the soils just beneath the hilltops (2,650–2,800 and 2,550–2,650 m asl), on steeper slopes (45°–50° and 42°–45°) and North-East aspects have revealed better growth of A. pindrow on both the sites. Stem density positively correlated with TBC (0.771), Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′; 0.879), OC (0.601), N (0.758) and K (0.752), whereas TBC has shown significant positive relationship with H′ (0.894), K (0.793) and N (0.716). Similarly, H′ has also shown significant positive correlation with slope (0.721), K (0.855) and N (0.791). Interestingly, positive correlation of altitude with stem density (0.557) and of slope with TBC (0.608) was noticed in the distribution of A. pindrow individuals.     

Effect of spent engine oil on the growth parameters and chlorophyll content of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corchorus olitorius</Emphasis> Linn

The effect of spent engine oil on the height, leaf number, leaf area, stem girth, chlorophyll, and moisture contents of Corchorus olitorius grown on 0, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 3.0% (v/w oil/soil) oil-contaminated soil was investigated. The engine oil at all concentrations delayed the germination of C. olitorius by 2 days (compared to control) and there was a general significant reduction in all the growth parameters in plants grown on contaminated soil compared to control plants. The highest leaf area of 26.8 cm² was found in the control plant and least was found in the 0.6% soil (0.11 cm²) after 3 weeks while no values were recorded on the 0.8–3.0% engine-oil-contaminated soil after 5 weeks of experiment. The highest chlorophyll content was also found in the control plant (11.5 mg/l). This showed that spent engine oil has an adverse effect on the growth of C. olitorius plant.     

Forb,Insect, and Soil Response to Burning and Mowing Wyoming Big Sagebrush in Greater Sage-Grouse Breeding Habitat

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis A. t. Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle and Young) communities provide structure and forbs and insects needed by greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) for growth and survival. We evaluated forb, insect, and soil responses at six mowed and 19 prescribed burned sites compared to 25, paired and untreated reference sites. Sites were classified by treatment type, soil type, season, and decade of treatment (sites burned during 1990–1999 and sites burned or mowed during 2000–2006). Our objective was to evaluate differences in ten habitat attributes known to influence sage-grouse nesting and brood rearing to compare responses among treatment scenarios. Contrary to desired outcomes, treating Wyoming big sagebrush through prescribed burning or mowing may not stimulate cover or increase nutrition in food forbs, or increase insect abundance or indicators of soil quality compared with reference sites. In some cases, prescribed burning showed positive results compared with mowing such as greater forb crude protein content (%), ant (Hymenoptera; no./trap), beetle (Coleoptera/no./trap), and grasshopper abundance (Orthoptera; no./sweep), and total (%) soil carbon and nitrogen, but of these attributes, only grasshopper abundance was enhanced at burned sites compared with reference sites in 2008. Mowing did not promote a statistically significant increase in sage-grouse nesting or early brood-rearing habitat attributes such as cover or nutritional quality of food forbs, or counts of ants, beetles, or grasshoppers compared with reference sites.     

Influence of different nitrogen rich supplements during cultivation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurotus </Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">florida</Emphasis> on corn cob substrate

The cultivation of white rot edible fungus Pleurotus florida was performed in polybags. The corn cob was employed as basal substrate while eight different additives such as urea, ammonium sulphate, gram flour, soybean meal, ground nut cake and molasses were used with corn cob. Three different levels of variable combinations with corn cob were evaluated in response to different parameters of mushroom viz., mycelial growth, spawn running, primordial initiation, fruit body yield and its biological efficiency. Each additive at different combinations showed variable impact on the different stages of mushroom life cycle. The primordial initiation was observed for the first time during 20.2–35.1 days. The biological efficiencies in every supplemented set were increased over un-supplemented control set. Increasing the level of additives, the biological efficiency was negatively affected at higher levels. The cotton seed cake was found the best supplement producing 93.75% biological efficiency while soybean meal was the second best additive producing 93.00% yield. The highest growth rate, rapid mycelia run, early primordial initiation, highest yield and biological efficiency were recorded in the combination of corn cob and cotton seed cake at 2% (98 + 2) level.     

Oxidative enzymes in tissues of the catfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clarias gariepinus</Emphasis>) exposed to varying levels of cadmium

The activities of some oxidative enzymes (aldehyde oxidase, AO, EC 1.2.3.1; xanthine oxidase, XO, EC 1.17.3.2; sulphite oxidase, SO, EC 1.8.3.1; and monoamine oxidase, MO, EC 1.4.3.4) were investigated in the liver, gill, kidney, brain and muscle of a variety of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) after 7 and 21 days of exposure to 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 ppm cadmium (Cd) in ambient water. MO, SO and AO activities were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the liver, kidney and gill in the 7-day Cd-exposed fish when compared to control. Conversely, brain MO, AO and SO activities were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in a dose-dependent manner in the same fishes relative to control. As in the 7-day Cd-exposed fish, the activities of MO, AO and SO were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the gill, kidney and liver of catfish exposed for 21 days. Same is true for XO in these organs after both duration of exposure, except in the liver where no significant change was observed relative to control. The inhibition of these oxidative enzymes in the liver, gill and kidney of catfish may interfere with their biotransformation function, and ultimately the survival of the fish may be compromised.     

Alteration in Rhizosphere Soil Properties of Afforested <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhamnus lycioides</Emphasis> Seedlings in Short-Term Response to Mycorrhizal Inoculation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glomus intraradices</Emphasis> and Organic Amendment

The reestablisment of autochthonous plant species is an essential strategy for recovering degraded areas under semiarid conditions. A field experiment was carried out to assess the short-term effect of two reafforestation methods involving mycorrhizal inoculation and compost addition on soil quality parameters and Rhamnus lycioides seedling growth. The nutrient content (NPK) and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, urease, protease-BAA, acid phosphatase and β-glucosidase) increased and bulk density decreased in the rhizosphere soil with the organic amendment. Biomass C of rhizosphere soil increased by at least 240% with respect to the control soil after mycorrhizal inoculation and the combination of compost addition + mycorrhizal inoculation. Both mycorrhizal inoculation and composted organic residue addition increased R. lycioides seedling growth in the same proportion. In the short term, we conclude that the application of both reafforestation methods not only enhances the establishment of R. lycioides seedlings, but also improves soil quality.     

Assessment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gmelina arborea</Emphasis> sawdust–cement-bonded rainwater storage tank

The performance of a mixture of a forest bye product and cement for the production of storage structure for harvested rainwater was assessed. Three mix ratios of Cement: Gmelina arborea sawdust 3.0:1.0 (specimen A), 2.5:1.0 (specimen B) and 2.0:1.0 (specimen C) were considered. Engineering properties and dimensional stability of the different mix-ratios were monitored from prototypes cylindrical pots and test billet specimens. Possible change in quality of stored rainwater, with time was monitored in all the three cases. Water quality parameters monitored include pH, hardness, total suspended solids, alkalinity, acidity and total dissolved CO₂. The tensile stress obtained were 110, 104, and 95 N/mm², while the compressive strength were 5,000, 3,000, and 2,000 kN for specimens A, B and C respectively. Accelerated aging test showed that sample A were more resistant to deformation, while specimen C were more susceptible to change in structure over time. Similarly, the values of tensile and compressive strength after accelerated aging test increased in the order of specimen A > B > C. Except in specimen C where significant differences in alkalinity and acidity were observed, there were no significant differences in quality of the water stored in the pots after 2 months of storage. The results indicate the suitability of the Gmelina arborea waste as an alternative in constructing water storage structures in rural communities.     

Metal decontamination of tannery solid waste using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tagetes patula</Emphasis> in association with saprobic and mycorrhizal fungi

A greenhouse trial was conducted to investigate the role of mycorrhizal and resistant fungi on heavy metal phytoextraction from different concentrations of tannery solid waste amended soil (10, 20, 50, and 100%) by Tagetes patula. The four treatments included were, the control (C) without any inoculum, mycorrhizal (M) inoculated with strongly mycorrhizal roots of Cynodon dactylon, fungal (F) inoculated with Trichoderma pseudokoningii and the combined inoculation with both mycorrhizal and fungal inocula (M + F). The dual inoculation increased plant biomass and phytoextraction ability of plant for metals like Cd, Cr, Cu, and Na. Plants given only fungus (F) and only mycorrhizal (M) treatment also showed significant growth rate as compared with control treatment. The statistical analysis of data indicated synergistic interaction between mycorrhizal and fungal inoculum promoting high biomass and enhanced metal phytoextraction. Thus using more than one group of rhizosphere fungi in association with a high biomass producing plant may be employed for rendering tannery solid waste free of metals.     

Arsenic uptake and phytotoxicity of T-aman rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.) grown in the As-amended soil of Bangladesh

A pot-culture experiment was conducted in open-field conditions with highly cultivated locally transplanted (T) aman rice (Oryza sativa L.) named BR-22 in arsenic (As)-amended soil (0, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 30.0, 40.0 and 50.0 mg kg⁻¹ As) of Bangladesh to see the effect of As on the growth, yield and metal uptake of rice. Arsenic was applied to soil in the form of sodium arsenate (Na₂HAsO₄). Arsenic affected the plant height, tiller and panicle numbers, grain and straw yield of T-aman rice significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The grain As uptake of T-aman rice was found to increase with increase of As in soil and a high grain As uptake was observed in the treatments of 30–50 mg kg⁻¹ As-containing soil. These levels exceed the food hygiene concentration limit of 1.0 mg kg⁻¹ As. However, the straw As uptake varied significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from a low concentration of As in soil (5 mg kg⁻¹) and the highest uptake was noticed in 20 mg kg⁻¹ As treatment.     

Accretion of heavy metals in the catfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bagrus bayad</Emphasis> from Taylor Creek,southern Nigeria

Heavy metals in the aquatic environment have, to date, come essentially from naturally occurring geochemical resources. However, this has been enhanced by anthropogenic activities such as crude oil exploration and exploitation activities, resulting in pollution in the Taylor Creek aquatic ecosystem. The catfish species Bagrus bayad and other environmental segments were collected from five selected sites along Taylor Creek, southern Nigeria, and total metal concentration determined. The concentration levels of the metals in B. bayad were higher than the values reported in the literature for fresh fish and may lead to a higher risk of harmful effects. The bivariate regression models relating metals in B. bayad and metals in the surface waters were significant (R ² ≥ 0.9002). The log (bio-concentration factor; BCF) values of Cr and Zn in B. bayad were the highest, whereas the lowest was found for Ni. The ecological distribution of the log (BCF) values was, for all the heavy metals, moderately stable over the creek. All log-transformed bio-magnification factors (BMF) in the creek were positive, which indicates that the metal concentration was greater in B. bayad than in suspended particulate matter (SPM). The absolute log (BMF) values of heavy metals can, therefore, be ranked in order of decreasing magnitude: Cr (3.26) > Zn (2.99) > Cd (2.93) > Fe (2.76) > Pb (2.66) > Mn (2.36) > Ni (2.24). This sequence indicates that toxic metals such as Cd, Cr and Pb are undergoing significant bio-reduction from SPM to B. bayad. The degree of correlation between the metals was different in B. bayad, which suggests that the sources of the metals polluting Taylor Creek were diverse.     

Identification of Swamp Deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cervus duvauceli duvauceli</Emphasis> Cuvier) Potential Habitat in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve,Uttarakhand, India Using Multi-Criteria Analysis

The present study aims to identify the potential habitat for swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli duvauceli Cuvier) in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve in the Uttarakhand province of India using multi-criteria analysis. The study area represents one of the last remnant habitats of the flagship species, the swamp deer in Uttarakhand, which is considered as vulnerable. The study showed that only 6.08% of the study area (225 km²) was highly suitable to suitable for the swamp deer. An area of 135.52 km² (60.23%) turned out to be moderately suitable. Within the officially designated Conservation Reserve (area 37.84 km²), 10.91% (4.13 km²) area was found highly suitable to suitable, while 74.19% (28.07 km²) happens to be moderately suitable. Only 14 km² area, which was found as suitable habitat for swamp deer falls short of the space required by a population of 134 animals. The problem could be mitigated if the agricultural land (2.47 km²) adjacent to the Jhilmil Jheel is brought under the Reserve management. This would provide additional area to meet the fodder requirement. The study brings out a particularly grim situation with limited options for conservation and management of the swamp deer in the Indo-Gangetic plains. It also emphasizes the role of geospatial techniques in quick appraisal of habitat attributes and identification of potential sites for protected areas.     

Dynamics of Plains Cottonwood (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus deltoides</Emphasis>) Forests and Historical Landscape Change along Unchannelized Segments of the Missouri River,USA

Construction of six large dams and reservoirs on the Missouri River over the last 50–75 years has resulted in major landscape changes and alterations in flow patterns, with implications for riparian forests dominated by plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides). We quantified changes in land cover from 1892–1950s and the 1950s–2006 and the current extent and age structure of cottonwood forests on seven segments (two reservoir and five remnant floodplain) comprising 1127 km (53 %) of the unchannelized upper two-thirds of the Missouri River. Riparian forest area declined by 49 %; grassland 61 %; shrubland 52 %; and sandbar habitat 96 %; while agricultural cropland increased six-fold and river/reservoir surface area doubled from 1892 to 2006. Net rates of erosion and accretion declined between the 1892–1950s and 1950s–2006 periods. Accretion exceeded erosion on remnant floodplain segments, resulting in declines in active channel width, particularly in 1950s–2006. Across all study segments in 2006, most cottonwood stands (67 %) were >50 years old, 22 % were 25–50 years old, and only 10 % were <25 years old. Among stands <50 years old, the higher proportion of 25–50 year old stands represents recruitment that accompanied initial post-dam channel narrowing; while declines in sandbar and shrubland area and the low proportion of stands <25 years old suggest declines in geomorphic dynamism and limited recruitment under recent river management. Future conservation and restoration efforts should focus both on limiting further loss of remnant cottonwood stands and developing approaches to restore river dynamics and cottonwood recruitment processes.