Submitted date: 16 June 2013 Accepted date: 6 December 2013 Published date: 25 December 2013 Pp. 111–119, Pls. 1–2.
IMPACT OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON HERPETOFAUNAL MORTALITY IN A SAVANNAH FOREST, EASTERN SRI LANKA
D.M.S. Suranjan Karunarathna, Sujan M. Henkanaththegedara, A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe* & Anslem de Silva *Corresponding author. E-mail: thasun.taprobanica@gmail.com
Abstract Mortality of wildlife due to vehicular traffic is among the direct impacts when natural habitats are dissected with roads. This study presents the herpetofaunal mortality on a 3km stretch of a highway crossing Nilgala Forest Area (NFA), a savanna dominated forest in Nilgala, eastern Sri Lanka. A total of 72 species of herpetofauna including 53 reptiles and 19 amphibians were recorded as road kills of which 19 species (26.3%) are endemic to Sri Lanka and 22 species (30.5%) are threatened nationally. A total of 552 road killed individuals (23.6% of tetrapod reptiles, 40.2% of serpentoid reptiles and 36.2% amphibians) were recorded over 48 days.
Key words : Road kills, reptiles, amphibians, threats, human impact, conservation
Submitted date: 30 May 2013 Accepted date: 31 October 2013 Published date: 25 December 2013 Pp. 102–110.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE SNOW TROUT Schizothorax richardsonii (GRAY, 1832)
Vandana Rajput, J.A. Johnson* & K. Sivakumar *Corresponding author. E-mail: jaj@wii.gov.in
Abstract This study examines the relationship between morphological traits related to body size and fin morphology and the environment in snow trout, Schizothorax richardsonii, a widespread species from the upper Ganga river basin, India. Three body shape traits (index of compression, index of trunk shape and relative body depth) and three fin traits (dorsal fin relative area, pectoral fin relative area and pectoral fin aspect ratio) were related to five environmental variables (water temperature, water flow, depth, conductivity and substrate diversity) across eight study streams. Water temperature, conductivity and substrate diversity were highly variable across the sampled sites. There was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.676) between composite morphological traits (principal components) related to body size and fin morphology. Furthermore, both body size and fin morphology were strongly correlated (r = 0.861 and r = -0.845 respectively) with composite environmental variables (water temperature, conductivity and substrate diversity) across sites. These findings suggest that the morphological traits of fish populations residing across environmental gradients are adapted to different habitats.
Key words :Schizothorax richardsonii, ecomorphology, environmental variables, Ganga River
James L. Reveal* *Section Editor: Taprobanica, the journal of Asian Biodiversity
For many a young person there is nothing worse than a grumpy old curmudgeon with opinions steeped in tradition and a “we have always done it that way” attitude. Call me guilty. Now in my seventh decade of life with some fifty years of experience writing botanical papers I bring a modicum of experience to the subject, and being one of the “old school” the baggage includes a lot of established tradition that dates back centuries. This is not to say that I am laboring on this editorial on an old manual typewriter with a faded ribbon, technology is something all of us embrace for it often saves time and resources. Rather, I am talking about the traditions established by botanists on how information is presented when written. Again, I am not suggesting publications should only be in the form of a hard copy, quite the contrary as I am a firm supporter of electronic publication.
Submitted date: 28 March 2022 Accepted date: 16 November 2022 Published date: 22 November 2022 Pp. 119–121.
Seaweed (macroalgae) diversity on the Dikwella coast, Southern Sri Lanka
M.L.I. De Silva*, M.S. Gunasinghe, P.H. Liyanagedara, M.A.S. Ranjula, H.M.S.M Herath, N. I. Bamunuarachchi & W.A.A.D.L Wickramasinghe *Corresponding author. E-mail: ninelawlis1@gmail.com
Seaweeds are photosynthetic and macroscopic eukaryotic organisms found in marine and brackish water environments. They are one of the major primary producers in marine ecosystems. They are also important in maintaining coastal biodiversity by interacting with other organisms. In addition to their biological and ecological importance, seaweeds are economically significant. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that a total of 35 million tonnes of seaweed were produced through cultivation in 2019 and 97% of this was from East Asia. China was ranked as the top producer. In contrast to all the positives, there are a few negative impacts of seaweeds; including biofouling, habitat invasion, and unwanted beach drift.
Submitted date: 30 January 2022 Accepted date: 30 October 2022 Published date: 22 November 2022 Pp. 114–118, Pls. 35–36.
On the critically endangered red teruntum mangrove (Lumnitzera littorea)
S. Madhushanka*, K.B. Ranawana & M. Prassanna *Corresponding author. E-mail: shashimadhushanka2@gmail.com
Mangroves are ecologically important forest communities along tropical and subtropical coasts with 70 woody species belonging to about 30 genera in 20 families. Lumnitzera littorea (Jack) Voigt of the Family Combretaceae is a critically endangered true mangrove species indigenous to Sri Lanka. This species is distributed widely on the east coast of Africa, northern Australia, Polynesia, and tropical Asian countries. It is only known from a few locations in Sri Lanka. Therefore, in Sri Lanka L. littorea has been identified as a critically endangered (CR) species in 2007, 2012, and 2020 National Red Lists.