Pollinator Diversity in Bitter Gourd Ecosystem in the Central Tamil Nadu, India | Chapter 3 | Research Perspective on Biological Science Vol. 8

 

Bitter gourd is a tropical vine belonging to the family Cucubitaceae grown mainly in India, China and Southeast Asia. The past two decades have seen unprecedented interest in pollinators and pollination ecology, stimulated in part by concerns about the decline of pollinator abundance and diversity in some parts of the world. Bees are the most studied and utilised pollinators for cucurbit crops throughout the world and provide the greatest contribution to the pollination of cucurbits. The study aimed to document the diversity of insects (floral visitors/pollinators) visiting bitter gourd flowers. A total of 51 species of flower visitors/pollinators were recorded visiting the bitter gourd flowers when recorded from 000 to 1800 hours during the day time, for various needs like the pollen and nectar rewards, to prey on the flower visitors, and to feed on the flowers too. Field surveys were conducted at weekly intervals in two locations in Tiruchirapalli district, Tamilnadu to study the diversity of insects visiting bitter gourd flowers. This includes 19 Hymenopteran insects, 15 Lepidopterans, seven Dipterans and six Coleopterans. Tetragonula iridipennis was the most abundant pollinator, followed by Apis florea, Halictus sp. and Apis cerana indica; while Syrphus ribesii was the dominating Dipteran pollinator. Among the Lepidopterans, Pachliopta hector was the major pollinator, followed by Danaus chrysippus, Tirumala limniace and Delias eucharis. Species richness (S) was at its maximum (26 species) at 0800 – 1000 hours and minimum (07 species) at 1600-1800 hours. Diversity indices were also calculated based on the data, which shows the distribution of a specific group of pollinators at particular hours of the day. All the indices represented the even and uniform distribution of the pollinator groups. Shannon’s and Simpson’s diversity indices were maximum at 1000-1200 hours with 2.52 and 9.18, respectively. Shannon’s evenness ranged from 0.44 – 0.86, and Simpson’s evenness was 0.28 – 0.54 with a maximum at 1000-1200 hours. The study suggests that pesticide applications should be avoided during morning hours to conserve pollinator populations and optimise pollination services in bitter gourd cultivation.

 

 

Author(s) Details

 

Yogapriya Adaikkan
School of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, The Gandhigram Rural Institute - DTBU, Gandhigram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

B. Usharani
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Agricultural college and Research Institute, TNAU – Madurai, India.

 

K. Suresh
ICAR-KVK, Agricultural College and Research Institute, TNAU – Madurai, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rpbs/v8/6400

 

Impact of Lantana Camara on Butterfly Diversity in the Urban-Industrial Landscape of Kanpur (U.P), India| Chapter 10 | Research Perspective on Biological Science Vol. 7

 

In essence, butterflies are vital for ecosystem health because they pollinate plants, which are crucial for food chains and biodiversity, and their presence or absence indicates the overall health of an environment. Butterflies rely on specific plant species for egg laying, larval development, and as nectar sources. One of the major challenges affecting butterfly diversity in India, including Kanpur, is the proliferation of Lantana camara, an invasive flowering species. The present study examines the impact of Lantana camara on butterfly diversity in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. This study sheds insight into the approach for conserving butterfly species in urban areas of the city. Many Field surveys were conducted over a period of a year in various vegetation-rich places like Allen Forest, Chandrashekhar Azad University, and Shyam Nagar to document the butterfly species visiting Lantana camara as a nectar source. Species richness and their existence were observed prominently every month throughout the study period. The study recorded 19 butterfly species from five major families as Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae. Results indicate that Lantana camara provides a continuous nectar source, attracting a diverse range of butterfly species. However, as an invasive species, it poses ecological concerns by competing with native flora. The study highlights the need for balanced conservation strategies to support butterfly populations while managing the spread of Lantana camara. Future conservation strategies should prioritise maintaining native plant diversity and monitoring butterfly populations as part of broader biodiversity management practices.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Neetu Pandey
Department of Zoology, D.A.V. College, Kanpur, India.

 

Saras
Department of Zoology, D.A.V. College, Kanpur, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rpbs/v7/6311

A Study on Attitude of Butterflies at Forage on Diverse Morphological Flowers | Chapter 2 | Current Approaches in Science and Technology Research Vol. 9

 The purpose of this study is to determine the etiquette of butterflies landing on many morphologically different flowers and their wing locations on flowers. On sunny days, 30 butterfly species were recorded landing on flowers. Butterflies forage for flowers with their wings in a variety of positions. The observations are divided into two categories: (a) wing locations during scavenge, i.e. foraging, and (b) alighting model. On the basis of the position of their important organs in relation to other floral elements, flowers are divided into seven categories. Contact of different body parts of butterflies with the important organs of the flowers varies from species to species based on floral structure and position of butterflies landing on the blooms.

Because the butterflies visited a variety of flower species, the current study proves that they are generalists and supports the costly information concept.

Author (S) Details

G. Meerabai
Department of Botany, Rayalaseema University, Kurnool, A.P., India.

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/CASTR-V9/article/view/1974