Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2023 | 15(12): 24437–24442

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8242.15.12.24437-24442

#8242 | Received 29 October 2022 | Final received 07 November 2023 | Finally accepted 28 November 2023

Report of new myristica swamp ecosystems from the Western Ghats at Pathanapuram, Kerala, India

Niji Joseph ¹, R. Sreejai ² & M. Ajayakumar ³

^1,2 DST-FIST Zoology Research Centre, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, Pathanapuram, Kerala 689695, India.

³ Ambanar Forest Station, Pathanapuram, Kerala 689696, India.

¹ nijijoseph43@gmail.com (corresponding author), ² sreejaiksbb@gmail.com, ³ ajayakumarmadhavan2012@gmail.com

Editor: Mandar Nilkanth Datar, MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India. Date of publication: 26 December 2023 (online & print)

Citation: Joseph, N., R. Sreejai & M. Ajayakumar (2023). Report of new myristica swamp ecosystems from the Western Ghats at Pathanapuram, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(12): 24437–24442. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8242.15.12.24437-24442

Copyright: © Joseph et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

Funding: Self-funded.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Author details: Niji Joseph, a PhD scholar, has a fundamental interest in benthic macroinvertebrates and forest ecosystems. Sreejai R holds the position of a professor at St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, while M. Ajayakumar serves as the Deputy Forest Range Officer at Ambanar Forest Station, Pathanapuram.

Author contributions: NJ conceived the concept of the work, conducted the fieldwork, and wrote the manuscript. Revisions and editing of the work were done by SR. MA assisted in preparing the map for the article.

Acknowledgements: We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Ajayakumar (Deputy Range Forest Officer, Ambanar Forest Station), Vishnu V (Reserve Forest Watcher, Punnala), Hari V Nair and Jomy Jose for their invaluable assistance during our field visit to the site. Additionally, we extend our thanks to Mr. Biju Kumar (Deputy Range Forest Officer, Shendurney) for generously sharing his wealth of knowledge with us. We are also indebted to Dr. Shibu Varghese from the Department of Botany, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, for his expertise in identifying several plant species at the site. Furthermore, we are truly thankful for the unwavering support and guidance provided by all the officers from Ambanar and Punnala forest stations. Our successful journey would not have been possible without their assistance. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, for their generous provision of essential facilities and Encouragement, pivotal to the successful completion of this research publication.

Abstract: We present a new distributional report of myristica swamp ecosystems in the Western Ghats at Pathanapuram, Kerala, India based on several distinct field surveys from April 2022 to June 2022. From Kerala, myristica swamp has previously been reported mainly from Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kulathupuzha Reserve Forests, and adjoining regions of the Anchal forest ranges in southern Western Ghats. The present study described and illustrated the occurrence of myristica swamp from the Pathanapuram forest range in Kerala for the first time. The observed myristica swamps from the Pathanapuram forest range are seen inside the Ambanar model forest station and Punnala forest station limits. A total of 18 myristica swamp patches from Ambanar and seven myristica swamps from Punnala were reported and captured. A pilot survey from these sites suggests they are abundant with various faunal and floral wealth. Therefore, recognition and conservation of these ecosystems are essential and vital and suggest further surveys and conservation efforts.

Keywords: Conservation, ecological diversity, endemic species, field survey, habitat restoration, indigenous flora new distribution records, Pathanapuram forest range, tropical freshwater swamps, wetland forest ecosystem.

Myristica swamps are the wetland forest ecosystems that are inundated fully or partially for the greater part of the year. These tropical freshwater swamps are characterized by the dominance of Myristicaceae family members like Myristica fatua var. magnifica (Bedd.) Sinclair and Gymnacranthera farquhariana (Wall. ex-Hook. fil. & Thomson) Warb. (Varghese & Menon 1999; Bhat & Kaveriappa 2009; Jose et al. 2014a; Sujitha et al. 2019). Myristica swamps are confined to valleys with flat bottoms and slow-moving streams in the altitude range of 100–200 m. Myristica swamps shelter several rare and threatened floral–faunal species (Vasudeva et al. 2001; Ganesan 2002; Ranganathan et al. 2022). Over six decades ago, myristica swamps were initially described by Krishnamoorthy (1960) from the Travancore region in Kerala State of southern Western Ghats. Champion & Seth (1968) named these tropical swamps as ‘Myristica Swamp Forest’ and categorized them under the sub group 4C. Rodgers & Panwar (1988) emphasized the importance of conservation of the vegetation. According to the data so far, in Kerala these swamps were mainly spanned in the valleys of Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, in Kulathupuzha Reserve Forests, and adjoining regions of the Anchal forest ranges in the southern Western Ghats (Krishnamoorthy 1960; Varghese & Kumar 1997; Varghese & Menon 1999; Nair et al. 2007; Roby 2011; Jose et al. 2014b). In addition to Kerala, myristica swamps have also been reported from Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra (Santhakumaran et al. 1995; Chandran et al. 1999; Sreedharan & Indulkar 2018). However, the once-pristine myristica swamps in the Western Ghats are presently encountering disruption and fragmentation due to increasing growing demands for land and water (Champion & Seth 1968; Chandran et al. 1999; Chandran & Mesta 2001; Ranganathan et al. 2022). Increasing forest surveys in recent times have led to the documentation of a few myristica swamps across Western Ghats (Sreedharan & Indulkar 2018). This paper reports the identification of a new myristica swamp ecosystems from Pathanapuram forest range in the southern part of the Western Ghats.

We have been sampling myristica swamp forests in southern Kerala for a proposed study on Myristicaceae members. On 20 April 2022, we found some canopy of Myristicaceae members in Pathanapuram forest range (9.08534⁰N, 76.8551⁰E) of Punalur division in Kollam District, Kerala, India (Figure 1). The observed Myristica swamps from Pathanapuram Forest Range fall within Ambanar Model Forest Station and Punnala Forest Station limits. During our first visit, we noticed the swampy habitat, as well as the occurrence of ‘knee roots’ and ‘stilt roots’ both of which are characteristics of myristica swamps. We have conducted 11 field surveys during the period from April 2022–June 2022. For the systematic study of vegetation, we chose 25 sample plots from both Ambanar and Punnala. Quadrats of 20 × 20 m were laid along the linear course of the swamps from Ambanar and Punnala respectively for the enumeration of trees having minimum grith ≥30 cm. Girth of all trees and shrubs was calculated using a measuring tape. For swamps smaller than 400 m² no quadrats were placed; instead, the species were simply listed. Both trees and underground vegetation were taken into consideration. Two sub-quadrats of 5 × 5 m were laid for the shrub layer within each tree quadrat (plants above one meter height). Within each of the 5 × 5 m quadrats, two smaller quadrats of 1 × 1 m were laid for the herb layer (plants less than one meter height). The plant species were identified by an expert and also by comparing pictures from published sources including the internet (Gamble & Fischer 1936; Varghese & Menon 1999; Sasidharan 2006; Nair et al. 2007). Geographic coordinates were recorded at each sampling point using Garmin® eTrex® 20x GPS. Image 1 shows some individual photographs of myristica swamps from both Ambanar and Punnala Forest Station.

The Ambanar Forest Station covers an area of 89.22587 km². The area of research is 0.86 ha of the total forest area. The topographic conditions of Ambanar vary from 75–1,050 m asl. In general, red loamy soil which is rich in minerals is found. Apart from this, alluvial soil is also found in river banks and valleys. The degree of soil pH is 4.48–6.10. The climate of this forest area has an air temperature of 29⁰–31⁰ C. Ambanar receives annual rainfall of 2,400 mm. Humidity is highest in the months of June, July, and August and lowest in February. The noted measures of general relative humidity at 0830 h IST and 1730 h IST from February to March are about 52% and 98%, respectively.

The Punnala Forest Station covers an area of 49.85 km² Compared to the surrounding level, this region has an elevation of about 10–400 m. In terms of climate, it experiences both moderately hot as well as humid conditions. The hottest period is from February–May and the coldest in December and January. The maximum and minimum reported temperatures are 37⁰C and 20⁰C, respectively. The area receives an average annual rainfall of 2,400 mm. The plants growing on the hills at higher altitudes are prone to severe damage made by the dry easterly winds. Humidity is highest in the months of June, July, and August and lowest in February. General relative humidity at 0830 h IST and 1730 h IST during February to March are about 52% to 98%, respectively.

All 18 patches of myristica swamps and the geographical coordinates of the sampling points in the Ambanar area are presented in Table 1. Geographically, all these 18 patches are located in Manthadam region of the Ambanar. The region Manthadam comprises a small stream that maintains the distinctive swampy ecosystem. Olappara and Minnaminni are the places near Manthadam in which saplings of Myristicaceae family members are found.

In the Punnala Forest Station range, there are seven Myristica swamps present with a total area of 26.9 ha. They are Elappakkodu Bit 1, Elappakkodu Bit 2, Elappakkodu Bit 3, Pezhummodu, Verukuzhypacha Bit 1, Verukuzhypacha Bit 2, and Pannamood pacha. Most of the swamps in Punnala are inundated throughout the year due to the presence of three rivulets – Elappakkodu Thodu, Pezhumoodu Thodu, and Mukkalampadu Thodu. These three rivulets flow into the Kallada river. Table 2 shows the geo-coordinates of locations and the total area occupied by the myristica swamp in the Punnala region. There were large numbers of Myristica trees in Elappakodu swamps. Along with these seven sites, saplings of Myristica trees grow at Choorapacha, Thulasithara, and Therdhakkara in Punnala Forest Station. The neighbouring forest of these swamps is semi-evergreen in nature. The Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) Limited, Punalur Division is situated nearest to the Elappakodu swamp. Elappakodu and Pezhumood pacha are the reserved forests in Punnala. However, some regions of Elappakodu swamp are disturbed due to locally originated anthropogenic activities like fishing and crabbing. In Punnala Station limits, reserve forest is much smaller and therefore more vulnerable to local disturbances. Hence the swamps in Punnala need special attention from a management perspective.

When examining the vegetation listed in Table 3, Gymnacranthera farquhariana, Myristica fatua var. magnifica, and Knema attenuata (Hook.f. & Thoms.) Warb. consistently appear in both the Ambanar and Punnala regions. These species seem to thrive in diverse environmental conditions represented in both the areas. However, Myristica dactyloides (Gaertn.) displays a distinct pattern, being present in Ambanar but remarkably absent in Punnala. Our observations suggest disparities in species distribution within Ambanar and Punnala highlight the intricate interplay of ecological forces, suggesting a dynamic and diverse nature shaped by a combination of microclimatic variations, historical influences, and human activities. A comparison of the distribution of non-Myristicaceae trees between Ambanar and Punnala shows notable differences in species presence. Based on our preliminary findings, we recognize the need for further investigation to better understand the disparities in species distribution among these sites.

Myristica swamps are rich with numerous invertebrates and vertebrates, both terrestrial and aquatic (Jose et al. 2014b; Sinu & Sharma 2013; Sujitha et al. 2019; Ranganathan et al. 2022). A pilot survey from these sites suggests they are abundant with various faunal and floral wealth. Studies documenting the biodiversity of flora and fauna, climatic factors, hydrology, and soil, and so forth of these ranges are not well studied and documented. For this reason, a clear picture of these factors is not available yet. As per the pilot study, we noticed plenty of juveniles of ecologically significant species present in these swamp forests. This indicates that numerous species use the Myristica swamps as breeding grounds (Abraham et al. 2018; Ranganathan et al. 2022). Mapping and documenting the specifics of these swamp forests is both important and potent for further research. Preventing the incursion of non-swampy plant species into the swamp helps to maintain the swampy habitat. Raising the status of these swamps will restrict the anthropogenic and natural disturbances. In order to ensure a long-term monitoring, incorporating the interests of local communities in the conservation and management activities are also desirable. With this new reporting, the revised Indian distribution of myristica swamps should include Ambanar and Punnala of Pathanapuram forest range.

Table 1. List of myristica swamps under Ambanar model forest area, Pathanapuram range.

	Name of the swamp	Geocoordinates of the swamps		Area (Ha)
		Latitude (^0N)	Longitude (^0E)
1	Manthadam Bit 1	90.05375	76.99838	0.8
2	Manthadam Bit 2	90.05477	76.99887
3	Manthadam Bit 3	90.05361	76.99866
4	Manthadam Bit 4	90.05344	76.99830
5	Manthadam Bit 5	90.05333	76.99913
6	Manthadam Bit 6	90.05327	76.99897
7	Manthadam Bit 7	90.05336	76.99883
8	Manthadam Bit 8	90.05322	76.99855
9	Manthadam Bit 9	90.05316	76.9985
10	Manthadam Bit 10	90.05336	76.99811
11	Manthadam Bit 11	90.05347	76.99772
12	Manthadam Bit 12	90.05344	76.99755
13	Manthadam Bit 13	90.05369	76.99730
14	Manthadam Bit 14	90.05375	76.99727
15	Manthadam Bit 15	90.05383	76.99736
16	Manthadam Bit 16	90.05383	76.99738
17	Manthadam Bit 17	90.05372	76.99736
18	Manthadam Bit 18	90.05363	76.99805

Table 2. List of myristica swamps under Punnala forest area, Pathanapuram range.

	Name of swamp	Geo coordinates of the swamps		Area (ha)
		Latitude (^0N)	Longitude (^0E)
1	Elappakkodu Bit 1	09. 08762	076.95453	0.87
2	Elappakkodu Bit 2	09. 08762	076. 95470	1.66
3	Elappakkodu Bit 3	09. 08922	076. 95295	0.38
4	Pezhumoodu	09. 09545	076. 94337	1.99
5	Verukuzhypacha Bit 1	09. 05970	076. 97498	3.7
6	Verukuzhypacha Bit 2	09. 06812	076. 97509	5.8
7	Panamoodupacha	09. 07138	076. 69757	12.5

Table 3. List of vegetation at Ambanar and Punnala Forest Station.

Species	Ambanar	Punnala
Myristicaceae trees
*Gymnacranthera farquhariana (Wall. ex-Hook. fil. & Thomson) Warb.	P	P
*Myristica fatua var. magnifica (Bedd.) Sinclair	P	P
*Knema attenuata (Hook.f.&Thoms.) Warb	P	P
Myristica dactyloides Gaertn	P	A
Non Myristicaceae trees
*Vateria indica L.	P	A
Prioria pinnata (Roxb. ex-DC.) Breteler	P	A
Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser	P	P
*Semecarpus auriculata Bedd.	P	A
Polyalthia fragrans (Dalzell) Hook. f. & Thomson	P	A
Hydnocarpus pentandra (Buch -Ham.) Oken	P	A
Homonoia riparia Lour.	P	A
Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken	P	P
Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers.	P	A
*Cinnamomum malabatrum (Burm. f.) Presl	P	A
*Hopea glabra Wight & Arn.	P	A
Hopea malabarica Bedd.	P	A
Tetrameles nudiflora R. Br.	P	A
*Holigarna arnottiana Hook.f.	P	P
Diospyros buxifolia (Blume) Hiern	P	A
Non Myristicaceae trees
Syzygium gardneri Thw.	P	A
Baccaurea courtallensis (Wight) Müll.Arg.	P	A
Persea macrantha (Nees) Kosterm.	A	P
*Actinodaphne bourdillonii Gamble	A	P
Xylia xylocarpa (Roxb.) Taub.	A	P
*Hydnocarpus laurifolia (Dennst.) Sleum.	A	P
Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf.	A	P
Mitragyna parvifolia (Roxb.) Korth.	A	P
Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb.	A	P
Macaranga peltata (Roxb.) Müll.Arg.	A	P
Grewia tiliaefolia Vahl	A	P
Other vegetation
Calamus rotang L.	P	A
Pandanus spp.	P	A
Ferns	P	A
Lagenandra ovata (L.) Thwaites	P	A
Cheilocastus speciosus (J. Koenig) C.D. Specht	P	P
Phrynium capitatum Willd	A	P
Carissa carandas L.	A	P
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott	A	P

*Endemic to Western Ghat

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