Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Geospatial Analysis of Reed Bamboo (Ochlandra travancorica) Invasion in Western Ghats, India

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spatial and temporal trends of invasion by Ochlandra travancorica, a native reed bamboo species were studied. The study was carried out in Agasthyamalai Biosphere reserve, Western Ghats, India. Multi-temporal satellite images from 1973 to 2012 were utilized to map the areas of occurrence of the species. The largest areal extent of the species was calculated to be 111.65 km2 in the recent time, at which the invasion process reached its saturation phase. The species was found to be a generalist, with no preferred inclination towards any particular topographic or climatic zone. Evergreen forests were established to be its closest associate with largest area followed by semi evergreen and moist deciduous forests within buffer distances of 100, 200 and 500 m. A threatening 20.8 % of evergreen forests were revealed to have been converted to pure reed bamboos. Overlay analysis showed the oldest and the newest surviving patches of pure reed bamboos in the landscape of Agasthyamalai. The study realizes the significance of remote sensing and GIS in mapping and monitoring of invasive species. We suggest periodical monitoring of reed bamboo areas to check its growth, spread and establishment in order to ensure conservation of Western Ghats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acevedo, P., & Cassinello, J. (2009). Human-induced range expansion of wild ungulates causes niche overlap between previously allopatric species: red deer and Iberian ibex in mountainous regions of southern Spain. Annales Zoologici Fennici, Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing, 46(1), 39–50.

  • Alpert, P., Bone, E., & Holzapfel, C. (2000). Invasiveness, invasibility and the role of environmental stress in the spread of non-native plants. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematic, 3(1), 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Champion, S. H., & Seth, S. K. (1968). A revised survey of the forest types of India. New Delhi: Manager of Publications, Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandrasekharan, C. (1973). Forest resources of Kerala, a quantitative assessment. Trivandrum: Kerala Forest Department.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chornesky, E. A., Bartuska, A. M., Aplet, G. H., Britton, K. O., Cummings-Carlson, J., Davis, F. W., & Wigley, T. B. (2005). Science priorities for reducing the threat of invasive species to sustainable forestry. Bioscience, 55(4), 335–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Antonio, C.M., & Vitousek, P.M. (1992). Biological invasions by alien grasses, the grass/fire cycle, and global change. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematic, 63–87.

  • De Blois, S., Domon, G., & Bouchard, A. (2002). Landscape issues in plant ecology. Ecography, 25(2), 244–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Poorter, M., Pagad, S., & Ullah, M. I. (2007). Invasive alien species and protected areas a scoping report. Gland Cambridge: IUCN.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeWitt, T. J., Sih, A., & Wilson, D. S. (1998). Costs and limits of phenotypic plasticity. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 13, 77–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz, S., Fargione, J., Chapin, F. S., III, & Tilman, D. (2006). Biodiversity loss threatens human well-being. PLoS Biology, 4(8), e277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirzo, R., Young, H. S., Galetti, M., Ceballos, G., Isaac, N. J. B., & Collen, B. (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(6195), 401–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fie, S., Kong, N., Stringer, J., & Bowker, D. (2009). Invasion pattern of alien plants in forest ecosystems. In Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 59–70.

  • Foster, D. R., Motzkin, G., & Slater, B. (1998). Land-use history as long-term broad-scale disturbance: regional forest dynamics in central New England. Ecosystems (NY, Print), 1(1), 96–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giriraj, A., Irfan-Ullah, M., Murthy, M. S. R., & Beierkuhnlein, C. (2008). Modelling spatial and temporal forest cover change patterns (1973–2020): a case study from South Western Ghats (India). Sensors, 8(10), 6132–6153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giriraj, A., Murthy, M. S. R., Ramesh, B. R., & Dutt, C. B. S. (2009). A method for assessing evergreen habitats using phytodiversity and geospatial techniques in tropical rain forests of Southern Western Ghats (India). Ecological Research, 24(4), 749–760.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giriraj, A., Murthy, M. S. R., & Beierkuhnlein, C. (2010). Evaluating forest fragmentation and its tree community composition in the tropical rain forest of Southern Western Ghats (India) from 1973 to 2004. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 161(1–4), 29–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodrich, J. M., & Buskirk, S. W. (1995). Control of abundant native vertebrates for conservation of endangered species. Conservation Biology, 9(6), 1357–1364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopakumar, B., & Motwani, B. (2013). Adaptive strategies of reed bamboos, Ochlandra spp., to the Western Ghat Habitats of India. Bamboo Science & Culture, 33.

  • Gray, A. (2009). Monitoring and assessment of regional impacts from nonnative invasive plants in forests of the pacific coast. In Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 217–235.

  • Jose, S., Kohli, R.K., Singh, H.P., Batish, D.R., & Pieterson, C. (2009). Invasive plants: A threat to the integrity and sustainability of forest ecosystems. In Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 3–10.

  • Kumar, M. (1990). Reed bamboos (Ochlandra) in Kerala: Distribution and management. Bamboos: Current Research, 39–43.

  • Leger, E. A., & Espeland, E. K. (2010). Perspective: coevolution between native and invasive plant competitors: implications for invasive species management. Evolutionary Applications, 3(2), 169–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mack, R. N., Simberloff, D., Mark Lonsdale, W., Evans, H., Clout, M., & Bazzaz, F. A. (2000). Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control. Ecological Applications, 10(3), 689–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohanan, N., & Sivadasan, M. (2002). Flora of Agasthyamala. Dehradun: Bhisen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moran, E. V., & Alexander, J. M. (2014). Evolutionary responses to global change: lessons from invasive species. Ecology Letters, 17(5), 637–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosher, E. S., Silander, J. A., Jr., & Latimer, A. M. (2009). The role of land-use history in major invasions by woody plant species in the northeastern North American landscape. Biological Invasions, 11(10), 2317–2328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nair, P. V., & Menon, A. R. R. (1998). Estimation of bamboos resources in Kerala by remote sensing and techniques, use of GIS and RS in ecology & conservation biology. Current Science, 75(3), 209–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palni, L.M.S., Rawal, R.S., Rai, R.K., & Reddy, S.V. (2012). Compendium on Indian biosphere reserves- progression during two decades of conservation. Ministry of environment and forests. Uttarakhand: Government of India, New Delhi and G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development.

  • Pascal, J. P. (1982). Bioclimates of the Western Ghats at 11250,000 (2 sheets). Pondicherry: French Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauchard, A., Alaback, P. B., & Edlund, E. G. (2003). Plant invasions in protected areas at multiple scales: Linaria vulgaris (Scrophulariaceae) in the West Yellowstone area. Western North American Naturalist, 63(4), 416–428.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pengra, B. W., Johnston, C. A., & Loveland, T. R. (2007). Mapping an invasive plant, Phragmites australis, in coastal wetlands using the EO-1 hyperion hyperspectral sensor. Remote Sensing of Environment, 108(1), 74–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, L. B., Leger, E. A., & Nowak, R. S. (2011). Invasion triangle: an organizational framework for species invasion. Ecology and Evolution, 1(4), 610–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyšek, P., Jarošík, V., Hulme, P. E., Pergl, J., Hejda, M., Schaffner, U., & Vilà, M. (2012). A global assessment of invasive plant impacts on resident species, communities and ecosystems: the interaction of impact measures, invading species’ traits and environment. Global Change Biology, 18(5), 1725–1737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramesh, B. R., Menon, S., & Bawa, K. S. (1997). A vegetation-based approach to biodiversity gap analysis in the Agastyamalai region, Western Ghats, India. Ambio, 26(8), 529–536.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall, J. (2011). Protected areas. Encyclopedia of biological invasions. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rejmánek, M., Richardson, D. M., Barbour, M. G., Crawley, M. J., Hrusa, G. F., Moyle, P. B., Randall, J. M., Simberloff, D., & Williamson, M. (2002). Biological invasions politics and the discontinuity of ecological terminology. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 83, 131–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, D. M., Pyšek, P., Rejmánek, M., Barbour, M. G., Panetta, F. D., & West, C. J. (2000). Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: concepts and definitions. Diversity and Distributions, 6(2), 93–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, C. E., Breitburg, D. L., & Rose, K. A. (2005). The role of environmental generalist species in ecosystem function. Ecological Modelling, 188, 279–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson, B. L., Barnas, K. A., & Rub, A. M. W. (2009). Nonindigenous species of the Pacific Northwest: an overlooked risk to endangered salmon? BioScience, 59(3), 245–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff, D. (2011). Native invaders. Encyclopedia of biological invasions. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff, D., Souza, L., Nunez, M. A., Barrios-Garcia, M. N., & Bunn, W. (2012). The natives are restless, but not often and mostly when disturbed. Ecology, 93(3), 598–607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valéry, L., Fritz, H., Lefeuvre, J. C., & Simberloff, D. (2008). In search of a real definition of the biological invasion phenomenon itself. Biological Invasions, 10(8), 1345–1351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valéry, L., Fritz, H., Lefeuvre, J. C., & Simberloff, D. (2009). Ecosystem-level consequences of invasions by native species as a way to investigate relationships between evenness and ecosystem function. Biological Invasions, 11(3), 609–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varghese, A. O., & Krishna Murthy, Y. V. N. (2006). Application of geoinformatics for conservation and management of rare and threatened plant species. Current Science, 91(6), 762–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, C.R., & Wangen, S.R. (2009). Spatial and temporal dynamics of alien tree invasions: Lessons from a shade-tolerant invader. In Acer platanoides: Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 71–85.

  • Wilcove, D.S., Rothstein, D., Dubow, J., Phillips, A., & Losos, E. (1998). Quantifying threats to imperiled species in the United States. BioScience, 607–615.

  • With, K. A. (2002). The landscape ecology of invasive spread. Conservation Biology, 16(5), 1192–1203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr. V.K. Dadhwal, Director, NRSC, Hyderabad and Dr. C.S. Jha, Group Director, Forestry and Ecology Group, NRSC, Hyderabad for encouragement and facilities. The present work has been carried out a part of MoEF-NNRMS funded project entitled ‘Inventorisation and monitoring of biosphere reserves in India using remote sensing and GIS technology’. The authors are grateful to them for financial support and also thank Chief Wildlife Wardens and Field Directors, Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve and State Forest departments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for permission and facilities to carry out the field work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry & Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, Balanagar, Hyderabad, 500 037, India

    Kalloli Dutta & C. Sudhakar Reddy

Authors
  1. Kalloli Dutta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Sudhakar Reddy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kalloli Dutta.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dutta, K., Reddy, C.S. Geospatial Analysis of Reed Bamboo (Ochlandra travancorica) Invasion in Western Ghats, India. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 44, 699–711 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-015-0534-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-015-0534-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation