Genetic diversity of phyllanthus emblica in tropical forests of South India: Impact of anthropogenic pressures
2001
M. Nageswara Rao | S. Padmini | K. N. Ganeshaiah | R. Uma Shaanker
In the Indian subcontinent, extraction of non-timber forestproducts (NTFPs) is a major occupation of the forest dwelling and forest fringe communities.A substantial portion of their livelihood is derived from the extraction of NTFPs. Despitethe widespread dependence, little is known of the possible impacts that such extraction hason the regeneration and genetic diversity of the species. We examined the impact ofanthropogenic pressures on the regeneration and genetic diversity of Phyllanthus emblica, .an important NTFP species, across increasing gradients of pressures (disturbance) at twosites in the deciduous forests of south India. Our studies showed that even under moderatelevels of disturbance, there was a significant decrease in the regeneration of the species.Populations close to human settlements (likely to be impacted more), had a relatively lessproportion of small size class individuals than those farther away (likely to be impacted less).Several seed and seedling features were significantly affected by disturbance. Isozyme analysisindicated a decrease in percentage heterozygosity of populations with disturbance at oneof the forest sites. There was a genetic structuring of the populations due to disturbance.Populations close to settlements (and hence impacted) tended to cluster in a group andwere separated from those farther away (not impacted). Thus our studies showed thatanthropogenic pressures can adversely affect the regeneration and genetic diversity of NTFPspecies in tropical forests. Further studies might be required to identify critical levels ofdisturbance or pressures that a species can tolerate such that protocols for its sustainableextraction can be prescribed.
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