The Hindu : National : Amphibian bounty in the Western Ghats

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Friday, Oct 22, 2004

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Amphibian bounty in the Western Ghats

By T. Nandakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 21 . The Western Ghats could be home to an amazing variety of amphibians that have eluded discovery for centuries. Recent research involving scientists from India and the United Kingdom has revealed the amphibian diversity in the region.

The results of the study, which appeared in a recent issue of the journal Current Science, indicates that the number of species of caecilian (limbless) amphibians in the thickly forested Western Ghats is growing rapidly.

The team, which included Oommen V. Oommen from the Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, recorded a 57 per cent increase in caecilian amphibian diversity over the last six years.

According to Dr. Oommen, the discovery of new species even after more than 200 years of research points to the inadequate nature of such studies, both in the field and in the laboratory. "At least half of the eight new amphibian species discovered after 1998 are known to inhabit gardens or plantations; yet they had gone unnoticed by scientists."

The intrinsic biology of caecilians makes their study challenging. The Indian caecilian amphibian burrows the soil and special digging effort is needed to bring it out. "Wading in muddy fields to fish out slimy creatures will put off all but the most dedicated researcher," says Dr. Oommen.

For scientists in India, the challenge of discovering new species is compounded by lack of arrangements for international loans and exposure to Western collections and scientists.

The study recommends the application of modern techniques such as molecular analysis to aid the search for new amphibian species.

Partnership project

The study was taken up under a four-year partnership project between the University of Kerala and the Natural History Museum, London. The Bombay Natural History Society, the Zoological Survey of India and Bhandarkar's College, Kundapura, Karnataka, were partners.

As many as 20 research papers have been published under the project, which will run until the end of this year.

Sri Lankan fauna

Studying the DNA of a variety of animals, in a separate international research effort, scientists discovered that, despite extended periods during which India and Sri Lanka were connected by stretches of land during the past 500,000 years, migration of animals between the two regions was severely restricted. As a result, Sri Lanka has fauna that is largely distinct from that of the Indian mainland.

Sri Lanka and the southern part of the Western Ghats have hitherto been considered a single biodiversity hotspot because of the faunal similarity. "The genetic differentiation that occurred in the animals had escaped the attention of biologists and conservation managers," says Dr. Oommen.

Given the evolutionary uniqueness of the Sri Lankan forest fauna, the mountains on either side of the Palk Strait should be managed separately, said the researchers in a paper published in Science.

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