Where is Myristica swamps located?
Myristica swamps, which were once widespread across the Konkan coast, are now a fast-shrinking, fragmented, and endangered ecosystem restricted to small patches found in southern Kerala, Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, Goa, and recently discovered in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
Why are Myristica swamps endangered?
Located in low-lying poorly drained depressions, these swamps form an extensive network along the watercourses through the primeval forests of the Western Ghats. However, due to human interventions, the swamps today are highly threatened and are highly fragmented.
Which sacred forest in India is the home to a species of nutmeg called Myristica fatua?
MYRISTICA SWAMPS OF THE WESTERN GHATS The Western Ghats have three genera and five species of Myristicaceae; all of them are trees associated with evergreen to semi-evergreen forests. Of these Gymnacranthera canarica and Myristica fatua var.
Are there swamps in India?
Welcome to one of India’s most ancient swamp forests: the Myristica swamp. Myristica swamps are found in the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Meghalaya. Members of the flowering plant family Myristicaceae, which has 18 genera and 300 species across the tropics, dominate these swamps.
What type of water is in swamps?
The water of a swamp may be fresh water, brackish water, or seawater. Freshwater swamps form along large rivers or lakes where they are critically dependent upon rainwater and seasonal flooding to maintain natural water level fluctuations. Saltwater swamps are found along tropical and subtropical coastlines.
Where are swamp forest found in India?
Littoral forests and Swamp forests are also called wetland forests. India has a rich variety of these types of forests. They are mainly found in reservoirs of Deccan Plateau, saline coast of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Gulf of Kutch, Eastern Coast Deltas, lakes and Rivers of Kashmir and Ladakh, Swamps in North East India.
What is salt water swamp?
Saltwater swamps form on tropical coastlines. Formation of these swamps begins with bare flats of mud and sand that are thinly covered by seawater during high tides. Plants that are able to tolerate tidal flooding, such as mangrove trees, begin to grow and soon form thickets of roots and branches.
Where is Western Ghats in India?
A chain of mountains running parallel to India’s western coast, approximately 30-50 km inland, the Ghats traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Where are swamps in India?
The swamps protect coastal areas of India and home to so many species of Aquatic Birds, water animals and reptiles. Myristica swamp of Karnataka Western Ghats, Konkan,Gujarat and mangroves of Kollam are few more sites of wetland in India.
Is a marsh a swamp?
The way that a marsh forms is different from a swamp. While both are wetland areas existing along rivers, oceans, or lakes, a marsh forms when an open area floods, while swamps form when a forested area floods. This isn’t to say that there are no trees in a marsh, but there are significantly more trees in a swamp.
Do crocodiles live in swamps?
Crocodiles live in the vicinity of swamps, marshlands, brackish waters, lakes, and rivers.
Do swamps flood?
Swamps are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They act like giant sponges or reservoirs. When heavy rains cause flooding, swamps and other wetlands absorb excess water, moderating the effects of flooding. Swamps also protect coastal areas from storm surges that can wash away fragile coastline.
What are Myristica swamps?
Myristica swamps are an ancient ecosystem dominated by evergreen trees of the Myristica genus. The swamps of Kerala are a haven of species endemic to the Western Ghats, particularly amphibians and reptiles.
Why Kerala swamps are a haven for wildlife?
The swamps of Kerala are a haven of species endemic to the Western Ghats, particularly amphibians and reptiles. Most recently, researchers have discovered a new mushroom species from the Kerala swamps.
Where are the Myristica in Kerala?
It was a bright afternoon after two days of heavy rain in Kerala and Professor P. Manimohan’s two Ph. D. students K. P. Deepna Latha and K. N. Anil Raj were scouring the freshwater Myristica swamps of Kulathupuzha in Kerala’s Kollam district for fungi.
Are there mushrooms in Kerala’s Myristica?
A cluster of Laccaria violaceotincta sprouting amid the sandy soil and decaying leaf litter in the Myristica swamps of Kerala – an area found to be rich in fungi species. KP Deepna Latha/Mongabay The discovery was part of an ongoing effort to document the mushrooms of Kerala by the group at the University of Calicut.