KAMALAM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

TOPIC :
ROOL NO:
NAME :
CLASS :XII
SCHOOL :KAMALAM INTERNATIONAL
(HI-TECH CBSE)
SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
DHARMAPURI
 CERTIFICATE

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT _______________

OF CLASS XII HAS DONE THE PROJECT ON
DNA FINGER PRINTING IN BIOLOGY FOR
THE FULLFILMENT IF AISSE-2021-2022.

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

PRINCIPAL
Content

1)Introduction

2)Ecological role

3)Mutualism

4)Pollination

5)Seed dispersal

6)Location

7)The importance of fruit size

 Introduction

An ecosystem consists of all of the organisms living

within an area and the interactions between them and
the physical environment. All ecosystems, whether
they are marine, freshwater or located in native bush,
involve the transfer of energy.

Energy flows into an ecosystem usually via sunlight.

This light energy is used in a process called
photosynthesis, allowing plant matter (flora) to grow.
Flora then becomes a food source for birds, animals
and insects. This transfer of energy continues as
feeding relationships occur between plants and
animals.
 ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Birds have a good system for spreading seeds. They eat berries and then
when they dispose of their waste, the berry seeds are disposed along
with it. Bird feces provide good fertilization for the seeds with which they
are dropped, giving seeds very good conditions with which to grow. In
addition, a lot of bird species may have been significant browsers of

forest vegetation.

For example, McEwen (1978) stated a large proportion of forest tree and
shrub species had fleshy fruits which were attractive to birds. And also,
Godley (1979) stated that birds performed a relatively minor role as
pollinators in New Zealand forests and that foliage of all kinds was eaten
mainly in late winter, spring and early summer, when fruit was least
available. Because of extensive dietary overlap between different
herbivorous birds and the turnover of both bird and plant species through
evolutionary time, it is unlikely that particular plant species have evolved
adaptations to browsing by particular birds, although evolutionary
responses to bird browsing in general are possible.
With the extinction of moas and the recent decline of other birds such as
kokako and kakapo, browsing by birds no longer has a great impact on
forest plants (Clouth and Hay 1989). The habitat heterogeneity
hypothesis is one of the cornerstones of ecology. It assumes that
structurally complex habitats may provide more niches and diverse ways
of exploiting the environmental resources and thus increase species
diversity (Bazzaz 1975)
 Mutualism

Native birds interacting with the flora in our ecosystems have a

mutualistic relationship – that is, they both benefit from the
relationship. While the bird receives nectar or fruit (in the form of
berries) from the tree it visits, the tree benefits by having another
organism carry out the process of pollination or seed dispersal.
Many native trees cannot perform these processes without the
intervention of birds.

Birds are the primary pollinators and seed dispersers in sowlur

which is situated in dharmapuri native bush.
Bird biodiversity in Tamil Nadu is under threat and 18 out of 39
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) are unprotected,
according to the latest report prepared by Bombay Natural
History Society (BNHS).Though the State has improved its tally of
bird areas from 34 to 39, habitat destruction, agriculture
intensification, industrialisation and urbanisation are eating into
IBAs endangering at least 40 bird species

As per the report titled “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in

India: Priority Sites for Conservation”, an updated edition released
after 14 years of work, four bird species have been categorised as
critically endangered, of which three belong to Vulture family.

White-rumped Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Red-headed Vulture

and Spoon-billed Sandpiper have been reported to be critically
endangered. There have been no confirmed sightings of Spoon-
billed Sandpiper in Tamil Nadu for 20 years. This apart, six
species are endangered, eight vulnerable and 22 nearly
threatened.

In 2014, BirdLife International had listed 18 endangered species in

India, of which, the Black-chinned Laughingthrush and the Spotted
Greenshank have been recorded in one IBA in the State. Fifteen
out of 54 vulnerable species are found in Tamil Nadu. Out of 81
Near Threatened bird species, 15 are in Tamil Nadu. For 13 such
species, IBAs and protected areas of Tamil Nadu are important
for survival. The wetlands of Tamil Nadu are also major
strongholds of the Spot-billed Pelican. It is found in 16 of the 39
IBATamil Nadu.
Lead author Asad Rahmani, former director of BNHS and member
of Governing Body of Wetlands International South Asia, told
Express that IBA recognition doesn’t come easy. “In India, we
have 554 bird areas and Tamil Nadu is among top five States in
terms of bird biodiversity, but has large unprotected area.”

Rahmani said a proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry

of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to bring
in some kind of legislation to protect these bird areas. “We are not
demanding a complete ban on development activities in IBAs, but
some regulations can be brought in. Many bird areas are protected
under Wildlife Act, but the ones in unprotected spaces are
suffering. Sometimes, a small area is used by migratory birds as
stop over spot.”

He said Tamil Nadu would be having more bird areas. “Actually,

many more sites were suggested by ornithologists of the State, but
due to lack of good information, only five were finally added. An
aim of our book is to encourage people to conduct more extensive
and better surveys, and to document their information in the form
of research papers and reports. Perhaps in a few years time, more
sites will be identified that adhere to the IBA criteriaofBirdLife
International.”
KV Sudhakar, president, Madras Naturalists Society, told Express
that recommendations were sent to identify Pallikaranai Marsh as
IBA, but it didn’t meet one criterion. “It is protected by forest
department, but didn’t attract 20,000 birds as need for it to be
identified as an IBA.”

New IBAs in trouble

The new bird areas that were added are Odiyur Lagoon or Cheyyur
lagoon, which is about 1,000 hectares in Kancheepuram. The
wetland is known to support around 77 bird species. These include
resident and seasonal migrants and winter migrants. Well known
for its Greater Flamingo congregation, this site also hosts Lesser
Flamingo during the winter. At least eight species recorded here
are in the Threatened and Near Threatened list of IUCN and
Birdlife International.

However, the wetland is in danger due to the Cheyyur Thermal

Power Plant, a coal-fired Ultra Mega Power Project that will be set
up near it, said Nityanand Jayaraman, an environmentalist.Other
new bird areas like Megamalai Mountains in Western Ghats of
Theni district, are only partly protected. Melagiris IBA in Krishnagiri
and Dharmapuri are completely not protected.

Criteria for an iba

BirdLife International has set four criteria for awarding IBA
recognition: the area should have globally endangered species,
home for endemic species, biomes and should see a population
of 20,000 waterbirds.
Not just birds
Out of about 35,000 species of flowering plants in the whole of
India, about 3,000 species are found in Tamil Nadu. A total of 14
new species of dancing frogs from Western Ghats were
discovered. A new species of caddisfly, found in Alagar Hills. This
new species was named after the stream, An endemic plant,
Caralluma diffusa, was rediscovered after 160 years from
Coimbatore.
 Seed dispersal

Birds are important in the life cycle of many plants, because

they aid in seed dispersal in a number of ways. Seeds need
to move away from their parent plants – a process called
seed dispersal – in order to have enough water, sun and
space to germinate and grow.

Plants advertise their seeds to birds by providing colorful,

energy-filled fruits or large nuts as a food source. Plants
such as the bird cherry have evolved along with birds,
reaching a point where their seeds require a pass through a
bird’s digestive system to help them prepare for
germination. A relationship like this, where both organisms
benefit, is called mutualism.

On Their Bodies
Seeds may attach to the feathers of birds or the fur of
animals through structures present on the seed, such as
small hooks or barbs. Birds may disperse seeds, such as
those of mistletoe, by carrying them on their beaks after
feeding. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches itself to
other plants; it's not rooted in soil.
According to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the
seeds of the mistletoe plant are covered in a sticky
substance - birds wipe their beaks on a branch to rid
themselves of the seeds, allowing mistletoe to reach the
environment it prefers.

In Beaks or Claws
Birds may carry seeds to a new location in their beaks or
claws. A bird may be planning a meal or building a nest, and
fly off with a seed or fruit to a safe area. Along the way, the
bird may be dropping seeds or whole fruits, allowing them
to reach new spots, far from the parent plants where there
are sufficient resources to thrive.

Birds may also drop seeds in or near water, helping them to

travel further or reach a moist location. One large seed that
travels by water is the coconut. Because birds can fly
around barriers and slip into small spaces, they may carry
seed to places where larger animals, the action of the wind
or water may not.

Dispersal During Feeding

The seeds of some plants, including the nuts of some large
trees, serve as a food source for birds. Feeding birds may
knock seeds from stems, cones and flower heads as they
eat. While this may not spread the seeds far from the
parent plants, it can cause the seeds to fall to the ground
and bring the seeds into contact with the soil, where they
can overwinter and germinate into a new generation of
plants.

Birds may also partially crack or nick the seed coat trying to
open a seed, allowing it to more easily germinate.
According to The Seed Site, other plants depend on birds
and other animals to forget where they have hidden or
buried seeds, effectively distributing the seeds and allowing
them to colonize a new area. The acorns of oak trees are
often dispersed in this way.

Dispersal Through Droppings

In some cases, birds do not digest and receive energy from
the seeds they consume. Instead, they seek the nutritious
fruits and berries surrounding the seeds, and the seeds
come along with the bargain, notes Cornell University's
Naturalist Outreach. Examples of plants that use this seed
dispersal method include raspberries, blackberries and
blueberries.

Birds ingest the flavorful pulp; the seeds inside the pulp
then move through the birds’ digestive systems and are
passed out along with their droppings. The fecal material
gives seeds a small dose of fertilizer as they germinate and
begin to grow. High in nitrogen, the excrement can help
fuel the development of foliage in the young plants
growing in new places.
 Location

My exact location:

Birds at my location:
 Importance of seed size

We selected two behavioural traits (foraging visitation frequency and

frequency of post-foraging habitat use) and six morphological traits (bill length,
body length, body weight, wing length, tail length, and tarsus length) to
investigate the effect of bird traits on seed dispersal [27]. To obtain the
morphological traits of the local bird species, we measured five males and five
females of each bird species using the specimens preserved in the Museum of
Nanjing Forestry University [28]. We used the mean value of each trait for
analyses. Furthermore, we compared six morphological traits of frugivorous bird
species by ANOVA test after the data log-transformed to approximate
normality; size effects were removed in all cases by using residuals from the
regressions on body length (snout–vent length, SVL).

To test the role of bird traits in seed removal, we used the Random Forest (RF)
algorithm to plot the partial effects of bird visitation frequency, three
morphological traits (bill length, body weight, and body length), study sites, and
study years on the number of seeds removed (R package Random Forest). For
seed deposition and seedling recruitment, the RF algorithm was used to plot the
partial effects of frequency of post-foraging habitat use, five morphological
traits (body weight, body length, wing length, tail length, and tarsus length),
study sites, and study years on the number of deposited seeds and newly
emerged 1 year old seedlings, respectively. Moreover, the number of deposited
seeds and seedlings in the habitats were also explained by the generalized liner
mixed model (GLMM), where bird traits, species, and post-foraging habitat use
were the covariates and the study years, and their interaction term was treated
as the random effects. We used the glummer function in the R Ver. 3.1.2
package ’lme4’ for the analysis. As the number of seeds and seedlings are count
data, the models were fitted with a Poisson distribution.