Biodiversity
« Previous EntriesDiversity and distribution of mangrove flora in the Attaragoda wetland, Galle with some notes on avifauna
Monday, March 22nd, 2010B. Jayasekara1, I.R. Wedage2 and P. N. Dayawansa2
Attaragoda is a mangrove wetland situated in the Southern Coast (Latitude: 6 1′ 60N, Longitude: 80
15′ 0E), 3km outside Galle. This luxuriant patch of mangrove forest faces immense pressure due to human activities. Diversity and distribution of mangrove species in relation to salinity levels and species
richness of avifauna [...]
Diversity of medicinal plants in the Mihinthale sanctuary
Monday, March 22nd, 2010A. Herath1, C. Karunanayake1 and S. Wijesundara2
Sri Lanka contains an enormous biodiversity of medicinal plants. Flora of Sri Lanka reports that there
are 3368 angiosperms in Sri Lanka, out of which 20% are medicinal. There is a growing demand for medicinal plants in primary health care. However, the local supply of medicinal plants can not meet [...]
Herpetofaunal diversity and distribution in Kalugala proposed forest reserve in Sri Lanka
Monday, March 22nd, 2010W.M.S. Botejue and J. Wattewidanage
This study reports species richness, abundance and diversity of herpetofauna in the Kalugala Proposed
Forest Reserve (KPFR). KPFR is a primary lowland tropical rain forest, surrounded by secondary and disturbed vegetation due to human activities like cultivation, logging and collecting firewood. Herpetofaunal communities of these different habitats (closed forest, ecotone, home gardens [...]
How do Sri Lankan shrub frogs Philautus popularis spend their night time: Field observations from Bolgoda wetland complex
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010H.G.S.K. Dayananda and D.D. Wickramasinghe
Sri Lanka is an amphibian hot spot providing home for 109 species. Nevertheless, studies on ecology and biology of amphibians of Sri Lanka are scarce and behaviour of frogs has drawn even less attention. Philautus popularis (Ranidae, Rhacophorinae; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005) is an endemic shrub frog which occurs in the [...]
Distribution and population parameters of selected tree species in Gilimale and Kithulgala Forest Reserve
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010S. S. Ranathunga and B.M.P Singhakumara
Field surveys have not been carried out in Sri Lanka to gather the population data on critically endangered tree species in their habitats. The population data on the critically endangered tree species are important to understand the present status of the population. In this study, the population data of seven [...]
Baseline Survey on Biodiversity in up country tea estates in Sri Lanka
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010G.G.T. Chandrathilake1
Conventional tea plantation was assessed in terms of biodiversity in up country tea estates in Sri Lanka. A rapid survey was carried out to document the both faunal and floral diversity associated in selected nine (9) tea estate in Nuwara Eliya district an areas that have not been properly surveyed for biodiversity. Based on [...]
Effects of carbofuran on survival and growth of Duttaphrynus melanostictus tadpoles
Thursday, March 4th, 2010M.R. Wijesinghe, B.A.D.M.C. Jayatillake and W.D. Ratnasooriya
This study investigated the impact of a commonly used carbamate pesticide, carbofuran, on survival, growth, development and activity of larvae of the Asian Common Toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus Schneider 1999. Continuous exposure trials of 15 days were conducted using tadpoles of Gosner stages 24-25 with a commercial grade carbofuran (Curaterr [...]
Diversity and microhabitats of termites in a natural and a secondary forest in Hantane hills, Kandy District
Thursday, March 4th, 2010I.I. Hemachandra, 1,2, J.P. Edirisinghe 1, W.A.I.P. Karunaratne 1, C.V.S. Gunatilleke3
Termites (Isoptera) are the most important decomposers in tropical rain forests and are vital in maintaining nitrogen and carbon cycles. They are sensitive to disturbances, especially to forest canopy losses and hence are one of the important bioindicator taxa. The documented termite fauna of Sri [...]
Effects of urea and adult palm fertilizer mixture on the survival and body wall tissues of the earthworm, Pheratima hawayana
Thursday, March 4th, 2010O.K.C. De Silva and W.U. Chandrasekera
We carried out a laboratory experiment to find out the effects of urea and urea containing Adult Palm Mixture (APM) fertilizer on the percentage of survival and body wall tissues of one of the commonest earthworms, Pheretima hawayana.
In this experiment, twenty plastic dishes with the dimensions of 510 cm2 area [...]
OBSERVATION ON FIGHTING BEHAVIOUR OF Philautus popularis MANAMENDRA-ARACHCHI AND PETHIYAGODA, 2005 (AMPHIBIA: RANIDAE: RHACOPHORINAE) AT PINWATHTHA, PANADURA.
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009There are 103 species of amphibians in Sri Lanka and 87 of them are endemic. These 103 species are presented by amphibians of 4 families: Bufonidae, Microhylidae, Ranidae (Raninae and Rhacophorinae), and Ichthyophiidae. There are 66 species of Rhacophorinae subfamily distributed in Sri Lanka, 65 of them are endemic to the island. Sub family Rhacophorinae [...]
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