Effect of Invasive Exotic Species Prosopis Juliflora on the Vegetation of Cropland Peripheries of Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu

Effect of invasive exotic species Prosopis juliflora on the vegetation of cropland peripheries of Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu

Introduction:

The vegetation of a specified locality forms the baseline of the ecosystem of the locality while it itself depends on the climate and soil conditions of the locality. It may be indigenous or exotic which have naturalised in the area. In the former case, other biotic components of the ecosystem have co-evolved with the vegetation; in the latter case the change in baseline vegetation usually introduces changes in compositions of biotic components in the upper echelons of the ecosystem thereby completely changing the prevailing biota pattern of the area. The changes in the ecosystem may be slow or fast depending on how rate an exotic species spreads in a given area. When a patch of primary vegetation is destroyed, exotics may take and prevent regeneration of the original vegetation. In case an exotic species becomes dominant and the area is sufficiently large, this may induce changes in rhizophora microcommunity, sub-soil aquifers, biotic community, and have impacts on living conditions of the local people in a given area.

Cropland peripheries in Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu consists mainly of secondary vegetation. These harbours different plants, mostly indigenous – many of which find uses with local people. Proliferation of Prosopis juliflora, an exotic invasive species in several of the sites examined revealed different rathave changed the vegetation pattern of the area.

Methodology

Study area: Eight sites in Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu was selected for the study. The sites were within 2 km of the motorable road and at a minimum distance of 5 km from each other.

Sample Size : Sampled Plots 10x10 m were marked off with poles and ropes and plants which have their stems within the quadrat were counted as followed by Eswani et al (2010).

No. of Samples: 10 quadrats were sampled at each...