Myristica Swamps:
A group of researchers recently discovered a Myristica swamp forest in Kumbral, Maharashtra, which is protected by the local community.
- Myristica Swamps are freshwater swamps dominated by evergreen trees belonging to the Myristicaceae family.
- They are also denoted as living fossils due to the primitive nature of Myristica plants.
- With an evolutionary origin of about 140 million years, the swamps are valuable for evolutionary studies.
- These forests are characterized by trees with large protruding roots jutting out of waterlogged soil, which remains inundated throughout the year.
- Geographical distribution:In India, these unique habitats occur in the Western Ghats and a smaller distribution exists in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Meghalaya.
- Historically, they formed a large hydrological network all along the Western Ghats.
- The formation of these swamps is dependent on abiotic conditions like the shape of the valley between the forested hills, the amount of rainfall a place receives (with an average of 3000 mm) and water availability throughout the year.
- Typically, Myristica swamps are seen next to rivers and help in retaining water and act as a sponge, ensuring perennial water availability.
- These forests have higher ability to sequester carbon than non-swampy forests.
- These swamps are home to many vertebrate and invertebrate faunal species. This is due to stable macroecological conditions like high humidity, moderate temperature, and macrohabitat availability.
- One example is the Myristica Swamp Treefrog (Mercurana myristicapalustris), only reported from a few pockets of the Shendurney and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala.
