Revista de Ecología y Toxicología

Abstracto

Multiple Threatened with Extinction Tropical Chelonians of the Western Ghats, India: Population, Ecology, and Moisture Sorption Characteristics and Mould Ecology of Trade Garri Sold in Southeastern Nigeria

Thapa J

The Cochin forest cane turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica) and the Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica) are two endemic terrestrial chelonians found only in the Western Ghats region of the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka hotspot.Estimates of the population as well as details on the scope and severity of the problems facing these Chelonians are mainly unavailable. This study makes an effort to fill in these gaps for two Western Ghats hill ranges. Thirty randomly selected quadrats in eight forest ranges were examined for chelonians and their carapaces, with those discovered during the search and during opportunistic surveys being recorded. This was followed by the discovery of 38 I. travancorica and three live V. silvatica, with total densities of 0.006 and 0.03 individuals per hectare, respectively.These chelonians were discovered in quadrats with lower light levels and warmer soil. Nine carapaces were discovered during the field investigations, with seven coming from human consumption, one from being caught in a pit, and one from being eaten by a wild animal. A V. silvatica and 38 I. travancorica, including a carapace, were found during household surveys conducted in 26 indigenous and nonindigenous human settlements in addition to field surveys.Two I. travancorica road kills were discovered as an examination of roads to determine the hazard they posed to chelonians. If chelonian conservation is to increase in the landscape, it is necessary to encourage more exchanges and conversations between management authorities and local communities.

Peeled, rinsed, mashed, fermented, and dewatered cassava roots are roasted until they become gelatinous and dry to yield garri, a creamy white or yellow starchy grit. In Central and West Africa, it is the most significant cassava product. Within 24 hours of sampling white and yellow garri from the market, the mean moisture content of each was 11.11 percent and 10.81 percent, respectively. After 3 months of storage at ambient temperature, the mean moisture content of each was 17.27 percent and 16.14 percent. After storage, the samples' initial water activity ranged from 0.587 to 0.934. Static gravimetric methods were used to measure the moisture sorption isotherms, which revealed temperature-dependent BET Sigmoidal type II behaviour that is typical of diets high in carbohydrates but was only very minimally influenced by the presence of palm oil. At constant water activity, equilibrium moisture content dropped as temperature rose. Ten distinct fungi from the genera Mucor, Penicillium, Cephalosporium, Aspergillus, Scopulariopsis,Rhizopus, and Paecilomyces were found, and their range widened as sample water activity increased.