art integrated activity in science by Vinayak s

1. BIODIVERSITY
OF SIKKIM
B Y V I N A Y A K S E T H U N A T H

2. ART INTEGRATED
ACTIVITY IN
SCIENCE
I N T R O D U C T I O N

3. SIKKIM
• Sikkim is a former Buddhist
kingdom growing by the mountains
shadow.
• Tucked between Nepal and the kingdom
of Bhutan in west and east, the
Sikkimese landscape has a mixture of
people from both regions apart from the
original Lepchas and Bhutias. While the
unhospitable landscape guards the
province from sudden attacks, the valleys
below in the Indian plains open up a lot of
doors for its upcoming generation.

4. SIKKIM
• Sikkim was adjudged as the cleanest state of India in the 2016 sanitation
survey.
• It became the first fully organic farming state in India.
• It is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world
• With only 86 persons per sq.km it is also among the least populated states
In India
• One can easily come across a wide range of spectacular landscapes at
different altitudes

5. SIKKIM
• Sikkim has snow-capped mountains
,rivers ,water falls, sacred lakes ,verdant
forests, exotic flora and fauna!

6. FLORAAND FAUNA
OF SIKKIM

7. FLORA
• Sikkim harbours over 4500 flowering plants,550 orchids,36
rhododendrons,16 conifers,28 Bamboos, 362 Ferns and its allies, 9
Tree Ferns, 30 Primulas, 11 Oaks, over 424 Medicinal plants,.
• Most of the high altitude medicinal plants are rare and endangered
species.
• The Nobile Orchid has been declared as the State Flower of Sikkim.
• The most popular orchids of Sikkim are Cymbidiums, Vanda,
Cattaleya, Hookeriana, Farmeri, Dendrobium Amoenum.
7

8. SOME OF THE MEDICINAL PLANTS IN
SIKKIM
BOTONICAL
NAME
LOCAL NAME DISTRUBUTION TYPES PART USED AND
USES
• Abies Wabbiana • Gobre Salla Temperate and
subalpine 5200-
13800 ft
Tree Leaves and gum
Tonic,
tuberculosis.
internal
hemorrhage.
Abrus precatorius Laigeri Lower hills 900-
4000 ft
Climbing shrub Fruits roots
Tonsil and
pneumonia
Acorus calamus Bojho Middle hill 3000-
6000ft
Herbaceous plants Roots/rhizome
vermifuge,fever
antispasmodic,
insect repellent
Aegle marmelos Bael Lower hill forest up
to 2000ft
Thorny small and
medium tree
Fruits and roots
Asparagus
racemosus
kurlo Tropical/sub-
tropical/lower/med
dle hill forest
Woody climber
under shrub
Tuberous, root
diabetes ,jaundice
urinary, disorder

9. Fauna
• The fauna of Sikkim include
the snow leopard, musk
deer, Himalayan tar, red
panda, Himalayan
marmot, Himalayan
serow, Himalayan
goral, muntjac, common
langur, Asian black
bear, clouded leopard marbled
cat, leopard cat, dhole, Tibetan
wolf, hog badger, binturong,
and Himalayan jungle cat.
Among the animals more
commonly found in the alpine
zone are yaks, mainly reared
for their milk, meat, and as a
beast of burden.
• The avifauna of Sikkim include
the impend pheasant, crimson horned
pheasant, snow partridge, Tibetan
snowcock, bearded vulture and griffon
vulture, as well as golden
eagles, quails, plovers, woodcocks, sand
pipers, pigeons, Old World
flycatchers, babblers and robins. Sikkim
has more than 550 species of birds, some
of which have been declared endangered.
• Sikkim also has a rich diversity
of arthropods, many of which remain
unstudied. Some of the most
understudied species are Sikkimese
arthropods, specifically butterflies. Of the
approximately 1,438 butterfly species
found in the Indian subcontinent, 695
have been recorded in Sikkim.[ These
include the endangered Kaiser-i-hind,
the Yellow Gorgon and the Bhutan Glory.
9

10. Landscapes of
Sikkim

11. KANCHENJUNGA
• Kanchenjunga the third highest peak in the world is
located in Sikkim.
• It is worshiped as the guardian deity of Sikkim
• Kanchenjunga national park (KNP) with an area of
1784sqkm occupies a quarter of Sikkim's area!
• In 2016 the UNESCO recognized the KNP as a world
heritage site having both natural and cultural
significance.
11

12. YUMTHANG
VALLEY OF FLOWERS
• Situated at a height of 11,800
feet, Yumthang is also known
as the 'Valley of Flowers’.
• It is considered as a paradise
for nature lovers due to its
magnificent blend of rich flora
and rare fauna coupled with its
breathtaking scenic beauty.
• The best season to visit is
spring, where the entire
landscape is filled with colours
of Primulas and
Rhododendrons making
Yumthang immensely popular
• The Shingba Rhododendron
Sanctuary cannot be missed
especially with its 24 species
of Rhododendron flowers.
• Apart from the beautiful
landscape, the valley is
surrounded by Silver Fir and
Pine trees, as well as
cascading waterfalls and
streams.

13. STATE SYMBOLS
OF SIKKIM

14. Red panda

15. RED PANDA
• The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is
a mammal species native to the
eastern Himalayas and southwester
n China.
• It is listed as Endangered on
the IUCN Red List because the wild
population is estimated at fewer
than 10,000 mature individuals and
continues to decline due to habitat
loss and fragmentation, poaching,
and inbreeding depression
• Despite its name, it is not closely
related to the giant panda.
• The red panda has reddish-brown
fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a
waddling gait due to its shorter front
legs; it is roughly the size of
a domestic cat, though with a
longer body.
• It is arboreal and feeds mainly
on bamboo, but also eats
eggs, birds, and insects.
• The red panda is the only living
member of the genus Ailurus and
the family Ailuridae. It has
previously been placed in
the raccoon and bear families, but
the results of phylogenetic analysis
provide strong support for
its taxonomic classification in its
own family, Ailuridae, which is part
of the superfamily Musteloidea,
along with
the weasel, raccoon and skunk fami
lies.

16. REPRODUCTION
• Red pandas are able to reproduce
at around 18 months of age, and
are fully mature at two to three
years.
• A few days before birth, females
begin to collect material, such as
brushwood, grass, and leaves; to
build a nest, which is normally
located in a hollow tree or a rock
crevice.
• After a gestation period of 112 to
158 days, the female gives birth in
mid-June to late July to one to four
(usually 1–2) blind and deaf cubs
weighing 110 to 130 g
• The cubs start to open their eyes at
about 18 days of age
• By about 90 days, they achieve full
adult fur and coloring, and begin to
venture out of the nest.
• They also start eating solid foods at
this point, weaning at around six to
eight months of age.
• A red panda's lifespan ranges
between eight and 10 years, but
individuals have been known to
reach 15 years

17. HABITAT
• The red panda lives between 2,200 and
4,800 m (7,200 and 15,700 ft) altitude,
inhabiting areas of moderate temperature
between 10 and 25 °C (50 and 77 °F) with
little annual change.
• It prefers mountainous
mixed deciduous and conifer forests,
especially with old trees and dense
understories of bamboo.

18. EVIDENCE OF A FALSE THUMB IN
A FOSSIL CARNIVORE CLARIFIES
THE EVOLUTION OF PANDAS
• The ‘‘false thumb’’ of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial
sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an
opposable thumb. If the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
and the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) are not closely related, their
sharing of this adaptation implies a remarkable convergence. The
discovery of previously unknown postcranial remains of a Miocene
red panda relative, Simocyon batalleri, from the Spanish site of
Batallones-1 (Madrid), now shows that this animal had a false
thumb. The radial sesamoid of S. batalleri shows similarities with
that of the red panda, which supports a sister-group relationship
and indicates independent evolution in both pandas. The fossils
from Batallones-1 reveal S. batalleri as a puma-sized,
semiarboreal carnivore with a moderately hypercarnivore diet.
These data suggest that the false thumbs of S. batalleri and
Ailurus fulgens were probably inherited from a primitive member
of the red panda family (Ailuridae), which lacked the red panda’s
specializations for herbivory but shared its arboreal adaptations.
Thus, it seems that, whereas the false thumb of the giant panda
probably evolved for manipulating bamboo, the false thumbs of
the red panda and of S. batalleri more likely evolved as an aid for
arboreal locomotion, with the red panda secondarily developing its
ability for item manipulation and thus producing one of the most
dramatic cases of convergence among vertebrates.
Skeletal anatomy of S. batalleri.(A) Skeletal reconstruction of S. batalleri. The pelvis,
femora, tibiae, fibulae, sacrum, and caudal vertebrae are not known and have been
reconstructed on the basis of related taxa. (B) Articulated right carpus and
metacarpus in palmar view, showing the position of the radial sesamoid (rs)
in Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Left; 1) and S. batalleri (Right; 2) (not at scale). Art by M.
Antón; manus of giant panda modified from ref.

19. Comparisons of left radial
sesamoids of the three
species of carnivores with
false thumbs, represented at
the same size. (Left) Internal
face. (Right) External face.
Am, Ailuropoda
melanoleuca; Sb, Simocyon
batalleri; Af, Ailurus fulgens;
1, abductor pollicis brevis
muscle; 2, abductor pollicis
longus muscle; 3, opponens
pollicis muscle; a,
articulation facet with
scapholunar.

20. “

21. RHODODENDRON

22. Rhododendron
• Rhododendron is the largest genus
in the family Ericaceae, with as
many as 1,024 species, (though
estimates vary from 850 to 1000
and is morphologically diverse.
Consequently, the taxonomy has
been historically complex.
• Azaleas make up two subgenera
of Rhododendron. They are
distinguished from "true"
rhododendrons by having only
five anthers per flower.
• They have frequently been divided
based on the presence or absence
of scales on the abaxial (lower) leaf
surface). These scales, unique to
subgenus Rhododendron, are
modified hairs consisting of a
polygonal scale attached by a
stalk.

23. Ecology
Diseases
• Major diseases
include Phytophthora root rot,
stem and twig fungal dieback
• Rhododendron bud blast, a
fungal condition that causes
buds to turn brown and dry,
and not open, is caused by the
fungus Pycnostysanus
azaleae, which may be
brought to the plant by the
rhododendron
leafhopper, Graphocephala
fennahi
• rhododendrons can easily be
suffocated by other plants or
evergreen trees that grow up
around them and block
sunlight.
Insects
• A number of insects either
target rhododendrons or will
opportunistically attack them.
• Rhododendron borers and
various weevils are major
pests of rhododendrons, and
many caterpillars will
preferentially devour them.
• Rhododendron species are
used as food plants by
the larvae (caterpillars) of
some butterflies and moths

24. HABITAT
• The 300 tropical species within
the Vireya section of
subgenus Rhododendron occupy the Malay
archipelago from their presumed Southeast
Asian origin to Northern Australia, with 55
known species in Borneo and 164 in New
Guinea.
• The species in New Guinea are native
to subalpine moist grasslands at around
3,000 metres above sea level in the Central
Highlands.

25. Hybrids
• Rhododendrons are extensively
hybridized in cultivation, and
natural hybrids often occur in areas
where species ranges overlap.
• . Most have been bred for their
flowers, but a few are of garden
interest because of ornamental
leaves and some for ornamental
bark or stems.
• Some hybrids have fragrant
flowers such as the Loderi hybrids,
created by crossing Rhododendron
fortunei and R. griffithianum.
• Other examples include the PJM
hybrids, formed from a cross
between Rhododendron
carolinianum and R. dauricum

26. BLOOD
PHEASANT

27. BLOOD PHEASANT
• The blood pheasant has the size of a small fowl, about 17 inch (43 cm) in
length with a short convex, very strong black bill, feathered between bill and
eye, and a small crest of various coloured feathers
• The tail consists of twelve sub-equal feathers, shafts white, rounded, the
ends whitish, the coverts a rich crimson red.
• Both males and females have red feet and a distinct ring of bare skin around
the eye that typically is crimson colored, but is orange in a few subspecies.
• Females are more uniformly colored, being overall dull brown and often with
some gray to the nape.

28. DISTRIBUTION AND
HABITAT
• Blood pheasants live in the mountains
of Nepal, Sikkim, northern Myanmar, Tibet,
and central and south-central China, where
they prefer coniferous or
mixed forests and scrub areas near
the snowline.
• They move their range depending on the
seasons, and are found at higher elevations
during the summer. With snow increasing in
fall and winter they move to lower
elevations.

29. DENDROBIUM
NOBILE

30. DENDROBIUM NOBILE
• Dendrobium, as the second largest genera of Orchidaceae, is wildly
distributed all over the world and has higher ornamental and
medicinal values
• It has about 1000–1400 original species.
• Dendrobium species is either epiphytic or lithophytic plant without or
with few lateral branches in cylindrical or fl at-triangular prism stems

31. Vegetative
propagation
• The base of the pseudobulb has ability for tillering, which
is determined by environmental conditions, ages of tuft,
plant nutritional status and other factors.
• Generally, tiller growth increases with age of tuft when
nutritional status and other conditions are not limited.
• In Dendrobium plants, pseudobulbs of different ages
possess diverse functions varying among species as
shown in table 2.
• Dendrobium offi cinale has different characteristics of
stems as shown in Table 2, compared with D.
• There are two reserve buds on the base of pseudobulb in
D. nobile, from which the current buds will sprout.
• Usually, a pseudobulb and a bud together form tufted
stems for growth and development.
• Buds sprout from the beginning of mid-February each
year,

32. THE CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS Of
PSEUDOBULBS OF D.NOBLE.(TABLE 1)
Ages Characteristics Functions
2 Green, withered and yellow
leaves after summer, occasional
falling leaves
Sprouting buds and vegetative
propagation
3 Yellow-green, with or without
damaged leaves
Sexual reproduction(flowering
and fruiting)
≥4 Yellow-green, with abscission
mark of peduncle and without
leaves
Supporting the whole plant and
high bud breeding

33. THE GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS OF
STEMS
Ages Characteristics
1 Producing fibrous root, growth peak: spring,dormancy:autumn,without fallen leaves, evergreen
life from plant
2 accumulating nutrients and fertilizing flowers, Generally no longer elongation growth, falling
leaves after the second growth period
3 fl owing and fruiting, with or without leaves in blooming stem, without new leaves after falling
leaves, naked stem
4 losing the tillering ability, becoming withered and then dying gradually

34. THANK YOU
By Vinayak Sethunath
Oasis international school