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Tropical Ecology 51(2S): 303-304, 2010 ISSN 0564-3295 © International Society for Tropical Ecology www.tropecol.com Plant invasion and environmental pollution: causes of concern 1* 2 A.J. HIREMATH & M. AGRAWAL Guest Editors 1 Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, 1 K Block Commercial Complex, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi 110 014, India 2Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India Humans, like other organisms, modify their effects of species invasion on vegetation composition, environment, but the degree to which humans and on a critical ecosystem process, nutrient have become capable of modifying their environ- cycling. Two other articles look at community im- ment is unmatched by any other living organism pacts of invasive species on taxa that have tended on earth. One would be hard pressed to find today to receive less attention than plants, namely soil any environment in which human agency has not mycorrhizae (Shah et al.), and birds (Aravind et had a direct, indirect, or inadvertent impact, al.). Finally, Rashid & Reshi, and Raizada & whether through land use and land cover change, Raghubanshi both investigated aspects of invasive via the introduction of alien species, or due to species biology that have relevance to mana- industrialization and the alteration of biogeo- gement. It is telling that three of the five articles chemical cycles. The introduction of alien species is (Aravind et al., Raizada & Raghubanshi, and one aspect of human agency that is dealt with in Sharma & Raghubanshi) focus on Lantana the collection of articles that follows. The other camara, perhaps the most ubiquitous and cons- aspect of human agency dealt with in this picuous invasive alien plant across much of collection of articles is a byproduct of industria- tropical and subtropical India. The other two lization, namely environmental pollution. articles (Rashid & Reshi, and Shah et al.) deal Invasions by alien species perhaps first with invasive species in temperate Kashmir, a captured the imagination of ecologists as a result region that is biogeographically quite distinct from of Elton’s (1958) very prescient book, but it is the rest of the country. We hope the collection of really only in the last few decades that the effects articles featured here is merely the tip of the – have iceberg, with much more yet to come. of alien species invasions – long entrained Rapid technological, industrial and agri- really become manifest. In fact, the International cultural advancement, coupled with increases in Convention on Biological Diversity, in 2000, population growth, has triggered the deterioration declared alien invasive species to be the second of environmental quality throughout the world. greatest threat to biodiversity after habitat frag- Rapidly growing cities, more traffic on roads, mentation. Yet, despite the increasing inter- growing energy consumption and waste produ- national focus on invasive alien species, there was ction, and lack of strict implementation of environ- very little attention paid to them in India till only mental regulation are increasing the discharge of a few years ago. The first national workshop on pollutants into air, water, and soil (Agrawal 2005; invasive alien species in India was held as recently Sharma et al. 2009). The future development of as 2004 (Raghubanshi et al. 2005), and was, in most tropical countries is likely to only further many ways, a call to action. aggravate the pollution problem. Environmental The collection of articles featured here, though pollution not only causes unprecedented misery to small, nonetheless manages to capture a number human beings, but it also has negative effects on of the issues surrounding invasive species that are managed as well as natural ecosystems. Policies to of interest to ecologists. Sharma & Raghubanshi reduce emissions are often costly to implement, investigated the effects of habitat fragmentation and need to be balanced against a range of other on ecosystem invasibility. They also report the * Corresponding Author; e-mail: hiremath@atree.org; madhoo58@yahoo.com 304 PLANT INVASION AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION economic and social priorities. The links between the other on environmental pollution, during the environmental quality and plants are important Tropical Ecology Congress held in Dehradun in for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Under- December 2007. The Congress was jointly spon- standing these links is especially important for sored by the International Society for Tropical management practices to sustain productivity under Ecology and H.N.B. Garhwal University. The the- the threat of environmental pollution. mes, recommendations, and broad outcome of the The articles under the section on environ- Congress are included in Singh et al. (2009), and mental pollution cover a wide range of topics from the first two special issues on biodiversity and the impact of ambient air pollution on plants, to remote sensing have already been published food chain contamination, biomonitoring of heavy (Kushwaha et al. 2010; Rawat 2009). The Guest metals, and bioremediation. Tiwari et al. investi- Editors express their gratitude to the Organizers gated the impact of ambient air pollutants on a of the Tropical Ecology Congress for the financial vegetable crop using open-top chambers installed support to organize the session and to the in a suburban area of a medium-sized city. They International Society for Tropical Ecology for documented seasonal variations in plant adapta- publishing this issue. tions to air pollutants. Mid-stream surface-water References contamination in the river Ganga, at Varanasi, by atmospheric deposition of heavy metals has been Agrawal, M. 2005. Effects of air pollution on agriculture: reported by Pandey et al., Singh et al. demonstrated An issue of national concern. National Academy that the use of waste water from a sewage Science Letter 28: 93-106. treatment plant contaminates soil and vegetables, Elton, C.S. 1958. The Ecology of Invasions by Animals with serious implications for human health. and Plants. Methuen, London, UK. Sharma & Agrawal have shown that zinc acts Kushwaha, S.P.S., V.K. Dadhwal & Skip J. Van Bloem. antagonistically on the uptake of cadmium, a non- 2010. Remote sensing of tropical ecosystems. essential heavy metal. Hence, zinc could be used at Tropical Ecology 51: 1-2. cadmium-contaminated sites to reduce its negative Raghubanshi, A.S., L. C. Rai, J.P. Gaur & J.S. Singh. effects. Pandey & Upadhyay have suggested the 2005. Alien invasive species and biodiversity in use of Pseudomonas fluorescence for bioremedia- India. Current Science 88: 539-540. tion of Direct Orange-102, a dye used in the textile Rawat, G.S. 2009. Current trends in tropical biodiversity industry. Anita Singh was given the Alice J. research and conservation. Tropical Ecology 50: 5-6. Murphy Outstanding Achievement Award for her Singh. S.P., S. J. Van Bloem & A.R. Nautiyal (Series paper on “Risk assessment of heavy metal toxicity Editors). 2009. Papers from Tropical Ecology through contaminated vegetables from waste water Congress. Tropical Ecology 50: 1-3. irrigated area”. Sharma, R.K., M. Agrawal & F.M. Marshall. 2009. This special issue of Tropical Ecology is Heavy metals in vegetables collected from composed of selected papers presented during two production and market sites of a tropical urban area special sessions, one on invasive alien species, and in India. Food and Chemical Toxicology 47: 583-591.
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