Concentration of Lead and Population of Ants in roadside soil of Kolkata and relationship in between: A GIS Approach
A. Roy
Statistical Asstt.
Zoological Survey of India
amitava_wb@yahoo.co.in
S.N. Ghosh
Jr. Zoological Assistant
Zoological Survey of India
S. Bhatta
System Engineer
CAD Centre
Dept. of Computer Sc. & Engg.
Jadavpur University
cadcentr@cadcentreju.org
Abstract
Ants, the most intelligent social insect, can survive in any ecological condition. They have the ability to withstand pollution, though it varies from species to species. In Kolkata the vehicular pollution is maximum among the metros. Before introduction of lead-free fuel for vehicles, the concentration of lead in the soil was measured (in the year 1995-’97) and side by side the density of the community of ants resident there and the individual species population were recorded. The same parameters were studied recently (2003-’04) for comparison. It is reflected that the concentration of lead in the roadside soil has come down on an average. Whereas the density of the ant community in total is not showing that much difference. But the population of individual species shows some variation. In lead-rich soil the species Solenopsis geminata represented nearly 45% of the total community with 4/5 other dominating species. Now in changed scenario that particular species comprises approximately 30% of the total ant community.
This is the first attempt to prepare a GIS (using Arc View and its internal geo-database) of the concentration of lead in roadside soil as well as the population density of dominating species of ants before and after the introduction of the lead-free fuel for vehicles in Kolkata. This information system may help the end users to study the status of the soil-pollution and its effect on the faunal diversity and to establish thereby any species as ‘index species’.
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