The Small Service Providers of Goa’s Western Ghats
Photo StoryPublished : Feb 14, 2023Updated : Sep 30, 2023
In the workings of a forest, even the smallest of creatures have a big role to play in supporting the ecosystem
Text by: Malavika Bhattacharya
In the workings of a forest, even the smallest of creatures have a big role to play in supporting the ecosystem
Goa’s forests stretch along its eastern fringes, sitting entirely within the Western Ghats. Home to an incredible range of flora and fauna, this wilderness of moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests is well-regarded as a biodiversity hotspot. From July to October, the Western Ghats of Goa face a daily deluge. Forests are inundated with water. The ground is muddy and squelchy. Trees and branches are overtaken by moss and fungi, and fast-moving streams crisscross the forest floor. In this season, the forest truly thrives, and key species like the Malabar pit viper come into view. While these able hunters may be the charismatic species that draw wildlife enthusiasts into the forest in the monsoon, a healthy ecosystem relies on creatures big and small.
Even in the wettest of conditions, the show must go on. The inner workings of an ecosystem rarely reveal themselves at first glance. Slow walks around the wet wilderness reveal scenes of hunters and prey, camouflage and defence, the survival of the fittest and the cycle of life.
On closer observation, you’ll notice that functions like waste management, population control, nutrient recycling, and pollination carry on seamlessly come rain or shine. These are the essential processes that enable an ecosystem to run like a well-oiled machine. Human life is also intrinsically tied to the balance of nature, and these supporting ecosystem services ultimately affect us all.
But who is tasked with carrying out these roles? Often, it is the smallest creatures that provide the most significant ecological services. Tiny workhorses like spiders, beetles and millipedes labour tirelessly — no matter the weather — to keep the wilderness functioning and ensure their own survival.
To maintain nature’s equilibrium, every creature has a part to play. Here we look at some hardworking and fascinating micro life in Goa’s Western Ghats.
“One man’s waste is another man’s treasure” is a common adage. Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) live by this mantra. Among the most hardworking service providers in the forest, these tiny creatures clean up after a herd of grazing cattle in Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. Rolling away tiny balls of poop for their consumption or for the female to lay eggs in, dung beetles perform the essential task of waste management, helping break down waste, and replenishing soil nutrients. Plus, they indirectly assist in seed dispersal when they move dung balls around. Photo: Omkar Dharwadkar
Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) encompass numerous species defined by their extended antennae. On the forest floor of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, the cycle of life plays out as two male longhorn beetles battle it out over a female. The winner of the wrestling match mates with the female; even as a short distance away, another female lays her eggs. Videos: Omkar Dharwadkar
To avoid predation and effectively hunt for prey in the wilderness, camouflage is the name of the game. Many tiny creatures can mimic their surroundings, like this treehopper (Membracidae) (2) on a leaf or a stick insect (Phasmatodea) (1) resembling a twig. Microhabitats like leaf surfaces or tree trunks often conceal predators lying in wait for their next meal. The bark mantis (Mantodea) (3) is one such creature. With a flat, brown-grey body that blends perfectly onto the tree trunks it inhabits, this mantis hunts insects, moths, flies, and a variety of arthropods. Photos: Dhritiman Mukherjee (1,2), Omkar Dharwadkar (3)
For many small forest inhabitants, camouflage is essential for survival, but exceptions exist. The Indian tiger centipede (Scolopendra hardwickei) is so flamboyant that its characteristic red and orange segments can be spotted from far away as it wiggles along the forest floor or on tree trunks. “This is the most venomous creature you will encounter in Amboli”, says naturalist Omkar Dharwadkar when we spot the centipede on Chaukul Road. Video: Omkar Dharwadkar
Other arthropods are not so cavalier as the Indian tiger centipede. Walking in the dense deciduous forests of Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, the floor is scattered with curious-looking pale white spheres. As we put distance between ourselves and these creatures, they gradually unravel to reveal stout, segmented bodies with multiple feet. Pill millipedes (Oniscomorpha) are among the most commonly seen millipedes in Goa’s Western Ghats. They are slow-moving little creatures that glide along the leaf litter and curl up into perfect pill-like balls when threatened.
Centipedes and millipedes are often mistaken for each other but they display some key differences. Both are arthropods (invertebrates) whose bodies are divided into sections. While centipedes have one pair of legs on each section, millipedes have two pairs per segment. Millipedes are instrumental in returning nutrients to the soil by decomposing the leaf litter they consume, while centipedes are predators that help keep insect populations in check. Video: Omkar Dharwadkar
More than 100 species of the Impatiens genus of flowers are endemic to the Western Ghats, and in the monsoon, the hillsides are awash in purple and white blooms. Like many flowering plants, impatiens need pollinators, and bees are the best suited for the job. These bees are hard at work in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, providing the essential service of pollination. Flowers provide bees with food in the form of nectar; in turn, bees act as pollinators helping plants reproduce. Video: Omkar Dharwadkar
From the forest floor to the tree canopy, spiders are all-pervasive. These predators display excellent camouflage and blend into tree barks with finesse like this (1) two-tailed spider (Hersilia). “They eat anywhere between 400-800 million tonnes of insects annually,” says spider expert Samuel John, explaining that their main ecological role is to keep invertebrate populations in check.
But often, the predator may also become the prey.
“They do display cannibalistic tendencies”, John says. If a spider’s microhabitat runs low on insect and invertebrate populations, it will not hesitate to consume its brethren. Here, a tailless whip scorpion (Amblypygi) (2) has a spider with an egg sac in its grip. Photos: Omkar Dharwadkar
The forests of the Western Ghats are interspersed with dry laterite plateaus, which offer refuge to a wealth of reptilian, arachnid, and amphibian life. One such plateau sits at the edge of the forest in Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, thriving with purple crabs and reddish burrowing frogs. Among the predators in this rocky habitat are scorpions of the Hottentotta genus, often found sitting still under rocks during the day, emerging only after sunset to hunt insects or frogs. Photo: Omkar Dharwadkar
With the richness of floral and faunal diversity in these wild tracts, there are innumerable species that live in Goa’s Western Ghats. Every creature — no matter how large or small — has an ecological role to play. Habitat loss from quarrying and the clearing of forests for transport projects pose a major threat to the survival of these species. Even a slight shift in the balance of nature can have cascading effects that ultimately affect us all. Photo: Dhritiman Mukherjee
