Sustainable utilization of Biodiversity: Role of Pteridophytes in Livelihhods of Tharu Tribes of Uttar Pradesh (original) (raw)

Biodiversity is perceived as variability among living organism of a particular area at certain time. It includes plants, animals, including microbial diversity. All the individuals in plants, animals and microbes kingdom impart significant role in ecosystem by production and transfer of energy to different tropic level. Such role of the plants, animals and microbes signify their potential importance. Human depend on plant kingdom including pteridophytes for fulfilling of their needs f r o m i m m e m o r i a l p e r i o d. P t e r i d o p h y t e s (commonly called as vascular cryptogams) evolved in Silurian period and dominated the earth in Carboniferous period of Mesozoic era. Therefore, Carboniferous period is also known as "ages of pteridophytes". In evolution point of view, the pteridophytes get place between bryophytes and gymnosperms for the reason of phylogenetic relationship. In morphology, pteridophytes are comprised of rhizome, scale, frond, sorus, spore, and reproduce through spore. Their life cycle is comprised of gametophyte and sporophyte. Both the gametophytes and sporophytes are potential to synthesise food materials, thus are equally important for utilization. Broadly, the pteridophytes are divided into fern-allies and ferns. The fern-allies (Lycopodium, Huperzia, Selaginella and Equisetum) are distinct in having rhizomatous roots, reduced scaly leaves and microspore as well as megaspore, thus called as heterosporous ferns. The ferns (Polypodium, Dryopteris, Asplenium, Nephrolepis, Pteris and Cyathea) exhibit rhizome, scale, frond, similar spores, therefore called as homosporous ferns. Different tribal communities utilize pteridophytes for various purposes. However, the sustainable utility of these plants are done by the tribes and men residing in the proximity of forests. They use the pteridophytes for food, fodder, medicines and household articles. They meet out their needs either from entire plants or parts (roots, rhizome, stripe or fronds) of plant. The valuable knowledge about pteridophytes uses in traditional practice remains with the tribes, local communities, herbalist or society living in terrai areas. These traditional knowledge needs to be documented and disseminated. Many pteridophytes like Selaginella bryopteris (Sanjeevani), Dryopteris cochleata (Jatashankar) and Helminthostachys zeylanica (Kamraj) are sold in local markets of Terrai region. Helminthostachys zeylanica is potential plant and prescribed in treatment of sexual disorders. Previously, scattered contributions (