Scientists focusing on the estuarial mudflats of the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve have raised a demand for conservation of the biofilm that beckons birds of exotic species from thousands of miles afar during the winter.
Scientists say that conserving the biofilm or the thin layer of microbes on the sediment surface of the mudflats at Kadalundi will go a long way in the conservation of the estuarine fauna, and thus the conservation of the sanctuary that hosts thousands of winged visitors between September and March every year.
Bacteria
The biofilm consisting of detritus and bacteria is food for innumerable invertebrate fauna like polychaetes and crustaceans.
“People don’t usually bother about the biofilm, which can be seen and discussed only at micro-level analysis,” said K.M. Aarif, who has taken up the study of the mudflat ecology as part of his post-doctoral research.
Dr. Aarif joined hands with Tomohiro Kuwae, scientist at the Port and Airport Research Institute, Yokosuka, Japan, in the study of biofilm after concentrating on Kadalundi for over 10 years. Dr. Kuwae’s research had made pioneering revelations in 2014 about the significance of conserving biofilms across the world.
According to T.R. Athira, who is currently engaged in the study of behavioral patterns of shorebirds reaching Kadalundi during the migration season, protection of the biofilm will be vital for the conservation of the mudflats in the estuary.
Chain effect
“It is a highly nutrient food source for the shorebirds that reach Kadalundi from across the continents to escape the winter every year,” she said.
Dr. Aarif said that conservation of the biofilm would ensure conservation of the fish fauna in the estuary. “It will have a chain effect. We will be ultimately conserving the ecological balance in the community reserve by protecting the mangroves and the mudflats alike. In effect, we will welcome the long-distant migrant birds with a smorgasbord of biofilm to forage on,” he said.