Note4students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Arjuna Tree and its benefits
Mains level: Not much
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Arjuna Tree
- The Arjuna is a large, buttressed tree that usually grows along river banks.
- The arjuna tree (Terminalia arjuna) is best known for its medicinal properties and its importance to the charismatic grizzled giant squirrel, but it plays a special role in the river-forests of Karnataka’s Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary too.
- A higher number of trees specific to riverine habitats thrive under the canopies of old arjuna trees.
- The soil under these trees’ enormous canopies is also more moist and higher in organic carbon.
- This makes a case to recognize it as a keystone species — one that plays a crucial role in the landscape and conserve large, old trees.
Why Keystone specie?
- Scientists studied the plant species growing under the canopy of arjuna trees, as well as in areas without the trees.
- This revealed a higher species diversity (44 species; some like the mahua tree Madhuca latifolia grew only under the canopy of arjuna trees) under these trees.
- Similar riverine areas without arjuna trees housed only 26 species.
- Areas devoid of the trees also had more species that were not native to riverine stretches.
Medicinal Use
- The arjuna was introduced into Ayurveda as a treatment for heart disease by Vagbhata (c. 7th century CE).
- It is used in the treatment of wounds, hemorrhages and ulcers, applied topically as a powder.
Gives out rich soil
- The researchers also sampled soil properties under the trees as well as in areas without them.
- This revealed that soil in areas under the canopy of the tree had higher organic carbon and moisture contents, probably due to the presence of the large canopy.
- Put together, these factors prove that the arjuna is a crucial tree in the landscape.