Harshal Satish Bhosale
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Biol Syst Open Access
Wind energy is increasingly being explored as a possible solution to fossil fuel shortage driven energy crisis. Due to its apparent eco-friendly nature, large areas are being identified for setting up for large wind farms. However, in the recent years the â??ecologically benignâ?? nature of wind energy has come under serious scrutiny. Among the most critical argument against diversion of large areas for wind generation is their detrimental effects on bird communities that face serious mortality risks through collisions with wind turbines. Although there are substantial evidences suggesting reduction in bird densities due to wind turbine, little is known about the consequences of this reduction on other taxa. With this background, I tried to assess how reduction in bird densities affects reptile communities, given that birds are amongst the most important predators of reptiles. More significantly, I examined how avian predator densities and activity varied across two treatments-wind turbine and non-wind turbine areas and correlated it to reptile diversity on the Chalkewadi plateau, Indiaâ??s largest operational wind farm. Results indicate that bird densities as well as activity were significantly lower in areas with wind turbines, while reptile density and diversity was significantly higher. These results are indicative of a possible trophic cascade, wherein reduced predation pressure in increased survival in reptiles thereby resulting in greater reptile diversity, highlighting those effects of wind turbines may be more complex than previously anticipated.
