ID: 55522
Title: Sex ratio in India - embarrassing to be honest
Author: Archana Joshi and Neeraj Tiwari
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 8, 25 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: None
Abstract: None
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55521
Title: Mapping onland river channels up to the seafloor along the west coast of India
Author: S N Kundu and D S Pattanaik
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: River channels, mapping, seafloor, oil and gas
Abstract: A river channel terminates at the sea in the form of a delta. Recent research has reported the existence of marine channels and depositional environments. This has been further corroborated by the significant discoveries of oil and gas in deepwater. Such studies have raised several questions like: How do these channels orginate deep in the ocean floor? Are these channels extensions of present-day onland river systems? The present communication presents a GIS - based analytical study of bathymetry and elevation to establish the relations between present -day onland river systems and marine channel systems in the offshore west cost of India.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55520
Title: Stilostomella: extinction or local disappearance of elongated species?
Author: Ajoy K Bhaumik, Anil K Gupta, Richa Dey and Steven C Clemens
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Benthic foraminifera, elongated species, extinction, local disappearance
Abstract: Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 15 core top samples from the Indian Ocean, revealed the presence of eight pristine elongated benthic foraminiferal species and one group of species. Six have been already reported as extinct group, whereas three have been categorized as survival group. Documentation of these species from recent sediments of the Indian Ocean allowed us to use the term ' local disappearance ' rather than ' extinction ' for the Mid-Pelistocene Transition. The present study also documents their shallow infaunal habitat in high organic carbon and low temperature enviornments. However, these species are also able to tolerate high temperature and well-oxygenated condition.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55519
Title: Climate change and its impact on biodiversity; some management options for mitigation in Arunachal Pradesh
Author: Sanjeeb Bharali and Mohamed Latif Khan
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Biodiversity, climate change, habitat, management intiatives , threats
Abstract: Cilmate change is one of the most important global environmental challenges that affect all the natural ecosystems of the world. Due to the fragile environment, mountain ecosystems are the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Mountains have been recognized as important ecosystems by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Arunachal Pradesh is a predominantly mountainous state and is home to many endemic, endangered and threatened species, as well as to the indigenous people, who are dependent on its biological resources. Climate change will not only threaten the biodiversity, but also affect the socio-economic condition of the indigenous people of the state. Various activities like habitat loss, deforestation, clear felling and overexploitation amplify the impact of climate change on biodiversity. Therefore, some management initiatives should be taken for mitigating climate change. Also, more research work needs to be carried out in Arunachal Pradesh to monitor the trend of climate change and susceptibility of biodiversity.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55518
Title: A misleading ' turtle rock ' from pelagic sediments of Andaman ophiolite
Author: Tapan Pal, M S Sankar, Anindya Bhattacharya, Chirananda De
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: None
Abstract: None
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55517
Title: The economics of nuclear power
Author: Geethanjali Monto
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: None
Abstract: None
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55516
Title: Disjunct distributional record of an endemic liverwort Chiloscyphus campanulatus Steph. from Assam in Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot
Author: Sudipa Das Bhattacharyya, Bebjyoti Bhattacharyya, G D Sharma
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 7, 10 October 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: None
Abstract: None
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55515
Title: Floral traits in relation to breeding system in Emex australis Steinh
Author: Renu Bala and Vennu Kaul
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Emex australis, facultative xenogamy, male: female biomass, P/O ratio, reproductive output, wind pollination
Abstract: Emex australis Steinh is a monoecious winter annual which has assumed the status of an obnoxious weed in some countries. In India, there are three reports on its occurrence which date back to the 1980s. Since then nothing has been reported about its life histroy, spread and control. Plants bear male and female sexes in separate flowers. Being axillary, the male flowers are aggregated in a raceme whereas female are solitary borne in clusters of 4-6 below the male. Small size, herbaceous nature, structure and arrangement of flowers favour self-pollination. However, at a closer look a number of evidences such as portandry, male biased sex ratio, high P/O ratio and wind pollination indicate cross-pollination. The species, therefore, exhibits facultative xenogamy. This conclusion is supported by the data on pollen-ovule and sex-allocation ratios, results of pollination experiments and reproductive outputs thereof.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55514
Title: Emerging new multi-drug resistant bacteria pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii associated with snakehead Channa striatus eye infection
Author: P R Rauta, Kuldeep Kumar and P K Sahoo
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, Channa striatus, drug resistant, pathogen
Abstract: Although Acinetobacter baunmannii acts as a severe human pathogen, there are only few sstudies to date that report it as a pathogen for fish. In the present study, on virulent bacterial strain was isolated from diseased Channa striatus, from a farm at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, which showed symptoms like cloudy eyes, pop eye (exophthalmia), opaque lenses and mild ulceration on the whole body irrespective of sex and size of fish. Based on morphology, different biochemical tests and sequence analysis of 16S r DNA segment as well as phylogenetic study, the causative bacterium (called Ch E) was identificed as A. baumanii. The pathogenticity was further confirmed by artificial infectivity study (LD 50 dose of 108.37CFU/fish). In the drug sensitivity study, this isolate was highly resistant to many antibiotics. The isolate was also highly resistant to all three tested heavy metals (Cu+2, Cr+2,Hg+2), thus proving its virulent nature.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55513
Title: Intense deep convective mixing in the southeast Arabian sea linked to strengthening of the northeast Indian monsoon during the middle Pliocene (3.4 Ma)
Author: Kuppusamy Mohan and Anil K Gupta
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Deep convective mixing, NE monsoon, southeast Arabian sea
Abstract: The climate of the Indian Ocean is dominated by monsoon reversals, influencing hydrography and biogeochemistry of the Indian Ocean as well as land vegetation through changes in precipitation. During summer or southwest monsoon season, intense upwelling zones driven by Ekman spiral appear in the western and eastern parts of the Arabian sea that enhance surface primary production and thus proliferation of distinct fauna and flora. During the winter season, northeast monsoon winds cause deep convective over turning (Mixing) that injects nutrients to the surface ocean and increases surface production. As a result, the primary production in hte Arabian sea has biomodal annual distribution. The present study analyses 5.6 Ma record of surface-dwelling planktic foraminifera, Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer from Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 219, southeast Arabian Sea to understand changes in the surface ocean as driven by the Indian monsoon coinciding with the northern hemisphere glaciation (NHG). An increase in mixed -layer species at ~3.4 Ma suggests intense deep convective overturning caused by strong NE monsoon winds related to strengthening of NHG. GLobigerina bulloides shows a high positive relation with G. ruber during the past 3.4 Ma and a week relation in the early Pliocene (5.6 -3.4 Ma). The high G. bulloides percentages during the pat 3.4 Ma could be linked to the injection of nutrients in the top layer by the advecting sub-surface nutrient-rich water.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55512
Title: Evidence of active tectonics along oblique transverse normal fault in the Kosi River valley around Betalghat, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India
Author: J S Mehta and Rajendra Sanwal
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Active tectonics, alluvial fans, Quaternary sediments, transverse fault
Abstract: We report evidence of offsetting in the Quaternary sediments along the NNE-SSW trending --oblique transverse normal fault from Betalghat area, Nainital District, Uttarakhand, Jumaun Lesser Himalaya, India. The area is located in a broad, active tectonic valley of Kosi river sandwiched between three major tectonic planes; the Main Boundary Thrust and the Ramgarh Thrust in the south and the South Almora Thrust (SAT) in the north. The Quaternary sediments occur as a part of the erosional remnants of terrace-cut fan deposits, consisting of an unsorted mixture of boulders and pebbles set in a sandy and silty matrix. Distinct silty clay layers occur within the sediments, which act as a marker horizon for fault movement. An offset of ~1.5 m in the Quaternary sediment by the NNE-SSW trending transverse fault has been observed. The dip component in the silty clay layers and the nature of displacement indicate both compressional and extensional tectonic activity. The NNE-SSW trending fault being youngest displaces major Himalayan structural grains, suggesting that the tansverse fault trending NNE-SSW is active due to oblique convergence of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55511
Title: Land water storage variation over Southern India from space gravimetry
Author: V M Tiwari, J M Wahr, S Swenson and B Singh
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Hydrological signals, satellite mission, space gravimetry, water storage
Abstract: The gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) satellite mission is mapping the earth ' sgravity field with unprecedented accuracy of a few ?Gal(10-8 m/s2) every month. This provides a new means of studying hydrological, climatic and tectonic processes that redistribute mass, producing temporal gravity changes. Hydrological changes contribute the strongest signal in the GRACE gravity field on seasonal, annual and inter-annual timescales. This communication presents seasonal and annual hydrological signals over India observed by GRACE and compares them with in situ measurements. The spatio-temporal variations of water storage over southern India for 2002-2008 show positive and negative trends, which appear to be related with changes in precipitation patterns. It has also been observed that the negative trend over a large part of south India changed to positive trend after 2005. These observations suggest dominant inter-annual trend of water storage in the southern Indian region. Such observations have also been noticed in the average record of ~950 water wells from Andhra Pradesh. We compared GRACE-derived time series with land-based measurements from Andhra Pradesh and found that the GRACE record corroborates with ground data, implying its application in the monitoring of water storage in the region.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55510
Title: Nitrous oxide emission from tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O.kuntze) - planted soils of North East India and soil parameters associated with the emisssion
Author: Boby Gogoi and K K Baruah
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Nitrous oxide flux, soil moisture, soil temperature, tea ecosystem
Abstract: Dynamics of nitros oxide (N2O) emission and the relationship of soil properties with N2O emission were studied from the tea ecosystem of North East India situated at north bank plain agroclimatic zone at Tezpur, Assam. The gas samples were collected from the tea bush at weekly intervals from 30 August 2008. Our results shows that N2O fluxes from the tea garden planted with varieties Hilika and TV-23 ranged from 7.51 to 63.30 micro g N2O-N m-2h-1. Seasonal N2O emission from Hilika and TV-23 was 46.13 and 55.17 mg N2O-Nm-2 respectively. N2O emission showed a relationship with soil moisture soil temperature and soil NO3-- N of the experimental field. Soil moisture and soil temperature were found to be the main variables influencing N2O emission from the tea ecosystem.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55509
Title: Pattern of methane emission from a garbage dump
Author: N N Purkait and D K Chakrabarty
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Atmospheric methane, garbage dump, emission measurements, paddy field
Abstract: Municipalities in rural areas collect garbage from houses and dump it in a low-lying marshy grounds. After several years when this ground is compeletly filled up, garbage dumping is stopped. Then this ground is used for public purposes. With the passage of time, garbage starts decomposing and starts releasing methane. Methane is an important greenhouse gas which is non-toxic, but highly flammable. It is an asphyxiant and can be fatal. Dhapa in Kolkata is a ground where garbage was dumped till 1991. Methane emission measurements from this garbage field were made from May 1995 onwards for a couple of years. The results are presented in this communication. It was found that the methane values from the garbage dump are 3-4 times higher than those from the surrounding paddy field.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None
ID: 55508
Title: Consistency of local perceptions of climate change in the Kangchenjunga Himalaya landscape
Author: Pashupati Chaudhary Suman Rai Siddhant Wangdi Akai Mao Nishat Rehman Santosh Chettri and Kamaljit S Bawa
Editor: P. Balaram
Year: 2011
Publisher: Current Science Association, Vol 101, No 4, 25 August 2011
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: None
Subject: Current Science
Keywords: Climate change Kangchenjunga local perceptions
Abstract: The Himalaya is experiencing rapid climate change that is likely to significantly impact local ecosystems, biodiversity, agriculture and human well-being. However the scientific community has been slow to examine the extent and consequences of climate change. Local communities have been coping with environmental change since millennia. Thus they often have considerable knowledge about environmental change and means to cope with its consequences. We (a) examined the perceptions of local communities about climate change and its impacts on ecosystems biodiversity agriculture and livelihoods in the Kangchenjunga Himalayas region; (b) analysed the consistency of perceptions across geographica regions and (c) assessed the conformity between local perceptions and scientific evidence. Our study is based on sruveys conducted in 576 households, focus group discussions, key informant surveys and direct observations. The results show that people in the Kangchenjunga Himalayas region have considerable knowledge of climate change and its effect on the weather, ecosystems, biodiversity and agriculture. These perceptions are consistent across the region and conform to scientific findings.
Location: 241
Literature cited 1: None
Literature cited 2: None