IBM abstract

th 5 India Biodiversity Meet Organized by Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata March 15-17, 2018 ABSTRACTS

th Abstracts – 5 India Biodiversity Meet 2018 Copyright © [2018] Indian Statistical Institute All rights reserved. ISBN [applied for] No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information retrieval system without written permission of the publisher. Published by Indian Statistical Institute For more copies of this book, please email: [email protected] Designed and Set by Dr. Achyut Kumar Banerjee Cover design by Susant Mahankur Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of this information contained herein.

Table of Contents Keynote lecture ........................................................................................ 10 Digital molecular cataloguing of the bio-resource ............................................ 12 PCM Memorial lecture .............................................................................. 14 Managing climate change and variability in the rainfed farming systems of the semi-arid tropics ............................................................................................ 16 Plenary lectures ........................................................................................ 18 Biodiversity conservation: Kerala initiatives .................................................... 20 Biodiversity in Indian philately........................................................................ 22 Invited lectures ......................................................................................... 24 Delineating groundwater security of India ...................................................... 26 Trichoderma spp.: diversity to utility............................................................... 27 Use of tea genetic resources for the integrated tea improvement programme . 28 Climate change and disaster risks in Pacific Islands: estimated impacts and fiscal consequences ................................................................................................ 29 Biodiversity to food security ........................................................................... 30 Mathematical modeling of macroalgal allelopathy in the emergence of coral diseases ......................................................................................................... 31 Bibliometric Review and Synthesis of Ecological Network Analysis (2010-2016) 32 Safeguarding biodiversity while harnessing economic benefits ........................ 34 Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Oral presentations) .................... 36 Comparative study of biodiversity loss in Chitrakoot region and Chilika lake region: impact, reason and assessment ........................................................... 37 Analysis of depositional environment and its consequent changes in chronological sequence with respect to animal remains assemblage zone recorded from Holocene sediments of lower Bengal basin, India ..................... 38 Bioinformatics analyses of a nitrate and phosphate hyper-accumulating Bacillus sp. strain ........................................................................................................ 39

Purple wood pigeon or pale capped pigeon Columba punicea stronghold in Eastern Ghats of Odisha ................................................................................. 40 Spatial and seasonal variations of Planktonic ciliates in a meso-macrotidal Hooghly (Ganges) River estuary, India ............................................................. 41 A farmers’ perception on herpetofauna status along an agricultural intensification gradient .................................................................................. 42 Cosmetic antiaging “Squalene” from the abscisic leaves of Artocarpus heterophyllus (Moraceae) – An eco-friendly, rich, alternate, cost-effective and “vegan” source to combat global squalene market demands ........................... 43 Vocalization pattern of common tailorbird in urban habitats of Delhi, India ..... 44 Mural plants (Angiosperms) of antiquated buildings in Shobhabazar, West Bengal............................................................................................................ 45 Assessment of physical stress induced by invasive climbers on native plants ... 46 Invasive species and regeneration in Sal (Shorea robusta) forests .................... 47 To study anticlastogenic effect of Spirulina against arsenic using Zebra fish as a model organism ......................................................................................... 48 Endorsing urban forests as potential carbon sinks in smart cityscape: Lessons from Nagpur, India ......................................................................................... 49 Mangalajodi (Chilka) Odisha- waterfowl conservation with participation of poachers and hunters ..................................................................................... 50 Survey and documentation of soil arthropod fauna in conventional, organic and bio-rational tea plantations of Assam with special emphasis on Acari fauna .... 52 Consequences of varying salinity and temperature on oxygen consumption of Mystus gulio: perspectives of stasis and distribution in the estuaries of Indian Sundarban ..................................................................................................... 53 Diversity of Scarabaeinae (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) fauna of Nadia district, West Bengal, India ......................................................................................... 54 Indian skimmer Rynchops albicollis breeding in Odisha –conservation requirements ................................................................................................. 55 Elephant corridor as an approach for conserving elephants in Odisha- case of Telkoi Pallahara elephant corridor .................................................................. 56

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Poster presentations) ................. 58 Impact of different pest management practices on natural enemy population in tea plantations of Assam ................................................................................ 59 Raising public awareness against asymptomatic uropathogenic Escherichia coli in males and non-pregnant females -a study on urine samples, isolated from hospitalized patients of Kolkata, an eastern region of India ............................. 60 Management through utilization: A review on the profitable properties of the invasive alien plant species of India ................................................................ 61 Land snail diversity in urban habitats of Kolkata, India: a spatial scale analysis 62 Structural Diversity in Teleostean Pineal Organ ............................................... 63 Endophytic bacterial community of rice cultivated in the coastal saline zone of West Bengal ................................................................................................... 64 Effect of environmental factors on the diversity of ecto-mycorrhizal association in the Fagaceae Family in Eastern Himalayas .................................................. 65 Floral composition and soil properties of pristine forests in comparison to managed forests in Gangajalghati forest area of West Bengal, India ................ 66 PMQR and ESBL genes in uropathogenic E. coli: co-resistance and risk of co- transmission .................................................................................................. 67 A review on importance of microphytobenthos with special emphasis on benthic-pelagic coupling ................................................................................. 68 Medicinal plant resources in sacred groves of south-western West Bengal ...... 69 Heavy metal distribution in soil and aquatic level in a semi urbanized ecozone of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal: a factor influencing the distribution of native firefly, Luciola substriata, a potential bio indicator .......................................... 70 Size-variable Copper Nanoformulations as antibacterial agent against Xanthomans oryzae causing bacterial leaf blight disease in rice ....................... 71 Conservation of amphibians in agroforestry systems of Northeast India .......... 72 Business and biodiversity (Oral presentations) .......................................... 73 An effect of globalisation on eating pattern of Indian women and life-style diseases associated with it.............................................................................. 74

Behavioral Pattern of Spot and Futures Prices in Augmenting Price Discovery Mechanism of Major Spices in India ................................................................ 75 Climate change and community ecology (Oral presentations) ................... 76 Bomolochid (Copepoda, Crustacea) diversity on edible marine fishes along the Cochin coast, India ......................................................................................... 77 Structure of meiofaunal assemblages from sediments of different mangrove habitats at Sundarbans ................................................................................... 78 Parasitic crustaceans infecting the Shrimp Scad, Alepes djedaba Forsskål, 1775 (Perciformes, Carangidae): a comparative study on its occurrence along the Cochin and Malabar Coasts - Kerala, India ....................................................... 79 Effect of delay on stability and existence in the growth of zooplankton population in N-P-Z Model.............................................................................. 80 Distribution and community structure of plant parasitic nematodes & their relationship with soil properties in Betel vine growing regions of West Bengal, India .............................................................................................................. 81 Climate change and community ecology (Poster presentations) ................ 82 Status of relative distribution and reproductive strategy of fish in a tropical estuary in face of climate fluctuation .............................................................. 83 Effect of vermicomposted edible oil industry sludge on seed germination of rice, wheat and cucumber ...................................................................................... 84 Population explosion as a threat to food security in India ................................ 85 Development of safe intervention strategies against V. cholerae biofilm structure: a possible way to interfere with the climate influenced spread of the bacterium ...................................................................................................... 86 Mathematical and statistical ecology (Oral presentations)........................ 87 Can epidemiological intervention strategy be linked up with human mobility scenario? ....................................................................................................... 88 Biological control to carrier dependent infectious diseases: A mathematical model ............................................................................................................ 89 A stochastic model for cloud seeding .............................................................. 90 Modelling analysis of sustaiable agriculture and NET ....................................... 91

Stability of harvesting population under demographic noise ........................... 92 Association between childhood diarrhea and household living condition: a geo- statistical modelling ....................................................................................... 93 Development of regression models involving agro-climatic factors for prediction of yield of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) ........................................................ 94 A goodness-of-fit test of growth curve based on an extended relative growth rate measure .................................................................................................. 95 Understanding species importance in an ecosystem: Keystone vs. Centrality (A case study from Bakreswar Reservoir, India) ................................................... 96 Mathematical modelling of Mendel’s Law ....................................................... 97 Modelling nematode infestation on Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) ............ 98 Neutral, lumpy and intransitive assemblages respond differently to immigration in spatially heterogeneous environments........................................................ 99 An approach towards quantification of food web structure and ecosystem health using ecological network analysis in Hooghly estuarine system, India . 100 Modelling organic matter dynamics of a reclaimed and a virgin island of Sundarban mangrove wetland soils - a comparative study............................. 101 Assessment of ecosystem health through network analysis of pelagic-benthic coupled system in Hooghly estuary, India ...................................................... 102 Effect of refuge of susceptible prey in a food-chain system: a mathematical approach...................................................................................................... 103 Spatial dynamics of a nutrient-phytoplankton system with toxic effect on phytoplankton ............................................................................................. 104 Bayesian approach of leopard (Panthera pardus) habitat suitability modeling with the combination of prey occupancy and landscape features at Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India ........................................................... 105 Index based identification of savanna grasslands in Thar Desert landscape of India ............................................................................................................ 106 Modelling the effect of budget allocation to warn people on the spread of infectious diseases ............................................................. 107

Guanotrophication by waterbirds in freshwater lakes: a review on ecosystem perspective .................................................................................................. 108 Growth profile of Chaetoceros sp. and its steady state behavior with change in initial inoculum size: a modeling approach ................................................... 109 Impact of predator signals on the stability of a predator-prey system - a Z control approach .......................................................................................... 110 Cyanotoxin regulation under environmental stress – A new perspective ........ 111 Mathematical modelling of cascading migration in a tri-trophic food-chain system ......................................................................................................... 112 Power-law leads to a fractional order vector-borne disease transmission model .................................................................................................................... 113 Entropy measure as Tier-I biodiversity indicator of sustainable development goals ............................................................................................................ 114 Mathematical and statistical ecology (Poster presentations) .................. 115 An interval-specific goodness-of-fit test for a general time-covariate model: An application to a field growth dataset ............................................................ 116 Assessing the impact of natural enemies in a pest-natural enemy model ....... 117 Transmission dynamics of mosaic disease in Jatropha curcas plantation with time delay .................................................................................................... 118 Prediction of environmental factors and zooplankton for water quality in Bakreswar Reservoir using time-series ARIMA model .................................... 119 The impact of fear effect on predator-prey interactions in tri-trophic food chain model .......................................................................................................... 120 Sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (Oral presentations) ........................................................................................ 121 Potato peels as natural antioxidant in Omega-3 fatty acids enriched food supplement: a novel approach ...................................................................... 122 Genetic diversity analysis of some Darjeeling tea cultivars for developing marker- trait association ............................................................................................ 123 Arsenic contamination in soil: a threat for the sustainable agriculture ........... 124

Performance of organically grown garden pea varieties in the south Chhotanagpur plateau region of Jharkhand ................................................... 125 Genetic analyses of indigenous rice landraces from north-east Indian states revealed a divergent and a complex history .................................................. 126 Utilization of raw and ripe mango peel as a quality improver in gluten free bread making ......................................................................................................... 127 Root uptake and dose dependent phytotoxicity study of ZnS nanoparticles in Vigna radiate ............................................................................................... 128 Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and polyamines in Mungbean seedlings under salinity stress and its possible amelioration by NaCl pretreatment ....... 129 Distribution and enrichment of acid-leachable trace elements in surficial sediments along a typical urban river estuary and Sundarban mangrove wetland, India ............................................................................................................ 130 Synergistic antibacterial potential of essential oils of spices against foodborne bacteria: a novel approach ........................................................................... 131 Spatial and seasonal trend of distribution of dissolved element fraction along the tropical urbanized estuary and their possible health risk assessment ....... 132 Effect of irrigation and mulch on leaf area index, yield and water use efficiency of strawberry ............................................................................................... 133 Sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (Poster presentations) ........................................................................................ 134 Effect of Eucalyptus and Kadamba, as biodrainage vegetation, on soil moisture depletion pattern in new alluvial zone of West Bengal .................................. 135 Effect of Organic Carbon Fractions of soils under rice based cropping systems 136 Acaricidal activity of some plant extacts against Red Spider Mite, Oligonychus coffeae (Nietner) (Acarina: Tetranychidae), a major pest of tea ..................... 137 Changes in mitochondrial enzyme functionality and the fatty acid profile of muscle of Indian major carps considering metal toxicity ................................ 138 Diverse Burkholderia sp. from arsenic rich rice fields of Nadia district solubilize zinc in isolated condition .............................................................................. 139

Decolourisation of textile effluent and dye by filamentous cyanobacteria under varied conditions.......................................................................................... 140 Production of growth promoters and antimicrobials by endophytes isolated from rice plants ............................................................................................ 141 A new report of anthracnose disease of Dumb Cane [Dieffenbachia daguensis Engl.] caused by Colletotrichum sp. from West Bengal ................................... 142 A study on different Boron fractions in some selected soils of old alluvial zone of West Bengal ................................................................................................. 143 Microbial biomass and enzyme activities in submerged rice soil amended with vermicomposted tannery waste sludge and cow dung manure ...................... 144 Studies on different forms of soil quality parameters (Physiochemical microbial ecophysiological indicators and enzyme activities) and forms of potassium in mica enrich soil of Giridih district, Jharkhand ................................................ 145 Effect of irrigation and mulch on leaf area index, yield and water use efficiency of strawberry ............................................................................................... 146 Effect of Arsenic on pea inoculated with Arsenic tolerant rhizobium strains ... 147 Interrelationship between pest and parasitoid insect population: a review .... 148

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Keynote lecture

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Keynote lecture Sankar Kumar Ghosh Vice-Chancellor University of Kalyani Former Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Assam University, Silchar [email protected] Digital molecular cataloguing of the bio-resource Sankar Kumar Ghosh Vice Chancellor, Kalyani University, Nadia, West Bengal Former Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Assam University, Silchar [email protected] Elucidation of double helical structure of DNA in 1953, introduced a new era in biological science – modern day Genomics. Since then A, T, G and C - The four alphabet of life drew attention and widely used to understand basic questions in the entire arena of life. Northeast India having two internationally recognised Hotspots of biological diversity of the World harbours wide varieties of rare flora and fauna. In this outset, the demand for intense research on these areas stimulated us to work in the field of biodiversity genomics based on \"Double Helix\". A large- scale data on popular molecular markers generated from mitochondrial and chloroplast genome for assigning the Genomics based DNA-BARCODING and GENOMIC DIVERSITY, explored the species identification and validation of diverse flora and fauna. This includes different Indian freshwater fishes [1, 2, 12], catfishes [3, 4], Mahseer [5], ornamental fishes [6], Testudines [11], endemic economic animals [8], Manipuri pony [7], Great One-horned Rhino, Golden Langur, medicinal plants [8-10], Leech [13], Archaea [14] Orchids, Citrus and Bamboo, explore the mini-barcode (34,35) for archival species etc.. The cases of latent species, introgression and haplotype-diversity were unfurled among particular cryptic species and thereby resolved many taxonomic and phylogenetic ambiguities. Similarly, genetic diversity on Indian cattle based on the mtD-loop sequences revealed that the Siri breed of cattle dated to be the oldest than other cattle breeds, appeared to have originated in the Indian sub-Himalayan region at ~11 kya that is older than the reported time of cattle domestication. Likewise, in the case of migration pattern of the anatomically modern humans (AMHs), we revealed Northeast India as the probable birthplace for peopling of East Asia during the Upper Palaeolithic. In this context, we observed a wave of migration at ~55 kya from the ancient population of southern China through Myanmar, 12 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract followed by two successive spatial expansion events at ~41 kya and ~39 kya, which led to initial population in this landmass. Few Our References: 1. Mitochondrial DNA. 2014 Jan 10. 17. Medical Oncology, 2014; 31(8), 1-9 2. Gene. 2014 Mar 1;537(1):20-8. 18. PLoS ONE 2015 10(6), e0129808 3. Molecular Ecology Resources. 2013 Nov 1. 19. PLoS ONE 2013 8(3): e57771. 4. PLoS ONE 8(1): 2013: e53704. 20. Head and Neck Oncology 2013, 5: 46-53 5. PLoS ONE. 2012: 7(11):e49950. 21. Oral oncology 2013, 49: 345-53 6. Gene. 2015: 555(2):382-92 22. Mitochondrial DNA. 2013, 24(4):432-9 7. Molecular Biology Reports 2013: 40(10): 5861-7. 23. Molecular Cancer 2017 (review) 8. DNA Barcodes 2013: 1:1-8 24. PLoS ONE 2013 8(4): e60996. 9. Journal of Applied Microbiology.2013: 25. Mol Carcinog. 2015 Nov;54(11):1387-96. 114(6):1604-15. 26. Tumor Biology. 2014; 35(7):6715-24 10. Pharmacogn Mag. 2013: 9(35):255-63. 27. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2016; 17(6):2811-9. 11. DNA barcodes 2013: 1:35-8 28. Tumor Biology. 2015; 36(6), 4661-4670. 12. Molecular Ecol Resour. 2017: doi:10.1111/1755- 29. Mol Carcinog. 2015 Dec;54(12):1786-95. 0998.12671 30. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2011; 12(3):749-51. 13. Mitochondrial DNA Part A.2016: 1-9. 31. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2012; 13(11):5871-4. 14. Archaea.2015: 1-9 32. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2012, 118: 72–73 15. European Journal of Human Genetics. 2017 33. Pathology & Oncology Research, 2017, 1-12 (under consideration) 34. Gene 2017; 627, 248-254 16. Head and Neck Oncology. 2013; 5: 46-53. 35. Mol Ecol Resour. 2017 :1755-0998.1267 13 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

PCM Memorial lecture

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PCM Memorial lecture Anthony Whitbread Research Program Director - Innovation Systems for the Drylands International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) [email protected] Managing climate change and variability in the rainfed farming systems of the semi-arid tropics Anthony Whitbread*, Kadiyala Dakshina Murthy, S. Nedumaran, V. Geethalakshmi, Sridhar Gummadi, KPC Rao, Shalander Kumar International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Hyderabad, Telangana, India *[email protected] About 44% of India’s food is produced under rainfed farming systems occupying some 57% (80 m ha) of the net cultivated area of the country. Rainfed farming in India is characterized by low productivity, frequent weather variability, unfavorable government policy bias, poor markets and infrastructure and degraded natural resources which in turn lead to low farm income and rural poverty. Along with these challenges, changing climate and socio-economic conditions are a serious threat to such livelihoods. In this paper, we report on many efforts by ICRISAT and its partners to help build resilience into these farming systems across south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We present the AgMIP Regional Integrated Assessment methodology to assess the potential impacts of climate change on crop productivity, farm net returns and economic vulnerability of farm households in southern India. Data was analysed from socio-economic household surveys, down-scaled climate scenarios, site-specific crop model simulations, future representative agriculture pathways (RAPs) and global economic model projections. Results indicate that all climate models predict higher temperatures during the mid-century period under a RCP 8.5 scenario with an increase from 0.5 to 3°C and rainfall by 6% to 40% across various GCMs. The integrated assessment studies reveal that chickpea yields will decrease resulting in 67% of farm households vulnerable and a decrease per capita income by up to 12% in the hot- dry climate models under future climate conditions. Adaptation options were tried under both current and future climate conditions through stakeholder consultation. 16 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Adoption of ‘climate-smart’ packages (recommended fertilizer application, critical irrigation and introduction of new rainy season foxtail millet crop) under current conditions, a large percentage of farm households in fallow-chickpea based cropping systems will move from vulnerable to resilient farm households. In fact, nearly 80% of farm households will benefit from adopting this package today. Under future climate conditions, 70% of farms could also benefit from an adaptation package aimed at improving resilience of farm households. The agriculture sector must cope with both inherent climate variability and future changes in climate. Both are urgent challenges that require a new level of collaboration between the science community, government and the private sector. 17 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Plenary lectures

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Plenary lectures Oommen V. Oommen Emeritus Professor University of Kerala [email protected] Biodiversity conservation: Kerala initiatives Oommen V Oommen* and Preetha N Kerala State Biodiversity Board, L-14, Jai Nagar, Medical College P.O., Thiruvananthapuram- 695011 *[email protected] Biological diversity is the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Biodiversity is widely recognized as an asset to be conserved for future generations as life depends on biodiversity for clean air, water, healthy soils, food, medicine and shelter. The loss of biodiversity affects livelihood of dependent communities, opportunities for recreation and trade and destabilizes the ecological structure, functions and the productivity of ecosystems. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) aims to put in place a comprehensive international regime for the sustainable management of biological resource through its three pillars: the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. Kerala, the southernmost state in India with a geographical area of 38,863 sq km has a population of 33.41 million. Habitat loss and urbanization is one of the major drivers of Biodiversity loss. In India, Kerala has undergone highest level of urbanization in its history during 2001-2011 with an increase in its urban population. The resultant land use change has led to conversion of forest areas/ encroachment for non-forestry purposes, increased quarrying and mining, fragmentation of forests for plantations, roads, power lines, increased incidence of forest fire, encroachments in natural flood plains, construction of dams, canals, and roads, human encroachment and land modifications, pollution of water bodies, filling up of natural ponds, wells and aquifers, all which has contributed to environmental degradation. 20 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract There has been a growing recognition worldwide of the need for protected areas to involve and promote the livelihoods of communities living in or around them as also to conserve the biodiversity in cultural landscapes. The Biological Diversity Act 2002 and Rules 2004 is a landmark legislation which provides for regulated access to biological and genetic resources for scientific research, commercial uses, biosurvey, and bioutilization. ‘Decentralization’ of biodiversity governance i.e an inclusive approach transferring decision-making powers to lower, more localized levels is considered as more effective than an exclusive approach and this is envisaged through a three tier structure consisting of National Biodiversity Authority at national level, State Biodiversity Boards at state level and Biodiversity Management Committee at local level. Kerala has the distinction of being the only state in India to constitute BMC at all LSG. The Environment agenda of Government of Kerala strives to include environmental concerns in economic and social development, foster economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide environmental services. The Harithakeralam mission with focus on waste disposal at source , revitalizing aquifers and promoting agriculture link different aspects of ecosystems as land, water, forests, biodiversity and address different drivers of change as pollution, land use change etc. is aimed at pushing Kerala in a trajectory of green development. Local Governments are ideally placed to bring about this transformation and the Biodiversity Management committees established at LSG level, “The Environmental Watch Groups of Kerala” will facilitate emergence of local solutions to developmental problems for a NavaKeralam. 21 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Plenary lectures Kalyan Chakraborti Associate Professor (Research) and Floriculturist Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya [email protected] Biodiversity in Indian philately *Kalyan Chakraborti , Monanjali Bandyopadhyay 2 1 1 Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, Nadia; 2 Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India *[email protected] Biodiversity represents at all levels of biological organization; India is endowed with rich Biodiversity and the Indian philately is recorded as wealthy documents of flora and fauna and it may serve as a key role in education and knowledge management from time to time. Philately is a novel approach to be taught further concerning a country vis-à-vis of the world. It endows with a method towards the connectivity by extension education and knowledge management and this role may not be denied in the contemporary educational system. Philately is the hobby of collecting and studying postage and revenue stamp, first day and special cover and other postal stationary and souvenir. It involves more than just stamp collecting; it includes the study of postal history withal. Where ever communication takes place, it has some content. Definitely philately has a content to be communicated for understanding of a country. It may serve as a pivotal role in the communication and management. Philately has highlighted country’s culture, heritage, folklore, flora and fauna, agriculture, advances in science and technology, important places, famous personalities, auspicious occasions and other aspects of national life from time to time. Keeping these in view, a survey on the documents and items of Biodiversity in Indian philately has been carried out followed by content analysis pertaining to the date of issues, their denominations, particulars and remarks to the commemoratives, special and definitive stamps along with their brochures. There are some examples of Hill Biodiversity in Indian philately. It is decorated with north east flora and fauna. While we travel in the richness of philately of our country, we may get the real meaning of hill flowers 22 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract like orchids, Rhododendron and various other Himalayan plants in blooming condition like Meconopsis aculeata, Inula grandiflora, Arisaema wallachianum, Saussurea obvallata, Meconopsis horridula, Saussurea simpsoniana etc. Animals of North-East India, Western Ghats and fauna of national parks of some hill regions are also depicted in the postal stationeries of India due to some definite reasons. Therefore, the present work is the brief account of the communication on Biodiversity as depicted in Indian philately which may include in the course curricula of undergraduate students of Agriculture and Horticulture in State Agriculture Universities and students of Bio Sciences and Geography in different Universities. The learners can easily identify the crops plants, medicinal and aromatic plants, forest plants with agro-ecosystems, different fauna like domestic animals, birds, snakes, wild animals etc. from the philatelic pictures and they will understand about their occurrence, distribution and provenance while satisfying their noble hobby. The Agriculturist, Horticulturist, Botanists and Zoologists should, therefore, classify all the postage stamps of India on the basis of crop diversity and agro-ecosystems management; and on the basis of provenance for well understanding of the phyto-geography and zoo-geography of different crops, their place of production and the probable destination for Exim trade. Keywords: Biodiversity, Crop plants, Farm Animals, Forest plants, Indian Post, Philately, Phyto-geography, Wild animals, Zoo-geography 23 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Invited lectures

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Invited lectures Abhijit Mukherjee Associate Professor Geology and Geophysics Environmental Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur [email protected] Delineating groundwater security of India Abhijit Mukherjee Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur [email protected] By using a combination of ground-based in-situ groundwater level data, NASA satellite-based estimates of groundwater storage, numerical analyses and simulation of global models on groundwater storage changes, we delineated the long-term, decadal-scale groundwater trends over India. Our study shows that in situ groundwater level trends shows simultaneous occurrence of wells with increasing and decreasing water level between 2005 and 2013. However, parts of the Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra basin in India mostly show reducing groundwater levels whereas parts of western and southern India show increasing trends. The Groundwater storage (GWS) anomaly shows strong spatial variability in the study region. Observed GWS data indicate renewal of GWS in western (B) and southern 3 (E) zones at a rate of 1.06±0.03, and 0.31±0.02 km /year. On the other hand, the northern (zone A) and eastern (D) zones have been subjected to rapid GWS 3 3 depletion at a rate of 4.55±0.11 km /year and 3.59±0.14 km /year, respectively. Satellite-based estimates indicate rapid depletion in northern (zone A) and eastern (zone D) zones at a rate of -1.40±0.14 and -1.16±0.35 cm/year (-14.02±1.37 km /year and -14.49±4.36 km /year) in the study period, respectively. 3 3 26 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Arup Kumar Mukherjee Senior Scientist Central Rice Research Institute [email protected] Trichoderma spp.: diversity to utility Arup Kumar Mukherjee Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack- 753006, Odisha, India [email protected], [email protected] Trichoderma spp. are commonly found in soils and on decaying wood and vegetable matter. These fungi are rarely associated with diseases of living plants, but an aggressive strain of Trichoderma is a serious threat for commercial mushroom cultivation. Many strains are parasitic to soil borne pathogens and also form symbiotic association with roots, with some being true endophytes. Trichoderma spp. are biotechnologically important in being widely used in industry as source of enzymes and as commercial biofungicides. Two species namely T. harzianum and T. viride (Trichoderma asperellum/asperelloides) are widely used in India for biocontrol of different plant pathogens. T. reesei is used for production of biofuels. Trichoderma spp. are also a rich source of secondary metabolites. Unfortunately, the biodiversity of Trichoderma is underutilized as the main focus of research had been on a handful of soil-isolates. At ICAR-NRRI we have isolated 50 isolates of Trichoderma belonging to different species and characterized and identified those using molecular and morphological markers. Interestingly all the isolates were obtained from non-soil sources. These Trichoderma spp. have been evaluated for their (i) biocontrol efficiency for the management of soil borne pathogens of cotton and rice (ii) management of abiotic stress (iii) application as biofertilizers and (iv) for decomposition of agricultural wastes especially rice straw. Our observation indicates that proper utilization of Trichoderma diversity can lead to development of various products and technologies for the benefit of mankind. 27 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Invited lectures Biswajit Bera Director (Research) Tea Board of India [email protected] Use of tea genetic resources for the integrated tea improvement programme Biswajit Bera Research Directorate, Tea Board of India, 14, B.T.M Sarani, Kolkata, India [email protected] Collection, conservation and utilization of tea germplasm are considered as important activities for tea breeding and cultivar development programme. In India these germplasm accessions are available at various locations, mainly maintained by Tea Research Institutes, namely, Tocklai Tea Research Institute (TTRI), Jorhat, Assam, United Planters Association for South India (UPASI), Valparai, Coimbatore and Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Centre (DTRDC), Kurseong, Darjeeling. Conventional selection and breeding of tea has immensely contributed for the development of a large number of cultivated varieties for the use of Indian tea Industry. Advanced techniques have been used for the molecular characterisation and documentation of diverse types of tea germplasm including cultivated varieties for more than two decades. Genetic diversity studies have been undertaken to understand the genetic homology and diversity among various tea genotypes in order to develop effective breeding strategy for the development of superior tea cultivars. Use of biotechnological tools has tremendous potential to enhance conventional tea breeding activities. There are still lot to be done for proper mixing (integrating) of breeding and biotechnological activities so that full potential of tea genomics are exploited towards improving cultivar development programme and releasing superior cultivars for the use of Tea Industry. This paper will review the ongoing activities of tea improvement programme in India and highlight the future R & D programme in this area of tea research. 28 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Christopher C. Edmonds Associate Professor of Development and International Economics Tokyo International University, Japan [email protected] Climate change and disaster risks in Pacific Islands: estimated impacts and fiscal consequences Christopher C. Edmonds Tokyo International University The Pacific Islands countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change disaster risk globally in per capita terms. The region has suffered in several recent catastrophic events—a tsunami in Samoa in 2009, floods in the Solomon Islands in 2014, and cyclones Pam and Winston in in Vanuatu and Fiji in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In addition to these catastrophic events, Pacific island countries have been affected by frequent natural hazards of smaller magnitude. This research evaluates three main sources of data for quantifying risk in the region. The review suggests that available data generally underestimate risk—especially for atoll nations. Four trends related to climate change account for most of the underestimation. These changes in natural hazards are (i) increasing frequency of extremely hot days, (ii) frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, (iii) increasing intensity and altered trajectories of cyclones, and (iv)sea-level rise and associated oceanic ecological changes). These disasters pose extreme challenges to Pacific governments in terms of maintaining fiscal stability and the government operations due to their limited and shallow financial sectors. Given the leading role governments in the region play in leading disaster prevention, mitigation, and recovery efforts, measures to improve financial sustainability and the public sector’s ability to provide these services should be prioritized. The research analyzes the applicability of various financial instruments to facilitate both ex-ante and ex-post disaster fiscal risk management in the Pacific region and identify policies that can improve resilience against fiscal risks. 29 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Invited lectures Kalyan K Mukherjee Retd Professor Bose Institute Biodiversity to food security Kalyan K Mukherjee Bose Institute, Kolkata Species diversity, one of the significant components of plant biodiversity is the primary provider of wild gene pool which helped the humanity to broaden the gene pool of the existing cultivar to fight against the unholy \"triple alliance\" of paste, pathogen and weeds, which in turn help to increase the plant productivity. Some classic examples of species diversity, which helped the humanity to maintain the food security, will be discussed in the present deliberation. Gene pool of the existing cultivar is also broadened through the homologous transfer of gene to increase the productivity. The progress of humankind is always associated with the advancement of technology. People are attempting the heterologous transfer of gene, which would provide higher productivity vis-a-vis enhance the diversity of plant species. This new technology is genetic engineering; its product is GM crop - a solution for future food security. The history of new inventions and newer ideas always lead to debate. Debates have a positive effect on the development of science. Recent progress in genetic engineering vis-a-vis genetically modified crops has caused scientific controversies that often turned to be violent. In both cases, the scientific problems are connected with socio-economic and political issues. Since the farmers and common people are the stakeholders of the produce, the participation of the common people has never before reached to the extent which they attained after the advent of genetic engineering and genetically modified crops. The proponent of the GM crops, mainly big industry houses, claim that it is the way to solve the problem of food security, while many independent studies indicate that GM crops are not the solution to the complex issue of food security. Some of the claims will be discussed in this deliberation. 30 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Samares Pal Professor Department of Mathematics, University of Kalyani [email protected] Mathematical modeling of macroalgal allelopathy in the emergence of coral diseases *Samares Pal, Joydeb Bhattacharyya Department of Mathematics, University of Kalyani *[email protected] Competition between macroalgae and corals for occupying the available space in sea bed is an important ecological process underlying coral-reef dynamics. Several benthic macroalgae species produce allelopathic chemical compounds that hinder the settlement and survival of coral larvae. Toxic macroalgae species damage coral tissues when in contact by transferring hydrophobic allelochemicals present on macroalgal surfaces. This leads to the reduction in fecundity of corals and even coral mortality. Also, the release of allelochemicals by toxic-macroalgae influences the microbes associated with corals by transmitting pathogens. The abundance of macroalgae changes the community structure towards macroalgae dominated reef ecosystem. We investigate coral-macroalgal phase shift in presence of macroalgal allelopathy and microbial infection on corals by means of an eco-epidemiological model under the assumption that the transmission of infection occurs through both contagious and non-contagious pathways. We found that the system is capable of exhibiting the existence of two stable configurations of the community under the same environmental conditions by allowing saddle-node bifurcations that involves in creation and destruction of fixed points and associated hysteresis effect. It is observed that in presence of low coral recruitment rate on algal turf and reduction in herbivory, the system exhibits hysteresis through a saddle-node bifurcation and a transcritical bifurcation. 31 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Invited lectures Stuart R. Borrett Associate Professor University of North Carolina [email protected] Bibliometric Review and Synthesis of Ecological Network Analysis (2010-2016) 1, 2 *Stuart R. Borrett , James Moody , Laura Sheble , Evan Anway 2,3 2,4 1 1 Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington 2 Duke Network Analysis Center, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University 3 Department of Sociology, Duke University 4 School of Information Sciences, Wayne State University *[email protected] Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) combines modeling and analysis to investigate the structure, function, and evolution of ecosystems as well as other types of complex systems. ENA is applied to network models that trace the movement of thermodynamically conserved energy or matter through a system. Investigators use ENA to answer a range of questions such as: How does the system biodiversity combine to create the ecosystem function? Which species control the flux of nitrogen in an estuary? What is the ecological relationship among species in the food web when direct and indirect influences are considered? Would a proposed regulation make a city more sustainable? The field has grown since its inception in the 1970s, but it has rarely been systematically reviewed. This absence of reviews likely hinders the development of the field as a whole, obscures the diversity of its applications, and makes it difficult for new investigators to learn, develop, and apply the techniques. The objective of this work was to systematically review ENA research published in 2010 through 2016 to (1) identify topic diversity, (2) expose methodological development, (3) highlight example applications, and (4) assess collaboration among current ENA scholars. To accomplish this, we used a combination of bibliometric, network (e.g., social network), and feature analyses. Our search identified 186 records. A topic network built from the bibliographic records revealed eight major topic clusters. The largest groups centered on food webs, urban metabolism, and ecosystem theory. Co- 32 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract author analysis identified 387 authors in a collaboration network with 8 larger components. The largest component contained 56% of the authors. This review shows ENA to be a topically diverse and collaborative science domain, and suggests opportunities to further develop ENA approaches to address problems in environmental impact assessment and management. 33 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Invited lectures Tomal Dattaroy Reliance Industries Limited [email protected] Safeguarding biodiversity while harnessing economic benefits Tomal Dattaroy Reliance R&D Centre, Reliance Industries Limited, Reliance Corporate Park, Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai 400701 The nation’s bioresources are the nation’s property. This is a fundamental truth that all citizens of a nation are born with. Therefore, there are laws and regulations to protect the biodiversity of the country. Advances in research in every sphere of biology have opened up newer vistas for development of products that can be beneficial for the society. Modern science has provided analytical tools for correctly identifying active ingredients and principles that contribute to the well- known and documented traditional medicine. Sadly, this has led to indiscriminate harvesting of non-renewable resources, and in most instances, without benefit to the local communities. Also, rampant trafficking of wildlife and forest products is prevalent even today. All of these have contributed to endangering of species across the entire spectrum of the living world. International businesses have also exploited the microflora of the developing world and developed medical products or generated intellectual property without sharing the benefits to the communities where these resources have been sourced from. A careful evaluation of the benefits of biological resources (both renewable and non-renewable), a judicious and transparent benefit sharing policy as well as an incentive to develop sustainable and profitable technologies will give rise only to a win-win situation for all the stakeholders involved, viz., the local communities, the government and the industry, and eventually the nation at large. 34 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Invited speakers Dr. Debal Deb Chair, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies Prof. Santanu Ray Systems Ecology & Ecological Modelling Laboratory Department of Zoology, Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Science), Visva-Bharati University Santiniketan Prof. Biswapati Mandal Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya Dr. Nitu Kumari Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi Prof. Bernard C. Patten Regents Professor Emeritus University of Georgia Prof. Tapan Kumar Kar Professor IIEST, Shibpur Prof. Amalesh Choudhury Former HOD, Dept. of Marine Science University of Calcutta 35 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Oral presentations)

Abstract Comparative study of biodiversity loss in Chitrakoot region and Chilika lake region: impact, reason and assessment *Abhishek Kumar Pandey, Sapna Sahu, Munmun Majumdar, Sapna Sahu Kalinga University New Raipur Chattishgarh Village Kotni-4921010 * [email protected] Chitrakoot is situated at the borders of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.The total forest area of Chitrakoot district that come in Uttar Pradesh is 574 square kilometres and 557 square kilometres forest area has been found in Chitrakoot that come in Madhya Pradesh. Chitrakoot show great plant diversity contains 750 species, 445 genera and 111 families of plant kingdom out of which 573 species, 344 species and 89 families belong to dicot and rest of them are monocot. Species richness has been also reported in case of animals. 103 species of birds belonging to 18 orders has been reported in Chitrakoot district. Different types of reptiles, amphibians and fishes are also reported in this region. Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. The lake is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals. According to a survey, 45 percent of the birds are terrestrial in nature, 32 percent are waterfowl, and 23 percent are waders. The lagoon is also home to 14 types of raptors. Around 152 rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins have also been reported. Plus, the lagoon supports about 37 species of reptiles and amphibians. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) surveyed the lake between 1985 and 1988 and identified 800 species of fauna, including many rare, endangered, threatened and vulnerable species, but excluding terrestrial insects. The rare and threatened animal species identified are green sea turtle (EN), dugong (VU), Irrawaddy dolphin (EN), blackbuck (least concern), Spoon billed sandpiper (CR), limbless skink and fishing cat (VU). 24 mammalian species were reported. 37 species of reptiles and amphibians are also reported. Recent surveys revealed an overall 726 species of flowering plants belonging to 496 genera and 120 families. This represents about one –fourth of the vascular plant species of the Odisha state where some 2900 species altogether are found. Fabaceae is the most dominant plant family followed by Poaceae and Cyperaceae. Overall 726 species of flowering plants belonging to 496 genera and 120 families have been recorded. Fabaceae is the predominant plant family followed by Poaceae and Cyperaceae. The species reported are leguminosae, poaceae, and cyperaceae; endemic Cassipourea ceylanica; five species of seagrass, and more. 37 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Oral presentations Current study deals with cause of the threatening agents for both the biodiversity sites, impacts that affected wild life reason and their assessment. By this study we minimised the impact of biodiversity loss and conserve biodiversity of any area. Analysis of depositional environment and its consequent changes in chronological sequence with respect to animal remains assemblage zone recorded from Holocene sediments of lower Bengal basin, India *Argha Sarkar, Prasanta Kumar Sen Department of Botany, Bankim Sardar College, Tangrakhali, 24 Pgs (S), West Bengal, India *[email protected] Vertebrate remains of Bubalus bubalis, Rucervus duvauceli of swampy forest environment and invertebrate remains i.e. mollusc shells of mangrove and distinct fresh water ecosystem recovered from the C dated Peat, peaty clay, grey clay, 14 greyish silty and alluvial layers exposed at depth from 560 cm up to surface at Kumirmari (Section KUI) and Dakshin Harishpur (Section DHI) and at depth from 800 cm up to surface at Taldi (Section TDI) and from 700 cm up to surface at Canning (Section CNI) of Indian Sundarbans area of Lower Bengal basin, India are studied for animal remains assemblage zonations and analysis of palaeoenvironment during Holocene. Correlation of local zones of C dated 14 sediments has revealed four Regional (LBb; Lower Bengal basin) Animal remains (A) Assemblage Zones viz. LBb. A-I, LBb. A-II, LBb. A-III and LBb. A-IV. The changes in the environmental phases of deposition of Holocene sediments of Lower Bengal basin, India as revealed from the Regional assemblage zones indicate swampy mangrove environment (Phase I) during c. 11,000 – c. 5000 Yr. B.P. followed by Phase II fresh water swampy environment during c. 5000 to recent and Phase III marked by swampy mangrove environment during 4450±170 – 1970±80 Yr. B.P. followed by Supra-tidal fresh water environment (Phase IV) during 1970±80 Yr. B.P to recent. Keywords: Vertebrate remains; invertebrate remains; holocene; lower bengal basin; depositional environment 38 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Bioinformatics analyses of a nitrate and phosphate hyper- accumulating Bacillus sp. strain *Arpita Banerjee, Shaon RayChaudhuri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata, India * Presenting author Nitrate is a common pollutant in agricultural waste water and municipal sewage. High levels of nitrate can also be found in radioactive effluent. MCC0008 – a nitrate and phosphate hyper-accumulator could be obtained as the world’s first pure culture from bacterial consortium during the development of a microbial process for treating low-level radioactive waste. The strain with its ability to sequester nutrients worked as biofertilizer for agricultural yield enhancement (mung bean) while maintaining soil fertility post-cultivation. Bioinformatics analyses of MCC0008 included strain identification along with protein motif detection as per function. The encoded proteins from the contigs of the draft genome were searched for similar sequences in the NCBI BLAST server. The sequences of closest similarity were those of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pseudomycoides and Bacillus weihenstephanensis. However, the degree of similarity did not imply that MCC0008 could be any of the mentioned Bacillus species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed MCC0008 to be a novel strain. The trees computed in MEGA6 for forty-five proteins show that in most of the cases, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus thuringiensis get clubbed with MCC0008, indicating that the strain is closest to three of these species. Considering the number of times each species was grouped with MCC0008 in the protein phylogenetic trees, the strain appeared to be a novel species mostly towards Bacillus cereus, with traces of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus thurigiensis. The putative proteins showed sequence specific characteristics of the predicted functions, as validated through sequence motifs in the PROSITE database, HAMAP family profile and UniProt reference clusters (UniRef). The presence of signatures as derived from the protein family databases, in the sequence alignments of the MCC0008 proteins with the corresponding proteins of the aforementioned members of genus Bacillus, delineated protein motifs. MCC0008 shared the same protein sequence motif with the other species with a few exceptions of diverging sequences which could be molecular markers for the novel strain. 39 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Oral presentations Purple wood pigeon or pale capped pigeon Columba punicea stronghold in Eastern Ghats of Odisha *Chinmaya Bhujabal, Suchitra Sahoo Wild Orissa, BJ-29, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. 751014. * [email protected] Pale-Capped Pigeon or Purple Wood Pigeon occurs in scattered populations in Southeast Asia. Columba punicea was once common throughout much of Southeast Asia, but is now in decline, classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts, are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. The Purple Wood Pigeon was reportedly seen in the Similipal hills of Mayurbhanj at an elevation of about 600–900 m, and also in the Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary (Chandaka Game Sanctuary), and near Bhubaneswar. Wild Orissa engaged in the monitoring of presence of this species in Odisha since 1998, and made direct observations in the year 2010 in the Chandaka- Dampara and in 2014, 2015 & 2016 in the Similipal forest areas. Poachers indulge in killing of birds like doves, pigeons, coucals, egrets, open billed storks, etc. in and around Bhubaneswar city, with the possibility of Purple Wood Pigeon being hunted would have happened, as the sites from where observations have been made are areas where these small time hunters operate. There are a number of issues concerning the conservation of this vulnerable species which include nomadism, frugivorous habit, local migrations, similarity with doves and pigeons, extremely low numbers, fast growing urbanization, poaching, etc. There is an urgent need to ascertain the status of this species, close monitoring of the populations which have been observed, launching programs for controlling small time hunting through enforcement and awareness, ensuring adequate habitat friendly zones in known presence areas, controlling growth of real estate, controlling visitations, etc. Indeed, site-based conservation strategies are unlikely to be successful unless populations are able to follow seasonal patterns of fruit-ripening within secure protected sites. Conducting further surveys to ascertain its current distribution, seasonal movements and population status, its ecological requirements and the relative effects of various threats operating across its range, identify and protect appropriate sites supporting key populations, etc. will be required. Promotion of improved management and establishment/increase in buffer zones around protected areas supporting key populations with strict enforcement of hunting within all protected areas, along with awareness campaigns to reduce pigeon hunting needs to be focused. Key words: Columba punicea, Wild Orissa, Purple Wood Pigeon, Frugivorous, Vulnerable 40 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 th Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Spatial and seasonal variations of Planktonic ciliates in a meso- macrotidal Hooghly (Ganges) River estuary, India *Dibyendu Rakshit, S.K. Sarkar Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, India * Presenting author Spatial and seasonal trends of variations of the planktonic ciliate (tintinnid) communities for assessment of marine environmental status were studied during March 2012 to February 2014 in a tropical turbid Hooghly estuary, the major tributary of Ganges River, India. Tintinnid community structure represented 32 species belonging to 11 genera and 8 families, where the agglomerated genera Tintinnopsis sp. (~62 %) contributed the dominant part among the overall population. A wide range of seasonal variations in tintinnid abundance was observed with maximum value (~1995 ind.l-1) during post-monsoon in mouth of the estuary and was minimum (~52 ind.l-1) during monsoon in brackish water site. Small-sized tintinnid (lorica length <76μm) were ubiquitous and dominated (~66%) by Tintinnopsis sp., Tintinnidium sp., Codonellopsis sp., Wangiella sp., Eutintinnus sp., Metacylis sp. and Helicostomella sp. The average biomass and production rate of total ciliates were 4.43±2.26 µg C l-1 and 9.67±7.89 µg C l-1day- 1 respectively with increases at estuarine site followed by brackish and fresh water during post-monsoon. Results of multivariate [Principal Component Analysis (PCA), BIOENV analysis, Canonical analysis of Principal Coordinates (CAP)] and univariate (correlation coefficient and dominance indices) analyses demonstrated that microzooplankton community showed significant differences between sampling sites and their distribution patterns associated with the variations in nutrient (nitrate and phosphate) concentration. These results suggest that the environmental drivers have profound impact on biodiversity and community structure of tintinnids which may be useful as potential bioindicators for studying climate change effects in this vulnerable fluvial ecosystem. Keywords: Planktonic ciliate; tintinnid; Hooghly estuary; lorica; bioindicator 41 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Oral presentations A farmers’ perception on herpetofauna status along an agricultural intensification gradient *Deyatima Ghosh, Parthiba Basu Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Ballygunge Science College, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata-700019 * Presenting author Anthropogenic effect in man-made ecosystems like agricultural landscape has become a major threat to wildlife – herpetofauna though forms a herald part, is neglected and warrants more attention. Herpetofauna conservation outside protected areas and particularly in agricultural landscape is contingent upon the perceptions and knowledge of the co-existing agrarian community. Our work is a pioneering attempt in describing such perception of the farming community about herpetofauna. Two phases of surveys were conducted in twenty villages of three towns in Balasore district along a gradient of low, mid and high intensification sites, using questionnaire-based surveys. Results show clear difference in knowledge base of the farmers across the gradient as farmers from low intensification sites could identify more species than those from mid and high intensification areas. And this disparity was independent of farming experience. Farmers’ response, used to evaluate if intensification has any effect on diversity, showed a decline in herpetofaunal abundance in intensive agricultural areas compared to areas of low level of intensification and majority of farmers in intensive areas viewed pesticide to be a major driver of such decline. Additionally, species composition also varied along the intensification gradient according to farmers’ perception and different intensification sites would form separate clusters indicating a more similar species composition within sites of the same intensification zone than between them. Our study on documenting public knowledge about herpetofauna along an agricultural intensification gradient might serve as an important baseline for establishing further conservation plans in future. Keywords: Herpetofauna; farmers’ perception; agricultural intensification gradient 42 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Cosmetic antiaging “Squalene” from the abscisic leaves of Artocarpus heterophyllus (Moraceae) – An eco-friendly, rich, alternate, cost-effective and “vegan” source to combat global squalene market demands Ekta Bhattacharya Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata [email protected] Squalene is a naturally occurring miracle compound, chemically a triterpene, with a formula C30H50. The global squalene market was valued at $110 million in 2015 owing to its use in cosmetic, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sector as it possesses antioxidative, antiperoxidative, anticarcinogenic, antitumorigenic, radioprotective, cardioprotective and anti-virulent properties. The major commercial source of squalene is the liver oil of deep-sea sharks. Squalene market is expected to witness significant growth over the next few years. But the availability of squalene is restricted because of international concern regarding protection of marine wildlife. The environmental and the ethical concerns over shark hunting have led us to search for alternative plant sources of squalene. Abscisic leaves of some plants, as proposed by few researchers, have provided an interesting alternative. A transparent oily substance was recovered from the hexane fraction of abscisic leaves of Artocarpus heterophyllus which on performing TLC with the standard squalene, showed identical Rf value. This purified compound was subjected to MS, IR, and NMR (both ¹H and C) analysis for complete structural 13 elucidation. Inhibition zone tests were used for detecting the antimicrobial activity. Antioxidant activities were determined using the Fe ion chelating and DPPH 2+ assays. This natural squalene exhibited potent anti-oxidative and antimicrobial activity in laboratory experiments. Thus, abscisic leaves of Artocarpus heterophyllus would provide an eco-friendly, cost effective, rich, alternative “vegan” source of natural squalene to combat Global squalene market demands. 43 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Oral presentations Vocalization pattern of common tailorbird in urban habitats of Delhi, India *Manoj Singh , Yashmita Nitin Ulman , Krishan Kumar , T K Roy 1 2 3 4 1 Department of Zoology, Kalinga University, Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh 2 North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh 3 School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi 4 Wetlands International South Asia, Defence Colony, Delhi *[email protected] Urban development is fast occurring around the globe, subsequently changing or modifying the habitats. Anthropogenic or abiotic sounds are very important phenomenon’s interfering with the acoustic communication of birds in urban habitats. An ambient acoustic environment influences effective communication of signals in avifauna. Urban habitats are characterized by high vehicular noise, which hinder the acoustic communication of birds. Common tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius Pennant) is a very widely distributed species found in various habitats like scrub jungle, urban park, gardens, open scrubs and in towns. As this is a commonly found species in urban habitats, the acoustical adaptation of tailorbird to anthropogenic noise was assessed. We analysed the spectral characteristics of 20 different individuals found in habitats namely urban parks, gardens and roadside plantations. The Common tailorbird calls were recorded during dawn with the help of Monodirectional ME67 Sennheiser microphone attached to Sound Device T722 recorder. The calls were recorded in .wav format and later were analysed with Raven Pro1.5 software. The Sound Pressure levels were also recorded with the help of SPL Meter SVAN957. We found that it had typically three different types of calls. The frequency of these calls varied between 2000Hz to 6800Hz with an average sound pressure level in the range of 65-68 dB. Thus, we conclude that having a wide frequency range and high amplitude level of vocalization could be a possible adaptation acquired by the bird to overcome the masking effect of low frequency anthropogenic noise. This study also supports the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, for the birds of urban habitats. Keywords: Anthropogenic noise; Common tailorbird; Acoustic adaptation hypothesis; Spectrogram 44 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Mural plants (Angiosperms) of antiquated buildings in Shobhabazar, West Bengal Munmun Kundu Hiralal Majumdar Memorial College for Women, Dakshineswar [email protected] Certain plants design their life on walls in addition to their natural habitats. It is simply a matter of occupying space with limited nutrition & water by one plant on walls of building as well as fences without any special obligation. The walls provide shelter to the species seeking refuge in them. While doing so, the walls in urban areas contribute towards conservation of rare and threaten plants. Some species settled on walls often prove devastating to buildings and must be eradicated. The present work which cover the wall flora of antiquated building in Shobhabazar, could record as many as 20 species of 11 families. Asteraceae is the most dominant family among dicots, which was followed by Moraceae. By grouping of mural plants on the basis of their vegetation zones, so far distribution is concerned, most of the species are found on mortar walls. In respect of mural vegetation zones, most of them are found at the base of the walls. Thus, habit of wall plant shows full range of diversity and the walls acts as matrix for their conservation. Work of this kind can afford opportunity to formulate a way for unveil many mysteries of plant adaptation, conservation in more hospitable habitats of those threatened species seeking refuse on walls. Protection of antiquated buildings, especially the heritage ones. Extensive studies are thus needed for a better and effective understanding of the biological characteristics of the wall plants. Since, they might have several benevolent implications which are not known to us as of now. Keywords: Wall flora, Antiquated, Conservation, Mortar. 45 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Oral presentations Assessment of physical stress induced by invasive climbers on native plants 2 1 3 1 *1,3 N. P. Sooraj, R. Jaishanker, M. S. Pillai, A. Joseph and K V Saroj 1 C V Raman Laboratory of Ecological Informatics, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management- Kerala 2 Department of Statistics, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, 695 034, Kerala 3 School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi-22, Kerala * Presenting Author Physical competition and bio-chemical inhibition (Allelopathy) are strategies employed by invasive plants. Whilst the latter has received much attention, there hardly exists any study that measures physical stress exerted by invasive plants on native plants. Shading of native foliage by invasive climber illustrates an instance of physical stress. It diminishes Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) over native foliage and lowers its net primary productivity. A study was carried out within and adjoining regions of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Trivandrum, Kerala, India during Sept-Oct 2017 to assess light stress on native plants. Light intensity (Lx) was measured above and below invasive ‘climber-drapes’ of Merremia vitifolia, Mikania micrantha and Pueraria phaseoloides on native plants using Light meter (HTC LX-103). Highest mean reduction in light was observed beneath Mikania micrantha (0.59 ± 0.13; N=55). Mean light reduction observed for Pueraria phaseoloides and Merremia vitifolia (0.58 ± 0.13; N=58) and (0.54 ± 0.14; N=56) respectively. Mean incident Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) over native plants, shaded by invasive climbers was consistently below light saturation point for photosynthesis. ANOVA revealed that the three invasive climbers exert comparable light stress. Light reduction below invasive ‘climber-drapes’ was significantly different at 10% level of significance (p-value<0.1). Keywords: Invasive Plant, PPFD, Light Stress, ANOVA 46 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

Abstract Invasive species and regeneration in Sal (Shorea robusta) forests Ombir Singh Silviculture Division, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India – 248006 [email protected] Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in India have been a source of perennial supply of timber, fuel and various other products since time immemorial. These forests occupy ecologically and economically very vital position but large-scale mortality in moist as well as in dry sal forests coupled with absence of regeneration, recalcitrant seeds are posing great threat to these forests. The factors responsible to this state of affair are many e.g. recurrence of drought, deficient rainfall, excessive biotic pressure, illicit and irregular felling, and forest fires etc. In addition invasion of exotic species in these forests worsen the regeneration situation as well. To understand the process of natural regeneration failure in these forests, allelopathic interactions of two invasive species (Ageratina adenophora and Lantana camara) with the keystone species (Shorea robusta) were studied along with regeneration surveys in sal areas. The foliage leachates (0, 5%, 10%, 15%. 20%) of these species were investigated on the seed germination, root and seedling growth of S. robusta in laboratory as well as in nursery. The leachate concentrations have not much effect on seed germination but negatively affected the root growth, root hairs; causes yellowing of leaves and weakening of seedlings subsequently. The allelochemicals present in the leachates of invasive species were also got analyzed using HPLC technique. Regeneration survey in these forests showed that there is no sal regeneration in areas infested either with Ageratina adenophora or Lantana camara. These findings may explain the problems of seedling establishment in Sal forests infested with invasive species. By knowing which trees are particularly susceptible and which plants are most likely to produce toxic effects, these allelopathic problems can be avoided or dealt with by site preparation and weed control in plantations and assisted natural regeneration in these forests. Keywords: Shorea robusta, regeneration, invasive species, allelopathy 47 th 5 India Biodiversity Meet – 2018 Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata