Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

Are microplastics destabilizing the global network of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services

Quantification of blue carbon in seagrass ecosystems of Southeast Asia and their potential for climate change mitigation.

The current status of Halophila beccarii: An ecologically significant, yet vulnerable seagrass of India

This study evaluated the acute larval toxicity and repellent effect of solvent extracts of the big blue octopus, Octopus cyanea on the mosquito, Culex pipiens. Results showed that the highest effect of the acute larvicidal activities was recorded for ethanol extract (LC50=24.57ppm), followed by methanol extract (LC50=35.85 ppm). The repellency percentages increased with the increase of concentration producing the highest at 200 ppm and 50 ppm for methanol and ethanol extracts, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 19 compounds in ethanol extract and 5 compounds in methanol extract with insecticidal activities. The major identified bioactive compounds are Eugenol; Furoscrobiculin B; Hexadecanoic acid, methylester; Hexadecanoic acid, 1(hydroxymethyl)-1,2-ethanediylester; Octadecanoic acid, methylester; Oleic acid, eicosyl ester; 2-Methyl-5H-dibenz [b, f] azepine and many polysiloxanes compounds. Generally, results obtained indicated that O. cyanea ethanol extract induced remarkable effects on both acute larvicidal and repellent activities.

https://jesp.journals.ekb.eg/article_76592_d025366a127e41a2869412875877f1ad.pdf

Acute larvicidal toxicity and repellency effect of octopus cyanea crude extracts against the filariasis vector, culex pipiens

Mitochondrial phylogeography reveals high haplotype diversity and unique genetic lineage in Indian dugongs (Dugong dugon)

This study presents an attempt to utilize seagrass data acquired from field surveys to compare classification models for mapping seagrasses using Sentinel -2A satellite data. Out of three models tested , viz. Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and K-Nearest Neighbor; Random Forest classification model proved most effective in the given scenario with 0.99 model accuracy. Seagrasses present as deep as 21 m were detected post water column correction, presenting the capability of Sentinel-2A satellite in detecting submerged benthic habitat.

/pdf/detection-and-mapping-of-seagrass-meadows-at-ritchie-s-2xmhypqq1a.pdf

Detection and Mapping of Seagrass Meadows at Ritchie’s Archipelago using Sentinel 2A Satellite Imagery

Objective To identify the bioactive potential of crude methanolic extracts of five gastropods and one bivalve collected from the west coast of India (Mumbai coast). Methods Disc-diffusion assay and micro-dilution technique were used to test the bioactive potential of these molluscs against six pathogenic bacteria. Results The crude methanolic extracts of all the molluscs showed significant activity against one or more bacteria tested. Minimum inhibitory concentration of crude methanolic extracts was found in the range of 0.10–0.35 mg/mL against human pathogenic bacterial strains. Hemifusus pugilinus and Nerita sp . extracts were most effective showing activity against all bacterial strains. Hemifusus pugilinus extract exhibited good activity against Vibrio cholerae contrary to earlier reports. Methanolic extract of Gafrarium divaricatum demonstrated considerable activity against both Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes. Trochus radiatus extract was inactive against all the bacteria tested except Escherichia coli. Euchelus asper extract was active against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Conclusions All the molluscs screened exhibited potential activity against one or more bacterial strain. Further work is in progress to isolate the active constituents of the extracts.

Bioactive potential of some intertidal molluscs collected from Mumbai coast, West coast of India

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is the primary tool for implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the country level. A National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) was prepared for India in 2008, through an inter-ministerial consultative process. Five years later, it was considered necessary to align the existing NBAP in accordance with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABTs). This was achieved by formulating India’s National Biodiversity Targets (NBTs) and developing a monitoring framework using indicators, and through an evaluation of funding support for biodiversity conservation in India. The draft document was prepared and reviewed through a series of national stakeholder consultations and technical review meetings, based on which the ‘National Biodiversity Action Plan: Addendum 2014 to NBAP 2008’ was finalized. As part of its commitments to the CBD to accomplish the global ABTs, India must ensure effective implementation of the NBAP and meet the NBTs. This requires cooperation amongst all stakeholders including the relevant federal ministries and state level agencies along with a rigorous and time-bound application of the monitoring framework.

Updating India’s National Biodiversity Action Plan:The Process and Way Forward

Impacts of plastic pollution, recognized as a driver of change in the global environment, have been under reported in terrestrial fauna. In this study, we looked at presence of plastic in the diet of Asian elephant and other megaherbivores in the forest habitats of Haridwar and Lansdowne, Uttarakhand state, India. We collected dung and pellet samples from forest edges and forest interiors and quantified plastic particles and other anthropogenic waste present. Each anthropogenic waste item was measured, weighed and sub-categorized into the type of plastic or other categories. Thirty-two percent of the elephant dung samples showed presence of plastic and other waste. Plastic particles comprised of 85% of the waste recovered from the dung with 100% occurrence in elephant dung samples (mean 47.08±12.85 particles per sample). We found twice as many plastic particles (85.27±33.7 per 100g of dung samples) in forest samples as compared to forest edge samples (35.34±11.14 plastic particles/100g of dung samples). Other non-biodegradable anthropogenic waste recovered from elephant dung (glass, metal, rubber bands, clay pottery and tile pieces) was found to be much higher for forest samples (34.79±28.41 items/100g sample) as compared to forest edge samples (9.44±1.91items/100g). This study is the first systematic documentation of occurrence of non-biodegradable waste in the diet of Asian elephants. Dominance of plastic compared to other non-biodegradable material in elephant dung samples highlights its widespread use and poor waste segregation practices. We recommend developing a comprehensive solid waste management strategy to mitigate the threat of plastic pollution around these critical elephant habitats.

/pdf/plastic-ingestion-in-asian-elephants-in-the-forested-8ip4u1dvgt.pdf

Anant Pande

Papers

Mitochondrial phylogeography reveals high haplotype diversity and unique genetic lineage in Indian dugongs (Dugong dugon)

Detection and Mapping of Seagrass Meadows at Ritchie’s Archipelago using Sentinel 2A Satellite Imagery

Bioactive potential of some intertidal molluscs collected from Mumbai coast, West coast of India

Updating India’s National Biodiversity Action Plan:The Process and Way Forward

Plastic ingestion in Asian elephants in the forested landscapes of Uttarakhand, India