Nature Conservation Foundation

About: Nature Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit organization based out in Mysore, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Biodiversity. The organization has 153 authors who have published 375 publications receiving 10202 citations.

Optimal inaccuracy: estimating male fitness in the movement-assisted dichogamous species Clerodendrum infortunatum

Abstract: Dichogamy, where sporophylls (reproductive parts) are separated in time, could have evolved in hermaphroditic species to reduce the cost of sexual interference. However, the separation of sporophylls can lead to pollination inaccuracy, especially in movement-assisted dichogamy, where sporophylls alter their position over time. Is pollination inaccuracy minimised by the second sporophyll taking the exact position of the first? Are the sporophylls optimally positioned and stable in their respective active phases? We address these questions in Clerodendrum infortunatum, a protandrous, movement-assisted dichogamous species. We made predictions from optimality arguments, and tested these by measuring sporophyll angles over time, by experimentally manipulating flowers, and by estimating correlates of the resultant fitness, taking into account pollen export, pollination inaccuracy and the resultant total pollen delivered. Contrary to expectation, anthers do not have a fixed position in the male phase, and pollination inaccuracy is high. Further, when pollen load is highest, anthers are paradoxically not positioned at the pollen export peak. Also, pollen export and pollination accuracy peaks do not align. This seeming maladaptiveness of anther positioning nevertheless results in highest overall male fitness, measured as the total pollen delivered over the entire male phase. Instead of a simple positional exchange of sporophylls, stamens display a more complicated dynamic strategy which appears close to optimal even though naive measures of pollination inaccuracy are high. Such a strategy of maximising overall male fitness, integrating over the dynamics of stamen trajectory, could well be a general characteristic of protandrous movement-assisted dichogamy.

Anthropogenic Influences on Macaque Populations and Their Genetic Consequences

Abstract: Human–macaque interactions constitute a complex phenomenon influencing perhaps the biology of the macaque more profoundly than ours. At the population level, humans tend to influence the distribution, demography, immunology and even behaviour of the macaque species they interact with though none of these interactions are ever simple. These works at different levels, interacting, in turn, with other environmental factors and most of these impacts are likely to have genetic consequences over the long term. In this chapter, we reviewed available literature on anthropogenic impacts on macaque populations. We should, however, stress that our current state of knowledge, unfortunately, suffers from a serious lack of insight into such genetic impacts. There is, therefore, a dire need for long-term genetic monitoring programmes to understand the effect of anthropogenic factors on the dispersal and demography of different macaque species.

The critical ecological role of an endemic, large-bodied frugivore on a small tropical island

Abstract: Mutualistic interactions, like seed dispersal, are important for maintaining plant diversity in tropics. Islands, which have a smaller subset of plants and frugivores, when compared with mainland communities offer an interesting setting to understand the relative role of ecological and evolutionary processes in influencing the interactions between plants and frugivores. In this study, we examined the relative influence of functional traits and phylogenetic relationships on the plant-seed disperser interactions on an island and a mainland site. The island site allowed us to investigate the organization of the plant-seed disperser community in the natural absence of key frugivore groups (bulbuls and barbets) of Asian tropics. The largest frugivore on the island, the point endemic Narcondam Hornbill, was also the most abundant frugivore on the island and played a significant quantitative and central role in the plant-seed disperser community. Species strength of frugivores was positively associated with frugivore abundance. Among plants, figs had the highest species strength and played a central role in the community during the study period. We found that the island had among the highest reported densities of hornbills and figs in the world. Island-mainland comparison revealed that the island plant-seed disperser community was more asymmetric, connected and nested as compared to the mainland community with which it shared certain plant and frugivore species. Neither functional traits nor phylogenetic relationships were able to explain the patterns of interactions between plants and frugivores on the island or the mainland. Diffused nature of interactions between plants and frugivores, trait convergence and plasticity in foraging behavior likely contribute to shaping the interactions between plants and frugivores. This study underscores the need to study plant-seed disperser communities on tropical islands, particularly in the Indian Ocean, which have inadequate representation in the literature.

Patterns of roost site use by Asian hornbills and implications for seed dispersal

Abstract: Animals spend a significant amount of time roosting. Therefore, understanding roosting patterns and the processes that influence roosting behaviour and roost site choice is essential. Hornbills exhibit interesting roosting patterns with some species roosting communally in large flocks. They are important seed dispersers and patterns of roost site use can have a significant influence on seed dispersal distributions and thereby on plant recruitment. We documented roost site use by four Great Hornbills (Buceros bicornis) and one Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) at a site in north-east India using GPS telemetry. We examined the influence of riverine habitats, nests and foraging range on roost selection. We determined the proportion of seeds that hornbills disperse at roosts and the dispersal distances of seeds dispersed at roosts from the source trees. Through telemetry, we found that roosts of Great Hornbills were generally in forested habitats. Our telemetry data showed that Wreathed Hornbill roosts were close to the river. These results were corroborated by observational data from roost sites where we had regular detections of relatively large flocks of Wreathed Hornbills and occasionally Great Hornbills. The roost sites were not close to the nest sites and were generally within the 95% kernel density diurnal activity ranges. Hornbills dispersed a small proportion of seeds at roost sites. Seeds dispersed at roost sites had almost twice the dispersal distances compared to those dispersed at non-roost sites. This study highlights variation in roost site pattern across individual hornbills and its implications for seed dispersal.

Life on Wings: Relating to a Bird's Life in a City through a Board Game

Abstract: This paper presents a novel board game called Life on Wings, designed to create an experience and awareness about the life of birds in an urban landscape. The game lets users experience the life of six tropical urban birds across three seasons of a year. By performing different activities of birds, players learn about the challenges that an ever-changing urban environment creates for bird species. We reflect on our design process and describe the key design decisions that led to the development of our game. We also present insights of a playtesting session that was conducted with 11 participants to evaluate the design aspects of the game. Based on the study insights we present three implications on collaboration over competition, local game movement and longitudinal first-person perspective. Through this work, we aim to inspire more playful explorations on human-wildlife cohabitation.