Home range ecology of Indian rock pythons (Python molurus) in Sathyamangalam and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, Tamil Nadu, Southern India.

The Indian rock pythons (Python molurus) are classified as a near-threatened snake species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN); they are native to the Indian subcontinent and have experienced population declines caused primarily by poaching and habitat loss. We hand-captured the 14 rock pythons from villages, agricultural lands, and core forests to examine the species' home ranges. We later released/translocated them in different kilometer ranges at the Tiger Reserves. From December 2018 to December 2020, we obtained 401 radio-telemetry locations, with an average tracking duration of (444 ± 212 days), and a mean of 29 ± SD 16 data points per individual. We quantified home ranges and measured morphometric and ecological factors (sex, body size, and location) associated with intraspecific differences in home range size. We analyzed the home ranges of rock pythons using Auto correlated Kernel Density Estimates (AKDE). AKDEs can account for the auto-correlated nature of animal movement data and mitigate against biases stemming from inconsistent tracking time lags. Home range size varied from 1.4 ha to 8.1 km2 and averaged 4.2 km2. Differences in home range sizes could not be connected to body mass. Initial indications suggest that rock python home ranges are larger than other pythons.

Shifts in Bacterial Community Composition and Functional Traits at Different Time Periods Post-deglaciation of Gangotri Glacier, Himalaya.

Climate change causes an unprecedented increase in glacial retreats. The melting ice exposes land for colonization and diversification of bacterial communities leading to soil development, changes in plant community composition, and ecosystem functioning. Although a few studies have focused on macro-level deglaciation impacts, little is known about such effects on the bacterial community succession. Here, we provide meta-barcoding-based insight into the ecological attributes of bacterial community across different retreating periods of the Gangotri glacier, western Himalaya. We selected three sites along a terminal moraine representing recent (~ 20 yrs), intermediate (~ 100 yrs), and late (~ 300 yrs) deglaciation periods. Results showed that the genus Mycobacterium belonging to phylum Actinobacteria dominated recently deglaciated land. Relative abundance of these pioneer bacterial taxa decreased by 20-50% in the later stages with the emergence of new and rising of the less abundant members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Candidatus TM6, and Chloroflexi. The community in the recent stage was less rich and harbored competitive interactions, while the later stages experienced a surge in bacterial diversity with cooperative interactions. The shift in α-diversity and composition was strongly influenced by soil organic carbon, carbon to nitrogen ratio, and soil moisture content. The functional analyses revealed a progression from a metabolism focused to a functionally progressive community required for bacterial co-existence and succession in plant communities. Overall, the findings indicate that the bacterial communities inhabit, diversify, and develop specialized functions post-deglaciation leading to nutrient inputs to soil and vegetation development, which may provide feedback to climate change.

Towards a Post-Graduate Level Curriculum for Biodiversity Informatics. Perspectives from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Community.

Biodiversity informatics is a new and evolving field, requiring efforts to develop capacity and a curriculum for this field of science. The main objective was to summarise the level of activity and the efforts towards developing biodiversity informatics curricula, for work-based training and/or academic teaching at universities, taking place within the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) countries and its associated network. A survey approach was used to identify existing capacities and resources within the network. Most of GBIF Nodes survey respondents (80%) are engaged in onsite training activities, with a focus on work-based professionals, mostly researchers, policy-makers and students. Training topics include data mobilisation, digitisation, management, publishing, analysis and use, to enable the accessibility of analogue and digital biological data that currently reside as scattered datasets. An initial assessment of academic teaching activities highlighted that countries in most regions, to varying degrees, were already engaged in the conceptualisation, development and/or implementation of formal academic programmes in biodiversity informatics, including programmes in Benin, Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France, India, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Togo. Digital e-learning platforms were an important tool to help build capacity in many countries. In terms of the potential in the Nodes network, 60% expressed willingness to be recruited or commissioned for capacity enhancement purposes. Contributions and activities of various country nodes across the network have been highlighted and a working curriculum framework has been defined.

Equilibrium in soil respiration across a climosequence indicates its resilience to climate change in a glaciated valley, western Himalaya.

Soil respiration (SR), a natural phenomenon, emits ten times more CO2 from land than anthropogenic sources. It is predicted that climate warming would increase SR in most ecosystems and give rise to positive feedback. However, there are uncertainties associated with this prediction primarily due to variability in the relationship of SR with its two significant drivers, soil temperature and moisture. Accounting for the variabilities, we use a climosequence in Himalaya with a temperature gradient of ~ 2.1 °C to understand the variations in the response of SR and its temperature sensitivity to climate change. Results indicate an equilibrium in SR ranging from 1.92 to 2.42 µmol m-2 s-1 across an elevation gradient (3300-3900 m) despite its increased sensitivity to temperature (Q10) from 0.47 to 4.97. Additionally, moisture reduction towards lower elevation weakens the temperature-SR relationship. Finally, soil organic carbon shows similarities at all the elevations, indicating a net-zero CO2 flux across the climosequence. The findings suggest that as the climate warms in this region, the temperature sensitivity of SR reduces drastically due to moisture reduction, limiting any change in SR and soil organic carbon to rising temperature. We introduce an equilibrium mechanism in this study which indicates the resilient nature of SR to climate change and will aid in enhancing the accuracy of climate change impact projections.

Experimental warming increases ecosystem respiration by increasing above-ground respiration in alpine meadows of Western Himalaya.

Alpine ecosystems in the Himalaya, despite low primary productivity, store considerable amount of organic carbon. However, these ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate warming which may stimulate ecosystem carbon efflux leading to carbon-loss and positive feedback. We used open-top chambers to understand warming responses of ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil respiration (SR) in two types of alpine meadows viz., herbaceous meadow (HM) and sedge meadow (SM), in the Western Himalaya. Experimental warming increased ER by 33% and 28% at HM and SM, respectively. No significant effect on SR was observed under warming, suggesting that the increase in ER was primarily due to an increase in above-ground respiration. This was supported by the warming-induced increase in above-ground biomass and decrease in SR/ER ratio. Soil temperature was the dominant controlling factor of respiration rates and temperature sensitivity of both ER and SR increased under warming, indicating an increase in contribution from plant respiration. The findings of the study suggest that climate warming by 1.5-2 °C would promote ER via increase in above-ground respiration during the growing season. Moreover, net C uptake in the alpine meadows may increase due to enhanced plant growth and relatively resistant SR under warming.

Preliminary risk maps for transmission of kyasanur forest disease in Southern India.

Kyasanur forest disease is known to be transmitted across forested regions of Southern India. The disease appears to be hosted in wild mammals and transmitted by tick vectors although the diversity and identity of host and vector species remain unclear. The area across which risk exists of contracting the disease through transfer from the hosts or vectors, however, has never been mapped in detail, such that the area that surveillance, education, and investment in diagnostic facilities should cover remains unknown. This contribution uses known occurrences of the disease from the year 2000 till date to create and test a correlational ecological niche model that translates into preliminary transmission risk maps, which are summarized in terms of risk presented in each district in the region, as well as across peninsular India.

Literature based species occurrence data of birds of northeast India.

The northeast region of India is one of the world's most significant biodiversity hotspots. One of the richest bird areas in India, it is an important route for migratory birds and home to many endemic bird species. This paper describes a literature-based dataset of species occurrences of birds of northeast India. The occurrence records documented in the dataset are distributed across eleven states of India, viz.: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The geospatial scope of the dataset represents 24 to 29 degree North latitude and 78 to 94 degree East longitude, and it comprises over 2400 occurrence records. These records have been collated from scholarly literature published between1915 and 2008, especially from the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS). The temporal scale of the dataset represents bird observations recorded between 1909 and 2007. The dataset has been developed by employing MS Excel. The key elements in the database are scientific name, taxonomic classification, temporal and geospatial details including geo-coordinate precision, data collector, basis of record and primary source of the data record. The temporal and geospatial quality of more than 50% of the data records has been enhanced retrospectively. Where possible, data records are annotated with geospatial coordinate precision to the nearest minute. This dataset is being constantly updated with the addition of new data records, and quality enhancement of documented occurrences. The dataset can be used in species distribution and niche modeling studies. It is planned to expand the scope of the dataset to collate bird species occurrences across the Indian peninsula.