Free-ranging dogs are seriously threatening Himalayan environment: delineating the high-risk areas for curbing free-ranging dog infestation in the Trans-Himalayan region.

It is becoming more widely recognised that free-ranging dogs, which have a nearly global distribution, threatening native wildlife. Their increasing population and spread to new areas is of growing concern for the long-term viability of wildlife species. Hence, it is imperative to understand the factors responsible for their infestation and map areas where native species are most vulnerable. Using the random forests algorithm, we modelled the free-ranging dog infestation in the Trans-Himalayan region to pinpoint the high-risk areas where free-ranging dogs are threatening the native wildlife species. We found that the likelihood of free-ranging dog occurrence is most in valley regions and up to 4000 m, often in proximity to roads. Our results also indicated that free-ranging dog prefers areas with wildlife near to protected areas. The predictor variables, such as potential evapotranspiration of the coldest quarter, distance to protected areas, elevation, distance to roads, and potential evapotranspiration of the driest quarter, significantly influence the distribution of the free-ranging dogs. We found that within the Ladakh region of the Trans-Himalayan area, the high-risk zones for free-ranging dogs are located in and around Hemis National Park, Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, and Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. While, in the Lahaul and Spiti region the high-risk areas encompass Pin Valley National Park, Inderkilla National Park, Khirganga National Park, Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, and several other protected areas. We identified the potentially high-risk areas for implementing strategies to mitigate the possible impact of free-ranging dogs on native wildlife of the Himalayas. Hence, the identified high priority areas can be used for implementing actions for controlling the population growth and further preventing the infestation of the free-ranging dogs into the new areas.

From poops to planning: A broad non-invasive genetic survey of large mammals from the Indian Himalayan Region.

Large forested landscapes often harbour significant amount of biodiversity and support mankind by rendering various livelihood opportunities and ecosystem services. Their periodic assessment for health and ecological integrity is essential for timely mitigation of any negative impact of human use due to over harvesting of natural resources or unsustainable developmental activities. In this context, monitoring of mega fauna may provide reasonable insights about the connectivity and quality of forested habitats. In the present study, we conducted a largest non-invasive genetic survey to explore mammalian diversity and genetically characterized 13 mammals from the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). We analyzed 4806 faecal samples using 103 autosomal microsatellites and with three mitochondrial genes, we identified 37 species of mammal. We observed low to moderate level of genetic variability and most species exhibited stable demographic history. We estimated an unbiased population genetic account (PGAunbias) for 13 species that may be monitored after a fixed time interval to understand species performance in response to the landscape changes. The present study has been evident to show pragmatic permeability with the representative sampling in the IHR in order to facilitate the development of species-oriented conservation and management programmes.

Landscape use and co-occurrence pattern of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and its prey species in the fragile ecosystem of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the high mountain ecosystem by regulating prey populations and maintaining plant community structure. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role of the snow leopard and its interaction with prey species. Further, elucidating landscape use and co-occurrence of snow leopard and its prey species can be used to assess the differential use of habitat, allowing them to coexist. We used camera trapping and sign survey to study the interactions of snow leopard and its prey species (Siberian Ibex- Capra sibrica and Blue sheep-Pseudois nayaur) in the Spiti valley Himachal Pradesh. Using the occupancy modelling, we examined whether these prey and predator species occur together more or less frequently than would be expected by chance. To understand this, we have used ten covariates considering the ecology of the studied species. Our results suggest habitat covariates, such as LULC16 (barren area), LULC10 (grassland), ASP (aspect), SLP (slope) and DW (distance to water), are important drivers of habitat use for the snow leopard as well as its prey species. Furthermore, we found that the snow leopard detection probability was high if the site was used by its prey species, i.e., ibex and blue sheep. Whereas, in the case of the prey species, the probability of detection was low when the predator (snow leopard) was present and detected. Besides this, our results suggested that both species were less likely to detect together than expected if they were independent (Snow leopard-Ibex, Delta = 0.29, and snow leopard-blue sheep, Delta = 0.28, both the values are <1, i.e., avoidance). Moreover, despite the predation pressure, the differential anti-predation habitat selection and restriction of temporal activities by the prey species when snow leopard is present allows them to co-exist. Therefore, considering the strong link between the habitat use by the snow leopard and its prey species, it is imperative to generate quantitative long-term data on predator-prey densities and the population dynamics of its prey species in the landscape.

Hydrogenation of High Molecular Weight Bisphenol A Type Epoxy Resin BE503 in a Functional and Greener Solvent Mixture Using a Rh Catalyst Supported on Carbon Black.

A functional greener solvent mixture containing water, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and ethyl acetate with the ratio 10:20:70 (wt%) was found to accelerate hydrogenation of bisphenol A type epoxy resin BE503 with a molecular weight of 1500 through an on-water mechanism, and led to an increased H2 availability, due to high solubility of H2 in IPA. Different carbon-based supports were tested and VulcanXC72 was found as the best support among the tested carbon-based ones as it possessed the highest amount of electron deficient promoter, RhOx. The catalyst, Rh5/VulcanXC72-polyol, synthesized by the microwave assisted polyol method, yielded a 100% hydrogenation of aromatic rings with an epoxy ring opening below 20.0% at 50 °C and a H2 pressure of 1000 psi in 2.25 h. Intrinsic activation energies for the hydrogenation of aromatic rings and epoxy ring opening were experimentally estimated and a mechanism for the hydrogenation of BE503 was proposed, wherein the hydrogenation of aromatic rings and epoxy ring opening in BE503 proceeded simultaneously in parallel and in-series with parallel being the major pathway.

Ion-wake-induced anomaly of dust lattice mode in the presence of an external magnetic field.

We report a theoretical investigation of the dust lattice (DL) mode in two-dimensional Yukawa crystals in the presence of asymmetric ion flow and an external magnetic field perpendicular to the crystal plane. Two mutually perpendicular modes are found to be coupled due to Lorentz force. Interaction among the dust grains along the vertical direction of ion flow is strongly affected due to the formation of an ion wake. This causes anisotropy in interaction strength along two mutually perpendicular directions. Both hybrid modes are studied as characteristics of different ion flow speeds and magnetic field strengths. The study shows a fluctuation in DL mode frequency driven by the strength of the particle-wake interaction. The effect of ion flow on polarization of the hybrid wave amplitudes is discussed in detail. Results show a possible mechanism of anomalous phase transition in dusty plasma.