Search

Morphometric characteristics of fishes were observable characteristics that are set of largely statistical methods used for examining variations in body size and shape. The objectives taken for the current study were to examine the complete morpho-biology of Schizothorax richardsonii from three major snow-fed rivers of the Kumaun Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India, and to establish the statistical relationship among various morphological characteristics related to body size and fin shape. In this study 120 fish specimen including 66 male and 54 female were studied for one year. Twelve distinct morphometric and five meristic counts had been examined in percentage of their body length and head length respectively. For biostatistics, the data was analysed by using various statistical methods including summary statistics, correlation, PCA analysis, Barlett’s test of sphericity, and multiple linear regression. Fish samples studied were found within the range of 17.7 – 42.2 cm in TL and BW from 60 - 780 gm. Morphological characteristics had high coefficient of correlation (r ≥ 0.90), indicating the characters' strong relationship, with the highest correlation (r = 0.99). Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R² ) value was found within the range of 0.62 to 0.99, which shows a significant relationship between the morphometric characteristics. PCA analysis revealed the major significance found among parameters, together with regression analysis. This study will provide a baseline data and a valuable insight into the population dynamics, and may contribute to the development of more effective strategies for the management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-summering of shorebirds refers to the phenomenon where certain species of shorebirds, primarily migratory, remain on their non-breeding grounds during the summer months for one or more years instead of migrating to their breeding grounds. The present study investigates the presence and abundance of over-summering shorebird species at four distinct sites covering 24 scanning points along the southeastern coasts of Tamil Nadu for 2017-2023. A total of 13 species were observed over-summering, with Lesser Sand Plover being the most dominant species, followed by Greater Sand Plover. Notably, 10 species were found across all four sites, while three species--Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Common Sandpiper--were exclusive to Dhanushkodi Lagoon, observed only during 2023. The study examined the year-wise abundance of these species, revealing a decline in over-summering shorebirds across all study sites. The Eurasian Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Bar-tailed & Black-tailed Godwits are the 'Near Threatened' species observed during the study. Furthermore, the research highlighted variations in Shannon species diversity index (H) location-wise and year-wise - Manoli Island (H = 2.25) in 2023; Dhanushkodi Lagoon (H = 1.8) in 2023; Valinokkam Lagoon (H = 1.63), and Pillaimadam Lagoon (H = 2.08) in 2017. Key findings are that among the study sites, in Pillaimadam Lagoon all 10 species' abundance declined; in Valinokkam Lagoon, Greater Sand Plover and Little Stint marginally increased, and eight species declined; Common Redshank and Ruddy Turnstone marginally increased in Manoli Island, while other eight species declined; Grey Plover population increased in Dhanushkodi Lagoon along with a marginal decrease in Common Redshank and Ruddy Turnstone as other species declined, over the years of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandothi Wetlands located in district Jhajjar of Haryana, India is about 1000 acres of farmland, serves as a crucial habitat for numerous species of winter migratory birds. From December 2021 to March 2023, fortnightly periodic visits were made to the area by using scan sampling and point-cum-line transect methods. A total of 54 winter migratory birds' species were recorded including 33 genera, 19 families, and 8 orders. Order Charadriiformes was highly diverse with the presence of 17 species in the study area. Feeding guild analysis expressed that Insectivores were the dominant ones among all guilds. As per the IUCN Red List criteria, 48 species were classified as least concern (LC) whereas, 3 species were classified as Near Threatened (NT) i.e., Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea, and 3 species were classified as Vulnerable (VU) such as Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga and Common Pochard Aythya ferina globally. Study area holds a significant role in sustaining the diversity of birds and also facing various stress factors thus it needs to be conserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's rich diversity encompasses individuals from varied geographical, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. In the field of population genetics, comprehending the genetic diversity across distinct populations plays a crucial role. This study presents significant findings from genetic data obtained from the Sikkimese population of India. Autosomal markers were crucial for evaluating forensic parameters, with a combined paternity index of 1 × 109. Notably, Penta E emerged as a distinguishing marker for individual identification in the Sikkim population. Fst genetic distance values revealed insights into genetic isolation among different groups, enhancing our understanding of population dynamics in the central Himalayan region. The NJ-based phylogenetic tree highlighted close genetic relationships, of the Sikkim population with the Nepalese population surrounding neighbouring Himalayan populations providing glimpses into common ancestry. In summary, this study contributes valuable data to population genetics and underscores the importance of genetic variation in comprehending population dynamics and forensic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being one of the most conflict-prone species in India, the Nilgai antelope Boselaphus tragocamelus has received little scientific attention. In this study, we address this knowledge gap by conducting an analysis of secondary data extracted from print media reports on Human-Nilgai negative interactions at the regional scale (tehsils and districts) across different states of India. Our findings revealed notable variations in conflict levels among different states, with Bihar emerging as the most affected (86 tehsils and 22 districts), followed by Madhya Pradesh (34 tehsils; 21 districts) and Uttar Pradesh (33 tehsils; 20 districts). Within Bihar, Muzaffarpur and East Champaran districts stand out for their high conflict levels. Crop raiding by different populations of Nilgai is identified as the primary cause of the negative interaction, with a relative frequency of occurrence of 98%. Attacks on humans by nilgai, although rare, accounted for a relative frequency of occurrence of only 1.2%. Additionally, newspapers reported retaliatory killings, with a relative frequency of occurrence of 0.84%. Between 2018 and 2022, nilgai populations were documented raiding 45 distinct crop types. Analysis of these raids revealed varying frequencies across different crop categories, with vegetables being the most heavily targeted (31%), followed by pulses (22%) and cereals (20%). Our study identifies priority tehsils and districts across different states in the country where studies aiming at nilgai-crop interactions, population dynamics, and movement ecology can be carried out to devise effective mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stalk rot disease is a major constraint in maize production and till date reported to be caused by two to three species of phytopathogenic fungi but, in our present study, we disclose the first report of stalk rot is caused by complex species of phytopathogens, which belongs to five different genera. Therefore, to substantiate these findings, a total of 105 diseased samples of maize were collected from 21 different locations in six different geographical locations of India from which 48 isolates were used for the research study. Morphological features such as pigmentation, colony color, type of mycelium and pattern of mycelium was examined using macro and microscopic methods. A total of 11 different spp. of pathogens belonging to the five different genera: Fusarium verticillioides (56.25%), F. equiseti (14.5%), F. andiyazi (6.25%), F. solani (2.08%), F. proliferatum (2.08%), F. incarnatum (2.08%), Lasidioplodia theobrame (6.25%), Exserohilum rostrtum (4.16%), Nigrospora spp. (4.16%). and Schizophyllum commune (2.08%) were identified by different housekeeping genes (ITS, TEF-1α, RPB2 and Actin). Fusarium verticillioides, F. equiseti and F. andiyazi were major pathogens involved in stalk rot. This is the first report on F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. incarnatum, Lasidioplodia theobrame, Exserohilum rostrtum, Nigrospora spp. and Schizophyllum commune causing stalk rot of maize and their distribution in the different states of India. Studies on population dynamics of PFSR will enhance the understanding of pathogen behavior, virulence, or its association with different pathogens across India, which will facilitate the development of resistant maize genotypes against the PFSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Karan Fries (KF), a high-producing composite cattle was developed through crossing indicine Tharparkar cows with taurine bulls (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Jersey), to increase the milk yield across India. This composite cattle population must maintain sufficient genetic diversity for long-term development and breed improvement in the coming years. The level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) measures the influence of population genetic forces on the genomic structure and provides insights into the evolutionary history of populations, while the decay of LD is important in understanding the limits of genome-wide association studies for a population. Effective population size (Ne) which is genomically based on LD accumulated over the course of previous generations, is a valuable tool for e valuation of the genetic diversity and level of inbreeding. The present study was undertaken to understand KF population dynamics through the estimation of Ne and LD for the longterm sustainability of these breeds. Methods: The present study included 96 KF samples genotyped using Illumina HDBovine array to estimate the effective population and examine the LD pattern. The genotype data were also obtained for other crossbreds (Santa Gertrudis, Brangus, and Beefmaster) and Holstein Friesian cattle for comparison purposes. Results: The average LD between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was r2 = 0.13 in the present study. LD decay (r2 = 0.2) was observed at 40 kb inter-marker distance, indicating a panel with 62,765 SNPs was sufficient for genomic breeding value estimation in KF cattle. The pedigree-based Ne of KF was determined to be 78, while the Ne estimates obtained using LD-based methods were 52 (SNeP) and 219 (genetic optimization for Ne estimation), respectively. Conclusion: KF cattle have an Ne exceeding the FAO's minimum recommended level of 50, which was desirable. The study also revealed significant population dynamics of KF cattle and increased our understanding of devising suitable breeding strategies for longterm sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population dynamics, diversity and community structure of Odonata were studied on three adjacent riparian microecosystems in Vadodara district, Gujarat, India. Population dynamics was studied by observing their population by point count method on three microhabitats (Mini River at Sankarda, Sindhrot and Mahi River at Fazalpur). In the course of a twenty-eight-week study, a total of 4783 Odonata were encountered on three microecosystems. Odonata density 9% throughout September 2014 (39th Meteorological Week) and gained its peak during October 2014 (44th Meteorological Week). A definite drop in the density was observed during November 2014 (48th Meteorological Week) and it achieved precisely 1% throughout December 2014 (51st Meteorological Week). Amongst the three microecosystems, at Fazalpur, species richness began rising from the 4th week of September (6%) and made it to its highest (11%) throughout the 4th week of October. At Sankarda, maximum absolute richness (12.61%) was recorded in 3rd week of October. At Sindhrot, the relative abundance of odonates started increasing in 3rd week of September (7%) and achieved its highest (13%) during 4th week of October. A total of twenty-five species were encountered in the terrain. The diversity index was maximum for Sankarda (2.35) followed by Fazalpur (2.27) and Sindhrot (2.01). A total of four species (Ditch Jewel (26.6%), Pigmy Dartlet (19.5%), Green Marsh Hawk (10.3%) and Senegal Golden Dartlet (8.3%) were dominant in all three microhabitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aulacophora lewisii Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is an important pest of Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae) in India. Larvae of A. lewisii feed on the roots, while adults consume leaves of L. acutangula. In the current study, effects of three L. acutangula cultivars (Abhiskar, Debsundari, and Jaipur Long) on the life table parameters by age-stage, two-sex approach, and key digestive enzymatic activities (amylolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic) of the larvae and adults of A. lewisii were determined. Further, nutrients (total carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, amino acids, and nitrogen content) and antinutrients (total phenols, flavonols, and tannins) present in the roots and leaves of three cultivars were estimated. The development time (egg to adult emergence) was fastest and slowest on Jaipur Long (31.80 days) and Abhiskar (40.91 days), respectively. Fecundity was highest and lowest on Jaipur Long (279.91 eggs) and Abhiskar (137.18 eggs), respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) was lowest on Abhiskar (0.0511 day−1) and highest on Jaipur Long (0.0872 day−1). The net reproductive rate (R 0) was lowest on Abhiskar (23.32 offspring female−1). The mean generation time (T) was shortest on Jaipur Long (52.59 days) and longest on Abhiskar (61.58 days). The amylolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic activities of larvae and adults of A. lewisii were highest and lowest on Jaipur Long and Abhiskar, respectively. The lower level of nutrients and higher level of antinutrients influenced higher larval development time and lower fecundity of A. lewisii on Abhiskar than other cultivars. Our results suggest that Abhiskar cultivar could be promoted for cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cornerstone of conservation policy for endangered species subject to illegal harvest involves estimating their population and offtake numbers. Census enumerations are expensive to conduct on nationwide scales, especially in resource‐constrained countries housing such species. Resource and data limitations necessitate the estimation of population counts. The effect of poaching on species recruitment is often ignored in scientific population projections. Estimation of population counts should account for the interactive feedback between harvest and recruitment. Data on tiger population sizes and poaching from 51 reserves in India between 1994 and 2022 were obtained to calibrate a coupled ecological‐economic model of tiger population dynamics and poaching. Cobb–Douglas harvest functions with differing degrees of concavity and scale economies are used to characterize the economics of poaching. Population dynamics are evaluated using exponential and critical depensation growth functions. The predictive abilities of linked models and their parameter parsimony are evaluated using information criteria. Poaching is shown to substantially affect recruitment dynamics and is best characterized by a Schaefer function coupled with critical depensation growth. This paper provides a novel perspective of the interaction between tiger poaching and population dynamics in India. A systematic understanding of coupled ecological‐economic processes would improve the management of high‐value endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a major spice of Indian origin. Turmeric is commonly used in Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine, and also in Indian cuisine. India produces nearly 1.2 million tonnes (Mt) of turmeric annually and is one of the world's largest producers. Turmeric production is limited by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Among the biotic factors, plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) are important. They include Meloidogyne spp., Pratylenchus spp., Radopholus similis and Rotylenchulus reniformis. However, the information about the distribution, density and prominence of plant-parasitic nematodes and their interrelation with soil types is very scarce. Hence, the present comprehensive nematode survey was undertaken in the major turmeric-producing states of India: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. The results indicated that Meloidogyne spp., R. reniformis , Pratylenchus spp., R. similis , Hoplolaimus spp., Helicotylenchus spp. and Tylenchorhynchus spp. were associated with turmeric. The most abundant nematodes were Meloidogyne spp. (115 individuals (100 cm3 soil)−1), followed by R. reniformis (68 (100 cm3 soil)−1) and Pratylenchus spp. (50 (100 cm3 soil)−1). The frequency of occurrence ranged from 0 to 60%, with Meloidogyne spp. (60%) and R. reniformis (51%) being the most common. Meloidogyne spp. (38%) and Pratylenchus spp. (19%) were the most prominent nematodes in plant samples. Overall, Meloidogyne spp. followed by Pratylenchus spp., R. reniformis and R. similis were the key nematodes associated with the turmeric crop in all the four states. Further, we have identified hotspot areas for the plant-parasitic nematodes, namely: Meloidogyne spp. (16), Pratylenchus spp. (16), R. reniformis (20), and R. similis (5) on the basis of the economic threshold level. The interrelationship of soil type and nematode distribution was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cirrhinus reba (Hamilton, 1822), commonly known as Reba carp, is an economically important freshwater species with high demand for its taste. It has been listed as vulnerable and near threatened species in India and Bangladesh, respectively. This study presents a pioneer assessment of the lengthweight relationship and population dynamics of Reba carp using a length-based approach over a threeyear period in the Indian part of the Atrai River. Fish specimens ranged from 50 to 237 mm in length and from 0.90 to 184.19 g in weight. Results indicate positive allometric growth, with a unimodal continuous recruitment pattern peaking between June and August. Population parameters, including asymptotic length (L8 = 250.95 mm), growth coefficient (K = 0.44 year-1), growth performance index (f' = 4.442), length at first capture (Lc = 83.77 mm), and size at first sexual maturity (Lm = 110 mm), were computed. This study revealed a higher fishing mortality rate compared to natural mortality, with the mean current exploitation rate (E = 0.63) surpassing Emax = 0.541, and the highest exploitation rate observed in 2022. Consequently, the annual yield exceeded the Maximum Sustainable Yield limit, underscoring the urgent need to mitigate fishing pressure, especially during the breeding season, to promote stock replenishment and ensure sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The River Ganga produces a substantial amount of its fish from small native species, defined here as those with a maximum length of 25 cm. The FiSAT program was utilized to estimate stock assessments of four important small indigenous species from the River Ganga: Johnius coitor, Cabdio morar, Salmostoma bacaila, and Gudusia chapra. Fish samples were collected monthly for a year (April 2020–May 2021) from four predetermined sampling sites along the River Ganga (Farakka, Berhampore, Balagarh, and Tribeni) in West Bengal, India. The estimated exploitation rate for Johnius coitor, Salmostoma bacaila, and Gudusia chapra was relatively lower than the optimum level of 0.5 and considerably lower than Emax values, indicating that their stocks are experiencing low fishing pressure in the region. The FiSAT results indicated that the species Cabdio morar was found to be heavily exploited. The total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M), and fishing mortality (F) rates for all four of the SIF species were examined, and they were contrasted with data from previous studies. On the lower stretch of the River Ganga, all of the fish stocks are optimally exploited (Eopt), except for the species Cabdio morar. The population dynamics of all of the species have been described for the first time on the lower stretch of the River Ganga. According to the findings, all of the fish stocks throughout the lower stretch of River Ganga are optimally exploited (Eopt), except for Cabdio morar. The study also emphasizes the importance of increasing sustainable fishing efforts, focusing on SIFs throughout the lower stretch of the River Ganga in order to safeguard the livelihood and nutritional status of fishermen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present global mango production faces various kinds of environmental and ecological fluctuations including biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore in order to develop suitable management techniques, it is essential to have thorough understanding of the population dynamics and damage potential of the mango pests. Hence the present experiment was carried out to study the influence of particular seasonal months on the incidence of mango hoppers and thrips under field conditions. The highest degree of infestation by hoppers was detected in March (22.210 hoppers per shoot/panicle), followed by February (21.336) and January (18.863). The peak prevalence of the thrips were observed in the month of February (26 - 50% of fruit area damaged) followed by January and March (1 - 25% of fruit area damaged). The occurrence and seasonal prevalence data generated from the present study can be used to manage the population of hoppers and thrips on mango and this study have far-reaching implications in pest management strategy and the data so generated would help in the forecast of hoppers and thrips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent past, exotic whiteflies viz., Aleurodicus rugioperculatus, Paraleyrodes bondari, Paraleyrodes minei and Aleurotrachelus atratus are infesting coconut plantations in India. Based on the damage potential, the predominant species are the rugose spiralling whitefly, A. rugioperculatus and the Bondars nesting whitefly, P. bondari. A study was undertaken to determine the seasonal incidence and population dynamics of these in the new invasion region at Karungalakudi block of Madurai district from 33rd standard meteorological week (SMW) of 2021 to 32nd SMW of 2022. The results indicated that A. rugioperculatus incidence rose considerably from the first week of April (10.9 adults/leaflet) to third week of May (8.3 adults/leaflet; while P. bondari reached maximum during the third week of March (71.99 adults/leaflet) and extended up to first week of June (67.57 adults/leaflet) coinciding with summer months with high temperature and limited precipitation. Subsequently, their incidence declined with the onset of north east monsoon coupled with parasitism by Encarsia guadeloupae and predation by chrysopids from thirdweek of August to fourth-week of December in 2021. The extent of parasitism by E. guadeloupae on A. rugioperculatus nymphs was positively correlated and ranged from 40% (third week of August, 33rd SMW, 2021) to 84% (second week of June 2022, 24th SMW). Chrysopids revealed a highly significant positive correlation with the incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating home range size is an important aspect of ecological studies that helps in understanding species biology. The myrmecophagous sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is one of the least studied large carnivores and is found in the Indian subcontinent with India being its stronghold. Despite its wide distribution in India, only one study has estimated its home range. In this study, we estimate the home range of a sloth bear using location data obtained through camera-trapping in Bannerghatta National Park in southern India during 2019 and 2020. A sloth bear was identified based on a unique marking on its pelage that was possibly caused by a wire snare. Using the minimum convex polygon and 40 camera-trap encounters, we estimated its home range to be ∼58 km2. Although camera-trapping was conducted to understand the population dynamics of leopards (Panthera pardus pardus), the data provided opportunistic information on nontarget species. Such byproduct data should be utilized to enhance our knowledge on various aspects of species biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the dynamics of built-up and population, and the distribution of the road network were investigated to assess the efficiency of land consumption in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Area (HMA) between the years 1975 and 2015. Statistical techniques, geographic information systems (GIS), and causation analysis have been adopted to quantify and study land consumption efficiency. For this purpose, the built-up and population data are obtained from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) and road network maps are obtained from the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data set. To assess land use efficiency (LUE), the methodology provided in "SDG 11.3.1. Metadata" is adopted. From the results, it is evident that the average accuracy of the GHSL population layer between the years 1990 and 2015 was more than 90% and the absolute percent error of the GHSL population layer decreased with time. It was also observed that between 1990 and 2015 the HMA was stably moving toward sufficient land per person. Through correlation analysis, it was identified that there exists a very strong correlation between built-up, population, and road network density. The causation analysis using a novel coefficient of causation affirmed that changes in built-up and population are both caused equal changes on their counterpart and the built-up and population both influenced the changes in the road density of the HMA. From the findings of the current article, it is evident that the correlation and the causation analysis together give a clear understanding of the built-up and population dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat suitability difference between sexes results in sex-specific dispersal. Although this behaviour is one of the key factors in understanding population dynamics, there are limited studies to evaluate it in arboreal species. We studied the distribution of the Indian Giant Squirrel (IGS; Ratufa indica maxima) from a sex perspective. We also evaluated potentiallly suitable habitat types for the species in the Nelliyampathy Reserve Forest, Western Ghats, Kerala, India. We used the sweep survey method to record the distribution pattern of squirrels and analysed the influence of climatic layers and other variables on the distribution using MaxEnt. The study revealed that there was a difference between the sexes in habitat selection. Males preferred more land-use types than females, which were restricted to only certain land-use types. Some of the major factors that determined the distribution of species were distance from urban settlement (50.1%), distance from shade plantation (23.2%), distance from rocky outcrop (9.2%), minimum temperature of the coldest month (9%) and precipitation of the wettest quarter (8.5%). The final MaxEnt model output predicted 49.07% suitable habitat for IGS, of which 45.47% and 34.42% were suitable for males and females respectively, with an overlap of 30.82% between the sexes. We suggest that it would be important to include a sex perspective in species habitat suitability studies in order to gain insights into sex-related habitat specificity and its role in dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) can cause yield loss of cotton in susceptible plants. The only known aphid vector in the U.S. is Aphis gossypii, which regularly infests cotton, but knowledge so far is limited to the cotton growing season. Seven other species are also known to feed on cotton, but little is known about their seasonal dynamics. Two species are known vectors of CLRDV in chickpea in India. Improving our understanding of the viral spread and seasonal dynamics of potential vectors is key to developing management strategies for plant pathogens. In this study, we monitored seasonal population dynamics of these eight species, in three locations and two different habitats in Alabama, with the use of pan traps, year-round, for two consecutive years. To coordinate this with viral presence, CLRDV spread was monitored at the same sites with the use of cotton sentinel plants. Plants (while conditions allowed) and traps were collected and replaced weekly. Our findings provided baseline information on when these eight species are dispersing in the landscape and when CLRDV spread is occurring in cotton. While A. gossypii is likely the primary vector, early season spread of CLRDV suggests additional aphid vectors are possible. Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is an introduced Polerovirus (Family: Solemoviridae) of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in the U.S. The only vector known to transmit this virus to cotton is the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover; however, there are seven other species of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) reported to colonize cotton in the southeastern U.S.: Protaphis middletonii (Thomas), Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale (Sasaki), Aphis craccivora Koch, Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Smythurodes betae Westwood, and Aphis fabae Scopoli. Little to no information is available on annual population dynamics of these species in the southeastern U.S. The timing of CLRDV spread to cotton plantings is also unknown. The objective of this study was to monitor the population dynamics of eight cotton-feeding aphid species concurrent with the spread of CLRDV at three different locations in Alabama. Aphids were monitored weekly for two years with yellow pan traps, and sentinel plants were deployed weekly to monitor CLRDV spread throughout the cotton-growing season. During the two years, most CLRDV spread at all locations occurred when A. gossypii was actively dispersing in the field. Early season spread at sites in south and central Alabama, when A. gossypii was not abundant, suggests additional aphid vectors are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural enemies of Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a vector of bunchy top of banana, are reported from Tamil Nadu, South India. Totally four predators including three coccinellids (Pseudaspidimerus trinotatus (Thunberg), Scymnus (Scymnus) nubilus Mulsant, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (F.)) and one hemerobiid (Micromus timidus Hagen) were recorded. Only one parasitoid, Aphelinus sp. nr. gossypii Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was recorded. Biology of S. nubilus, the most effective predator of P. nigronervosa, was also studied in the laboratory and the results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debt bondage is one of the most widespread forms of unfree labour today. The majority of the existing studies focuses on bonded labourers as a homogenous group rather than examining group dynamics within the population of bonded labourers. This paper tries to overcome these limitations and examines experiences of women bonded labourers from the Sahariya tribe in India. It argues that gendered norms intersect with other patterns of structural violence creating a situation where women are doubly exploited but also opening new (limited) agentic spaces for these women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An HIV/AIDS transmission model is constructed and analyzed that assimilates spontaneous change in human behavior depending on the disease prevalence incorporating self‐shielding mechanism and treatment control. It is assumed that human population become aware of HIV disease from exposed environment and are conscious enough to make their knowledge fruitful by adopting self‐protective measures to reduce disease transmission. We introduce Hill type of behavioral change function and an awareness‐induced transmission function associated with nonlinear infection rate. We emphasize the effectiveness of human awareness in controlling HIV epidemic by investigating the impact of nonlinear incidence rate. Further, an optimal control model is formulated and solved to find the strategy of applying treatment considering spontaneous response of people towards HIV disease. In the numerical simulation segment, impacts of significant parameters have been assessed using sophisticated techniques. We calibrate the proposed model with the real data of HIV cases in India and estimate some crucial model parameters. Moreover, different amalgamations of preventive and treatment controls are introduced. The optimal treatment control has massive impact in curbing HIV epidemic. Also, combined strategy of prevention and treatment can curtail the disease with economic gain. It reveals that effective response of individuals can suppress the disease in such an unexpected situation when treatment rate is low. Increasing the efficacy of human consciousness is much beneficial in curbing HIV outbreak. Thus, our findings highlight a path to control HIV epidemic with uninstructed modification of human behavior by boosting up the productivity of their existing knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological variation in biological and adult life‐table attributes of two populations of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from the desert (Jodhpur) and coastal (Kolkata) regions of India are assessed to understand the reproductive and survival strategies. The results showed that females lived longer than males in both strains. The desert strain was more r‐strategist because of its higher intrinsic rate of increase (rm = 0.23), finite rate of increase (λ = 1.25), lower life expectancy of males (7.9 days) and females (14.4 days), mean generation time (T = 19.2 days) and doubling time (DT = 3.0 days). However, there was no difference in net reproductive rate (R0) between the desert and coastal strains. The coastal strain showed a longer female life expectancy (22.0 days) than the desert strain (14.4 days). However, the fecundity (eggs/female/day) was lower in the coastal strain (11.4) than in the desert strain (15.1). Conclusively, the desert (Jodhpur) strain is adapted to a better r‐strategy than the coastal (Kolkata) strain of Ae. aegypti, which might be helpful to flourish in harsh environmental conditions. This study may provide accurate predictions of Ae. aegypti population dynamics for vector management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their high dietary and behavioural flexibility, leopards have lost > 70% of their historic range due to the causes like habitat loss, prey depletion and poaching. Precise abundance estimates are among the essential information required for leopard conservation. We provide estimates of leopard population density from Gir Protected Area, Gujarat, India, using camera traps deployed from May to June 2017. Our survey consists of 50 sampling sites covering an area of 200 km2 in the western part of Gir. We used the likelihood—based spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) framework to assess leopard density in Gir. We identified 39 unique leopard individuals, among which 21 were males, 15 were females and three were of unknown sex. SECR analysis found the leopard density in Gir to be 19.90 ± 3.38 (S.E.) individuals/100 km2, where females had higher detection probabilities (0.14 ± 0.05 (S.E.)) than males (0.09 ± 0.02 (S.E.)). Males had a larger sigma value (σ) (in meters) (953.90 ± 92.99(S.E.)) than females (675.80 ± 84.78 (S.E.)). Possible reasons for the reported high leopard density are stringent protection measures which rule out chances of additive mortality in leopards, high preferred prey density, and limited effect of competitive interactions with Asiatic lions. A very high density of leopards could have implications for their own population regulation, prey population dynamics, and maintenance of the leopard population in the surrounding area through dispersal. The present study holds the potential to act as a baseline for future monitoring and inform management strategies for leopards in Gir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shot hole borer (SHB), Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is an emerging pest of Robusta coffee in India. Traps with attractants are commonly used to capture the ambrosia beetles for purposes of monitoring, studying population dynamics, predicting outbreaks, and mass trapping to reduce damage. The relative attractiveness of several common attractants and the influence of their concentration were evaluated in the field against X. compactus using Broca traps in this study. The tested attractants exhibited clear differences in attractiveness and the preliminary field studies at coffee plantations revealed that absolute ethanol attracted more shot hole borer adults than coffee twig extracts, distillery ethanol, and ethanol methanol combinations. The number of beetles trapped varied in different places during multi-location field trials, but in general, 50% of absolute ethanol-baited traps captured the highest number of beetles in all the locations. This study demonstrates 50% absolute ethanol can be used as an effective attractant for coffee shot hole borer and enables a cost-effective option for the control of X. compactus in coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mirid bug has become challenging pest infesting bottle gourd crop at Haryana state and Delhi NCR region in India. The feeding punctures caused on fruits due to bugs appears to be light reddish brown spots/blister, leading to blemished fruits which often fail to fetch a good market price. In the present study, we have endowed the species diagnosis (morphological and molecular), population dynamics, biology, fruit damage intensity and ecofriendly management of mirid bugs in bottle gourd crop. From the morphological studies it was found that, the mirid bug so investigated was found to be the zoophytophagous plant bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae). In addition, the molecular analysis (DNA Barcoding) also confirmed the species identity with the DNA sequence generated (Accession No. OM117590) matching up to 99.86% with that of the available relative sequences with a total branch length of 0.10 base substitutions per site in the phylogenetic tree. Across the fields surveyed, it was found that on an average the maximum abundance of N. tenuis was noticed at tender tip of vines (7.0 bugs per tender tip of vine) followed by fruits (4.9 bugs per fruit) and leaves (4.1 bugs per leaf). There were two peak incidence of N. tenuis noticed during the study. First peak during 21st SMW (4th week of May) (8.7 bugs per leaf and 12.7 bugs per tender tip of vine) and second peak during 24th SMW (3nd week of June) (7.3 bugs per leaf, 10.5 bugs per tender tip of vine and 5.7 bugs per fruit). During the study, it was found that the maximum temperature, mean temperature and sunshine hours showed significant positive relationship with N. tenuis population on leaves (r = 0.800, 0.560 and 0.770, respectively), tender tip of vine (r = 0.880, 0.550 and 0.780, respectively) and fruits (r = 0.801, 0.553 and 0.549, respectively). In the present investigation it was found that N. tenuis successfully completed its life cycle on bottle gourd plants with total life cycle duration of ~ 34 days. The mean fecundity was observed to be 10.8 eggs. The age-stage specific survival rate (Sxj) and life expectancy (Exj) studies revealed that the survival rate and life expectancy of adult females was higher than that of adult males of N. tenuis. The % fruit damage due to N. tenuis ranged between 61.90 – 73.68% and damage intensity ranged from 20.4 to 27.4 numbers of damage punctures per 2 cm2 area of fruit rind. Due to bagging of fruits, there was 67.60% reduction in fruit damage and 96.05 – 98.61% increase in number of marketable fruits which clearly envisage the farmers to adopt bagging technique in bottle gourd against N. tenuis to obtain quality fruits with higher economic yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sundarbans mangrove is a transitional zone between terrestrial land and sea, a unique location in our global geography. This study identifies the richness and population dynamics of bacterial populations along different seasons in the rooted and unrooted regions of soil sediments in Sundarbans, West Bengal. Throughout the year, bacterial populations were higher in the rooted sediment zone, than the unrooted area. The rooted zone contains more silt and clay but the unrooted zone harbours more silty, sandy soil. Salinity is lower in the unrooted zone. The heterotrophic bacterial populations were higher than other types of bacteria in both regions irrespective of seasonal variation. The results revealed that the most varied seasons were the monsoon season in the rooted and unrooted sediment region. The changes identified in this study were most likely due to variances in the microhabitat associated with mangrove root, physicochemical parameters and seasonal fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migratory shorebirds that move across continents along their flyways are undergoing a drastic decline globally. A greater proportion of them that regularly winter along the Indian coasts within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) are also undergoing severe declines. However, the mechanisms underlying the population trends in these areas remain little understood. This study investigated the diversity, abundance, population dynamics and distribution patterns of shorebirds along the Indian coasts based on the available literature. The west coast of India is relatively less studied than the east coast in the CAF. Further, we observed that the diversity, abundance, population dynamics and distribution pattern of the shorebirds follow different trends on the west coast compared to the east coast. These variations are in accordance with the differences in topography and biotic and abiotic factors between the coasts. Anthropogenic activities have far-reaching effects on the survival and persistence of shorebirds along the coasts. The west coast is evidently more productive than the east coast at every trophic level and thus the west coast is expected to account for more abundance and diversity of shorebirds. Paradoxically, we found that the east coast supports a greater abundance and diversity of shorebirds than the west coast. The west coast, therefore, requires further investigations to obtain a better understanding of the causes of apparent differences in abundance and diversity as well as the observed declines in shorebirds, compared to the east coast of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), was first detected in India in 2018 and seriously threatened the maize crop. In South India, we studied the population dynamics of FAW moths and the damage caused by the larvae in maize fields from 2019 to 2020. In the kharif season, the highest male moth catches occurred in July while in rabi season, the highest catches occurred in November. It was found that the early whorl stage (EV-V6) of maize crop was susceptible to FAW due to its high larval load, whereas the late whorl stage (V7-VT) of the crop showed greater leaf damage in both years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans causes severe epidemics of potato late blight in crops globally. Disease management benefits from an understanding of the diversity of pathogen populations. In this study, we explore the dynamics of P. infestans populations in the late blight-potato agro-ecosystem across the Indian subcontinent. Investigations of the macroecological observations at the field level and microbial ecological principles provided insights into future pathogen behavior. We use a comprehensive simple sequence repeat allele dataset to demonstrate that an invasive clonal lineage called EU_13_A2 has dominated populations over 14 years across India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Increasing levels of subclonal variation were tracked over time and space, and, for the first time, populations in Asia were also compared with the source populations from Europe. Within India, a regional pathogen population structure was observed with evidence for local migration, cross-border movement between surrounding countries, and introductions via imports. There was also evidence of genetic drift and between-season transmission of more strongly pathogenic subclones with a complete displacement of some subclonal types. The limited introduction of novel genotypes and the use of resistant potato cultivars could contribute to the dominance of the 13_A2 lineage. The insights will contribute to the management of the pathogen in these key global potato production regions., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

The mango crop suffers a significant loss because of its infestation by mango leaf hoppers. Both nymphs and adults of mango hoppers cause severe damage to the mango plants at the flowering and fruiting stages. The damage is done mainly through the sucking of sap by the nymphs and adults of hoppers from the young soft leaves, shoots, and inflorescence, resulting in low crop yield and enormous economic loss to the farmers. The review aims at the seasonal incidence of mango leaf hoppers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural regeneration potential is an important indicator for any forest ecosystem and Andaman Padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides) is the principal timber tree endemic to Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This study analyzed the natural regeneration potential of Andaman Padauk under different disturbance regimes across its distribution range with regard to population dynamics, growth pattern, population structure, population status and allometry. Contrary to the perception that it is a poor regenerator, the species showed a luxuriant growth. While ephemerals, seedlings, saplings, poles and total regenerates are significantly high at the leading edge of its habitat, trees are significantly high at the trailing edge. Their heights are mostly positively skewed and normally distributed. With a reverse-J shaped demography, the species is in its most dominant form in the stand. Though its population status is declining, the prospects of population stabilization are high. There exists a strong proportionality between DBH and height of regenerates. Hence, the species should be assisted through considered disturbance to realize its natural regeneration potential. As all the species under the pantropical Pterocarpus genus share a number of growth and reproductive traits, the path breaking findings of this study emanated from refined methodologies will help assess the natural regeneration potential of other species whose existence is threatened by either unstable or declining population in their habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a rich source of biodiversity of medicinal plants, which serves as a source of livelihood for a large Indian population. For the past several decades, most of the research works on medicinal plants have been focused on isolating their active ingredient and preparing a suitable commercial formulation while completely neglecting their conservation. Very few studies have been done to understand the factors, especially biotic ones that limit the yield of medicinal plants. Therefore, the present study aims at studying the nature of the damage, severity of the injury, and population dynamics of Aphis nerii and its natural enemy (Cheilomenes sexmaculata) on madhunashini, Gymnema sylvestre at ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, Anand (Gujarat) India along with the study of weather parameters affecting pest population during two years from 2018–20. The percent incidence and severity of A. nerii ranged from 0 to 100 percent and 0 to 4, respectively. The peak population (275.56 and 293.31/10 cm twig) was recorded at the 6th SMW (Standard Meteorological Week) in both the observed years. The occurrence of C. sexmaculata started during the first fortnight of November, and peak population was recorded during the 6th SMW. During the study period, the aphid population was negatively correlated with all the density-independent factors. The different concentrations of neem oil (10000 ppm) like 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 percent were used to test the efficacy during the peak insect activity period. Our study suggests that neem oil spray (10000 ppm) @ 0.75 percent could effectively manage the aphid population in field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling in ecology and evolution, especially in India, is often done by researchers trained in physics or engineering without much experience of studying living systems. This is partly driven by a fallacious conviction that modelling is largely about mathematical skills and that, consequently, modellers can equally effectively apply their skills to problems in fields as diverse as physics/engineering and ecology/evolution. I discuss why this fallacy arises, and the many ways in which modelling in ecology or evolution is actually a very different endeavour from that in much of physics, even though the form of the equations deployed across disciplines is typically quite similar. Since modelling is not primarily about the mathematics but about the system being studied, I believe that a reasonable degree of comfort with models and modelling is important for those researchers in ecology and evolution who primarily undertake empirical studies, whether in the laboratory or the field. Equally, I suggest that researchers doing modelling in ecology and evolution, who were trained in the mathematical or physical sciences, need to understand the systems they attempt to model and also appreciate how modelling ecological and evolutionary processes differs from much of the modelling done in classical physics and allied fields. I also discuss what models are, whether modelling is subjective or objective, and what modelling entails if it is to meaningfully add to scientific understanding. This article is aimed primarily at young researchers interested in ecological and evolutionary questions, whether coming from a background in the biological or physical/mathematical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ø Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Zeugodacus tau were the predominant fruit fly species during the snake gourd fruiting season. Ø Maximum species diversity and evenness estimates were registered by Methyl Eugenol traps. Ø Species richness estimates for Cue Lure and Methyl Eugenol traps during the entire experiment are analogous. Ø The rate of fruit fly infestation varied from 6.93 % to 44.09 %. Ø This study has proven the beneficial effect of trapping on the benefit cost ratio of snake gourd cultivation. A monitoring survey was conducted in snake gourd agro ecosystem during the fruiting season at Gangnapur, West Bengal, India to generate extensive data on fruit fly diversity, population dynamics, infestation rates and evaluate the effect of trapping on fruit fly infestation rates vis-à-vis benefit cost ratio of snake gourd cultivation. Methyl Eugenol and Cue Lure traps were used to assess the fruit fly species diversity. The number of adult male flies trapped was used to calculate fruit fly per trap per day and assess the population dynamics. Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Zeugodacus tau were the predominant fruit fly species during the fruiting season. Maximum species diversity and evenness estimates were registered by Methyl Eugenol traps. Species richness estimates for Cue Lure and Methyl Eugenol traps during the entire experiment are analogous due to the trapping of two different types of fruit fly species. Zeugodacus cucurbitae is the most abundant species in the snake gourd ecosystem and dominated the community of fruit flies throughout the study. Fruit fly per trap per day values indicated that the Gangnapur area is at infestation level, for Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Bactrocera dorsalis, while, for Zeugodacus tau the area is at suppression level. The rate of infestation varied from 6.93 % to 44.09 %. Farmers with traps in their fields reported a benefit cost ratio of 0.73 to 4.63, while the no-trap group reported 0.34 to 1.56. This study at Gangnapur has proven the beneficial effect of trapping on the benefit cost ratio of snake gourd cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworm population density has been little studied in Kumaun Himalayas in different land use systems collectively. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient on earthworm population density in Kumaun Himalayas. Earthworms were sampled in seven different sites from three different land use systems (cultivated, agro-forest and forest systems) in every season (summer, rainy and winter) from two different monoliths (0–15 and 16–30 cm) and were sorted on the basis of their age-structure (clitellates and aclitellates) from May 2015–April 2017. Eight species of earthworms were recorded from the studied sites belonging to two different families—Megascolicidae and Lumbricidae. Earthworm population density varied significantly among land use system; they were recorded highest in forest system i.e. 47% (Nainital—2544 ind. m−2); intermediate in the agro-forest system i.e. 37% (Jeolikot—1102 ind. m−2); lowest in the cultivated system i.e. 20% (Kiccha—890 ind. m−2). Their density tended to be higher in the rainy season and more concentrated (95.19% of total earthworms) on the upper monolith (16–30 cm) irrespective of the land use. The age structure of earthworms indicated that clitellates were more abundant than aclitellates (1:0.8) for all three land use systems. A significant positive correlation was observed between the earthworm population density with soil pH (r = 0.711; P < 0.05), soil C (r = 0.784; P < 0.05) and soil N (r = 0.783; P < 0.05). One way ANOVA results showed that monolith (F = 261.99; P < 0.001), sites (F = 7.28; P < 0.001) and seasons (F = 11.8; P < 0.001) has significant effect on earthworm population density. The results obtained suggested that the absence of anthropic factors in the forest system has led to the higher earthworm population density as compared to the agro-forest and cultivated systems in Kumaun Himalayas along with the altitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phaseolus vulgaris—Colletotrichum lindemuthianum is one among the oldest host and pathogen interface. Researchers have taken painstaking efforts across the world for understanding the dialogue during early and late phases of interaction. Collectively, these efforts resulted in the deluge of information that helped the researchers to underpin the interface. The latest molecular biology techniques furnished novel detection methods for the anthracnose pathogen, refined the understanding of pathogen population dynamics, and provided the insights on co-evolutionary common bean resistance and C. lindemuthianum virulence dynamics. One of the important breakthroughs came when the Phaseolus vulgaris and its corresponding anthracnose pathogen (C. lindemuthianum) genomes were decoded in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Availability of both the genomes yielded a significant genomic information that helped bean communities to fine map the economically important traits and to identify the pathogenicity determinants and effector molecules. The interface is in a continuous development as knowledge of the anthracnose resistance genes, their precise physical locations, and the identification of effector proteins; the fungus arsenals are being routinely updated. Hence, we revisited the interface and tried to provide an overview of host pathogen dialogue in the genomic era. Additionally, we compiled the sporadic information on this pathosystem from India and provided its futuristic road map to shape its research in the world and northern India, the major dry bean area in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population dynamics of Tetranychus urticae Koch were recorded weekly on germplasm materials of marigold and effect of season on mite population was recorded. More number of mites/ leaf were found during summer season as compared to winter and rainy season. French marigold (Tagetes patula) was found more susceptible to mite infestation as compared to African marigold (Tagetes erecta). Significant difference in mite population was recorded on three different leaf stages of plant i.e. tender, grown up and older leaves. A significant positive correlation of mite population was observed with maximum temperature (r=0.469), sunshine hours(r=0.490) and evaporation (r=0.567). However, negative significant correlation of morning relative humidity (r= -0.824), evening relative humidity(r= -0.798) and minimum temperature (r= -0.674) was recorded with Tetranychus urticae population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I describe my 62 years in primatology focusing on some of the key findings from fieldwork conducted in Japan, India, and Africa. My first study on nonhuman primates described in detail the division of a troop of Japanese macaques at Takasakiyama. After that, I had an opportunity to work on Hanuman langurs at Dharwar, India. These langurs lived in one-male, multi-female groups. This type of group structure was maintained through takeovers by all-male parties. The adult male and all juvenile males were chased out of the group. By this process, the one-male, multi-female group system was maintained. The incoming adult male bit and killed all infants in the group. Mothers who lost their infants went into estrus and mated with the newly arrived male. For many years, scientists ignored these events or ruled them out as abnormal behavior. My work on Japanese macaques suggested that concentrated resources created by artificial feeding exaggerated dominance rank hierarchies among individuals, whereas it is comparatively relaxed in the natural environment. I also investigated the population dynamics of a troop and the life histories of individuals. From these studies, I documented the frequency of twin births, the carrying of dead infants by mothers, and the occurrence of physical malformations. These observations were made possible through artificial feeding, revealing the merits and demerits of this approach. I pointed out that authors and journal editors must be careful to acknowledge important elements of the environment where studies are conducted, and these should be described when reporting results in scientific articles. My studies of chimpanzees were conducted at Bossou, Guinea. I suggested that there are males who lived outside of bisexual groups. Chimpanzees in this population made and used many kinds of tools. Some of them were observed only at Bossou, and a few were only discovered 20 years after the establishment of Bossou as a research site. After decades of research on tool use in this species, I also suggested that there are cultural zones throughout the geographic distribution of chimpanzees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holotrichia nagpurensis Khan and Ghai is a major white grub species of subfamily Melolonthinae. Its wide host range has been reported from different parts of India. An experiment was carried out to find host preference and population dynamics at three locations of Pantnagar in Terai region of Udham Singh Nagar District during 2018-19. Beetles were recorded from six host plants among which neem Azadirachta indica, was the major one. The p-value of two-way ANOVA between populations of three locations (0.0006<0.001) and from six hosts (0.0002<0.001) showed that there exists significant difference in distribution and feeding preference of H. nagpurensis on host plants. Among the hosts, A. indica was found to be the most preferred with maximum adult density (419 adults) and average 46.55 beetles/ tree; and the multiple comparisons revealed a significant host preference. Correlation coefficients revealed that minimum relative humidity exhibits a negative relationship with beetle emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Change' is the rule of the disruptive era we are part of. This has been obvious especiallywith regardto the population dynamics of countries and their path towards growth and development. The Demographic Dividend has been upheld as a factor with impeccable potential - that can increase the pace of economic growth for the vast expanse of the developing world if appropriately leveraged. While many East Asian economies seem to have made phenomenal strides in growth owing to the demographic dividend, the same transition has not permeated expected growth outcomes for countries in Latin America. This paper pointshighlights the importance of Governmental Policy making, and developmental programs through upskilling of resource base as a better approachtowards enhancing development in countries like India. The study undertaken among 350 IT skilling graduates in India on their perception of employability potential of the skilling programs and second study parallelly done among 100 trainers on the kind of IT skilling programs rolled out yearly - reveals the existence and the direction of skilling needed in the country by bringing out a measure called the 'propensity to upskilling' in the IT sector. In order to ensure that Development initiatives drive optimum results to economic growth, the need of the hour is an impetus on 'IT Skills' and building up on 'Employability skills' among the people. This undeniable need for change in Development efforts to be able to give the right thrust to IT Skills and to forecast the right kind of Skills to promote employability and productivity increase. This introduces us to the new approach of Community Capacity Building. 'Strengths, Skills and Abilities of masses' - the new direction for governments of developing countries to steer ahead to speedier progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouping characteristics and population growth dynamics of Sambar were studied in Bir Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve (BJCR) and Bairasar Johad (BJ) in Rajasthan, India from July 2018 to June 2019. Following the scan sampling method, a total of 117 sightings of Sambar (N= 488 individuals) were recorded in BJCR, and 106 in BJ (N= 389 individuals), during 24 fortnightly visits. The data revealed that besides solitary sightings of Sambar, groups ranging from 2-11 and 2-12 individuals were observed in BJCR and BJ, respectively. The overall mean group size and mean crowding of Sambar were 4.2±0.2 S.E. and 5.3 respectively in BJCR, and 3.7±0.2 S.E. and 5.0 respectively in BJ. The sex ratio was skewed towards females. The overall adult male: adult female: fawn ratio was 74.4: 100: 47.1 (N= 488 individuals) in BJCR while the ratio was 92.6: 100: 41.1 (N= 389 individuals) in BJ. As far as the social organization of Sambar is concerned, six types of herds were recorded in the present study. It is urged that sambar populations outside protected area also need simultaneous strategies for conservation attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprinus carpio, Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus are the most abundantly captured invasive fish species in the mid-stretch of the Ganga river. Fish yield and biomass data based on mean abundance by weight was calculated using algorithms and spatio-temporal population dynamics model for future prediction of these invasive fish species. Temporal biomass forecast based on mean abundance by wieght for the period from 2020 to 2029 was determined. The findings of this study predicted fish yield of 176 ±16.33 kg km-1 day-1 C. carpio and 55.43 ± 6.4 kg km-1 day-1 O. niloticus during 2029 which might result into 117.87% and 116.9% rise in temporal biomass of Common Carp and Tilapia respectively in a decade's time while 139.2% rise in temporal biomass was predicted for the invasive African catfish. The yield of invasive Common Carp, Tilapia and African Catfish was correlated with rainfall and temperature data using ANOVA and we found that variance was F=1.36; p=0.263 for C. carpio; F=1.60; p=0.326 for O. niloticus and F=1.63; p=0.101 for C. gariepinus, indicating that variance was very close for Tilapia and African Catfish. The observed values of variance indicated that climatic changes had more impact to these two species than to the Common Carp. The concrete and forecast values were calculated considering 95% lower and upper level of confidence, which was significant (p<0.05) and the annual regression was found to be p<0.464, p<0.419 and p<0.499 for C. carpio, O. niloticus and C. gariepinus, respectively. Further, interactive performance of invaded C. carpio, O. niloticus and C. gariepinus was also assessed for understanding invasion meltdown. The results of mean abundance by weight based yield forecast of invaded Tilapia, Common Carp and African Catfish for the period of 2020 to 2029 suggest a stable production in the Ganga River in years to come. It also manifests a positive pattern of invasion in the times of climate change displaying invasion meltdown. This suggests increased pressures of fish invasions on temporal and spatial scales, and imposing new management challenges for freshwater ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pest scout data in pigeonpea (leaf webber, plume moth, pod borer) and chickpea (pod borer) crops including daily insect pest counts for three successive seasons (2015/16—2017/18) at western and eastern plateau hills (agro-climatic zones) of India was analysed for spatio-temporal dynamics. Longer infestation (different crop phenological growth stages) behaviour of leaf webber and pod borer in pigeonpea and chickpea, respectively influenced their increased mean counts (incidence). Weekly mean counts of leaf webber, plume moth and pod borer in both the crops varied significantly between the seasons. Linear incremental change in mean counts of leaf webber and pod borer on pigeonpea and chickpea, respectively was observed across the seasons (inter-seasonal). Intra-seasonal built-up of plume moth (pigeonpea) and pod borer (pigeonpea and chickpea) mean counts was also noticed. On pigeonpea, leaf webber and plume moth mean counts never reached an economic threshold level (3 larvae/plant), but crossed the advisory level (1.5 larvae/plant). It was observed that there was incremental rise in pod borer mean counts and crossing economic threshold level over seasons in chickpea (1 larvae/m row length), while it was not the case in pigeonpea (1 larvae/ plant). Furthermore, survival and management strategies of leaf webber, plume moth and pod borer in pigeonpea and pod borer in chickpea were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The members of the heterobranch family Veronicellidae Gray, 1840 (commonly referred to as leatherleaf slugs) include some of the most widespread and agriculturally damaging invasive slugs. In a recent survey at Sagar Island of Sunderban Biosphere Reserve, four specimens hitherto unknown from the Reserve were collected. The specimens were identified as Laevicaulis haroldi Dundee, 1980, a native of South Africa. The first observation of this species in India was noted during 2005 in Maharashtra and recently from Uttar Pradesh. The current record from West Bengal affirmed this slug to be an invasive alien species in India. Categorized as IUCN-Endangered in its native range, this species might have a wider distribution in India. In addition, the current study underscores the need of identifying invasive alien species and quantifying their population dynamics in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaghaznagar and Sironcha Forest Divisions in the Deccan Plateau of India support large breeding colonies of critically endangered species of long-billed Gyps indicus (LBV) and white-rumped G. bengalensis (WRV) vultures. To assess their abundance and age-structure, that are important population parameters, they were surveyed every month at their breeding colonies; LBV at Palarapu cliff during 2010-2021 and Lakkameda cliff during 2015-2021, and WRV at Dechilpeta during 2014-2021. Breeding colonies of LBV supported a mean of 32 ± 1.3 individuals during 2015-2021. Although its number increased from 34 individuals in 2015 to 42 in 2017, it declined significantly to 10 in 2021. In contrast, WRV with a mean of 49 ± 3.35 individuals between 2014 and 2021 increased from 22 to 66. Data on the population structure show that adults constitute bulk of the population in both LBV (78 ± 1.2%) and WRV (80 ± 2.1%) with a low proportion of young age-classes of sub-adults, juveniles and chicks. With a declining trend and low proportion of young-age classes, the LBV breeding colonies are likely to decrease over time. Although WRV showed an increasing trend during the study period, the high adult proportion (80%) cannot guarantee its sustained growth.

The Western Ghats of peninsular India is a highly sensitive and threatened ecoregion of exceptional freshwater ichthyodiversity. The present study investigated the growth, mortality and stock characteristics of Hypselobarbus thomassi, an endemic cyprinid fish from the Parappar Reservoir of Western Ghats, on the basis of the length‐frequency data collected during the period from 2009 to 2011. The growth parameters of this species were estimated using the FiSAT program, and the asymptotic length (L∞) and growth constant (K) being 476.79 mm and 0.39 year−1, respectively. The age at zero length (t0) was calculated as −0.0485 year−1. The longevity (tmax) and growth performance index (ϕ) were reported as 7.69 years and 2.95. The estimated total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M) and fishing mortality (F) were 1.65, 0.38 and 1.27 year−1, respectively. The relative yield per recruit (Y/R) analysis revealed the exploitation rate (E) at different levels as E0.1 = 0.36, E0.5 = 0.28 and Emax = 0.42. The current exploration level (0.77) is higher than the optimum exploitation rate (Emax = 0.42), indicating an overexploitation of the H. thomassi population. Accordingly, needed management measures should include restrictions on fishing gear mesh sizes, reduced fishing effort and declaration of closed seasons and sanctuaries to protect this threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectoparasitism has a damaging impact on the economy of goat production in India, but the factors influencing its distribution and dynamics are less explored. The present study was designed to investigate the influence of environmental factors like weather and air quality parameters on the occurrence of different types of ectoparasites in goats of two agro-climatic regions of India, viz. the Upper Gangetic Plain (UGP) and the Western Himalayas (WH). The prevalence survey for ectoparasitism among goats was conducted during the four distinct climatic seasons (winter, summer, monsoon, autumn) in both regions. The season-wise data of weather parameters (maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity in morning and evening, sunrise and sunset time, mean daily temperature and relative humidity, daily variation in temperature and relative humidity, and day length) and air quality parameters (air quality index (AQI), particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matter 10 μm (PM10)) of both regions were analyzed in relation with the ectoparasitic prevalence pattern of corresponding regions. The results depict a noticeable correlation between the studied parameters and seasonal variation in the occurrence of each type of ectoparasites. This outcome on the interaction of studied parameters and ectoparasitism is intriguing and it opens a huge scope for future studies on the biometeorological aspects of host-parasite ecological interplay and evolutionary biology. The better understanding of climatological aspects of ectoparasite occurrences helps goat farmers in formulating appropriate timely intervention strategies for the economic control of ectoparasites, which in turn tackles ectoparasiticidal drug resistance and reduces threat of vector-borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]