The fate of the Asian elephant is in peril today. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt of India, elephant census report, only 21,300 elephants are now present in India, with just 12 in Andhra Pradesh. (Correspondence)
The stomatal response of cassia (Cassia streata L.) and dhaincha (Sesbania rostrata L.) to a coalmine overburden (OB) substrate was studied with a view to rehabilitate such areas. Plants raised in unmined soil were used as controls. The mine OB induced significant increase in stomatal index (SI) with diminished stomatal size and a stomatal closure in the test plants.
The present studies are based on the feedback provided by Punjab fish farmers practising composite fish culture of Indian major and exotic carps. According to them, during the southwest monsoon, in ponds in the vicinity of toxicant (monocrotophos)-treated paddy fields, the eye lens of most of the culturable fishes became opaque. As a result, there was drastic decrease in the acceptability of supplementary feed, resulting in poor overall growth both in weight and length.
Ionizing radiations are a grave threat around the high background regions of the globe. Selected pockets of Brazil, China and India are reportedly under the grip of high background radiation. Presence of monazite sand along the beaches of these regions, among other factors, has contributed to these dreaded radiations. Recent studies have indicated the availability of monazite deposits throughout the erstwhile South Travancore region comprising parts of Kerala, and Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu.
Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty (Rhodophyta: Solieriaceae) is a Philippine-derived macroalga introduced into the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, South India for mariculture in 2000. Here we report its bioinvasion on branching corals (Acropora sp.) in the Kurusadai Island. Qualitative data collected using underwater photography clearly indicated its invasion and establishment on live and dead corals as well as coral rubbles and pavements. It specifically invaded Acropora sp.
The tsunami at Goa (west coast of India) and Kavaratti Island (Lakshadweep archipelago) in the Arabian Sea, caused by the 12 September 2007 Sumatra earthquake, was reported from cellular-based sea-level gauges in real-time on the Internet designed and established by the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa.
The present study aims at assessing the influence of different vegetal covers, changes in landuse pattern and heterogeneity of physical fractions of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool on soil carbon. A tropical sanctuary area with some anthropogenic activities was taken as the study area.
The term bioprospecting has been widely used to assess the economic potential of different plant species and their value-addition. Our folklore with embedded cultural heritage has tremendous possibilities and potential for bioprospecting. Among the over 8000 species of flowering plants growing in the Himalaya, nearly 4000 are identified from the Garhwal Himalayan region. This part of region enjoyed a significant place throughout its history.
There is a need for identifying some additional effective pest management strategies, which could also augment integrated pest management (IPM). In this scenario, RNA interference (RNAi) offers a great deal of hope in successful mitigation of various insect pests. RNAi has been increasingly used in establishing the gene functions in various spheres of research in entomology after its discovery in the free-living nematode, Caenorhaditis elegans.
