Article
Environmental Sciences
M. Arasumani, Milind Bunyan, V. V. Robin
Summary: Tropical montane grasslands are being threatened by invasive alien tree species, leading to habitat loss and decline in endemic species. Utilizing satellite images and Random Forest classification to identify suitable areas for grassland restoration can help recover lost habitat and ensure the survival of indigenous species.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Correction
Parasitology
Pooja Gupta, C. K. Vishnudas, V. V. Robin, Guha Dharmarajan
Summary: The statement indicates that an amendment to the paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. Arasumani, Aditya Singh, Milind Bunyan, V. V. Robin
Summary: In this study, the accuracy of three satellite and airborne remote sensing sensors and three machine learning classification algorithms was assessed to identify the spatial extent of native habitats and invasive tree species, with AVIRIS-NG data combined with SVM proving the most accurate. The hyperspectral data was the only sensor that permitted distinguishing recent invasions with high precision, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate sensors for mapping invasive species.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Guha Dharmarajan, Pooja Gupta, C. K. Vishnudas, V. V. Robin
Summary: Research shows that anthropogenic disturbance reduces the prevalence of specialist parasites and increases that of generalist parasites, leading to parasite communities dominated by generalist species.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Scott Edwards, V. V. Robin, Nuno Ferrand, Craig Moritz
Summary: Comparative phylogeography, as a discipline focusing on the shared lineage histories of species and integrating genomics with landscape evolution, provides an important perspective on evolutionary history. It serves as a bridge between landscape genomics and speciation, offering educational opportunities and collaboration possibilities with local communities and indigenous peoples.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Arundhati A. Das, Maria Thaker, Corli Coetsee, Rob Slotow, Abi T. Vanak
Summary: Over a 12-year period, a study in Kruger National Park found that the cumulative mortality rate of large trees was 47.6%, with an annual mortality rate ranging from 3-5% between 2006 and 2015 and increasing to 8.8% in 2018. The main factor attributed to tree mortality was elephant damage, occurring either once or across multiple census periods.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ravi Kiran Arigela, Rajeev Kumar Singh, C. Sudhakar Reddy
Summary: This study focused on the morphological variations in the genus Rivina from various states and islands in India, determining that R. humilis is a highly polymorphic species. In addition, lectotypes were designated for three names within the genus Rivina.
NATIONAL ACADEMY SCIENCE LETTERS-INDIA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Suyash Sawant, Chiti Arvind, Viral Joshi, V. V. Robin
Summary: Birdsong plays a critical role in mate attraction and territorial defense. This study introduces a new method, the Note Variability Index (NVI), which quantifies song complexity by considering intra-song note variability and spectral features of notes, eliminating the need for manual note classification and providing a quick and automated approach for analyzing bird songs. The NVI outperforms conventional complexity methods by capturing the variation in spectro-temporal shapes of notes and can be easily implemented for diverse song structures across different bird species.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ashwin Warudkar, Naman Goyal, Varun Kher, K. L. Vinay, Ritobroto Chanda, Raja Sekhar Bandi, Clinton N. Jenkins, V. V. Robin, Stuart L. Pimm
Summary: India needs to improve its efforts in protecting avifauna, as some bird species have their habitats located outside protected areas. Conservation concerns also exist for grassland and open habitat species in India. Alternative area-based conservation measures should be considered to address these issues.
Article
Ornithology
K. L. Vinay, Meghana Natesh, Prachi Mehta, Rajah Jayapal, Shomita Mukherjee, V. V. Robin
Summary: This study utilized ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) to assess the phylogenetic position and taxonomic affiliation of an endangered owlet species, Forest Owlet. The results showed that Forest Owlet is an early split from the Athene clade but sister to other Athene species. Divergence dating estimates suggest that the Athene lineage split from its ancestor about 7.6 million years ago, and Forest Owlet diverged about 5.2 million years ago.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chiti Arvind, Viral Joshi, Russell Charif, Panchapakesan Jeganathan, V. V. Robin
Summary: With the development of automated recording units, bioacoustic monitoring has become a popular tool for collecting long-term data across extensive landscapes. This study presents a reproducible and scalable acoustic detection framework for the critically endangered Jerdon's courser, providing a combination of hardware and software for future research.
Article
Biology
Arundhati Abin Das, Jayashree Ratnam
Summary: This study investigates the impact of frost and freezing temperatures on the taxonomic and phylogenetic structure of evergreen forests along a mid-upper montane elevation gradient in Western Ghats, India. The results indicate that frost filters out lowland tropical clades and allows extra-tropical lineages to establish at higher elevations, resulting in phylogenetic overdispersion in the shola metacommunity. Both minimum winter temperature and patch size play important roles in determining the metacommunity structure.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)