Influence of Human Disturbance on the Abundance of Himalayan Pheasant in the Temperate Forest of Western Himalaya, India

We conducted field studies in the Jiwa valley (Indian Himalayas) to examine the influence of human disturbance on Himalayan pheasants. We used the “call count” and “line transect” methods to estimate the abundance of pheasants in Jiwa valley. A human disturbance gradient defined by human population, agriculture activity, forest wood collection, grazing, vehicle, use of heavy machines, human settlements, dumping ground, and blasting was prepared.Проведены полевые исследования в долине Джива (Индийские Гималаи) для оценки влияния фактора беспокойства на гималайских фазанов. Для оценки численности фазанов в долине Джива использовали метод учета по голосам и трансектный метод. Градиент фактора беспокойства определен по оценке количества населения, сельскохозяйственной деятельности, вырубке лесов, выпасу, транспорту, использованию тяжелых машин, человеческим поселениям, использованию земли под свалки и направленным взрывам

Phenotyping sorghum for drought-adaptive physiological and root architectural traits under water-limited environments

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely affect plant growth and productivity. Drought regulates a multitude of biochemical and physiological processes in plant system. It is necessary to understand the traits associated for identifying drought-resilient sorghum lines. A field experiment was conducted with 20 rabi sorghum genotypes to study the variation in physiological and key root traits that contribute the drought tolerance under irrigated and stress conditions. Genotypes, Phule Anuradha and RSV 2145 recorded early flowering (68 and 69 days, respectively) under the stress condition, while both STG 25 and RSV 2145 recorded 108 days for physiological maturity. Genotype RV 48 recorded significantly higher leaf area (1355 cm2) and leaf area index (2.01) than check M 35–1 (1288 cm2 and 1.90, respectively) under the stress condition. The maximum relative leaf water status was recorded in M 35-1 (84.40%) under the stress condition, an indicator of wider adaptability. Genotypes CRS 67 and STG 44 recorded higher root length (56 cm and 55 cm, respectively) compared to check M 35–1 (40.67 cm) under the stress condition reflecting that root length helps in absorption of water from deep ground level. Root volume was significantly higher in Phule Suchitra and STG 21 (7.56 cm3 and 6.30 cm3, respectively) under the stress condition. The root dry matter was more in Phule Suchitra (8.83 g) followed by CRS 67 (7.73 g) and M-35–1 (5.03 g) under the irrigated condition. Under stress, M 35–1 recorded significantly higher root biomass (4.06 g) followed by STG 44 (3.78 g). The grain yield was maximum in Phule Suchitra (80.00 g) followed by Phule Anuradha (64.00 g) under the stress condition. The experiment concluded that the root traits indicate the adaptability of the genotypes for drought condition, and CRS 67, Phule Suchitra and STG 44 with higher root traits can further be used in the breeding programs for drought tolerance. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the role of physiological traits and root architecture development are key factors in understanding the interplay of drought stress

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity