A comprehensive analysis on the ecosystem services of Elaeocarpus L. (Elaeocarpaceae): a review

The Elaeocarpus is considered the largest genus in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is commonly called ‘Rudraksha’ in India and has a noteworthy attachment with the Indians, mostly Hindus. The plant is known for its beneficial aspects and supply of various ecosystem services, particularly in medicinal sciences. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the genus Elaeocarpus for its ecosystem services in the context of human wellbeing. A literature survey was conducted from 1970 to 2020 on internet scientific databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science using strings such as, Elaeocarpus, Rudraksha, medicine, conservation, tradition, and services. One hundred two publications were considered for data extraction and finalising the review. Firstly, we classified the ecosystem services under respective classes as provided by MEA (2005), and the remaining benefits that didn’t fit under the classification were presented separately. It has been reported that Rudraksha delivers all categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. In addition, the Rudraksha plant owes a high status in medicinal science, ayurveda, and religious mythology. In the last five decades, studies were conducted on various species of Elaeocarpus for their beneficial aspects. It was found that Elaeocarpus plants have a vital role in ayurveda, pharmaceuticals, and pharmacological and astrological science. In addition, they have been used as food, firewood, timber, and the production of secondary metabolites and their role in cultural and religious dimensions are very clearly discussed. The provisioning and cultural services delivered by Rudraksha constitute only 30% and 10% of the services mentioned in MEA (2005). However, only a little research has been conducted on regulatory and supporting services provided by Rudraksha. Therefore, for a long-term sustainability and multifunctionality assessment, the extension of ecosystem services regarding individual plant’s (tree) services should be highly recommended. Hence, the present review investigates the scientific knowledge about the ecosystem services of the Elaeocarpus

Synthesis of ethylene carbonate from cyclocondensation of ethylene glycol and urea over ZnO•Cr2O3 catalyst system controlled by co-precipitation method

ZnO·Cr2O3 catalyst has been synthesized by low temperature, pH controlled co-precipitation route and characterized employing techniques of Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area measurement, ammonia desorption technique, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These characterizations reveal the catalyst to possess ZnO·ZnCr2O4 composition. The catalysts have been tested for their performance for the first time, in the synthesis of ethylene carbonate from cyclocondensation of ethylene glycol and urea. Effect of catalyst concentration, temperature and molar ratio of reactants has been studied to obtain the optimum conversion and selectivity of ethylene glycol and urea to ethylene carbonate. A maximum yield of 85.75% of ethylene carbonate was obtained at a temperature of 423 K and urea: ethylene glycol molar ratio of 1:1.5. A tentative mechanism of the reaction is proposed on the basis of analysis of reactants, products and modeling of the transition state for the reaction under density function theory using Gaussian09W software. Our studies suggest a consecutive mechanism for the reaction. In the first step, urea and ethylene glycol react to produce 2-hydroxyethyl carbamate, which undergoes further reaction to produce ethylene carbonate (EC) and ammonia

Sustainable Management of National Parks and Protected Areas for Conserving Biodiversity in India

Habitat loss due to human activities and climate change is synergistically posing serious threats to the global biodiversity leading to irreversible extinction of several species. In wake of recent extinction, several forests are declared as protected areas where no more human activities are allowed. However, the scope of these protected areas got broadened from mere conservation to poverty alleviation and sustainable development during the past decades. Though these protected areas seem to be supportive of the biodiversity conservation, several challenges and gaps have emerged that need to be addressed for effective conservation and sustainable management in these protected areas. Therefore, the present chapter aims to address the roles, challenges, and approaches for conservation, and sustainable management in protected areas of India. Based on the published literature, we have found that protected areas proved to be a successful strategy for the conservation of wild animals and plants. However, management of poaching, man-wildlife conflicts, funding, extensive resource use, and tourism is still a challenge for some national parks of the country. Although governmental policies have addressed some of these challenges, only limited success has been achieved so far. Therefore, further studies need to assess the efficiency of protected areas for biodiversity conservation and devise the mechanisms for effective sustainable management of these protected areas

SIMULATION STUDY OF BLACKHOLE ATTACK IN THE MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS

A wireless ad hoc network is a temporary network set up by wireless nodes usually moving randomly and communicating without a network infrastructure. Due to security vulnerabilities of the routing protocols, however, wireless ad hoc networks may be unprotected against attacks by the malicious nodes. In this study we investigated the effects of Blackhole attacks on the network performance. We simulated Blackhole attacks in Qualnet Simulator and measured the packet loss in the network with and without a blackhole. The simulation is done on AODV (Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector) Routing Protocol. The network performance in the presence of a blackhole is reduced up to 26%

Antimicrobial potential of Indian Cinnamomum species

Cinnamomum is the largest genus of Lauraceae family and has been used as spices, food, and food additives by the people. Total 15 Cinnamomum species are distributed in different parts of Indian sub-continent. Different parts (leaves, stem bark, stem wood, roots, flowers, and fruits) of these species were shade-dried and used for the determination of essential oils. A total of 19 essential oils were identified and quantified from the different parts of (leaf, stem bark, stem wood, root, flower, and fruit) of 15 Cinnamomum species. The stem bark of C. altissimum was rich in the presence of essential oils (52.2 %) whereas minimum levels of essential oils were recorded in roots (17.9 %). The γ-terpinene (11.1 %) was reported as the major component essential oil in C. subavenium flowers. Methanol extract of C. camphora stem wood showed stronger lowest minimum inhibitory concentration against S. aureus (25 ± 0.01 μg/ml), H. pylori (29 ± 0.05 μg/ml), B. subtilis (31 ± 0.03 μg/ml), E. faecalis (33 ± 0.01 μg/ml), C. albicans (38 ± 0.03 μg/ml) when compared to amoxycillin (S. aureus 56 ± 0.05 μg/ml; B. subtilis 27 ± 0.04 μg/ml, E. faecalis 22 ± 0.01 μg/ml), streptomycin (H. pylori 38 ± 0.02 μg/ml) and fluconazole (C. albicans 56 ± 0.01 μg/ml). Methanolic extract of C. camphora stem wood demonstrated maximum antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, H. pylori, B. subtilis, E. faecalis and C. albicans. The essential oil of C. altissimum stem bark displayed significant lowest MIC against S. aureus (21 ± 0.03 μg/ml), E. coli (22 ± 0.03 μg/ml), E. cloacae (37 ± 0.06 μg/ml), L. monocytogenes (47 ± 0.08 μg/ml), and P. chrysogenum (101 ± 0.07 μg/ml) when compared to amoxycillin (E. coli 18 ± 0.01 μg/ml, E. cloacae 21 ± 0.05 μg/ml, L. monocytogenes 31 ± 0.03 μg/ml), and fluconazole (P. chrysogenum 101 ± 0.07 μg/ml). The essential oil of C. altissimum stem bark displayed maximum antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, E. cloacae, L. monocytogenes, and P. chrysogenum. Cinnamomum essential oils may be used as an alternative source of antibacterial and antifungal compounds in the treatment of various types of infections

Evaluation of ecosystem supply services and calculation of economic value in Ladakh, India

Mountain ecosystem provides numerous vital ecosystem services (ESs) to the people residing within or near the mountains worldwide. The mountains provide services such as timber, fibre, fodder, fuelwood, medicine, aesthetic, recreation, ritual, and religion, and many other services that are vital for the maintenance of the ecosystem. The mountains of Barsoo and Tai-Suru regions in Kargil District (Ladakh, India) are much familiar for their ESs supply, and the residents have utilized these services for years. The present study was focused on the provisioning ESs. We used a random sample approach for household selection and data collection regarding the pre-prepared questionnaire; the number of households was obtained from government census data. The primary ESs (identified by more than 40% of the respondents) were assessed through the direct market valuation method. The direct market valuation method produced an overwhelming value, specifically for grazing and fodder services in both regions of the study area. Results showed that grazing service was valued at 482,346.43 USD/a for Barsoo region and 1,458,099.04 USD/a for Tai-Suru region. Similarly, fodder service of Barsoo and Tai-Suru regions corresponded to values of 69,833.61 and 110,886.06 USD/a, respectively. On the other hand, food service of Barsoo and Tai-Suru regions was valued at 2601.04 and 2969.90 USD/a, respectively, and medicinal service was valued at 757.39 and 4430.94 USD/a in Barsoo and Tai-Suru regions, respectively. In addition, the regions were economically backwards, and the resident's survival and well-being relied on the mountain ESs. Therefore, it is not possible for the residents to pay services replacement costs if the services need to replace by other means. Unfortunately, such mountain ecosystem is highly prone to climate change and other human activities that would negatively impact the ecosystem functions. Therefore, this study would be helpful for the policy-makers of the region to draft any developmental plan/framework by integrating the value of ESs that would be the key to achieving sustainable development