Perspectives on the environmental implications of sustainable hydro-power: comparing countries,problems and approaches

Hydrobiologia - Perspectives on the Environmental Implications of Sustainable Hydropower gathers scientific papers from three of the worlds most important hydropower producers to discuss aspects of...     

Biomass and vegetation carbon stock in mangrove forests of the Andaman Islands,India

Hydrobiologia - The present study estimated plant biomass in mangrove forests of the Andaman Islands, India. The mean above-ground biomass was 469.20?±?41.25 Mega-gram/ha (Mg...     

Distribution and conservation of the Gaur Bos gaurus in the Indian Subcontinent

The Gaur Bos gaurus ranges from India to peninsular Malaysia. Its distribution, status and conservation in the Indian subcontinent are reviewed here on the basis of available information, both published papers and unpublished census reports of forest departments, and field survey data from north‐eastern India and parts of Bhutan and Nepal. The Gaur is found in three disjunct regions, south‐western India, central India and north‐eastern India (including Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh). Within these regions the distribution is highly fragmented and includes a number of small non‐viable isolated populations. The habitat in north‐eastern India is still contiguous with that in Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh and to some extent with Nepal. Although the estimated population of the Gaur is 23 000–34 000, it is declining alarmingly. Populations outside the protected areas may not last long. An action plan has been proposed for its conservation.     

Founder effects explain the distribution of the HLAA1-B17 but not the absence of theA1-B8 haplotypes in India

The HLA system may play an important role in natural selection processes through its involvement in immune response and because of the HLA association of some diseases. Linkage disequilibrium in the HLA system poses many interesting questions. India. a melting pot of races and cultures in sympatric isolation, provides an ideal opportunity to study these aspects. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype data are valuable in the comparison of various populations. An analysis of the available HLA A-B haplotype data for the Indian population documents the heterogeneous nature of the latter: each endogamous caste group, major group or even regional group has its characteristic haplotype profile. The haplotypeA1-B17 is present in most Indian populations butA10-B8 occurs mostly in North India: this may be a consequence of founder effects. The haplotypeAl-B8 a typical Caucasian haplotype, is absent in the Indian subcontinent: this may be due to the selective disadvantageA1-B8 confers in the Indian environment. The different regional and caste groups of India possessing diverse haplolype combinations provide an ideal opportunity to evaluate the selective values of these haplotypes and to study human immunogenetics.     

People of India: Biological diversity and affinities

The Indian subcontinent comprises a vast collection of peoples with different morphological, genetic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. While much of this variability is indigenous, a considerable fraction of it has been introduced through large-scale immigrations into India in historical times. From an evolutionary standpoint, it is of immense interest to quantify biological diversity in contemporary human populations, to study biological affinities and to relate observed patterns of affinities with cultural, linguistic and demographic histories of populations. Such efforts are intended to shed light on the peopling of India. The purpose of this paper is to present a broad overview of the physical (anthropometric) and genetic diversities and affinities of the peoples of India. I shall also attempt to examine how well biological, particularly genetic, diversities and affinities correlate with geographical, socio-cultural, and linguistic diversities and affinities. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Aquatic invasive species: introduction to the Special Issue and dynamics of public interest

Hydrobiologia - Aquatic invasive species research has been surging in popularity, with the number of papers published in Hydrobiologia doubling since the previous decade. We overview contributions...     

Phylogeography of olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) on the east coast of India: implications for conservation theory

Orissa, on the east coast of India, is one of the three mass nesting sites in the world for olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). This population is currently under threat as a result of fishery-related mortality; more than 100 000 olive ridleys have been counted dead in the last 10 years in Orissa. In general, the globally distributed olive ridley turtle has received significantly less conservation attention than its congener, the Kemp's ridley turtle (L. kempi), because the latter is recognized as a distinct species consisting of a single endangered population. Our study of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes suggests that the ridley population on the east coast of India is panmictic, but distinct from all other populations including Sri Lanka. About 96% of the Indian population consisted of a distinct 'K' clade with haplotypes not found in any other population. Nested clade analysis and conventional analysis both supported range expansions and/or long-distance colonization from the Indian Ocean clades to other oceanic basins, which suggested that these are the ancestral source for contemporary global populations of olive ridley turtles. These data support the distinctiveness of the Indian Ocean ridleys, suggesting that conservation prioritization should be based on appropriate data and not solely on species designations.     

Genetic diversity and admixture patterns in Indian populations

India is a diverse land whose population holds the history of waves of human dispersal. Recent studies suggest two major ancestral contributions to most of the Indian sub-populations. However, present day Indians are thought to contain huge genetic diversity derived consequent to multiple cultural, linguistic and geographical variations. Genome-wide survey of individuals from current North (N-In) and South (S-In) India along with populations from HapMap Phase III and Indian sub-populations from HUGO Pan-Asian SNP Consortium is performed. Multivariate analysis (MDS and PCA) was carried out after merging data from the current study and other consortia. Indian sub-populations clustered separately from populations of major global geographical regions in MDS and PCA in a loose agglomeration except for two Indian subpopulations clustering near far eastern populations. F_st values indicated diversity among Indian sub-populations which was substantiated by STRUCTURE analysis suggesting the possibility of additional admixture events.     

A review on the origin and spread of deleterious mutants of the β-globin gene in Indian populations

Deleterious mutations of the human beta-globin gene are responsible for beta-thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies, which are the most common genetic diseases in Indian populations. A highly heterogeneous distribution of those mutations is observed in India and certain mutations are restricted to some extent to particular groups only. The reasons behind the geographical clustering and origin of the mutations in India is a highly debated issue and the evidence is conflicting. Our present article aims at tracing the origin of the deleterious beta-globin mutation and evaluates the role of different evolutionary forces responsible for the spread and present distribution of those mutations in Indian populations, using data from molecular biology and statistical methods. Mutations are generated essentially randomly, but "hot-spot" sites for mutation are reported for the beta-globin gene cluster, indicating sequence dependency of mutation. A single origin of a deleterious beta-globin mutation, followed by recombination (in a hot spot region) and/or interallelic gene conversion (within beta-globin gene) through time is the most plausible hypothesis to explain the association of those mutations with multiple haplotype backgrounds and frameworks. It is suggested that India is the place of origin of HbE and HbD mutations and that they dispersed to other parts of the would by migration. HbS mutants present in Indian populations are not of Middle East origin but rather a fresh mutation is the probable explanation for the prevalence among tribal groups. beta-thalassaemia represents a heterogeneous group of mutant alleles in India. Five common and twelve rare mutations have been reported in variable frequencies among different Indian populations. Gene flow of those mutant alleles from different populations of the world by political, military and commercial interactions possibly accounts for the heterogenous nature of beta-thalassaemia among Indians. A multiple allelic polymorphic system of the beta-globin gene exists in different populations. Dynamic interaction of the mutant alleles in the presence of different selective forces including falciparum malaria and biosocial patterns of Indian populations is discussed in order to explain the variable distribution and maintenance of those mutant alleles.     

An Analysis of Stocks and Flows Associated with Water Consumption in Indian Households

The focus of urban water system metabolism studies has, by and large, been restricted to what comes under the domain of the urban water utilities: water treatment and supply, and wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal. The material and energy flows both necessitated and facilitated by the supply of treated water to households—the water demand subsystem—are by no means negligible. This article studies the key flows into households associated with water consumption and the environmental impacts related to the same for India as a whole. Electricity consumption in washing machines and water heaters contributes the most to almost all the 13 environmental impact categories considered. This is easily explained by the fossil fuel heaviness of the Indian mix (>60%). Soaps contribute the most to terrestrial eco‐toxicity and malodorous air. In India, on a national scale, all the environmental impact categories deserve attention. The absolute consumption of electricity, soaps, and detergents, and the demand for home appliances will increase in the years to come.     

从近年PNAS,Nature,Science发表的涉及地衣的文章看地衣学进展

通过分析近10年在PNAS,Nature及Science上发表的涉及地衣的文章,并结合相关文献,总结了当前地衣学研究的主要方面及重要进展。对地衣化石、共生进化、系统发育、共生藻、功能遗传学、地衣生殖及生态生理学等领域取得的成果进行了概述,同时展望了中国地衣学研究的发展前景。     

Evaluating the potential for reintroducing the endangered wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) in Kanha National Park,central India

Reintroducing megafauna to their historic range is an effective strategy to halt their extinctions and restore ecosystems. Wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) is an endangered megaherbivore that is lost from 95% of its range. About 90% of its global population (less than 4000) resides within India, in two isolated populations: northeast and central India. The central Indian population is on the verge of extinction and warrants urgent conservation interventions. We assess the potential and provide a strategy for reintroducing buffaloes in Kanha National Park, India. Habitat suitability using the global occurrence of buffalo revealed low-lying grasslands with least human pressure found in Kanha (390 km²) to be suitable. Within this suitable range, we evaluated vegetation composition, forage biomass, and potential carrying capacity. Multidimensional ordination classified these suitable sites into moist and dry grassland clusters. Moist grasslands were found to better suit reintroduction due to lower grazing pressure, higher productivity, and availability of perennial water sources. Distinct matriarchal clades of swamp and river buffalo were observed. Within the river buffalo clade, Indian wild buffaloes formed a distinct cluster with close proximity between northeast and central Indian samples, suggesting northeast buffaloes could be sourced for a founding population in Kanha. Following IUCN guidelines, we discuss the reintroduction strategy that could sustain approximately 200 buffaloes in the area and subsequently expand to other suitable habitats in central India. If implemented as proposed, recovery of this lost ecosystem engineer will help to restore grasslands, and swamp habitats, as well as contribute to its global conservation efforts.     

The incidence and expression of the subcondylar tubercle of the mandible in early Polynesians, modern Indians and modern Europeans

A sample of pre-European Polynesian and Melanesian mandibles, modern Asian Indians and cadaveric European mandibles were investigated to establish the prevalence of a subcondylar tubercle and to attempt to relate its presence to mandibular function. Among the three population samples, the subcondylar tubercle appeared 1.5 times more frequently among the Polynesians/Melanesians, than either the Indian or European groups. It was fairly equally present on both sides in all three groups. Where it was present unilaterally, it was far more likely to be present on the left side. This left-side presence coincided with a significantly greater right-side condylar height and ramal width.     

New insight into the phylogenetic and biogeographic history of genus Ficus: Vicariance played a relatively minor role compared with ecological opportunity and dispersal

Studies on the evolution of tropical taxa emphasize the role ofvicariance and the break-up of Gondwana in explaining modern distributions.Earlier studies on figs (Ficus spp.) support this view.In the current study,we used an expanded sample (208 spp.) and improved molecular dating techniques to reconstruct the phylogenetic and biogeographic history of Ficus.Consistent with previous studies,our biogeographic analysis indicated that the ancestor of Ficus was present in Gondwana.However,a relaxed clock analysis relying on uncorrelated rates in BEAST suggested that the Neotropical section Pharmacosycea split-off in South America 86.67 Mya,and that other Ficus lineage ancestors originated in India.Most of the basal lineages appeared to have diverged following KT extinction,then rapidly diversified after India collided with continental Asia.The Afrotropical species most likely evolved initially in the Indian subcontinent then dispersed to Africa,either in the late Cretaceous of Madagascar or even later,following the Eocene collision of India with Asia.The Neotropical section Americana,either islandhopped to South America or took a northern route to the Americas through Europe prior to the terminal Eocene global cooling event.Ficus may have arrived in eastern Malesia following the collision of India with Asia,then widely dispersed thereafter.Given the wide ranges in our date estimates,several other scenarios are possible.However,contrary to earlier reports,our analyses suggest that vicariance played a relatively minor role compared with ecological opportunity and dispersal in the diversification of genus Ficus.     

Biotech in India

Cover illustration: The Taj Mahal in Agra is one of the brilliantly outstanding buildings in India. This special issue on “Biotech in India” is edited by Pushpa M. Bhargava and Narayanan Suresh. It features highlights, reviews and research articles on numerous aspects of Indian biotech such as drug development, plant breeding and biotech companies. Image © Corbis Digital Stock     

HIV infection in India: Epidemiology, molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis

The year 1986 saw first case of HIV infection as well as first report of AIDS case in India. Since then the epidemic has spread throughout the country. In the recent years there is evidence of epidemic being stabilized with decrease in new infections reported from some parts of the country. The absolute number of HIV infections in the country is expected to be close to 2.5 million and National AIDS Control Programme, phase III is geared to contain the epidemic. HIV viruses circulating in India predominantly belong to HIV-1 subtype C. However, there have been occasional reports of HIV-1 subtype A and B. Matter of concern is reports of A/C and B/C mosaic viruses that are being reported from different parts of the country. The data on HIV drug resistance from India is rather limited. Most of the studies have shown that the virus strains from drug naïve patients do not show significant level of drug resistance mutations. The few immunological studies in Indian patients show that the Indian HIV infected patients show both HIV-specific CTL responses as well as neutralizing antibody response. Mapping of CTL epitopes showed that while Indian patients identify same regions of Gag antigen as recognized by South African subtype C infected patients, some regions are uniquely recognized by Indian patients. There are very few studies on host genetic factors in India in context with HIV infection. However there are evidences reported of association of host genetic factors such as HLA types and haplotypes and HIV disease.     

An updated checklist of the ants of India with their specific distributions in Indian states (Hymenoptera,Formicidae)

As one of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world and with four biodiversity hotspots represented in its borders, India is home to an impressive diversity of life forms. However, much work remains to document and catalogue the species of India and their geographic distributions, especially for diverse invertebrate groups. In the present study, a comprehensive and critical list of Indian ant species is provided with up-to-date state-wise distribution. A total of 828 valid species and subspecies names belonging to 100 genera are listed from India. Potential erroneous data, misidentifications and dubious distributional records that may exist in the literature are also identified. The present exhaustive listing of Indian ants will provide a holistic view about diversity and distribution and will also help to identify major undersampled areas where future sampling and taxonomic efforts should be directed.     

Differences in heat tolerance within a Daphnia magna population: the significance of body PUFA content

Hydrobiologia - In this study, we use the model organism Daphnia magna to determine variation in heat tolerance within a natural population and relate this to variation in body fatty acid content...     

On a new species of the genus Newnhamia King, 1855 (Crustacea,Ostracoda) raised from Chalakkudy River sand, (Kerala,India), with notes on the taxonomy and distribution of the Notodromadidae

Hydrobiologia - A new species of the genus Newnhamia, N. dumonti n.sp., is described from Kerala, India. Newnhamia was thus far only known from Australia and adjacent islands, as it is here argued...     

Rhinosporidiosis in Bahrain,Arabian Gulf

Rhinosporidiosis occurred in Bahrain only in Indian expatriate workers who had the disease in India before coming to Bahrain. The pathological and clinical aspects of the disease as well as its possible health hazard in Bahrain are discussed.