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Author: Palatty Sinu
Our Oikos paper on Nectar Robbing Published!
Nectar robbing was fascinating ecologists for about 50 years now! We, however, for the first time show that a short-tongued bee robbing, damaging, and defacing the flower so much so that it deters legitimate pollinators away! See the article here
See the video abstracts below:
Who and what manipulates the behavior of the host parasitized by a manipulative parasitoid?
Prabitha publishes her new research on her pet animal, manipulative parasitoids. Although there are several hypothesis provided on who and what manipulates the behavior of a host parasitised by a manipulative parasitoid, it is still an unresolved mystery. Prabitha have clues for the viral transmission from the parasitoid to host and suspects that viral particles might have a role in manipulating the host. See her new paper just appeared in Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata here
Prabitha awarded Ph.D. degree!!
Congratulations Prabitha!
Serpent gods and sacred groves shape human-snake relations!
For many snake is a terrible and fearful animal! But for the Hindu communities in India, snake is their god, a god that drove the local community to conserve small patches of forest! Here is our paper published in People and Nature
Local deities and conservation!
Our new research finds that the deity type and the reverence given to the deity affect the decision making of conservation of sacred groves. Groves with fearful deities receive more protection and local vigilance from local people. See the paper published in Land Use Policy here
Sprinkler irrigation affects crop pollination in pumpkin!
Imagine a flower full of water instead nectar! Judith Bronstein says, in Arizona they will be of high demand for bees as bees swim in pools to regulate their body temperature. But, in tropical Kerala in south India, the bees avoid such flowers and the flowers do not set fruits. See our new publication in Scientia Horticulturae
See popular articles on this research here
Sangeetha published her thesis chapter on Nectar robbing in Scientific Reports!
Flower visitors are not always the pollinators. Many steal the resources. But, the visitors are always benefited. How the cheaters affect the rest of the good visitor community and the plant reproduction outcome is less researched. Sangeetha got enough evidences that the plant has evolved mechanisms to overcome the effect of cheaters! See her article here
Predation drives the heronry birds to urban ecosystems?
Roshnaths’s recent research shows that the avian predation is very low in heronries of urban environment when compared to that of wild habitat, the wetlands! See an article published by Roshnath here
Roshnath bagged 2018 Dr. C. Chandrashekharan memorial award instituted by KFRI!
Roshnath received Dr. C Chandrasekharan Memorial Award 2018 by Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi for his outstanding contribution in the field of wildlife conservation and management in Kerala. The award includes a gold medal, a purse of Rs. 40,0000/ and a citation.
Roshnath contributed his research career for conservation of birds, herons and and heronries in particular! He initiated several outreach programs with the district and state administrators to give an awareness on the ecological roles of herons and the necessity to create a habitat for them!
Congratulations Roshnath!