Maharashtra Education Society's
ABASAHEB GARWARE COLLEGE
Project title : Study of Heavy Metals from Sperata seenghala & Clarias magur Fish from Pune District (Maharashtra), India
Name of the student: Shubham Singh
From several decades environmental pollution is considered as a major global problem for both animals and humans. The industrial effluents are the major source of pollution that is discharged into the water bodies posing serious threats to the aquatic animals like fishes. If the concentration of the heavy metal is not in permissible limit as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines then these heavy metal accumulate in fishes and may cause serious human health hazard. This study was carried out to assess the concentrations of various heavy metals from the fish tissues of Sperata seenghala and Clarius magur i.e; bones, muscles and liver. The aim of this study was the investigation of fish tissues contamination with heavy metals. Samples were taken from the Bhor and Pune fish market. Samples of tissues were analysed for the concentration six heavy metals (zinc, mercury, cadmium, iron, nickel, and lead) using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Iron and Zinc were most abundant in all fish tissues. The level of in conclusion, it is evident that even though the heavy metals concentration in fish tissues of bhor and pune region did not exceed the safe limit, the continuous consumption of large quantities of fishes can lead to metal toxicity.
Project title : Investigation of quantity & quality of floral nectar
Name of the student: Vivek Pawar
Almost all flowering plants produce nectar and quantity of the nectar production varies as per the species of the plant. Higher the quantity of the nectar higher is the number of floral visitors attracted towards the flowers. Nectar is food and energy source of the floral visitor. Floral nectar is widely known as the key reward offered by animal-pollinated plants to their pollen vectors. These flower visitors primarily include butterflies, beetles, ants etc. In case of butterflies, number of studies has shown that apart from the nectar quantity, nectar composition, flower colour and corolla tube length has significant impact on the number as well as types of butterfly visitors a flower would get. Amboli was selected as study area. Amboli region is situated at Sawantwadi tehsil in the Sindudurg District of Maharashtra, India. It is 350 km away from Pune city. Amboli is located near Ajara-Sawantwadi road and is rich in flora and fauna. During study period nectar quantity was assessed in 22 species of flowers. The quantity was found in the range of 0.29 μL /flower to 12.01 μL. The variation can be attributed to multiple factors such as type of species and flower size. In case of bagging and without bagging species, without bagging species shows variety in their amount of nectar secretion or production. To check the floral nectar composition, sugar composition was studied using FTIR. It is not a quantitative technique but it shows qualitative variations. Nectars from 14 species were analysed. Variation in carbohydrates quantity was seen. In all the floral nectar composition sucrose, glucose and fructose sugars are present but its concentration varies. Nectar collection time, floral origin, geographic location, possible environmental pollution, temperature and humidity may affect the nectar composition and concentration. For proboscis length and corolla tube measurement we measured proboscis length of 80 individuals in 10 different butterfly species as well as corolla tube length of 6 plant species to find out possible correlation between proboscis length and corolla tube measurement . In this study it was observed that there is no correlation between corolla tube and proboscis length, it was verified using Bartlett followed by ANOVA. Similarly in other case to understand the correlation between flower colour and their visitors we recorded the flower colour of 15 plant species and their visitors. It was observed that there was no correlation between floral visitors and flower colour, using Bartlett followed by ANOVA.
Project Title: Seed size in relation to seed moisture content and germination success
Name of the student: Alap Bhatt
The Spermatophytes are endowed with this peculiar but very common detachable vehicle of reproduction carrying the germ of a new individual which is known as the Seed. It is product of sexual reproduction that consists of endosperm, embryo and seed coat. Seed is responsible for species establishment and growth form. It is important to study on ecological role of seed in forest habitat. 16 woody plant species studied to understand seed size relation with germination success, canopy effect on germination and soil fertility association with seed germination. Present study was carried out at Amboli forest, Northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra. Out of 16 species 2 species are endemic to Western Ghats and 2 species are listed in IUCN red list. In these studies we observed strong correlation between seed size and canopy percent in germination success. Hypothesis tested was large seeded species have less germination success in open area. It is true in our studies, Mann Whitney test (100
Project Title: Effects of environmental and geographical correlates on species assemblages of threatened and endemic anuran genera of Western Ghats
Name of the student: Anusua Pal
THE WESTERN GHATS of the India harbour unique assemblages of ancient endemic animal and plant taxa, by the virtue of geological and climatic changes that happened for around 65 my. The rich geological history of this region has shaped characteristic geography of this region which in turn has affected the evolution of various organisms. Specifically, the geographical discontinuities in the Western Ghats such as the Shencottah Gap, Palghat Gap and Goa gap have affected the dispersal and vicariance in Anurans. This has affected the species compositions and community structure of amphibians in the regions around these gaps. The species composition is further affected by current environmental conditions which are also reflected in species composition. Physical conditions of an organism's environment like temperature, light, moisture and the food resources it contains primarily determine the distribution of the organism in both spatial and temporal scale. These environmental factors are unevenly distributed and hence cause uneven distribution of species. Here, I attempt to find such effects of geographical distance, elevation and environmental variables such as annual precipitation and temperature range, on the species assemblages of three endemic genera of Western Ghats namely, Nyctibatrachus, Micrixalus and Indirana. Five major regions of the Western Ghats pertaining to their geological origins and/or geographical gaps between them were considered. The presence only data for the species of Nyctibatrachus, Micrixalus and Indirana was extracted from articles describing the species for the first time, defining the neotype based on the original description and/or studies relying on molecular identification for the confirmation of the species. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed to understand if the defined regions show any difference in their environmental structuring. The beta partition analysis was run in R to find out the process of species turnover shaping the species assemblages between regions. The zeta diversity analysis was implied to understand extent of zeta diversity decline, the effective distance for zeta diversity decline and effect of geographical distance, elevation and environmental variables on the structure of species assemblages. The discriminant analysis resulted in largely overlapping clusters of regions with only distinct partitioning between the regions below and above the Nilgiri elevational regime. Although, the regions were largely homogenous, the species assemblages between the regions showed very low nestedness. Further, zeta decline analysis also showed the sharp trend of zeta diversity decline indicating the low nestedness. However, the zeta diversity decline was gradual for Indirana and sharpest for Nyctibatrachus indicating that the species sharing between sites for Indirana was more than two other genera. The high retention rate for Indirana also points towards the fact that the genus comprises of more generalist species than other two genera. However, none of the genera showed species retention beyond four sites. The multi-site generalised dissimilarity modelling showed geographical distance between the two (zeta order 2) sites as most effective factor for defining the species assemblages in these genera. For the genus Indirana; elevation, temperature annual range, and precipitation of coldest quarter were also effective factors for determining species assemblages between sites. For the genus Micrixalus annual precipitation was shown to be additional factor defining species assemblages. While, for the genus Nyctibatrachus annual temperature range, annual precipitation and precipitation of coldest quarter were additionally shown to be effective. The species assemblage structure between 3 sites was shown to be affected by Human Influence Index in Indirana. The results of these analyses effectively show that these genera have high composition of rare species. The species assemblages of one site are seldom repeated up to 4 sites indicating the site specificity of the species of these genera. The nestedness being very low and extending only between two to three sites makes it crucial to conserve the natural habitats which are in close vicinity, otherwise threatening the rare species composition. In the era where human activities are threatening the natural habitats and changing the local and global climate and or/weather (the Anthropocene) the studies like the one presented here become pertinent.
Project Title: Investigating the Spatiotemporal Variation of Chemical Signals in Musa Plants
Name of the student: Aparna Sakpal
Banana (Musa sp.) ranks fourth in terms of worldwide fruit production, and has high economical and nutritional value. Amongst the factors that contribute to the lower productivity in banana crops, abiotic stress factors like scarcity of water, soil salinity and extreme temperatures are the most significant. Hence, the present study attempts to understand the effects of variations in the environmental factors on the Musa phytochemical concentrations, compounds which are known as stress indicators in plants. To understand if there was any variation in the chemical signals, plants were planted in polyhouse and field of Fursungi. The morphological, physiological and biochemical estimations were studied in Musa acuminata (Grand Nain) variety leaves through its vegetative developmental stage. We have quantitatively estimated the amounts of antioxidants, proline, and total phenols in banana and correlated it with the abiotic factors, along with the amounts of total chlorophylls; to understand the variations in their concentrations on the basis of the leaf loci on the pseudostem, developmental stage and their growth conditions. We found significant variations in the stress related phytochemical concentrations at different leaf positions on the same individual, indicating the variations in the effects of abiotic factors on different plant parts and their response with respect to their age.
Project Title: Effect of salt Stress along with hormones and Acinetobacter on different varieties of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Name of the student: Ashwini Bhande
A laboratory experiment was conducted at botany department, Savitribai Phule Pune university, pune, to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of salt, hormones and acinetobacter on two Chickpea cultivars viz; (Phule-G-9425-9 and Phule-G-9425-5), which were obtained from Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Ahmednagar. Sodium Chloride used as a source of graded levels of salinity. Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and Indole butyric acid (IBA) was used as a plant growth hormones and Acinetobacter tandoii spp. was used as a bacterial culture. The salinity levels imposed were- Control 4dS/m-1, 6dS/m-1, 8dS/m-1, 10dS/m-1, 12dS/m-1 and 14dS/m-1 EC were tested using Conductivity meter. The different concentrations of growth hormones were prepared in serially diluted between the range of 10-1 and 10-5. Bacterial culture (Acinetobacter spp.) suspension was incubated for 3 days and different concentrations were prepared using method of serial dilution. The study showed that germination percentage and seed vigor index significantly decreased with increase in salt concentration. Phule-G-9425-9 showed better performance than Phule-G-9425-5 in terms of germination percentage and seed vigor index. Also in biochemical test, Catalase and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity were increased with increase in salt concentration. The chlorophyll content of both chickpea cultivars were decreased with increase in salt concentration, protein content were decreased and proline content were increased with increase in salt concentration. As compared with growth hormones and Acinetobacter, Acinetobacter spp. showed better results than growth hormones. Also compared with growth hormones Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) 10-5 showed good results than Indole butyric acid (IAA)10-4.
Project Title: Isolation, Characterization and Identification of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and their Effect on Seed Germination
Name of the student: Kartiki Kane
Soil is rich in microflora which includes Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR are those bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere soil. Plant-microbe interactions are required in order to maintain good plant health. This project mainly focuses on the role of PGPR in enhancing the germination process of seeds. Here, we have isolated PGPR from invasive plant species like Lantana camara and Parthenium spp. These two species were chosen due to their high tolerance levels towards abiotic stress (Stefania Toscano et al. 2019). The isolates have been identified as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis and Azotobacter spp. They were further characterized for their plant growth promoting traits which included tests like Indole-3-Acetic acid (IAA), Phosphate solubilisation, Nitrogen fixation and Starch hydrolysis. A consortium of these bacteria was made and tested on crop seeds which included Fenugreek, Pea and Moth bean. Trials showed the effect of PGPR consortium on these seeds. Different proportions of this consortium with a fixed absorbance of 1 were tested on the seeds. Each set consisted of control (10 seeds) and 9 test sets (10 seeds) treated with different proportions of PGPR consortium. The consortium proportions are as follows: (Bacillus cereus: Bacillus licheniformis: Azotobacter spp.) 1:1:1, 1:0.5:0.5, 1:0.25:0.25, 0.5:1:0.5, 0.5:0.5:0.25, 0.5:0.25:1, 0.25:1:0.25, 0.25:0.5:1, 0.25:0.25:0.5. Consortium in the proportion 1:1:1 (Bacillus cereus: Bacillus licheniformis: Azotobacter spp.) was found to be most effective on seed germination and seedling health. Therefore, these PGPRs isolated from invasive weeds can be used as inoculants in agriculture in the form of bio fertilizers.
Project Title: Study on Roadkill of animal in Amboli region, Sindhudurg
Name of the student: Pradhumansinh Sindha
The diversity and abundance of the animals which are killed in animal-vehicle collision (roadkills) were studied along with the traffic load, in Amboli forest, Sindhudurg district; a popular tourist destination in Maharashtra. Systematic surveys to collect data on road kills and count of vehicles were conducted along four roads heading towards popular ‘tourist points’ of Amboli. Over 90 km of road surveys revealed 138 individuals of road kills belonging to 32 species. The road kills included animals from little Indian field mice to wild boar. Out of 138 road killed animals, reptiles represented 61%, amphibians 33%, mammals 7 %, birds 2 %. Endemism was also found to be high among the road killed animals. Of 32 species, 10 species were endemic to Western Ghats or India. I also tried to explore the relation among vehicle load and number of animals killed due to vehicle collision in pre-monsoon (55%) and monsoon (33%) season and in winter (12%) mortality of bird is observed. The relation of body size and road kill number shows less body size was associated with high no of road kill incidence. Setting speed limit, public awareness, putting up of informative boards, keeping an upper limit on the entry of vehicles in Amboli are among some of the mitigation measures to potentially reduce the road kill incidences and in turn conserve biological diversity.
Project Title: Diversity of Pseudoscorpions in western Maharashtra, northern Karnataka and Goa
Name of the student: Harshita Rana
Pseudoscorpions are a small group of Arachnids which belong to the Order Chelonethi. They are cosmopolitan and are distributed over a wide range of habitats, and are also known to occupy an important position as predators among the bark and litter fauna, feeding on a variety of insects. Despite their diversity of form and habitats, the Pseudoscorpion fauna of India is poorly known, in part because of lack of the taxonomic resources. This study aimed to study the diversity of Pseudoscorpions from Western Maharashtra, North Karnataka and Goa and provide the missing taxonomic aids for further studies on the Indian fauna of the group. An elaborative and illustrated morphology is thus provided, along with detailed descriptions of the taxonomically important characters. These descriptions are further used for development of a classification system for the pseudoscopions of the Indian fauna within the range of the selected study area, that is, Western Maharashtra, Northern Karnataka and Goa. The taxonomic key was developed by updating or modifying the existing key available, in the work done by Murthy and Ananthakrishnan 1977, which is the only available literature on the subject from the Indian Fauna. The pseudoscorpion fauna of the world includes 27 families, and that of India includes 12 families out of which 6 families are recorded and reported from the selected study areas, in the current study. It is believed that this study would stimulate further work on this important group of Arachnids, more so their phylogeny, biology or ecology.
Project title: Effect of Root Leachates and Bacterial Endophytes Isolated from Cassia tora and Chromolaena Odorata roots on Vigna Radiata Germination
Name of the student: Ishwari Latey
The Endophytic bacteria which colonize the internal root tissues are an important part of plant microbiota. They establish various relationships with the host, sans parasitism. The biodiversity of endophytic bacteria in weeds has been significantly studied in the light of plant growth promotion activity and their stress tolerant capability. However, behind the prolific spreading and successful survival of weeds in the environment, allelopathic mechanism is also involved. The major studies are done on allelopathic potential of fungi and their role in host plant’s successful survival and prolific breeding. In this study, we aim to answer whether the endophytic bacteria play any role in allelochemical defence exhibited by host plant. We have studied the endophytes isolated from the roots of Cassia tora and Chromolaena odorata, two widespread exotic weeds in the Western Ghats.The selected bacteria were identified by standard procedures as Serratia marcescens subsp. Sakuensis, Serratia liquefaciens, Bacillus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. These bacteria were used for carrying out seed germination studies. The experiment was designed such as to check the seed germination ability in controlled variables (germination paper plate test) as well as natural, uncontrolled variables (pot test). The isolated microorganisms were screened on the basis of plant growth promoting and antagonistic hormones, Indole-3-acetic acid and Hydrogen cyanide, respectively. To study the effect of concentration of bacteria on seedling germination, the selected bacteria were applied on the test seeds in 10-1 to 10-5 dilutions and growth observation were recorded. Statistical analysis of the observations (with p
Project title: Nesting Habitat Characterization of White Bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) in the Raigad District area
Name of the student: Manashree Bapat
White bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) is an indicator species to measure biodiversity, general health of the ecosystem and is present at the highest level of coastal food chain. Considered to have a declining population, concern has been expressed in recent years over the conservation status of this eagle. To investigate current nesting distribution of the species in Raigad district, we conducted field survey method to collect regional data as it is important criteria to study its habitat selection. Data were obtained by surveying around 150 km of coastline. We found 22 nests of which 13 nests found in Shrivardhan tehsil and rest in Alibag, Murud tehsil. We collected data on their nesting parameters like tree preference, height from ground level, distance from seashore etc. We observed around 59% nests on Casuarina equistifolia, and rest on Sterculia foetida, Mangifera indica, Ficus bengalensis etc. Based on our observations and information by local birdwatchers, the number of indigenous trees like Sterculia foetida is decreasing, there has been a shift in preference for nesting habit from such indigenous trees to exotic species like Casuarina equistifolia. The coastal areas of Alibag, Murud, Shrivardhan tehsil are highly disturbed because of rapidly increasing tourism and urbanization. As per our observations and statistical analysis human disturbance is adversely affecting the nesting habitat of this eagle. So, we conclude that the white bellied sea eagle is under threat and there is need to study various aspects related to this species and its populations for its conservation.
Project title: Study of Gastropod Shell Preferences in Diogenes Chhapgari Trivedi, Osawa & Vachhrajani
Name of the student: Neeyati Limje
Diogenes chhapgari Trivedi, Osawa & Vachhrajani, 2016 is newly described species of hermit crab from coastal areas of Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat and very little is known about its ecology. The present study is a first approach to study the ecological aspect of the species. Sampling for the collection of the species was carried out using hand picking method from October to December, 2018 in the mudflat habitat of Dandi, Gujarat and Mumbai, Maharashtra. The specimens were identified up to species level and categorized in three groups’ viz male, female and ovigerous female. The crab specimens were weighed and their size (shield length) was measured. The gastropod shells were identified using standard literature and keys and different morphological characters were measured. Total 1437 individuals of hermit crab were captured (1086 males, 243 females and 108 ovigerous females), occupying 13 different species of gastropod shells. Amongst all the shell species identified, Cantharus spiralis was highly occupied by the crab species followed by Semiricinula tissoti, Nassarius stolatus, Latirus nassoides, and Umbonium vestiarium. D. chhapgari males were significantly larger in size than the female and ovigerous females. Body size and weight of the hermit crab showed significant Correlation with different morphological characters of gastropod shell. Strong correlation was recorded between crab body size and shell dry weight which shows shell weight has significant impact on shell selection pattern of hermit crab.
Project Title: Exploration of Fecal Endoparasites in Herbivore Population in Saswad Area, Pune
Name of the student: Nikhila Purohit
Surveying and identifying internal parasites is important for maintaining overall health of the animal. Parasites can potentially affect the population growth of a species as well as interactions between species. Endoparasitic study plays a major role in population regulation. This study is conducted in Saswad-Waghapur Grassland, 40 Km away from Pune City. Present study aims to assess the endoparasitic load and diversity of domestic herbivore (goat, sheep) and wild herbivore (Indian gazelle) across two sites in Saswad area. Goat, sheep and Indian gazelle in this area shares the same grazing land, there is a chance to spread endoparasitic infection between these herbivores. A non-invasive method was opted for analysis of endoparasites of collected fecal samples. Total 104 fresh fecal samples collected from 2 study areas in Saswad. 58 samples from Pargaon village and 46 samples from Aamble village were collected during September 2018-March 2019. Collected fecal samples were analyzed by the Zinc Sulfate Centrifugation method. Through the analysis, Eimeria spp. (Goat,N=179;Indian gazelle,N=74) and Coccidia spp. (Goat,N=594;Indian gazelle,N=226) were most abundant in both herbivore species. High number of endoparases found in goat and sheep than Indian gazelle. It observed that some parasites, Strongyloid spp., Ascaris spp., and some unidentified species of endoparasite also infecting these herbivores. More fecal samples will signify the spreading pattern of endoparasites. This study provides baseline data for further research on wild and domestic herbivore. The data generated through this study will prove useful for researchers and conservationist regarding the health management of these species.
Project title: Investigating Aflatoxin Degradation using GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) Organisms
Name of the student: Prafulla Vaidya
Contamination of food and feed by aflatoxin (AF) is a grave problem as one cannot control the ingestion of the toxin, this cause a serious economic and health problem. Of the different processes to degrade the toxins is well known, degradation by biological methods utilizing Generally Regarded As Safe Organism (GRAS) namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus casei isolated from YakultTM were used in this study. Aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus was isolated from an infected groundnut. Further degradation was checked by the GRAS organisms through cell binding method. These organisms are known to have an ability to bind the aflatoxin on their cell wall and thus the reduce the concentration of aflatoxin, to such a level which are not toxic when consumed. An initial of 20μg/mL of AFB1 was used in the study. The amount of AFB1 remaining was measured against time by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and UV spectrometry. Both the species were able to degrade AFB1, and no significant difference was found between them. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was found to degrade 42% of the toxin in first two hours and reached to 53 % in 12 hours. Lactobacillus casei degraded about 16% 4 hours and reached the degradation to 23% in 13 hours. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study carried out to determine at which growth phase of the organism are the toxin degraded. This study may further open new avenues to understand the metabolomics in the lag phase to degrade the toxin.
Project title: Studying effect of colchicine on Hydra
Name of the student: Pratik Paranjape
Interstitial stem cells in hydra are multipotent cells which continuously differentiate into nerve cells, nematocytes, cnidoblasts and gland cells of hydra. Colchicine is a chemical which inhibits cell cycle by arresting the cells at metaphase of the mitosis. In hydra cell counting can be done by macerating and making a smear after staining with reduced methylene blue. The smear was observed under 40x in microscope, photographed and the cells were counted easily. Comparing the cells of colchicine treatment for 24 hour and 48 hour with the control hydra gives the difference between the numbers of cnidoblast. The total number of cells present in each of the sets is related to the action of colchicine, so by taking cell count of these colchicine treated hydra we can predict the action.
Project title: Variation in Bird Diversity with Habitat Quality in Panvel, Maharashtra
Name of the student: Rahul Misal
As urbanization is increasing throughout the world it has an impact on wild life. Avian species are used and act as an indicator to analyze the impact in the surroundings. This study aims to understand the urban impacts on bird such has quality and quantity of vegetation, human disturbance across the urban areas to the urban fringes (remnant parts) of Panvel City. Its shows increase in urbanization give rise to decrease in species richness of birds and decrease in vegetation percentage. Remnant parts namely Gadeshwar and Shivansai shows high species richness as they are situated far away from the City area and situated near foot hills of Matheran which falls under Western Ghats of Maharasthtra, where as the Urban area shows the low species richness of birds due to high human disturbance and low vegetation quantity and quality.
Project title: Diversity and Distribution of Various Species of Geckos of Northern Western Ghats
Name of the student: Saurabh Swami
The geckos are the most diverse and distributed group of Reptiles all over the world. They inhabit a wide array of habitats including tropical and temperate forests, mountains, deserts, swamps, grassland, farmland, even shrubs and are also found in abundance in cities. Irrespective of their widespread distribution and relative abundance, very little data is available on distribution of geckos. In India, the geckos are widely distributed across all the landscapes. Some of the geckos are known to be endemic to Western Ghats. Although, many new species of geckos are being discovered recently, yet very less literature is available on studies on their distribution and abundance. The distribution patterns of geckos are well understood by knowing their habitat preferences. The diversity indices can be used to know and study their important habitats, which are the habitats showing maximum diversity and species dominance. Seven different species of geckos (Hemidactylus maculatus, Hemidactylus murrayi,Hemidactylus prashadi, Hemidactylus sahagali, Cyrtodactylus albofasciatus, Cyrtodactylus deccanensis, Eublepharis fuscus) were reported from five different localities (Matheran, Tamhini Ghat, Malhargad, Chalkewadi, Amboli).
Project title: Cultivated traditional rice varieties and preference towards them in Jawhar tehsil, District Palghar
Name of the student: Neehar Barve
Palghar is a relatively new district. The Jawhar tehsil of this district has significant amount of tribal population and with them their indigenous and traditional rice varieties. Rice varieties are a large part in India’s Agrobiodiversity which needs urgent efforts for conservation. The study was carried out understand and know the traditional rice varieties in cultivation and the rice cultivator’s preference towards them. Five villages namely Gardwadi, Kelicha pada, Ramnagar and Adkhadak were sample for 20 cultivators each with total of 80 cultivators. The cultivators were surveyed for their personal & socio-economic profile, traditional rice variety they cultivate and their preference towards them and lastly their constraint with respect to traditional rice cultivation. The findings of this study include association between personal & socio-economic profile and the preference towards traditional rice varieties, major constraints like low market prices and lack of knowledge and awareness about rice varieties and traditional cultivation practices.
Project title: Investigating diet of Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) in Saswad grassland, Pune
Name of the student: Unmesh Mitra
Indian Grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) was historically widespread throughout Indian Sub-continent. Today it is an endangered species in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 in India. It has been seen worldwide that if the habitats have high anthropogenic pressure with low abundance of wild prey, the wolves feed on livestock which may lead to human-wildlife conflict Therefore, it was necessary to estimate their dependency on livestock in human dominated landscape. This study is conducted in Saswad-Waghapur Grassland, 40 Km away from Pune City. Scat analysis method was used to identify the prey base of wolf. This study was conducted on scats from two adjacent wolf packs, 3 individuals in each pack. Samples were collected between June 2018 to January 2019 in Saswad-Waghapur grassland. Majority of scats (71.4%) contain single prey item, 28.57% scats contain double prey item whether 0.03% scats contain 3 prey items. 68% of wolf’s diet consist of livestock, 27% is wild prey and rest 5% is unidentified. In livestock, Goat is the most consumed prey (49%) in wolf diet. While rodents (67%) are the most abundant wild prey found in wolf’s diet. It is a challenge for the managers to reduce dependency of wolf on domestic livestock to minimize Human-Wolf conflict. The survival of wolf is important for the stability & functioning of the entire prey base also important for existence of healthy and vigorous prey populations.
Project title: Variation in bio-acoustic communication of free ranging Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) Population
Name of the student: Vedanti Mahimkar
Communication is an integral part of animal behaviour. Birds emit vocal signals in response to different events. These vocal signals play an important role in sociobiology of birds since every signal conveys different information or message. Previous studies have been aimed at studying acoustic communications among oscine birds. However, very little is known about the acoustic communication patterns and physical characteristics of calls of non-oscine birds. To overcome this research gap and gain new insights on non-oscine bird communications, we aim to study, the acoustic communication of free-ranging Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) population. The study was conducted from May 2018 till December 2018 in Pune, Maharashtra, India. We have addressed, The vocal repertoire of free-ranging Indian Peacock Characteristics of vocal signal and variation in it The behavior(s) associated with these vocal signals The characterization and analysis of these acoustic signals was done with computer-assisted sound analysis. Different call types were identified by studying spectrogram. Each call was assessed for the total number of notes, call duration, duration of each note, duration between two successive notes and frequency. Indian Peafowl emits a wide variety of calls comprising of single note calls, alarm calls and breeding season calls. These calls encompass a wide range of frequency and can be categorized into short range (0-4kHz) and broad range calls (0-15kHz). Calls were associated with specific behaviour(s) and the situations viz. the “Honk”, “Pe”, “Honk-Kor-Ko-Ko” and “-Kor-Ko” was emitted in the presence of threat, Whereas, “Pe-Kaan”, “Honk-Kaan”, “Kor-kaan”, “Eow” and “Kaan” was specifically associated with the breeding season. Our data suggest that the calls varied across the breeding and non-breeding season and Indian Peafowl are more actively vocal during breeding season as compare to the non-breeding season. This study will provide baseline data for further research on Indian Peafowl vocalization.