Changing Faunal Ecology in the Thar Desert

Changing Faunal Ecology in the Thar Desert

Author: B.K. Tyagi

Publisher: Scientific Publishers

Published: 2005-05-01

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 9387307506

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Changing Faunal Ecology in the Thar Desert - dedicated to the fond memory of Professor Dr. Ishwar Prakash, the legendary rodentologist - is a unique mlange of scientific investigations on diversified ecological subjects pertaining to different organism groups, from as tiny as protozoa to as giant as mammals. Altogether sixteen contributions, including an original, up-to-date and authentic bio-bibliography of Dr. I. Prakash, make this volume an exceptional treatise penned by 24 expert scientist authors many of whom have spent a life in arid ecosystems including the Thar Desert. The book provides a crystal clear proof of the constantly changing behavioural ecology of animals in the Thar Desert which has been under an ever increasing impact of, among several imminent factors, the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP), one of the worlds largest irrigation systems of its type in a xeric environment. The change is discernible not only in structure and distribution of animals but in their resting, feeding, breeding and, as evident in case of parasites, the extent of parasitism as well as pathogenecity. Finally, this book offers the first well documented evidence of immense behavioral transformation in various different animal groups in the Tharp Desert a phenomenon of enormous significance for both conservation management and diversity inventorization activities of its faunal wealth.


Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Indian Desert

Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Indian Desert

Author: C. Sivaperuman

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-11-01

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 3540874097

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The Great Indian Desert is characterized by harsh climatic conditions and different habitats, from grassland to abandoned human habitations. This book examines the regional climate and microclimatic regime of this desert and its diverse faunal inhabitants.


Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India

Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India

Author: B.K. Sharma

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-09-14

Total Pages: 661

ISBN-13: 1461408008

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This is the first ever monumental and scientific documentation of the faunal wealth of the Indian Desert state of Rajasthan. This volume, the first of two, provides background on Rajasthan and covers species diversity and distribution of fauna. A scholarly contribution to the field of knowledge, it provides novel and vital information on the vertebrate faunal heritage of India’s largest state. Broadly falling under the Indo-Malaya Ecozone, the three major biomes of Rajasthan include deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. The corresponding ecoregions to the above biomes are, respectively, the Thar Desert and northwestern thorn scrub forests, the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests, and the Upper Gangtic Plains moist deciduous forests. Contrary to popular belief, the well-known Thar or Great Indian Desert occupies only a part of the state. Rajasthan is diagonally divided by the Aravalli mountain ranges into arid and semi-arid regions. The latter have a spectacular variety of highly diversified and unique yet fragile ecosystems comprising lush green fields, marshes, grasslands, rocky patches and hilly terrains, dense forests, the southern plateau, fresh water wetlands, and salt lakes. Apart from the floral richness, there is faunal abundance from fishes to mammals. In this volume, the various flagship and threatened species are described in the 24 chapters penned by top notch wildlife experts and academics. The world famous heronry, tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and some threat-ridden biodiversity rich areas shall certainly draw the attention of readers from around the world.


Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India

Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India

Author: B.K. Sharma

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-10-14

Total Pages: 542

ISBN-13: 3319013459

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This is the first ever monumental and scientific documentation of the faunal wealth of the Indian Desert state of Rajasthan. This volume, the second of two, provides a comprehensive picture of the conservation efforts undertaken to prevent further degradation of the condition of Rajasthan’s faunal wealth. A scholarly contribution to the field of knowledge, it provides novel and vital information on wildlife preservation initiatives in India’s largest state. Broadly falling under the Indo-Malaya Ecozone, the three major biomes of Rajasthan include deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. The corresponding ecoregions to the above biomes are, respectively, the Thar Desert and northwestern thorn scrub forests, the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests, and the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests. Contrary to popular belief, the well-known Thar or Great Indian Desert occupies only a part of the state. Rajasthan is diagonally divided by the Aravalli mountain ranges into arid and semi-arid regions. The latter have a spectacular variety of highly diversified and unique yet fragile ecosystems comprising lush green fields, marshes, grasslands, rocky patches and hilly terrains, dense forests, the southern plateau, fresh water wetlands, and salt lakes. Apart from the floral richness, there is faunal abundance from fishes to mammals. In this volume, the various flagship and threatened species are described in the 20 chapters penned by top notch wildlife experts and academics. The world famous heronry, tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and some threat-ridden biodiversity-rich areas shall certainly draw the attention of readers from around the world.


Insect Biodiversity : Functional Dynamics and Ecological Perspectives

Insect Biodiversity : Functional Dynamics and Ecological Perspectives

Author: T.N. Ananthakrishnan

Publisher: Scientific Publishers

Published: 2017-03-01

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 9387869717

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Rapid depletion and degradation of species in diverse ecosystems and the implications of this for human welfare have the cause for increasing concern. Biodiversity or variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are a part, is essential for ensuring the basic ecological services and resources necessary for sustaining human welfare. The loss of biodiversity is therefore, considered one of the most serious problem threatening the world today. An understanding of the ecological implications of the increasing loss of bodiversity, not to mention of the economic implications, has therefore, became vital. A biodiversity loss is irreversible. A calls for increased caution in our efforts to convert and exploit natural resources. Some minimal level of biodiversity is necessary to main ecological functioning, which in turn is necessary for generating the biological resources on which human welfare depends. Needless to emphasive that substantial biodiversity loss occurs due to forest clearing and degradation, leading to the need for assessing biodiversity in different ecosystems. Keeping these aspects in mind, the present volume highlights biodiversity in different cropping systems besides that the impact of cold and hot deserts. Selection of the topics in the various chapters is essentially because of the experience of the authors in the field of biodiversity.


Entomology in the Doon Valley (Garhwal Himalaya) A Stronghold for Insect Research

Entomology in the Doon Valley (Garhwal Himalaya) A Stronghold for Insect Research

Author: B.K.Tyagi

Publisher: Scientific Publishers

Published: 2016-08-01

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9387307638

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Entomology in the Doon Valley (Garhwal Region) is a unique journey into annals of the country’s most fascinating and highly entomofauna rich habitat – the Dehra Dun or the Doon Valley, tucked in the cosy climate of the foothills of the lower Himalayan region. Notwithstanding an unprecedented quantum of fragmented information available on the insects of the Doon Valley, courtesy various different long term research programmes carried out at the three major research institutions, viz., the Forest Research Institute & Colleges, the Zoological Survey of India and The Dayanand Anglo Vedic (PG) College, all located in Dehra Dun, yet no single entomological treatise detailing all the insect orders, supported by relevant local references, was ever offered to have a firsthand knowledge on the Doon Valley’s buoyant research tradition. For the first time, therefore, the present treatment comes forward to satiate a nature-lover’s desire to know completely about their own insect fauna. Besides offering an uncanny history of research, along with a string of researchers and institutions engaged in entomological research in the Doon Valley, the book describes entomologic characteristics of all the 32 Orders of Class Insecta, with emphasis on research contributions on the local and endemic fauna. To facilitate our understanding, the book offers as an example inventories of the extant taxa of a couple of orders and, still more importantly, bio-bibliographies of a few Doon Valley entomologists, as inspirational life stories for the beginners. The Book, written in a lucid language, will surely serve a good purpose for both the undergraduates, postgraduates and research scholars engaged in insect research, on one hand, and the professional entomologists not only from the Grahwal region but also across the country and beyond, on the other.


Thar Desert in Retrospect and Prospect

Thar Desert in Retrospect and Prospect

Author: R.P. Dhir

Publisher: Scientific Publishers

Published: 2018-01-01

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 9388043154

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Thar Desert in India is one of the most well-investigated and densely populated regions amongst the world arid zones. A blend of crop and animal husbandries, conservative land use practices, coping mechanisms to minimize adverse effect of drought and a frugal lifestyle have been the characteristic features of its dwellers. Recent increase in biotic pressure has interacted with the fragile environment to create fearsome environmental problems. Governmental responses were prompt in form creating a strong research infrastructure for multi-disciplinary and multi-location research and demonstration on the one hand and in huge investment in irrigation from internally and externally sourced water, desertification control program and an accelerated socio-economic and infrastructure development, softening content of drought and strengthening of livelihoods on the other. Unlike several publications on the Thar, the current effort attempts a comprehensive, pragmatic and off-beat analysis of various developments and goes further to show how the situation today is a blend of both resource degradation and economic development. Recent studies have helped rebuild the past climate history that shows that the climate has been fluctuating during the geological history but reports suggest also that current anthropogenic global warming makes the desert more vulnerable in near future. An attempt has been made also to peep into the future of the Thar.


Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation

Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation

Author: Mamta Rawat

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-01-28

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 8132221788

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This book brings together the latest information on the rapid advances and developments in the field of aquatic ecology. India is very rich in terms of biological diversity due to its wide range of habitats and climatic conditions. It is home to as much as 7 per cent of the world’s animal species, although it only accounts for about 2 per cent of the total landmass. The present work on biodiversity, ecology and conservation of aquatic resources represents original research in the field of aquatic biodiversity, wetland ecology and its applications with reference to the country’s aquatic resources. There are 19 chapters, each contributed by an expert in his/her particular field and offering novel approaches to various topics in the area of aquatic ecosystems.


Desert Malaria

Desert Malaria

Author: B.K. Tyagi

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-02-17

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9811976937

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This book comprehensively reviews the disease dynamics, distribution, surveillance, epidemiology, diagnosis, control strategies, and management of the desert malaria. It highlights the potential risks of unstable but often exacerbated malaria conflagration as epidemics in the middle of duned desert, a desert oasis, and desert-fringe regions. Further, it reveals the factors inveigled into desert environments due to extensive anthropogenic activities such as canalized irrigation projects, high-yielding new agriculture practices, human concentration, and increased trade. It addresses the impact of irrigation on the malarial dynamics and its coupling to the climate forcing. The book also offers a model for desert transformation into malaria heaven under the changed climatic conditions including high rainfall, humidity, and depletion in temperature. Lastly, it offers insight into malaria epidemiology and disease control in the desert’s arid environments. This book is an essential resource for medical entomologists, parasitologists, epidemiologists, and public health researchers.