Kartik Shanker

As faculty at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, I work on diversity at various levels of organisation, from genes to ecosystems, and at various scales from local communities to macro-ecological scales. We combine field ecology, phylogenetics and ecological modelling to understand evolutionary and biogeographic patterns in various marine and terrestrial taxa. We also work on the ecology and evolution of communities, particularly on mixed species foraging groups.  We conduct research on the ecology and evolutionary biology of marine turtles and maintain long term monitoring programmes for  species found in Indian waters.

I am working with my colleagues at Dakshin Foundation to develop and implement community based resource monitoring programmes towards more participatory governance of these resources, mainly in coastal and marine ecosystems. 
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What else do I do ? Check out kartikshanker.in

Research news

Some of our recent papers:
  • Srinivasan, U., K. Shanker and T. Price (2024) Ant impacts on global patterns of bird elevational diversity. Ecology Letters.
  • Cyriac, V.P., A.V. Mohan, K.P. Dinesh, V. Torsekar, A. Jayarajan, P. Swamy, S.P. Vijayakumar and K. Shanker (2024) Diversifying in the mountains: spatio-temporal diversification of frogs in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Evolution.
  • Kottillil, S., C. Rao, B. Bowen and K. Shanker (2023) Life history traits and geography mediate population genetic structure: a global review of the phylogeography of sharks and rays. PeerJ.
  • Theo, A. and K. Shanker (2023) Mixed-species groups of herbivorous reef fish show variable responses to a mass-bleaching event in the Lakshadweep Islands, India. Phil Trans R Soc. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0095.
  • Rao, C., C. Pusapati, M. Muralidharan, N. Kale, A. Barnes, and K. Shanker (2023) Distribution patterns of offshore aggregations of olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Odisha, India: implications for spatial management measures. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 33: 379-388. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc. 3927.
  • Bharti, D.K., K. Guizen, A. Das, P.N. Vinayachandran and K. Shanker (2022) Connectivity networks and delineation of distinct coastal provinces along the Indian coastline using large-scale Lagrangian transport simulations. Limnology and Oceanography.
  • Kale, N., M. Muralidharan, D.K. Bharti, M. Poti and K. Shanker (2022) The island hoppers: how foraging influences turtle numbers over time and its implications within the Lakshadweep archipelago, India. Endangered Species Research.
  • Bangal, P., H. Sridhar, D. Shizuka, L.N. Vander Meiden and K. Shanker (2022) Influence of flock size on node importance and sub-structures in mixed-species flock networks. Oecologia.

​​New marine research projects:
  • ​We have also deployed and retrieved 10 Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) in the Andaman Islands. Molecular analysis is underway to identify the faunal diversity of these reefs.  ​
  • We are initiating an Indo-French (CEFIPRA) project in collaboration with Dr. Katell Guizien and colleagues at CNRS, France. The project aims to monitor reefs and reef fish using ARMS and Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys (BRUVS), and use oceanographic modelling to understand reef system dynamics towards better conservation and management. 

Research themes

Picture
© Achyuthan Srikanthan

Diversity and distribution

We work on the diversity and distribution of a range of taxa at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We are also interested in large scale altitudinal and latitudinal patterns using integrated models which incorporate neutral theory, ecology and evolution. Our current research includes studies of distribution patterns of birds and plants, and phylogeny and biogeography of snails, frogs, lizards and snakes.
Picture
© Rangu Narayanan/Sonal Kedia

Mixed species foraging 

We are examining the role of positive interspecific interactions in structuring biological communities. Research in our lab focuses on different kinds of interactions including mixed-species foraging groups. We examine the costs and benefits of hetero-specific grouping in diverse systems from bird flocks in tropical forests to schools of marine reef fish. 
Picture
© Prabha Mallya

Marine turtle biology

I started conducting research on sea turtles in 1999 with a project on the molecular ecology of olive ridleys in Odisha. Since then, my team has established long-term monitoring programmes for olive ridleys in Rushikulya (Odisha) and leatherback turtles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. More recently, we have started work on green turtles in the Lakshadweep Islands.