At an ecological scale, we are examining drivers of distribution, and patterns of diversity, across a range of taxa including amphibians, reptiles, birds and plants in terrestrial habitats, and inter-tidal fauna along the coast. Understanding the factors that drive distributions, including environment, dispersal and evolutionary history, can provide insights into emergent patterns of species richness and diversity. The overall goal of our work is to understand patterns of diversity through disentangling the drivers of distribution.
The road from distribution to diversity
Sneha Vijaykumar (Ph.D. thesis) worked on bird distributions in the Western Ghats, and used a range of methods from distribution modelling to multi-variate analysis to determine which environmental variables most influenced the distribution of over 100 species of birds (Vijayakumar, Ph.D. thesis). Navendu Page collected primary data on 450 species on evergreen woody plants across the Western Ghats, and examined patterns of beta diversity as well as the relative influence of environment and space on species composition (Page and Shanker, Journal of Vegetation Science, 2018; Plos One, 2020).
In addition to generating primary datasets to examine these questions, we also build models which combine environment, range and evolution.
Sneha Vijaykumar (Ph.D. thesis) worked on bird distributions in the Western Ghats, and used a range of methods from distribution modelling to multi-variate analysis to determine which environmental variables most influenced the distribution of over 100 species of birds (Vijayakumar, Ph.D. thesis). Navendu Page collected primary data on 450 species on evergreen woody plants across the Western Ghats, and examined patterns of beta diversity as well as the relative influence of environment and space on species composition (Page and Shanker, Journal of Vegetation Science, 2018; Plos One, 2020).
In addition to generating primary datasets to examine these questions, we also build models which combine environment, range and evolution.
Projects
- Addressing the ‘Wallacean Shortfall’ for small vertebrates in the Western Ghats across space and time, 2009-2013, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). (S.P. Vijayakumar)
- Avian Frugivores: Understanding patterns of range and richness in the Western Ghats, 2012-2015, Department of Science and Technology (DST), (Sneha Vijaykumar).
- Macro-scale patterns in species distribution of the intertidal benthic communities along the mainland coast of India and establishment of an indicator based long-term monitoring protocol, 2011-2013, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF). (Naveen Namboothri).
- Assessing the status and distribution of endemic and threatened trees of the Western Ghats, 2011-2012, Rufford Foundation UK, (Navendu Page),
- Avian Frugivores – understanding determinants of distribution and diversity in the Western Ghats, 2010-2011, Rufford Foundation UK, (Sneha Vijaykumar).
