TBA

TBA

Predicting species distribution in space and time is one of the most interesting questions in ecology. The most important factors affecting species distribution in a habitat are environmental factors such as climate, resource distribution, etc. and dispersal factors such as barriers. Recent studies highlight the importance of functional traits along with environmental factors in influencing the species distributions in a landscape. An understanding of local processes acting within a habitat patch and properties of the landscape, which includes the connectivity between patches and matrix properties, may still not be sufficient to explain population density and distribution patterns, because the response of species to these ecological conditions may depend on species-specific or even population-specific traits, such as body size, behaviour and other functional traits. In this chapter I try to look at the distribution patterns of a butterfly community in a naturally fragmented forest-grassland landscape. I am planning to access species responses to local and landscape features along with the functional traits of the species as a way of understanding species distribution patterns. I propose to use this understanding to test relationships between landscape composition, and population density patterns of butterfly species and predict their relative vulnerability to habitat change.

TBA

TBA

ICARUS, short for 'International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space', is a global collaboration of animal scientists to establish a satellite based infrastructure for global observation of small objects such as migratory birds, bats, or sea turtles. The tags for icarus are small, lighweight (less than 5gm) and have global coverage. I will present the vision of ICARUS project and the idea of using animals as sensors for our planet (Internet Of Animals). India is home to many long distant migrants and boasts of vast diversity in wildlife. Since, it is a global effort, we at Max Planck want Indian research community to join us from the start. ICARUS is providing us exciting opportunity for cutting edge science in movement and behavior studies. Additionally, it opens doors for understanding and highlighting the direct impact of govt. policies, human development and destruction of flora and fauna. There are various threats facing wildlife in India and around the globe. In order to make the big picture successful we invite involvement from the institutions within India. The support of researchers studying Indian wildlife is crucial for our plans of involving the Indian space agency (ISRO) in near future.

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