Departmental Seminar at CES on 18 January 2023 at 3:00 pm titled "Trespassing neighbours: Comparing Plant-Pollinator Interactions in Primary Forest versus Invasive-Dominated Habitats" by Anisha Mandal from PhD Student, CES, IISc

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Topic: 
Trespassing neighbours: Comparing Plant-Pollinator Interactions in Primary Forest versus Invasive-Dominated Habitats
Speaker: 
Anisha Mandal, PhD Student, CES, IISc
Date & Time: 
18 Jan 2023 - 3:00pm
Event Type: 
Departmental Seminar
Venue: 
CES Seminar Hall, 3rd Floor, Biological Sciences Building
Coffee/Tea: 
Before the talk
Abstract:

The mutualistic link between plants and pollinators plays a key role in ecosystem functioning. The topology of a native plant-pollinator network can be altered as alien plant species invade. Invasive (plant) species can displace native plants, reducing the number of plant species available for pollinators to visit and potentially affecting the reproductive success of native plants. Invasive plants can thrive in a variety of climates, and so are often difficult to control once they establish. Effective management strategies are necessary to prevent the spread of alien plants to protect native ecosystems.  I aim to compare plant-pollinator in primary forest versus invasive-dominate habitats (IDH), within Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (EWS) in Arunachal Pradesh. In EWS, low-elevation settlements were abandoned over 15 years ago, and the land is now dominated by three main invasive plants - Ageratum conyzoides, Chromolaena odorata, and Micania macrantha. In the first chapter, I will compare the structure of plant-pollinator networks, with respect to their composition, diversity, abundance, and seasonal differences. For chapter 2, I propose to explore various invasive species management practices to lessen the adverse effects of invasive plants on native plants and to restore native vegetation on IDH. For the third chapter, I propose to conduct pollination exclusion experiments to quantitatively estimate pollinator efficiency and to determine plants’ fitness. For my final chapter, I propose to explore the impacts of invasive plants as neighbouring competitors/facilitators to native plants, to attract pollinators. I will compare native floral visitors' frequency and reproductive success of native plants in the forest interior (away from invasives) with forest edges (closer to invasives). The outcomes from this research will help us to better understand the influences of invasive plants on native habitats, and this will enhance our knowledge to restore invasive-dominated landscapes to native forests.