Research
I am a plant ecologist and my research is centered around invasive alien plant species and phylogeography of the mangroves. My studies are focused on countries of the Global South and provide practical and easy-to-implement
a) management measures for the invasive species and
b) conservation insights for the threatened mangrove taxa.
Biological invasion
Biological invasions are considered to be one of the major threats to biodiversity. I want to understand the dynamics of the invasion process, starting from the introduction of an organism into a new environment to its ability to cross different barriers to become an invasive species.
Below are the main themes of my interdisciplinary research:
Field and laboratory experiments
Keywords: Plant traits, Plant community ecology, Soil characteristics, Urban ecology
Characterizing variations in phenotypic traits (above and belowground, vegetative and reproductive) in IAPS (Mikania micrantha Kunth) and linking the variation with biotic (community composition) and abiotic (soil characteristics) factors in an urban context.
Species distribution modelling
Keywords: Ecological niche, Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing
Mapping the current distribution of IAPS using geospatial technologies and predicting their distribution in past, present, and future climate conditions using single (MaxEnt) and ensemble species distribution modeling algorithms.
Data curation
Keywords: Invasive species database
Curating information on multiple variables related to ecology, biogeography, introduction
pathway, socio-economy, and distribution of the IAPS present in India. Detailed information on the ILORA project is here.
Phylogeography
Phylogeography, the study of the genetic and geographic structure of populations and species, formed the core of my postdoc research. I used the knowledge to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of the mangroves as well as for the invasive alien plant species.
Invasive alien plant species
Keywords: Admixture, Gene flow, Microsatellite
Assessing genetic diversity and population structure, and spatial pattern of genetic variation in Mikania micrantha across its invasive range
Mangroves
Keywords: True mangroves, Mangrove-associates, chloroplast DNA, nuclear DNA
Assessing the geographic distribution of genetic variation of the mangroves in the Indo-West Pacific region and identifying the phylogeographic factors influencing their present-day distribution