Ongoing projects

Database of alien vascular flora

It is widely acknowledged that biological invasions are now a major global challenge for the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. However, response capacities in emerging economies are rarely adequate to deal with this pertinent threat. Although the existing country-level checklists are crucial tools for the effective management of alien plant invasions, a comprehensive national database integrating socio-economic, geographical, and ecological attributes of alien plant species may aid in advancing current research and policy directions by many folds.

Indian component

This project was initiated in early 2020 with the aim to develop a curated database of the alien vascular flora of India. The database framework is now ready, and it presently contains 14 attributes for 1747 alien plant species in India. The database is known by the name of ILORA (Indian Alien Flora Information). The database has scopes for bidirectional information exchange with the user and has the potential to become a nationwide collaborative platform for the scientific community.

Published research:

The database was published and made accessible for research without any restriction, given that the data paper is properly cited.
Based on the introduction pathways and current economic uses of the invasive alien plant species in India, we proposed a set of policy interventions, identified potential hurdles for the effective implementation of such policies in India, and outlined a dynamic decentralized system with a standard operating procedure.
By considering 13 variables related to biogeography, introduction pathways, uses, functional traits, and distribution for 715 species belonging to three invasion categories, we identified the relative influence of these biotic and abiotic factors on the successful naturalization and invasion of alien plant species.
Given that global databases like the GBIF are often not exhaustive and poorly represent the actual distribution of the invasive alien plant species in the country, we compiled occurrence data for these species from literature records and herbarium sheets. Our data set supplemented the GBIF data by 60.39% and added new occurrence information for 64 invasive and naturalized alien plant species in India.

Ongoing research:

Large-scale predictive modelling to identify the invasion hotspots in India
Characterizing realized climatic niche shift of invasive alien plant species in India and identifying the influence of biotic and abiotic variables on it

Details of the project are available here: https://ilora2020.wixsite.com/ilora2020

The project updates are also available through ResearchGate: Click HERE

The publications are available HERE

Chinese component

Making a similar database of the alien vascular flora of China was initiated in 2021. The basic framework of the database was completed in 2022. Although the database has information on 912 alien species, the data resolution of the 14 variables is finer than its Indian counterpart in terms of having more regional data. Similar to the Indian database, this one is dynamic and continuously updated with new information.

Published research:

Since internet trade acts as a dispersal pathway of non-native plant species that is difficult to monitor, we first focused on the socio-economic component of the database. We found that over 30% of 811 alien plant species were offered for sale in online marketplaces with the dominance of invasive aliens. The existing phytosanitary regulations in China are inadequate to manage the e-trading of these species. Therefore, we proposed a policy framework that integrates a standardized risk assessment framework and is adaptable based on continuous surveillance of the trade network.

Ongoing research:

Assessment of Darwin's naturalization conundrum across the invasion stages and at multiple spatio-temporal scales (based on the phylogenetic relationship between species)
Identifying the relative influence of biotic and abiotic variables on the residence time of alien species
Characterizing realized and fundamental climatic niche shift of invasive alien plant species in China

The publications are available HERE

Molecular understanding of phenotypic variation in invasive plant

Phenotypic variation, one of the strategies of successful invasion, can be influenced by genetic diversity and environmental influences or the interaction between the two. In absence of standing genetic variation, the plasticity of ecologically relevant traits of a genotype may also influence invasion success. Epigenetic modifications have been recognized as the key mechanism behind plastic responses of plant traits to environmental cues and microevolution of natural populations. Understanding these molecular mechanisms behind phenotypic variation has received little attention for invasive plant species in particular.

The proposed research work is therefore designed to – 1) identify the mechanisms (standing genetic variation, environmental induction and/or their interaction) behind phenotypic variation in invasive plant species, 2) disentangle the effects of genetic and epigenetic regulation on phenotypic variation and to identify transgenerational inheritance of epigenetic changes, and 3) assess ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation between native and invasive congeneric species. These objectives will be tested for an invasive plant species Mikania micrantha and its native congener Mikania cordata across three environmental gradients in part of their distribution ranges in southern China and Taiwan.

Duration: 2021-2022

Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Research Fund for International Young Scientists

The project updates are available in ResearchGate: Click HERE

Past, present and future distribution of mangroves in the Indo-West Pacific - a niche modelling approach

The tropical and subtropical intertidal plant communities are dominated by mangroves, a heterogeneous group of plant species capable of growing within reach of the tides in salty soil due to having a range of morphological, physiological and reproductive adaptations. The mangroves provide a range of essential ecosystem services. However, over-exploitation, climate change, natural geographic events and cryptic ecological degradation have brought these valuable natural resources to a face of extinction in the foreseeable future. Understanding their distribution across time (e.g., delineating the refugial locations, potential distribution under future climate change scenarios) may provide important clues for conservation measures of these valuable natural resources.

This project aims to identify the past, present and future distribution of a number of widespread mangrove taxa in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) region. The IWP has been considered as the hotspot of mangrove biodiversity, and has experienced multiple vicariance events over the past 50 million years which has shaped the current distribution of many higher taxa. Species distribution will be modelled by considering both climatic and demographic explanatory variables in an environmental niche modelling framework.

Duration: 2021-2022

Funding: As available to the Co-PI of this project (SYSU internal and extramural research funding)

Achyut Kumar Banerjee