4^th International Conference on Biodiversity June 15-17, 2015 Las Vegas, USA

Biography:

Chioma Nwakanma has completed her Ph.D at the age of 30 years from University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is a Lecturer in the College of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. She has published more than 17 papers in reputed journals and has Professional affi liations both local and International

Abstract:

Fish is a proteinous animal which plays a vital role in the protection and prevention of human diseases. DNA barcoding which uses the 50 region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit as the target gene was implored as an effi cient tool in the identifi cation of fish species in the Enugu Metropolis River (Nike Lake and Abakpa River). 10-20mg fi sh tissue sample of 18 species were extracted for DNA using Promega kit. Th e polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify short sequences of mitochondrial DNA, which were denatured and analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (native PAGE), for detection of single strand conformation. Polymorphism species specifi c muscle alignment patterns of DNA bands were obtained for Chrischthys sp, Parachinna sp, Ctenopoma sp, Tilapia sp and for a number of Clarias species. Out of the 18 fi sh species, only 15 fi sh samples were analysed using their genomic make-up, 4 out of the 15 samples (Parachinna obscura-2) (Clarias sp -2) did not show statistical signifi cant evidence of spatial genetic diff erentiation in their nucleotides despite the enormous geographical distance separating populations. The morphological studies on this fi sh species have shown that these lines of evidence are taxonomically important and also partial diff erences in genomic nucleotide base pairs when noticed. This diff erence is the polymorphism, which is the key to fl agging new specie in a particular genus can be attributed to environmental changes and diversity.

Biography:

Weiwen Zhang is a Professor of Microbiology and Biochemical Engineering, Head of Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology in the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology of Tianjin University in China. Prior to joining Tianjin University, he was a Faculty with Biodesign Institute and the School of Life Science of Arizona State University for 2007-2011, and a Senior Scientist at Microbiology Department with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 2002-2007. He has broad research experience in microbial genetics, physiology and synthetic biology, has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed scientifi c papers. His recent research focuses on synthetic biology of photosynthetic microorganisms and analysis of microbial consortia.

Abstract:

Microbial syntrophic metabolism has been well accepted as the heart of how methanogenic and other anaerobic microbial communities function. In this work, we applied a single-cell RT-qPCR approach to reveal gene-expression heterogeneity in a model syntrophic system of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanosarcina barkeri, as compared with the D.vulgaris monoculture. Using the optimized primers and single-cell analytical protocol, we quantitatively determine geneexpression levels of 6 selected target genes in each of the 120 single cells of D. vulgaris isolated from its monoculture and dualculture with M. barkeri. Th e results demonstrated very signifi cant cell-to-cell gene-expression heterogeneity for the selected D.vulgaris genes in both the monoculture and the syntrophic dual-culture. Interestingly, no obvious increase in gene expression heterogeneity for the selected genes was observed for the syntrophic dual-culture when compared with its monoculture, although the community structure and cell-cell interactions have become more complicated in the syntrophic dual-culture. In addition, the single-cell RT-qPCR analysis also provided further evidence that the gene cluster (DVU0148-DVU0150) may be involved syntrophic metabolism between D. vulgaris and M. barkeri. Finally, the study validated that single-cell RT qPCR analysis could be a valuable tool in deciphering gene functions and metabolism in mixed-cultured microbial communities.

Biography:

Muhammad Jusuf Yakub has completed his Ph.D at the age of 37 years from Mississippi State University, USA. Now, he is the Researcher at Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development especially working on sweet potato breeding at Indonesian Legume and Tuber Crops Research Institute based in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. He has published more than 15 papers in reputed journals.

Abstract:

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the major food sources in Indonesia. Based on the pehnotypic diversity in local cultivars, Indonesia is considered to be a secondary center of genetic diversity of sweet potato. Local cultivars and landraces serve as source of genetic variability, they could be used as gene donors in variety improvement program. Th erefore, the collection and germplasm conservation of sweet potato are very important in order to maintain the full range of genetics variability within the species. Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) through its research institutions have been exploring, collecting, conserving, evaluating sweet potato germplasm and developing improved varieties. To date, 1321 accessions have been introduced to gene bank at IAARD and these materials represent native cultivars from several provinces in Indonesia. Morphological characterization has been done on all accessions while DNA analysis has been carried out on 600 accessions under the collaboration with Kyushu and Okinawa National Research Center of Japan. All of the collected accessions are being conserved in the fi eld and concrete pavement. Until now, twenty six varieties of sweet potato have been released in Indonesia for diff erents purposes such as for table uses, processing (industrial) types and pig feeds.Among these 26 varieties, fourteen varieties are for table uses, three varieties for processing purposes, two varieties with high beta carotene content, three varieties with high anthocyanin content and four varieties adapted to high altitudes.

Biography:

Ravindra Kumar Sinha has been carrying out researches for conservation of the faunal diversity of the Ganges River system in Indian sub-continent since last over three decades, with special focus on the Ganges River dolphin. The dolphin has been given status of National Aquatic Animal of India. Prof. Sinha has over one hundred publications to his credit. He is member of Species Survival Commission of IUCN. His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands awarded Prof. Sinha with The Order of the Golden Ark of The Netherlands in 1999 as an international recognition of his efforts to conserve the Ganges biodiversity in general and the Ganges River dolphin in particular.

Abstract:

Rivers have played a critical role in the growth of human civilizations across the globe and have been well-known as habitats of thousands of biota including turtles, crocodiles as well as mammals such as dolphins and otters. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) River Basin has 0.12% of the world's land mass where more than 10% of the world's human population resides. Most of the rivers in the basin originate from the Himalayas. The biodiversity of these rivers is characterised by high species richness, by the occurrence of many rare, endangered, threatened species, many endemics and charismatic species of great interest (Ganges River dolphin, Gavialis, Otter). Most of the studies on riverine biodiversity have focussed mostly on fishes and occasionally on benthic macro-invertebrates; phyto and zooplankton, and few on higher vertebrates (dolphin, otter, Gavialis and turtles). Similarly birds entirely dependent upon the rivers have received little attention. Though the biodiversity of the GBM Basin has been documented to some extent but their role in functioning of river ecosystems have not been adequately understood or investigated. Practically all components of biodiversity contribute to waste processing function, and thereby result in maintaining high water quality and productivity. Biodiversity is threatened mainly by the loss or degradation of the habitats mostly due to ever-increasing storage, diversion and abstraction of water to meet the growing and divergent human needs through a variety of engineering interventions (dams, barrages, tunnels, embankments, canals) which have altered the flow drastically to the extent that many stretches of even large rivers remain dry for most of the year; loss of longitudinal and lateral connectivity due to constructions of dams/barrages and embankments, respectively; as well as discharge of both domestic and industrial waste waters. Other major threats are man-made changes in land-use pattern, intensive agriculture, urbanization and industrialization, mining etc. which contribute to flow alteration, pollution and sediment load. The paper deals with conservation of riverine biodiversity in the GBM Basin with special efforts to understand the structure and functioning of the river system and factors which govern and regulate the biodiversity as well as a proper assessment of the threats with measures to address the threats.

Biography:

J I R Udotong received her Ph.D in Biochemical Toxicology from University of Calabar, Nigeria in 2004. She has participated in various professional training in Europe and Nigeria. Her Research interest includes indoor air pollution, environmental monitoring, health risk assessment, environmental and hospital waste management and uptake of pollutants from contaminated soils and water. She has attended academic conferences in India, Parma, Fano, United States and has also visited Rome and Israel. She currently lectures in the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Clinical Sciences, University of Uyo, Nigeria. She is a member of Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) and Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN).

Abstract:

Toxicity of copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and lead (Pb) to tilapia fish was conducted using the simple arithmetic graphic method. In each experiment, a control (distilled water) and graded concentrations of the test metals were used. Observations for fish mortality and subsequent removal of dead fishes were made hourly for 4 days. Percent mortality was calculated for each of the heavy metals and 96-hr LC50 for Cu, Fe and Pb for tilapia fish were determined to be 0.44 mg/l, 0.96 mg/l and 2.85 mg/l, respectively. Of interest was the result obtained on biological productivity in the Aquaria containing 2.85mg/l of Pb within seven (7) days from the start of the experiment. Biological productivity and thus high diversity were observed in the case of Cu and Fe when the period was lengthened to fourteen (14) days. As against scientific believe that Pb is highly toxic to humans, this study showed that Pb pollution in a freshwater ecosystem encourages high rate of biological productivity and thus high diversity; thus confirming that heavy metals have differing effects on biological productivity and diversity in the ecosystem. Lead (Pb), whose response is dictated by the dose which may depend on mobility and bioavailability, was therefore identified by this work as a trigger factor to eutrophication.

Biography:

Rajan Kumar Gupta has worked on Ecophysiology of Antarctic Cyanobacteria for his PhD degree with Late Prof. A.K. Kashyap of Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. For the past twenty years he has been working on various aspects of Antarctic microflora. He was deputed by Govt. of India for his participation as Biological Scientist in Antarctica twice. He has participated in XI and XIV Indian Scientific Expeditions to Antarctica during 1991-92 and 1994-95. He has visited several countries like Mauritius, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, South Africa and Belgium, Singapore, Sri Lanka etc. for presentation of his work on different aspects of algae. He has worked on various aspects of cyanobacteria, i.e., morphology, ecology and nitrogen fixation, biotechnological applications and published more than 108 technical papers in various national and overseas journals and 7 reference (research) books entitled “Glimpses of Cyanobacteria”, “Advances in Applied Phycology”, “Soil Microflora”, “Microbial Biotechnology and Ecology Vol-1 Vol-2”, “Diversity: An Overview” and “Diversity of Lower Plants”. He is a recipient of Research Award from University Grants Commission, New Delhi. He is member of number of organizations in India and abroad. He is the Fellow of the Society for Environment and Ecoplanning and International Botanical Society and chaired various sessions in the conferences in India and abroad. Presently, he is teaching Microbiology and Biotechnology in Department of Botany, Dr. P.D.B.H. Govt. P.G. College, Kotdwar (Pauri), Uttarakhand, India.

Abstract:

Comparatively speaking Antarctic land is almost lifeless, the Antarctic seas are among the most productive seas in the world. The interior of the continent is too hostile to sustain biological life, but a variety of life abounds its edges and adjacent waters. The species of the Polar regions are a few but the numbers of each are many. The present study was made with reference to algal floral diversity in the Shirmacher Oasis (SO) of the Antarctica. Thirty species of algae were recorded, predominantly belonging to blue-green algae (Cyanophyceae). Nitrogen fixing species both heterocystous and unicellular diazotrophs, contributed more than 50% of the counts and their dominance was greatest in the middle of the stream where nitrogen and other nutrients were low. Green algae and diatoms also contributed to the flora. The species composition varied between streams. Glacial and snow drift melt water species contained a distinctive community. Based on the diversity indices, these streams were classified into clusters.

Biography:

Okore Oghale O’woma born, raised and trained in Nigeria. Oghale had her fi rst Degree in Zoology from the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. As a young and explorative lady, eager to learn and acquire more knowledge, she proceeded to the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia state Nigeria where she had her M.Sc. Entomology under the tutelage of Prof. M. C. Eluwa ; the same University she completed her National Youth Service. She was later employed in the University as an Academic staff. Oghale proceeded for the Doctorate degree in same University in the field of Entomology with interest in Entomophagy. Her interest in the study of insects is overwhelming. Impacting knowledge to others is one of her greatest delights.

Abstract:

The physico-chemical as well as Macro invertebrate characteristics of Anya stream in Amaoba community, Abia state was studied over a period of 5 months. The stream was investigated in 3 different outlined stations based on degree of human interaction and the plant community along the length of the stream. The result indicated that human interaction influence to an extent the physico-chemical parameter of the water. The phosphate value recorded was between 0.67±0.22 to 0.77±0.18 mg/l. Total hardness ranged between 7.66±0.06 to 20.33±9.16mg/l while dissolved oxygen recorded 0.73±0.13 to 3.76±0.56 mg/l. The rainfall amount recorded within the period of study had influence on some of the parameters. The surface water temperature was lower in the wet months than in the dry ones. The nitrate concentration increased with an increase in the rainfall amount recorded. All parameters assessed except for the pH and total phosphate fell within the acceptable standard of World Health, Organization (WHO), Standard of Nigeria (SON), European Economic Community (EEC), Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV).There was significant difference in the monthly concentrations of theses chemical parameters when subjected to Duncan and LSD analysis. However when the various stations were analyzed, there was no significant difference. A check list of the planktonic abundance and macro invertebrates revealed a total of five zooplankton species, four phytoplankton and six macro invertebrates. The zooplanktons encountered include Water flea, Branchionus plicatilis, Cyclops sp., calanus hyperboreus and Moina sp. The phytoplanktons included the following species Spirogyra, Euglena, Green algae, Blue-green algae while the macroinvertebrates were Water strider, Dragon flies, Damsel flies, Beetles, Water bugs, immature stages of Mosquitoes (larva, pupa) and the adults respectively. Chlorophycene (spirogyra), had the highest cell density of phytoplankton with a percentage of 100.0% obtained from a total of 184 cells/ml from four broad groups of phytoplankton, based on the result and following standard criteria, the stream could be said to be suitable for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses, however basic treatment can help improve the portability of water especially for drinking.

Biography:

Jacob Solomon Raju Aluri is working in Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, India. He was the Visiting Professor of University of Colima, Mexico, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow of University of Akron, USA. He received Distinguished Achievement Award of University of Akron, USA, Best Research Award and Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Best Academician Award of Andhra University, Loyola Environmental and AP Scientist Awards APCOST. He published 300 papers and attended 75 national and 50 International conferences held in India, USA, Canada, UK, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Tanzania. He is the reviewer for Elsevier, Springer, Indian, US and African publishers.

Abstract:

Insects visit flowers for their sustenance. They use pollen as protein source and nectar as energy source. The pollen they inevitably lose in going from flower to flower is important to plants for pollination. Different insects have different pollinating abilities depending on the floral density and floral morphological and functional characteristics. The interactions between insects and flowers appear to have led to the evolution of certain traits in them for mutualistic benefits. Insects require food throughout the year. Perennial, annual and ephemeral plants play a vital role in sustaining insects. These plants flower at different times and thus provide food to insects throughout the year. Among different plants, perennials, especially trees are very important to sustain insect diversity. In return, plants receive the benefit of self or cross-pollination. Among the insects, bees, wasps and butterflies were observed on different plant species that flower at different times of the year. The field work coupled with lab work indicated that both generalist and specialist pollination syndromes exist. Certain plants use all available insects for pollination while certain other plants have specialized floral traits that are adapted to particular classes of insects. In the Eastern Ghats forest, dry season is very crucial for the local insects due to the dearth of forage, this is because a few tree species flower at this time and serve as keystone plant species for the structural and functional integrity of the ecosystem. Further, in the study, some self-incompatible and obligately outcrossing endemic and endangered plant species have been encountered and they are obligately dependent on certain categories of insects for their fruit/seed set. The studies indicated that insect-flower interactions mostly mutualistic and their relationships are the basis for the continued existence of biodiversity in this forest ecosystem.

Biography:

Omoyemwen Edo-Taiwo is a Ph.D student in the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. Interesting results have emanated from her research work which is still ongoing and some of these have been communicated at conferences. She is currently an Assistant Lecturer in the same University and also a member of the Departmental Welfare Committee. She has three publications in both national and international journals and has written other papers from her research work which is being considered for publication.

Abstract:

Agricultural activities could lead to deforestation with resultant consequences on biodiversity. Biodiversity is supported by forests which invariably provide habitat for wildlife. Habitat loss and habitat degradation usually increase the threat faced by amphibian populations. In the tropics, the largest percentage of human land-use is agriculture because it is the economic mainstay of many African countries. The increasing use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals especially in cocoa farming are most likely to affect the existence and health of amphibians. An area can be made unsuitable for amphibian reproduction and survival by land-use changes in some cases but in some other a reasonable subset of original amphibian community could still be supported by disturbed/converted areas. Data on amphibian diversity in cocoa plantations are lacking. This study therefore aimed at determining species richness, relative abundance and community composition of amphibians in cocoa plantations. This study was conducted in August 2012-October 2013 in cocoa plantations located in a transitional forest of southwestern Nigeria (60 45’N, 50 17’E). The plantations are transverse by pockets of streams. Amphibians were collected from their breeding sites in puddles and streams as well as from vegetation within the plantations. A combination of visual (VES) and acoustic (AES) encounter survey was used. All amphibians were collected by hand at night (7.00 p.m to 1.00 a.m). Collected specimens were identified following laid down protocols. Each identified species was photographed and the snout- vent length (SVL) was taken. Nine hundred and twelve amphibians belonging to 7 families, 10 genera and 36 species were encountered. Twenty-three identified species of amphibian were presented while 13 species were unidentified.

Biography:

Ogbulie Toochukwu Ekwutosi has completed her Ph.D at the age of 34 years from Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Nigeria. She has also obtained additional qualification as Registered Environmental Scientist by NREP, USA in 2008. She is a senior Lecturer in the Department of Biotechnology, FUTO, Nigeria. She has published more than 30 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of Analele Universitatii din Oradea – Fascicula Biologie, Romania. She is a member of societal bodies as Society for Applied Microbiology UK (SFAM), Graduate Women in Science GWIS USA, and Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).

Abstract:

Agricultural soil samples from mapped out areas for the study were aseptically collected with sterile plastic sample containers and microbiologically analyzed to isolate autochthonous microbial flora. Seeds of four annual crops including Vigna unguiculata var unguiculata, Mucuna pruriens, Zea mays and T. occidentalis used were planted on the test soil and polluted with Bonny light crude oil twenty eight (28) days after plant growth. Thirty days after pollution, soil samples were collected within the rhizosphere of the test plants and examined microbiologically to isolate persisting microorganisms in the polluted soil. The variation in degradation of n-alkanes was ascertained using Gas chromatographic analysis on test soil samples and compared with the control. The pre microbial lab analysis of the soil under study revealed culturally, the presence of Penicillum sp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Candida sp., Pseudomonas fluorescence, Acinetobacter baumanni, Bacillus mycoides, Klebsiella sp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli whereas the absence of the last two isolates was observed during post microbial analyses. The results of the GC analysis on comparison to the control sample depict that plants kept in the green house were able to degrade alkanes within the range of C7 to C 12 and C32 to C40 while samples in the field degraded alkanes within the range C7 to C15 and C36 to C40. M. pruriens degraded C13 in addition. This study could be a promising tool in conversion of crude oil in contaminated agricultural soil to less toxic substances for enhanced remediation.

Biography:

I am approaching the end of my PhD candidate in the department of Geography, University of Portsmouth. I hold a Bachelor of Technology B Tech. degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi in Nigeria and a Masters’ degree MSc in Coastal and Marine Resource Management from the University of Portsmouth. I have been working with the Nigeria’s National Boundary Commission since 2003 and severally held various positions cutting across administration, research & policy analysis, interstate boundaries and maritime boundaries & geo-informatics departments. Some of the positions I held include Admin Officer II, Planning Officer I, research officer I, Senior Planning Officer and Principal Planning Officer to date. I have been appointed as the Desk Officer, Nigeria-Sao Tome & Principe maritime boundary since 2011. My current investigation is continuing to build on my previous study that looked at the sustainable management of marine resources along the Gulf of Guinea; most specifically on the applicability of applying the Transboundary Waters Programme-Large Marine Ecosystems (TWAP-LME) indicators to examine marine fishery sustainability in an area that may be referred to as an area of sub-LME scale within an identified LME. Some of teaching-related duties I have been involved in include Coastal and Marine Resource Management marine policy and conservation unit, postgraduate tutorials on the concept of Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) framework and assessment in addition to assisting the course leader in preparation of workshops, seminars and invigilating poster presentations.

Abstract:

In 1999, the officials of the Nigerian and Sao Tome & Principe’s governments embarked upon delineating their maritime boundary. They discovered that the two nations’ maritime boundary overlapped as a result of establishing their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); and this area of overlap was found to have enormous hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon resources. Several meetings and negotiations ensured and the area of overlap designated a joint development zone (JDZ). The aim of the research is to evaluate the viability and effectiveness of implementing the recently published Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme-Large Marine Ecosystem TWAP LME indicators to the Nigeria-Sao Tome & Principe Joint Development Zone (JDZ)-an area of sub-LME scale- given the characteristics of the JDZ and particularly the extent of Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing around the area. An interview and questionnaire survey was conducted on some selected stakeholders where findings revealed a clear lack of information exchange among critical stakeholders, inadequate attention to living resource exploitation in a joint development designated to cover both living and non-living resources, lack of a coherent mechanism to tackle issues of IUU fishing practices among others and most importantly lack of or ignorance on the use and employment of indicators for marine ecosystem assessment as encouraged by scientists. The analysis further revealed inadequate institutional frameworks in place for designating where the two nations’ jurisdictions starts and ends. This is because some of the stakeholders find it difficult to draw a line to their exact areas of jurisdiction in terms of asserting controls over the transboundary marine fishery resources. Although the 1995 agreement on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks is expected to take care of such difficulty; it is noteworthy that some of the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RMFOs) around the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) do not have jurisdictions over all the GOG countries thereby making apportionment of control difficult albeit confusing. Results from the survey was further compared and evaluated against international best practices from which recommendations emerged and examples from other successful applications such as the North Sea on the use and deployment of indicators for marine resource assessment especially in joint development context are drawn. It is therefore the conclusion of this paper that lessons learnt, when applied to the research area may simplify these difficulties and probably be applied elsewhere in a similar scenario. While more explicit legal dimension and interpretations of such situations are recommended for further research with a view to identifying where legal instruments such the 1995 agreement are optimal or sub-optimal in terms of proffering adequate solutions to such imbroglios. This is expected to put to rest jurisdictional issues from among a variety of stakeholders in a joint development arrangement over shared marine fishery resources in addition to contributing towards developing sub-LME indicators.

Biography:

Ballagere Puttaraju Harini has done M.Sc. Ph.D from University of Mysore, Mysore. Field of specialization in Drosophila Cytogenetics & Evolutionary genetics. She has been awarded UPG: JRF; UPG:SRF ; CSIR:SRF; DBT: Project Associate; DBT: Post Doctoral Fellow. She has done her Post doctoral in National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore (2001-2003) and she appointed as an Assistant Professor at Bangalore University in 2003. Three Major Research Projects awarded from UGC, BRNS & DST, Govt. of India. Honoured Fellow of FISBT (2010) from International Society of Biotechnology. Guided 12 M.Phil and 04 Ph.D students. Published about 40 Research papers in national and international reputed journals with high impact factor to mention few Int J. of Biodiver & Conser.Genetica, BMC Int J. of Evolu Bioly, Current Science etc. & presented research findings in 55 national & international conferences. Member of various organization ISCA, ISCB, ISHG & ISBT.

Abstract:

Environment and termite distribution always complement each other for bringing morphological variation, the study help us to understand the reason for its prevalence and also variation. In view of this, the current work is a continuation of the contribution to the taxonomic understanding of the species in terms of intercolonial variations among the soldier castes of different species. The study is based on the collection of termite samples from different localities of Jnanabharathi (JB), Bangalore University Karnataka, and India. Morphometric variations among the soldier samples from thirty three nests of five species namely, Odontotermesceylonicus (Wasmann), O. horni(Wasmann), O. obesus (Rambur), O. redemanni (Wasmann) and Trinervitermesbiformis (Wasmann) (Isoptera, Termitidae). The reliability of the measurements depends on the extent of variability of the morphological structures observed between the colonies. Further, the five species recorded were clustered based on coding the mean values followed by Manhattan distance.The Tukey-Kramer test values were coded followed by Mcquity distance andthe dendrograms obtained were compared to ascertain the extent of the morphological relationship among the species.

Biography:

I R Udotong received his Ph.D in Applied / Environmental Microbiology from the Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2000. He has worked in multi-national Oil & Gas Industries and participated in some professional training programs in Europe and Nigeria. His current research interest includes Metagenomics of the Niger Delta environment, Environmental monitoring and Waste management in the oil & Gas Industries. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Nigeria, having risen through the ranks to the rank of a Professor of Environmental Microbiology in 2007. He is a member of the Nigerian Society of Microbiology (NSM); Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) and Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN).

Abstract:

Environmental pollution due to oil and gas exploration and production (O&G E&P) wastes disposal and oil spills following several decades of irresponsible practices and neglects by the operating companies and over-dependence of government on the oil sector remains the major problem in the oil-producing communities in Nigeria. Studies to ascertain the ecological status of a remote Aviation fuel-contaminated sediment of a lentic ecosystem in Ibeno, Nigeria, have been have been carried out using standard microbiological culture - dependent methods which captures only <1% of all microorganisms present in a sample. The results from these studies were therefore inaccurate and grossly misleading. In this study, sediment samples from this lentic ecosystem in Ibeno, Nigeria previously polluted by Aviation fuel in 2001 (about 14 years ago) were collected and analyzed to assess its microbial diversity using standard microbiological culture - dependent techniques as well as the use of metagenomic techniques involving community DNA extraction, sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Standard microbiological culture - dependent techniques revealed the presence of only six (6) genera of bacteria and four (4) genera of fungi. The results of metagenomics studies of same sample revealed that the ecosystem harbors complex microbial consortia as shown by the phylogenetic dendrogram to include members of the bacterial, archaeal and eukarya genera. These results corroborate the ‘great plate count anomaly’ principle and demonstrate that the use of metagenomic techniques will redefine the actual ecological status of the environment.

Biography:

Sheikh Saeed Ahmad has done his Ph.D in Plant Sciences (Environmental Biology) from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan (2006).Currently working as an Associate Professor in the department of Environmental Sciences at Fatima Jinnah Women University. Won several achievements including six Research projects in which 3 are completed and three are ongoing projects and also participated in several International trainings & Conferences. Got HEC best university teacher award (2011) and Research Productivity Award for four consecutive years (2010-2013). Published more than hundred Papers in International Journals and Several Books are authored.

Abstract:

The present study was conducted at Korang River, Islamabad to identify plants communities grouping and quantification of floristic composition using ordination techniques. Data collection was done for herbaceous flora. Random sampling approach was applied using quadrat of 1×1 square meters. Visual cover estimation was noted down for each plant. A whole of 21 species according to 14 families were identified. TWINSPAN (Two Way Indicator Species Analysis) classified 4 sub-communities, named as Ajuga-Xanthium, Plantago-Malvastrum, Oxalis-Euphorbia and Coronopus-Parthenium. DCA (Detrended Correspondence Analysis) results demarcated four groups and the frequent species were Cannabis sativa, Cynodondactylon and Coronopusdidymus. Multidimensional scaling or nonmetric multidimensional scaling was used to extract nonlinear variables in composition of species. The whole dataset was evaluated by Monte Carlo test in order to evaluate stress/pressure as dimensionality function.

Biography:

Marija Minic has a Master of Sciences in Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Leeds in the U.K. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, she became familiar with the vegetation and birds of the Carolinian forests of southern Ontario, then travelled to Hong Kong for 4.5 years, where she studied the effects of boat traffic on the diving behaviour of the Chinese white dolphin (sub-population of the Indo-Pacifi c humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis). Also in Asia, she worked in the rain forest of Negros Island in the Philippines, then moved to the Mojave Desert in 2008, where she has worked on desert fl ora and fauna, with an emphasis on Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), to the present. She will speak on the effects of large-scale solar plants on Mojave desert wildlife.

Abstract:

The need for greater development of clean energies including solar technology has been generally well received by the public and is widely accepted as a necessary shift to reduce dependence on foreign oil and domestic coal while allowing for continued energy consumption rates. However, the placement of large-scale solar installations has proven problematic for wildlife and threatens to degrade and fragment habitat. Currently, many project sites are located in remote areas, great distances from the cities they are intended to serve. This results in considerable energy loss during transmittal from source to sink as well as collateral environmental impacts on sensitive desert environments. Habitat amount is positively correlated with biodiversity across taxa and one of the greatest threats is human land use resulting in loss, fragmentation and degradation of habitat. Many species are impacted by this development. The Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a federally threatened species is endemic to the Mojave and often found in high densities in solar development areas. This species requires ecological heterogeneity and has a large home range (≥1 km2). Strategies for recovery include protecting existing tortoise populations while reducing habitat loss which is presently at odds with large-scale solar installation placement in the southwest. Currently, translocation and monitoring are accepted minimization strategies; however, neither addresses habitat loss which is essential for recovering populations. Additionally, many species of birds including songbirds, raptors and waterfowl living in or migrating through the Mojave, fly directly over solar energy development zones. Due to the remote placement of installations in previously undisturbed areas factors such as the appearance of arrays as bodies of water to passing birds has resulted in large losses (3504 bird mortalities from October 2013-October 2014) which are likely to continue and could lead to substantial population declines across avian species. A solution to this issue which allows for continued development of solar energy while maintaining intact wilderness areas for the sustainable existence and support of southwestern biodiversity is sitting solar installations closer to the urban centers they feed. Not only would this result in a more efficient transfer of energy, it allows for environmentally responsible solar energy development with a reduced footprint and respect for the unique ecological diversity and sensitivity of the American southwest.

Biography:

Hosein Arzani has done his Ph.D on range managament and his research interests are range management, range monitoring, forage quality and RS. Currently he is a professor for College of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran and he has written eight books and published one hundred papers.

Abstract:

This paper follows FAO model of suitability analysis. Influential factors affecting extensive grazing are determined and converted into a model. 6 different regions with different climate and features in Iran were examined for common types of grazing animals and advantages and limitations were elicited. All range ecosystems’ components affect range suitability but due to the time and money restrictions, the most important and feasible elements were investigated. From which three sub models including water accessibility, forage production and erosion sensitivity were considered. Suitable areas in four levels of suitability were calculated using GIS. This suitability modeling approach was adopted due to its simplicity and the minimal time that is required for transforming and analyzing the datasets. Managers could be benefited from the model to devise the measures more wisely to cope with the limitations and enhance the rangelands health and condition.

Biography:

Apolonia Diana Sherly has achieved her Master of Science Graduation in Environmental Science contetrated in Geo-Info for Spatial Planning and Disaster Management in Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta , Indonesia. Now, she is a Candidate of Doctor in Institute of Social Geography, University of Jena, Jena Germany. Besides, she is a young researcher in Community Association for Disaster Management, the Non-Government Organization in Kupang City of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia and young scientists in Indonesian National Committee for Applied Systems Analysis (INCASA), under Presidential Working Unit, Indonesia

Abstract:

Community perception has its contribution in the flood disaster management process. The research’s aim at producing the flood event map according to the community perception. The collected data is based on a participatory approach. The sampling methods applied in this study were purposive sampling and stratified sampling. The flood data was obtained through interview with 60 respondents based on research questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The results of interview from respondents and FGD have shown similar flood data on flood frequency, flood extent and waterdepth. The frequency of flooding occurred from 1939, 1959, 1975, 1979, 1999 until 2012. Every time flood hits the study area, all sites were inundated. While, the average duration of inundation in the study area (i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe) was started from 24 hours (1day) it’s minimum and up to three weeks or up to 1 month evenly it’s maximum. The waterdepth of three Villages are varies between 60 cm and 300 cm. Thus, possess a direct impact on people daily needs, with losses reaching more that Rp. 1,000,000,00,- and Rp. 200,000,00,- it’s less minimum.

Biography:

Nkechi Emea Ibisi is a chemist involved in teaching and research at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike. She received her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture after a one year doctoral research at the University of Science and Technology China(USTC). Two years later, she proceeded to USTC for her post-doctoral studies on copper embedded on hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN) sheet a low-dimensional material for catalytic oxidation of CO. The theoretical calculations were performed with density functional theory(DFT) electronic structure program using DMOl3 software. She has a certificate on Information and Communication Technology in Education from UNESCO – Bangkok e-learning series. In addition to teaching and research, she is a regular contributor to women and gender issues and enthusiastic about community programs to build and enhance opportunities for women and the girl child. She is currently the Deputy Director for the Center for Gender and Child Development at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture.

Abstract:

Introduction: The use of chemical inhibitor  for low-carbon steel corrosion has been investigated to be the most practical and cost effective means of preventing corrosion, however some plants extracts contains various organic compounds (e.g. Alkaloids, tannins, proteins, saponin, pigments, organic and amino acids); which some have been reported to possess corrosion inhibition abilities. This present study has a dual purpose; first to further establish the effectiveness of plant extracts as corrosion inhibitors and second to attempt deduction of the inhibition mechanism and possible adsorption modes of the extract’s active components.

Methods: Gravimetric experiments: This technique is based on the principle of weight loss as previously described in literature. However experiments were conducted at 30°C, 50°C and 60°C.
Theoretical Modeling Simulations: All theoretical calculations were performed with the density functional theory (DFT)(5) electronic structure programs using DMol3 with generalized gradient approximation(GGA) as contained in the Materials Studio 5.5 software.
Results & Discussion: The corrosion process was inhibited by adsorption of the extract organic matter of Aspilia africana on the steel surface and addition of potassium iodide (KI) synergistically increased the inhibition efficiency of the extract. Adsorption of the phytochemicals on the surface of the metal conformed to langmuir, temkin and freundlich isotherm. The DFT-based quantum chemical computation of parameters associated with the molecular electronic structures of one of the active constituents of the leave extract (Inositol) confirmed their corrosion inhibiting potential and established their individual contributions to the observed inhibiting effect.
Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, the following were concluded; 1) The corrosion of low-carbon steel in HCl increases with increase in concentration of the acid and also with the period of contact and temperature. 2) Corrosion inhibition of Aspilia africana is attributed to chemisorptions of the phytochemical components of the extracts on the surface of the metal.

Biography:

John David is a vibrant university professor in Shiats University, India, in the field of Dairy Technology, having a teaching experience of 21 years. He is a passionate research worker having more than 80 research publication in his credit. Prof. David has guided 10 Ph.D. theses. He has written 7 books of national and international repute in the field of Food and Dairy Technology. He has been bestowed with Young Scientist award in the year 2006 and has been honored with “Pride of the Nation” (Rashtriya Gaurav) and “Gem of Education” (Shiksha Ratan) award for his distinguished service to the nation in the year 2014.

Abstract:

Man’s inquisitive desire to relish tasty food has now changed to food that has therapeutic and curative properties. Past two decades has witnessed a tremendous increase in worldwide scale of cultured products containing probiotic bacteria. Most probiotic strains are used in ice cream, fermented milks, yoghurts and pharmaceutical products for their anecdotal health effect. Probiotic bacteria have been incorporated into fermented and non-fermented ice cream which is an ideal vehicle for delivery of this organism in the human diet. Microencapsulation is a useful tool to improve the delivery of bioactive compounds into foods, particularly probiotics, minerals, vitamins, phytosterols, lutein, fatty acids and antioxidants. Microencapsulation of bacterial cells is currently gaining attention to increase viability of probiotic bacteria in probiotic ice cream. An attempt has been made to develop probiotic ice cream using Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum by micro encapsulation of probiotic cultures with addition of growth promoters (Ginger & Honey) and cryoprotective agent (Glycerol). Thus, from the above studies it can be concluded that probiotic ice cream (T1) prepared from whole milk with 6% fat & 9% S.N.F. ,15% sugar, 0.5% emulsifier/stabilizer plus probiotic cultures was found to be best for colour and appearance, body and texture. Whereas as per shelf life of the product concern, encapsulated probiotic culture (T2) found to be the best even after 30 days. As per flavour and taste, melting resistance and overall acceptability, probiotic ice cream with Ginger and Honey (T4) found to be best among all the treatment.

Biography:

R. K. Pandey is the Head of Forest Ecology, Environment and Biodiversity Divisions, in the Madhya Pradesh State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, India. He has wide experience in in-situ and ex-situ biodiversity conservation, sustainable management in natural tropical forest, EIA/EMP and Wildlife Management etc. He is an author of several scientific books, bulletins, research papers and associated in national and international scientific events. He has been award in "World Biodiversity Congress-2015" as best presenter. Being team leader in more than 60 sponsored projects in community oriented in-situ and ex-situ forest resource management in tropical forests of India envisaged his authority in biodiversity conservation.

Abstract:

Conservation and sustainable management of forest genetic resources, particularly commercially important NTFPs are challenging tasks in government owned tropical forests of India. Gradual deterioration and reduction of forest area, increasing demand coupled with invasion of alien species are the major factors, have imposed threat on survival of most of the indigenous wild genetic resources in-situ. NTFP species subjected to over exploitation are either disappeared or on the verge of extinction in almost all potentially rich tropical forests of India. In the prevailing conditions, natural forests has been a major concern of managers, policy makers and forest dependent people at large, being direct impact on conservation, ecological perpetuation, and socio-economic security of the region.
India is one of the 12 mega diversity regions having vast variety of fl ora and fauna. Wide ranges of physical features and climatic conditions have resulted into diverse ecological habitats in the form of various forest types. Forestry is the second largest land use aft er agriculture and almost all the forest areas are owned by State governments. Th ese forests harbor about seven per cent of world’s fl ora comprising of 328 families with 21,000 representative plant species. India has a recorded forest area of 76.84 m ha, which is 23 % of the total geographical area of the country (FSI, 2003). About 300 million people belonging to rural poor and tribal communities depend on forest resources particularly, non timber forest produces (NTFPs) for their livelihood. A large population of the country’s livestock (about 18 % of the world) depends upon forests for grazing, which is one of the important factors for serious damage to forest regeneration, growth and production of natural tropical forests.
National forest Policy (NFP) 1988 of India, defi nes the primary goals of forest management, as fi rst to conserve the natural environment, second to meet the requirement of local people (tribal and rural poor population) from the forest produces and the third as a source of wood and other products for industries and other non-local uses (FSI and FAO, 2004). JFM system has been constituted, aiming to “the sharing of responsibilities for protection, produces and decision making with local communities over forest lands between forest department (owner stakeholder)” through judicious use of limited resources on sustainable manner. Nearly, all states of Indian Union have passed the JFM resolution (1990), and more than 65,000 joint forest management committees (JFMCs) have been constituted (FSI, 2003).
It is now widely accepted that the rural people living in and around forests are the key stakeholder for in-situ conservation and sustainable management of regional biodiversity of tropical forest of India in the forest management process. Severity of problems of in-situ conservation and non sustainable collection of forest genetic resources are the challenging task for sustainable management of forest resources and livelihood security of forest dependent people. Community oriented integrated ecosystem approach for sustainable harvesting of utilizable forest resources have been initiated by the State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, (M.P.) India through several case studies in natural tropical forests. Th e paper embodied a comprehensive model of develop technology for sustainable harvesting and management of indigenous forest genetic resources through strategic community oriented skill and capacity building programmes with strict institutional management interventions. Developed technologies as an eff ective tool for conservation and sustainable management of regional biodiversity in natural tropical forests are discussed in this paper.

Biography:

Saad Al-Shahrani is an associate professor at Chemical engineering department, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. He received his PhD in chemical engineering at University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), United Kingdom, in 2004. His current research focuses on the removal of heavy metals from soil and aqueous solutions.

Abstract:

Application of Saudi activated clay (bentonite) to remove copper and zinc from wastewater was investigated. Natural local clay which was obtained from Khulays bentonite deposit was selected and activated using sulfuric acid to increase its adsorptive capacity. The removal characteristics of copper and zinc ions from wastewater were investigated under various operating variables such as shaking time, solution pH, clay amount, initial metal concentration and counter ions. Batch scale experiments were carried out for a wide range of initial metals concentration. The results showed that the sorption of copper and zinc ions on Saudi activated clay was relatively fast and the equilibrium was achieved after only 20 min. The sorption data suggests that solution pH was the most important parameter in controlling copper and zinc sorption onto bentonite. They also showed that increasing the initial metal concentration decreased metal removal percentage due to the saturation of clay with metal ions. Furthermore, the adsorption of copper and zinc ions increase with increase in solution pH. The adsorption isotherm data were well fitted with the linearized Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models. The maximum adsorption (qmax) for copper and zinc on Saudi activated bentonite equals to 5.26 and 3.4 mg/g respectively. Copper and zinc adsorption onto Saudi activated bentonite was well represented by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Saudi activated bentonite can be considered as a promising adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.

Biography:

Sudhanshu Sekhar Panda is an Associate Professor of GIS/Environmental Science in the Institute of Environmental Spatial Analysis of University of North Georgia, USA. He has completed his BS Degree in Agricultural Engineering from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Orissa, India; M.S degree is in Environmental Remote Sensing for Geoinformation Development from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and PhD in Agricultural Engineering from North Dakota State University, USA. In his 27 years of professional life, he has experiences working in federal government, company and academia. He is an Avid Researcher along with his present professional responsibility of a Fulltime Teaching Faculty. Most of his research includes automated model development for environmental management decision support. He is Editor-in-Chief of O/S Journal of Spatial Hydrology and Editor of Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species and Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography. He has published more than 32 book chapters along with peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Above all, he aspires and working towards to be one of the best teachers who makes life changing improvement in disadvantaged students.

Abstract:

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act or Clean Water Act of 1972 protects US waterby restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources. The Total Maximum Daily Load term in the U.S. Clean Water Act describes a value of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards. To meet the TMDL standard most of the counties, cities and states monitor the water quality of their rivers and streams on regular basis. However, the regular in situ water quality monitoring is expensive and time consuming. Th erefore, there is a need of developing inexpensive, quick and remote process to know the water quality of country’s water bodies. Use of geospatial technology is one of the best tools to develop water quality prediction models by studying the watershed environmental dynamics. Th e objective of the study is to develop algorithms using watershed based land use data and soil characteristics to estimate various water quality parameter values to support TMDL analysis. Real in situ monitored water quality parameter (DO, Temperature, BOD, TSS, pH, P, TKN, NH3-N, NO3-N, Alkalinity, Turbidity, Conductivity, Fecal Coliform and E. Coli) data were obtained from Gainesville city environmental department in Georgia from 2001-2013. Th e monitoring locations were used as exit points to delineate the respective watersheds with ArcSWAT hydrologic Model that used 10 m DEM. Landuse and soil data which directly infl uence the water quality of the reaches in the watershed were obtained for processing. National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) 1 meter imagery from 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013, SSURGO data containing soil texture data were acquired from USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway. Th e data were processed in ArcGIS 10.2 soft ware through the development of an automated geospatial model in ArcGIS Model Builder Platform. Th e NAIP images were masked to the watersheds and classifi ed with various prevailing land uses in the watershed using hybrid unsupervised and supervised image segmentation algorithms. Then, the land use class percentages and soil texture percentages were obtained to be correlated with the water quality parameter data of similar temporal period. Using the geospatial data based input data (Xn) correlation model were developed for individual water quality parameter values used as output data (Y) in SPSS statistics soft ware to develop the regression based best fit algorithm. Th ese algorithms developed for individual water quality parameters were tested and validated with diff erent year data. We obtained very good correlation (>90%) in predicting various water quality parameters with the use of landuse and soil data. Th is algorithm development protocols can be replicated in other locations of US and other countries to estimate water quality of reaches. This study will also support the TMDL team to know fi rst-hand about the quality of the reaches they would go for in-situ analysis.

Biography:

Satish Sreedharamurthy has done M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Microbiology from University of Mysore and he has been awarded UPG: JRF (1996-98); UPG:SRF (1998-2000); CSIR:SRF (2000-01) Post Doctoral Raman Research Fellow (2014-2015). He appointed as an Assistant Professor in University University of Mysore in 2003. Five Major Research Project awradede from various funding agencies namely UGC, DST, IOE, Govt. of India. Honoured Fellow of FISBT (2010) from International Society of Biotechnology. Guided 05 Ph.D. students in Microbiology. Published about 65 Research articles in National and International journals and also presented research fi ndings in 80 National and International conferences and Symposia.

Abstract:

Endophytic fungi are one of plant-associated microbiome which grows in healthy plant tissues for all or the most part of their life cycle without causing disease symptoms in the host plants. To expand knowledge about endophytic fungal diversity by culture-dependent technique the present study was undertaken. Two hundred-thirty eight (238) (19.83%) endophytic isolates were isolated from 1,200 plant tissue samples of stem and leaf collected from Mirabilis jalapa Linn. (Nyctaginaceae) and Ficus pumila Linn., (Moraceae) in three different seasons, namely summer, monsoon and winter. 238 endophytic isolates were categorized into 23 taxa, comprising 3 ascomycetes genera Chaetomium sp., Sporormia sp. and Xylaria sp. (10.92%), 5 coelomycetes genera Colletotrichum sp., Pestalotiopsis sp., Phoma sp., Phomopsis sp. and Phyllosticta sp. (18.06%), 11 hyphomycetes genera Acremomium sp., Alternaria sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Curvularia sp., Drechslera sp., Fusarium sp., Myrothecium sp., Nigrospora sp., Penicillium sp. and Trichoderma sp. (55.46%), 2 zygomycetes genera Mucor sp. and Rhizopus sp. (2.94%), 2 morphospecies of Mycelia sterilia (8.4%). Colonization rates (%) of endophytic fungi for both the tissues were found to be relatively homogeneous (14.33% and 14.0%) and (18.66% and 18.33%) for Mirabilis jalapa and Ficus pumila. Endophytic fungal isolates were prevalent on leaf tissue of both plants (52.94%) than on stem tissue (47.0%). Aspergillus flavus and Xylaria sp., are dominant endophytic fungal genera in leaf while in stem species of Fusarium and Pestalotiopsis sp., were dominant in Mirabilis jalapa and Ficus pumila respectively. Endophytes segregated with varying degree of colonization during three sampling season among different tissues of the two hosts. There is no significant difference in Simpson, Shannon diversity and Species Richness indices values for Mirabilis jalapa due their relatively homogenous values. Overall diversity indices values for foliar endophytes of Ficus pumila were relatively high when compared to leaf and stem tissues of Mirabilis jalapa. But species richness was higher in stems of Mirabilis jalapa when compared with leaves and stems of Ficus pumila due the isolation 19 different endophytic fungal taxa.

Biography:

Amleset Haile, working as Assistant National Coordinator for Innovation Facilitation at the consortium of Wageningen University, Netherlands and six Ethiopian Universities called CASCAPE project. The project sets out to generate evidence for scaling of agricultural best practices and closely works with the Agricultural Growth Program of the country. She also works in a voluntary capacity in the country wide climate change movement and conservation management of protected areas in Ethiopia. Previously, she was a staff member of Mekelle University, Ethiopia as an Assistant Lecturer and researcher. Amleset got her Master’s degree in Management of Natural Resources (Management of protected areas) from Klagenfurt University, Austria in efforts to make her long-term dreams come true in combining nature and society through conservation and livelihood improvement activities. She has been part of many international conferences and undergone several international capacity building opportunities including being a fellow of the Environmental Leadership program at UC, Berkeley, USA and also fellow of the African women Scientists in Climate change and African women in Agricultural Research and Development post Masters fellow

Abstract:

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are harvested for both subsistence and commercial use and play a key role in the livelihoods of millions of rural people. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in rural southwest Ethiopia, Kaffa as a source of household income. Market players at various levels in marketing chains are interviewed to gather information on elements of marketing system–products, product differentiation, value addition, pricing, promotion, distribution, and marketing chains. The study, therefore, was conducted in Kaffa Biosphere reserve of southwest Ethiopia with the main objective of assessing and analyzing the contribution of NTFPs to rural livelihood and to the conservation of the biosphere reserve and to identify factors influencing in the marketing of the NTFP. Five villages were selected based on their proximity gradient from Bonga town and availability of NTFP. Formal survey was carried out on rural households selected using stratified random sampling. The results indicate that local people practice diverse livelihood activities mainly crops cultivation (cereals and cash crops) and livestock husbandry, gather forest products and off-farm/off-forest activities for surviva. NTFP trade is not a common phenomenon in southwest Ethiopia. The greatest opportunity exists for local level marketing of spices and other non timber forest products. Very little local value addition takes place within the region, and as a result local market players have little control. Policy interventions are required to enhance the returns to local collectors, which will also contribute to sustainable management of forest resources in Kaffa biosphere reserve.

Biography:

Charan Kamal Sekhon has completed her MSc, MPhil and PhD from Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University Patiala. She has presented research papers in 16 National and International conferences and published various research papers in reputed journals. Currently, she is working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Zoology, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, India.

Abstract:

Lepidoptera comprising moths and butterflies is the third largest order in the class Insecta. Their numerical strength has been estimated to be about more than 35,000 described species referable to 4,200 described genera. They are usually dull colored moths with drab forewings, although some have brightly colored hind wings. They have thicker abdomen and robust body structure. The Noctuid moths can be easily distinguished on the basis of venation of the hind wing, where Sc+R1 are separated from Rs and are connected with the discal cell at base. Principally they are defined by the presence of tympanum on metathorax. The moths belonging to subfamily Noctuidae are of great economic importance as these include large number of minor and major pest species. The most important pests belonging to this family are known by their common names like armyworms, cutworms, bollworms, stemborers and rootfeeders. An inventory of family Noctuidae belonging to super family Noctuoidea has been prepared from Himachal Pradesh. As many as 2300 representatives of 105 species referable to 69 genera have been studied and 10 species have been recorded for the first time from this area.

Biography:

Matt Charnock is a well-practiced, dynamic conservationist, occupying numerous outreach mediums. He’s been frequently published in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species’ amphibian journal, FrogLog, as well as having worked hand-in-hand with various nonprofits from around the world, promoting the connection between a healthier, more stable community and the sustainability of its endemic ecosystem. Matt also writes for various branding publications and news outlets, totted as being a “creative wordsmith with a passion for preservation.” Matt also participates in speaking engagements hosted by Texas State Parks and Wildlife Department, highlighting the state’s faunal diversity.

Abstract:

The Liasis genus represents four—well, now five—species of Australasia pythons, all filling various ecological niches; pythons in the Liasis genus also represent some of the most successful pythons in the dawn of the Anthropocene. Although all species in the genus are, phenotypically speaking, quite similar, there’s a great deal of genetic drift and sub-speciation that’s been at the center of many taxonomy savvy herpetologist; numerous genera have now been either assimilated into Liasis or, at one point in time, been classified as a monotypic genus outside the parent genus. Such a species, the Papuan python, has been in-and-out of the genus for the better part of a century-and-a-half—and has recently been stripped of their Apodora exclusivity. The Reynold’s paper that was officially published in early February of 2014 represents, to date, the most concrete, well-executed attempt at shading the grays within the Pythonidae and Boidae families. By pooling sample animals from a study group that later amounted to a species-level phylogeny of eighty-three-percent, Toward a Tree-of-Life for the boas and pythons: Multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling represents a pinnacle shift in both Pythonidae and Boidae nomenclature—and the Liasis genus, subsequently, found itself in a game of musical chairs. However, should heavy deforestation and harsh irrigation practices continue to run rampant, there may not be a single chair left for them to occupy when the music’s cut-off.

Biography:

Gloria Cuenca Bescós has completed her Ph.D at the age of 26 years from Zaragoza University and Postdoctoral studies from Groningen University (The Nederlands) and the Geological Institut of Praha (Check Republic). She is the Director of Biostratigraphic and Biodiversity Studies of Fossil of Small Vertebrates in the Archaeo-Paleontological sites of the Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain. She has published more than 70 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member and Reviewer of many reputed journals.

Abstract:

Changes in vegetation due to climate change that began 2.8 million years ago in East Africa were crucial in the emergence of the genus Homo. Data on the relative diversity of small mammal communities at the sites Atapuerca indicate a period of depopulation of Europe, linked to climate change made between 0.7 and 0.6 million years. Th e extinction of mega fauna in the Iberian plateau during the Upper Pleistocene could be related to the activities of Neanderthals. Th is infringed the existence of the Neanderthals, their extinction could be related with this and rapid climate fluctuations suff ered in Europe in the late Pleistocene. Th e change in the economy and mentality due to the Neolithic revolution are the root causes of the impact of human activities on ecosystems worldwide from about 10,000 years ago.