
Arundhati A. DasWildlife Conservation Society India
Arundhati A. Das
PhD
Academic Programme Head and Conservation Scientist
About
53
Publications
13,640
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Citations
Introduction
I am a landscape ecologist studying woody plant communities in tropical montane forests. I am particularly interested in the application of spatially explicit analytical methods in ecology and conservation. My current research focuses on tropical montane forest-grassland ecosystems. I have 10 years of work experience with leading conservation NGOs, contributing to regional conservation planning for terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in biodiversity hotspots.
Additional affiliations
Education
September 2009 - October 2015
August 1998 - May 2000
Duke University
Field of study
- Ecology and Environmental Management
August 1992 - May 1996
Publications
Publications (53)
Areas of high conservation value were identified in the Western Ghats using a systematic conservation planning approach. Surrogates were chosen and assessed for effectiveness on the basis of spatial congruence using Pearson’s correlations and Mantel’s tests. The surrogates were, threatened and endemic plant and vertebrate species, unfragmented fore...
The objective of this analysis was to identify topographic and bioclimatic factors that predict occurrence of forest and grassland patches within tropical montane forest-grassland mosaics. We further investigated whether interactions between topography and bioclimate are important in determining vegetation pattern, and assessed the role of spatial...
Oak species worldwide are experiencing declines, with negative consequences for hardwood forests and their associated biodiversity, but the causes of these declines vary across species and habitats. We examine changes in extent of banj oak-dominated (Quercus leucotrichophora) moist temperate hardwood forests in a Western Himalayan
landscape between...
Frost and freezing temperatures have posed an obstacle to tropical woody evergreen plants over evolutionary time scales. Thus, along tropical elevation gradients, frost may influence woody plant community structure by filtering out lowland tropical clades and allowing extra-tropical lineages to establish at higher elevations. Here we assess the ext...
This document is a product of the preparatory phase project of the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-Being which was catalysed and supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India. It is the outcome of a series of stakeholder consultation meetings on ecological restoration of terrestrial landscape...
In the montane forest-grassland mosaics of the Western Ghats, land cover conversion to silviculture and agriculture over the last five decades has resulted in both loss of natural habitats and widespread invasion of remnant habitat patches. While invasion of the grassland habitats of the mosaic has been relatively well studied, there have been few...
Current climate and land cover change threaten global mountaintops with increased spread of invasive species. Long-established plantations of invasive trees on these mountaintops can alter their surroundings, further increasing invader-facilitated invasion. Identifying the ecological conditions promoting such associations can help develop better ma...
Current climate and land cover change threaten global mountaintops with the increased spread of invasive species. Long-established plantations of exotic and invasive trees on these mountaintops can alter their surroundings, further increasing invader-facilitated or secondary invasion. Identifying the ecological conditions that promote such specific...
Fire and elephant herbivory are major drivers of large tree mortality in savanna ecosystems. Although the spatial variation of these agents is well studied, less attention has been paid to how disturbance history influences tree mortality over time. In a long‐term cohort study, we examined how the sequence of fire‐ and elephant‐induced damage influ...
The objective of this book is to review the current state of knowledge on the impact of
climate change on Indian biodiversity. The chapters - contributed by leading ecologists, ecosystem scientists, hydrologists and conservation biologists - cover the threats posed by climate change to ecosystem functions and services, phenology, pollinators, fores...
Tropical montane habitats, grasslands, in particular, merit urgent conservation attention owing to the disproportionate levels of endemic biodiversity they harbour, the ecosystem services they provide, and the fact that they are among the most threatened habitats globally. The Shola Sky Islands in the Western Ghats host a matrix of native forest-gr...
Satellite imageries details.
(PDF)
Dependent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993–2003 grassland loss due to agriculture.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 plantation 7 cells window.
(PDF)
logistic regression modeling.
(PDF)
Annual change in grasslands, forests and plantations in the Palani Hills.
(PDF)
Dependent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003–2014 grassland loss due to agriculture.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM –2003 Distance from road.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 plantation 5 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 plantation 15 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 slope variability.
(PDF)
2014 Landuse and landcover accuracy assessment using Ground control points and NRSC interpretation techniques.
(PDF)
False color composite images—Landsat imageries of the Palani Hills study area.
(PDF)
Overall landscape change from 2014–2016 in the Palani Hills.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM –1993 Distance from road.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 agriculture 7 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM –2003 agriculture 35 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 plantation 15 cells window.
(PDF)
Grasslands inside and outside of product area.
(PDF)
NRSC image interpretation techniques.
(PDF)
TNFD plantation statistics in comparison with this study’s remote-sensing–based plantation statistics.
(PDF)
Dependent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993–2003 grassland loss due to plantation.
(PDF)
Dependent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003–2014 grassland loss due to plantation.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 settlements 35 cells moving window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 settlements 35 cells moving window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 agriculture 7 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM –1993 agriculture 35 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 plantation 5 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 1993 plantation 7 cells window.
(PDF)
Independent variable used for calibration of LRM– 2003 slope variability.
(PDF)
(a) Change in Area-weighted mean patch size (AREA_AM) for grasslands between 1973–2014 (b) Change in AREA_AM for plantations between 1973–2014 (c) Change in AREA_AM for agriculture between 1973–2014.
(PDF)
Aims
The study of naturally discontinuous forest systems could help further our understanding of the relative roles of abiotic factors and spatial connectivity in influencing species turnover and plant metacommunity structure, compared to continuous forest formations, where local communities are often arbitrarily defined and where ‘mass effects’ an...
Old growth red pine forests (Pinus resinosa) cover less than 1% of their original range in North America and are essential for maintaining biodiversity at stand and landscape scales. Despite this, the largest remaining old-growth red pine forest in the world, the Wolf Lake Forest Reserve, is currently threatened by mining claims in Northern Ontario...
Sample identities with accession numbers and localities.
(0.15 MB DOC)
Comparative phylogeography links historical population processes to current/ecological processes through congruent/incongruent patterns of genetic variation among species/lineages. Despite high biodiversity, India lacks a phylogeographic paradigm due to limited comparative studies. We compared the phylogenetic patterns of Indian populations of jung...
Widespread loss of primary habitat in the tropics has led to increased interest in production landscapes for biodiversity conservation. In the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India, shade coffee plantations are located in close proximity to sites of high conservation value: protected and unprotected forests. Coffee is grown here under a tree...