V. Jithin

Nature Conservation Foundation · Community Ecology and Conservation

Report of an incidence of predation by a Fish-eating Spider (Nilus sp.) on tadpoles of the Asian Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus).

Delaying metamorphosis in low-temperature conditions by anuran larvae known as ‘overwintering’ have been poorly studied, especially in terms of habitat ecology and behavioural aspects. The present study investigates some of the ecological aspects of overwintering tadpoles of the genus Nanorana in the Western Himalaya in an anthropogenically modifie...

With agricultural demands increasing globally, determining the nature of impacts of different forms of agriculture on biodiversity, especially for threatened vertebrates and habitats, is critical to inform land management. This is especially true for open ecosystems such as the natural rock outcrops and amphibians, both of which are threatened by l...

Agroforestry, often promoted as a sustainable agriculture practice, is rapidly expanding, often at the cost of primary tropical forests. While agroforestry negatively impacts amphibian diversity, its effects on population demography, microhabitat, use and body condition are relatively understudied. This information is crucial for determining and pr...

Agroforestry, often promoted as a sustainable agriculture practice, is rapidly expanding, often at the cost of primary tropical forests. While agroforestry impacts amphibian diversity negatively, its effects on population demography, microhabitat use and body condition are relatively understudied. This information is crucial for determining and pro...

We assessed the influence of abiotic (pool size, monsoon progression) and biotic (predator abundances) factors on occurrence and abundance of three species of tadpoles by periodically monitoring rock pools in lateritic plateaus. Tadpole responses were positively associated with rock pool size and monsoon progression negatively, but not with predato...

With agricultural demands increasing globally, determining the nature of impacts of different forms of agriculture on biodiversity, especially for threatened vertebrates and habitats, is critical to inform land management. We determined the impacts of converting rock outcrops (a habitat more threatened than rainforests) to orchards and paddy on anu...

We describe a new species of rhacophorid frog of the genus Gracixalus from northeast India based on molecular, morphological and acoustic evidence. The new species, formally described herein as Gracixalus patkaiensis sp. nov. , is morphologically distinct from other congeners by a suite of morphological characters such as snout-vent length 23.6–26....

Some tadpoles living in the Himalaya were recently discovered to be overwintering in cold stream water. We asked how the modification of these stream habitats by check dams installed for water extraction influences tadpole behaviour and morphology. We found tadpoles living in check dam pools are showing variations in body size and activity pattern...

Open natural ecosystems like lateritic plateaus, are undergoing rapid transformation with very poor understanding of these impacts on the threatened and endemic biodiversity. The unprotected, low-elevation lateritic plateaus of the northern Western Ghats are case to the point, as they have high endemicity but remain unprotected under Indian law. We...

We report the deaths of overwintering tadpoles of Nanorana spp. during check dam maintenance events causing localised droughts along the Dhobhighat (Ringali Gad) stream, flowing through the Mussoorie Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India; and discusses the conservation issues and further research required in the scenario.

This natural history note describes tail bifurcation and bent tail tip in the overwintering tadpoles of Nanorana minica (Small Paa Frog) from India. Herpetological Review 53(3): 473-474.

A short review of the film 'Expedition Review' by Ryan Wyatt in The Niche 53(3), British Ecological Society, UK (2022)

Understanding habitat availability and use patterns are essential in developing comprehensive conservation strategies for focal species. Studies on amphibian larval habitat use are limited, especially from modified habitats. We investigated the habitat availability and use patterns of overwintering tadpoles of the Nanorana frog in an anthropogenica...

The final report submitted to the Royal Society of Chemistry, as part of the project 'Women’s Career Pathway in Chemical Sciences; a Multi-stage Investigation in Kerala', funded by the Inclusion and Diversity Grant-2020 by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Cambridge, UK. More details are available at https://rsc-idf-wck.pubpub.org/. Malayalam...

Natural History Note on Coastal Day Gecko (Cnemaspis littoralis) published in Malabar Trogon 20(1), Jan-Apr 2022

A short review of the documentary 'Saving Britain's Islands' by Joshua Powell in The Niche 53(1), British Ecological Society, UK (2021)

Chemicule is a mobile application to foster institutional and scholastic communication among the Chemical Science Community. It is developed as part of the project 'Women’s Career Pathway in Chemical Sciences; a Multi-stage Investigation in Kerala, India' funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry Inclusion and Diversity Fund Cambridge, UK.

Abstract of the conference oral presentation which won the 'Best Oral Presentation Award' instituted by the Student Naturalists Association, Jagiellonian University. Keywords: amphibian, metamorphosis, cold, development, life-history strategy, plasticity, modification

A short review of the documentary 'A Dream of Trees' by Sara in The Niche 52(3), British Ecological Society, UK (2021)

The article describes the first record of interspecific amplexus between a male Himalayan Toad (Duttaphrynus himalayanus) and an adult Himalayan Paa Frog (Nanorana vicina) of unknown sex.

Overwintering is a unique phenomenon of delaying metamorphosis in amphibian larvae at low-temperature conditions prevailing at high elevation and latitude. This study is the first of its kind in India to look at selected ecological aspects of overwintering tadpoles of Nanorana spp. in a Himalayan stream. I evaluated the temporal density of overwint...

A short review of the documentary 'Tadpoles: The Big Little Migration' by Maxwel Hohn in The Niche 52(2), British Ecological Society, UK (2021)

The aim of the study is to understand the career pathway of women in the Chemical Science field, from a primary school student to their present career stage – to find evidence on barriers to inclusion based on gender along with the atmosphere of family, society and academia in Kerala. This is an enhanced version of a digital poster presented at th...