Browsing by Author "Koppineedi V. Satish"

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Ensemble modelling reveals shrinkage of suitable habitat for Himalayan Boxwood (Buxus wallichiana Bail.) under climate change – implications for conservation
(Schweizerbart Science Publishers, 2024) Zishan Ahmad Wani; Sajid Khan; Koppineedi V. Satish; Sheikh Marifatul Haq; Shreekar Pant; Sazada Siddiqui
Conserving mountain species under climate change is a major ecological concern. It is still unclear how potential climate change will affect mountain plant species. The present study investigates the potential distribution of Himalayan Boxwood (B. wallichiana) under current and future climate scenarios using an ensemble modelling approach. The results showed that the distribution of B. wallichiana is determined by mean annual precipitation, precipitation of the driest quarter and mean annual temperature. The model predicted that B. wallichiana has a narrow distributional range and is rarely found in the Himalaya under current climate. The future model predictions showed a considerable reduction in suitable habitats for B. wallichiana under all climate scenarios; more pronounced under PCP 8.5 for the year 2070. The model also revealed that currently suitable areas are likely to become unsuitable in the future and vice-versa. There is an urgent need to develop an appropriate policy for the conservation and management of B. wallichiana. The present study will contribute significantly to the formulation of appropriate policies for its conservation and management. © 2024 Gebrüder Borntraeger.
Impact of Environmental Gradients on Phenometrics of Major Forest Types of Kumaon Region of the Western Himalaya
(MDPI, 2022) Vikas Dugesar; Koppineedi V. Satish; Manish K. Pandey; Prashant K. Srivastava; George P. Petropoulos; Akash Anand; Mukunda Dev Behera
Understanding ecosystem functional behaviour and its response to climate change necessitates a detailed understanding of vegetation phenology. The present study investigates the effect of an elevational gradient, temperature, and precipitation on the start of the season (SOS) and end of the season (EOS), in major forest types of the Kumaon region of the western Himalaya. The analysis made use of the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series that was observed by the optical datasets between the years 2001 and 2019. The relationship between vegetation growth stages (phenophases) and climatic variables was investigated as an interannual variation, variation along the elevation, and variation with latitude. The SOS indicates a delayed trend along the elevational gradient (EG) till mid-latitude and shows an advancing pattern thereafter. The highest rate of change for the SOS and EOS is 3.3 and 2.9 days per year in grassland (GL). The lowest rate of temporal change for SOS is 0.9 days per year in mixed forests and for EOS it is 1.2 days per year in evergreen needle-leaf forests (ENF). Similarly, the highest rate of change in SOS along the elevation gradient is 2.4 days/100 m in evergreen broadleaf forest (EBF) and the lowest is −0.7 days/100 m in savanna, and for EOS, the highest rate of change is 2.2 days/100 m in EBF and lowest is −0.9 days/100 m in GL. Winter warming and low winter precipitation push EOS days further. In the present study area, due to winter warming and summer dryness, despite a warming trend in springseason or springtime, onset of the vegetation growth cycle shows a delayed trend across the vegetation types. As vegetation phenology responds differently over heterogeneous mountain landscapes to climate change, a detailed local-level observational insight could improve our understanding of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. © 2022 by the authors.