Browsing by Author "R. Sagar"

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An arrow in the quiver: evaluating the performance of Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. in different light levels
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2024) Kanhaiya Shah; Gyan Prakash Sharma; R. Sagar
Background: Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit., native to the American tropics, is a pantropical annual plant and a major invasive species throughout India. It was anticipated that the availability of sunlight, coupled with its superior reproductive potential, persistent propagule bank, and dispersal ability, could lead to an increase in the growth and spread of this invader, thus potentially impeding herbaceous growth and diversity in non-native areas. Clarifying its ecological fitness and competitive performance will be useful to manage the spread of H. suaveolens in natural ecosystems that are facing a wide range of anthropogenic pressures. Methods: The present study is a three-tier experiment. In the first tier, a field study was conducted to assess the patterns of H. suaveolens abundance and herbaceous species diversity in response to light availability (sun, 842–1072 µmol m–2 s−1 and shade 253–341 µmol m–2 s−1) in the tropical dry deciduous ecosystems in the Vindhyan highlands, India. Furthermore, the impact of H. suaveolens abundance on the resident native and non-native species abundance and diversity was also studied. In the second tier, a randomized common garden experiment was conducted to understand the trait fitness of H. suaveolens in sun (940 µmol m–2 s−1) and shade (300 µmol m–2 s−1) conditions. In the third tier, a plant growth chamber experiment with high-light (940 µmol m–2 s−1) and low-light (300 µmol m–2 s−1) treatments was done to learn how H. suaveolens partitions its biomass between aboveground and belowground plant parts. Results: The field study indicated that the sunlit areas had a higher abundance of H. suaveolens and a lower diversity of resident herbaceous species than the shaded areas. The common garden experiment showed that sun-dwelling H. suaveolens individuals performed better in germinative, vegetative, eco-physiological, and reproductive traits than the shade-dwelling individuals. The growth chamber experiment exhibited that plants grown in high-light environment had greater seed germination, seedling recruitment, and aboveground biomass than those grown in low-light environment, whereas plants grown in low-light environment exhibited a higher root mass ratio than the high-light individuals. These results suggest that H. suaveolens individuals mask the understory vegetation owing to higher seedling recruitment, relative growth rate, photosynthetic performance, resource acquisition-allocation, and reproductive output in response to high-light conditions. Conclusions: The study concludes that light significantly controls the invasive population dynamics of H. suaveolens in dry deciduous forests. In high-light areas, H. suaveolens populations dominate the forest understory with suboptimal shade tolerance. In shade environment, H. suaveolens maintains a persistent soil seed bank along with ‘Oskar individuals’ that become active in response to high-light availability. The modus operandi is a ‘sit and wait’ strategy. The current study provides insights on prioritizing areas for H. suaveolens management that will potentially reduce the risk of biological invasions on the native species diversity of tropical regions. © The Author(s) 2024.
Assessment of potential health risks due to heavy metals through vegetable consumption in a tropical area irrigated by treated wastewater
(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2015) Preeti Verma; Madhoolika Agrawal; R. Sagar
Consumption of wastewater-irrigated vegetables is a common practice in developing countries including India. The wastewater irrigation gradually raises the contents of heavy metals in soils and vegetables. The consumption of heavy metal-rich vegetables may cause serious risk to the human health. Therefore, quantification of heavy metals in vegetables collected from wastewater-irrigated field is needed as proportion of farmers using wastewater for irrigation is increasing due to scarcity of water. The aim of the present study was to assess the heavy metal accumulation and the potential human health risks associated with consumption of contaminated vegetables irrigated with waste (WWT) and mixed wastewater (MWWT), grown in an agricultural area of Bhagwanpur, near Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Seven common vegetables growing at two differentially irrigated areas (WWT and MWWT) were considered for the study. At each site, three samples, each from water, soil and different vegetables, were taken. The samples after digestion were analysed for heavy metal contents using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Heavy metal contents in soils, vegetables, transfer factor (TF) from soil to vegetables, metal pollution index (MPI) and their health risk in form of target hazard quotients (THQs) were calculated. Results showed significantly higher contents of heavy metals in water, soil and vegetable at WWT than MWWT. The TF value of Cd was notably greater in WWT compared to the MWWT. The values of THQ in children and adults were >1 for Pb and Cd in case of all vegetables at both WWT and MWWT. Among the vegetables, MPI was highest for B. vulgaris followed by B. botrytis, B. capitata, R. sativus, B. nigra, A. sativum and S. tuberosum. THQ for both categories were mostly higher for WWT compared at MWWT, suggesting a greater health risk to local residents from vegetable of the former than latter site. The present study suggests regular monitoring of water quality prior to discharge for irrigation uses and also points out to adopt better wastewater management strategies for proper utilization and disposal of wastewater. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Asymptotic models of species-area curve for measuring diversity of dry tropical forest tree species
(2003) R. Sagar; A.S. Raghubanshi; J.S. Singh
In a dry tropical forest, we examine the fitness and predictability of two non-asymptotic models (log-linear and power) of species-area curve, and the effect of sample location and scale on their regression-derived coefficients (c, z) for measuring tree diversity. Results indicate that, the log-linear model relatively better fits the data set, and yields better prediction of number of species on a small scale (i.e. predicted number of species for 3 ha using an equation based on 1 ha data). On the other hand, predictions from power function model for a larger area (i.e. predicted number of species for 15 ha using 1 ha and 3 ha equations) were closer to the observed values. The suitability of the model to fit the data was strongly influenced by the site and the scale of the plot size. The equations for the two models derived from data of small area (1 ha plot size) yielded inconsistent results, but those derived from a larger plot size (3 ha) consistently underestimated the number of species for 15 ha. The underestimation by power function model was lower compared to that by log-normal model for predicting the number of tree species. The study also shows that the coefficient z is site- as well as scale-dependent. The coefficient c can be used to predict α-diversity, and the number of species per individual can adequately describe the coefficient z. The results support discrete community concept for the dry tropical forests along a disturbance gradient and indicate that higher the z, greater would be the impact of harvest of individuals on biodiversity.
Building Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Cities to Climate Change Challenges
(Springer, 2024) Anshul Jaiswal; R. Sagar; Aakansha Pandey; Deepankar Yadav; Mohd. Sirazuddin Ansari; Richa Rawat
As urbanization continues to accelerate worldwide, cities face increasing challenges posed by climate change. Urban areas, as hubs of economic, social, and environmental activity, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and sea-level rise. In response, the concept of urban resilience has emerged as a critical framework for understanding and addressing these challenges. This abstract explores the nexus of urban resilience and climate change, focusing on the strategies, challenges, and opportunities for building resilience in cities. It examines the various dimensions of urban resilience, including infrastructure, governance, social dynamics, and economic systems, and highlights the importance of integrating climate adaptation and mitigation efforts into urban planning and development processes. Key strategies for enhancing urban resilience include investments in green infrastructure, adoption of nature-based solutions, promotion of sustainable urban design and land-use planning, and strengthening of social cohesion and community engagement. However, numerous challenges hinder the implementation of these strategies, such as limited financial resources, institutional barriers, political constraints, and social inequalities. Nevertheless, amidst these challenges lie opportunities for innovation and transformation. Cities have the potential to leverage emerging technologies, harness data-driven approaches, and foster collaboration across sectors and stakeholders to enhance their resilience to climate change. Furthermore, by adopting a holistic and inclusive approach to urban resilience, cities can not only mitigate the impacts of climate change but also create more equitable, sustainable, and livable urban environments for all residents. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
Carbon fluxes and species diversity in grazed and fenced typical steppe grassland of Inner Mongolia, China
(Oxford University Press, 2017) R. Sagar; G.Y. Li; J.S. Singh; Shiqiang Wan
Grasslands are dominant vegetation of China, support outstandingbiodiversity and sequester bulk amount of atmospheric CO2. Thesegrasslands are highly degraded and fragmented due to remarkableanthropogenic and grazing loads. Chinese Government has madegreat attempt to restore by grazing exclusion. The relations of carbonfluxes with species composition and diversity in the communitiessensitive to grazing by large herbivores are needed to be analysedunder the global climate change scenario. The objective of presentstudy was to comprehend the effects of grazing and fencing on theecosystem structure and function of the typical steppe grassland.MethodsTo meet the objectives, overgrazed and fenced (since year 2001) systemswere selected in typical steppe grassland at the DuolunRestoration Ecology Research Station, Inner Mogolia, China. Withineach system, three dominant communities with three replicateswere selected. In each replicate community, three 1 × 1 m plots,were randomly located. Each plot was divided into four 50 × 50 cmquadrats. A total of 216, 50 × 50 cm quadrats were sampled. Fromeach quadrat, number of individuals and above-ground herbaceousbiomass for each species, soil respiration (SR), ecosystem respiration(ER), net (NEE) as well as gross (GEE) ecosystem CO2 exchangeswere recorded in June 2015. Data were well analysed usingstatistical software. Canonical correspondence analysis showed differentialresponses of communities to the structure and function ofthe typical steppe grassland.Important FindingsAcross the communities, fencing reduced the soil temperatureby 12% and at the same time increased the soil moisture by44.30%, thus, increased the species richness by 28%, evenness by21%, above-ground biomass by 19% and plant carbon by 20%.Interestingly, fencing increased NEE by 128%, GEE by 77%, SR by65% and ER by 39%. Under fencing, species composition partiallygoverned the CO2 exchange processes.ConclusionsFencing reduces soil temperature and thereby improves speciesdiversity and more efficient CO2 sequestration and long-term andin-depth study is desirable for a better understanding of the relationshipbetween species diversity and ecosystem carbon uptake. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Botanical Society of China. All rights reserved.
Changes in species composition, diversity and biomass of herbaceous plant traits due to N amendment in a dry tropical environment of India
(Oxford University Press, 2014) Punita Verma; R. Sagar; Hariom Verma; Preeti Verma; Dharmendra K. Singh
Aim: European and North American studies have suggested that nitrogen (N) depositions reduce plant diversity and increase primary productivity due to changes in plant traits. To predict the vegetation response to future global change, experimental validations from other regions are widely needed. We assessed the effects of N treatment by urea fertilization on the diversity and biomass of the herbaceous plant traits (HPTs) in a dry tropical environment of India. Methods: Diversity and biomass of different HPTs were determined on the basis of data collected in year 2010, from 135, 1 m x 1 m plots distributed over 15 locations. The plots were treated with urea fertilizer in different doses (Control, 60kgNha-1 yr-1 and 120kg N ha-1yr-1) since 1st January 2007. The plots were ordinated and data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. Important Findings: Correspondence analysis (CA) suggested uniqueness of species composition due to N amendment. Species number and biomass of the trait categories varied due to N fertilization and traits. All studied trait categories (except N-fixers) yielded maximum mean species number at moderate level of N fertilization. Different levels of N fertilization exhibited different species diversity-primary productivity (D-P) relationships. Further, study showed reduction in plant diversity due to increase in biomass at high rates of N addition. Conclusions: Tall, erect, non N-fixers, annuals, grasses HPTs were favoured by N enrichment. N dose above 60kg enhanced the biomass of fast growing, erect, annuals, non N-fixers, nitrophilic HPTs. The changes in traits with N addition, especially the increase in annuals and grasses and decrease in typically N-rich N-fixers, have implications for sustainable cattle production. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Botanical Society of China. All rights reserved.
Chloroplast derived SSRs reveals genetic relationships in domesticated alliums and wild relatives
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2022) Kuldip Jayaswall; Himanshu Sharma; Abhishek Bhandawat; R. Sagar; Deepanshu Jayaswal; Akash Kumar; Pratibha Chaturvedi; Vijay Mahajan; Sanjay Kumar; Major Singh
Alliums comprise of popular spices and used for various culinary purposes and nutraceuticals. Poor genetic characterization and scarce information regarding domestication, evolution of important alliums like onion, garlic and wild relatives are the major bottleneck to alliums improvement programs. In present study, chloroplast simple sequence repeat (cpSSR) markers were developed from Allium paradoxum plastome to examine the genetic relationships among onion, garlic and wild germplasms. A total of 15 cpSSR markers were used to establish genetic relationships in 18 individuals of alliums, producing 40 alleles ranging from 1 to 6 alleles per SSR locus and polymorphism potential of 100%.Average PIC and heterozygosities was found to be 0.392 and 0.330, respectively. The developed cpSSR significantly assisted the phylogenetic study and evolutionary relationships among various Allium species. In future, these cpSSR markers will be useful for varietal identification, purity testing and genetic improvement of alliums. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
Comparison of community composition and species diversity of understorey and overstorey tree species in a dry tropical forest of northern India
(Academic Press, 2008) R. Sagar; A.S. Raghubanshi; J.S. Singh
The study focuses on understorey-overstorey plant community dynamics in a dry tropical forest to facilitate appropriate management decisions. We compare community composition and species diversity of the understorey vegetation among five dry tropical forest sites in northern India. A total of 1500 quadrats distributed over 15 one-ha permanent plots in five sites differing in the degree of disturbance, were used to enumerate the understorey tree species and the results were compared with overstorey tree layer. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination revealed that human disturbance intensity, as well as the overall disturbance regimes, and soil water holding capacity controlled the organisation of dry tropical forest understorey composition through effects on soil organic matter. The α-diversity and its components decreased with increasing human disturbance intensity, reflecting utilisation pressure and decreased soil fertility, as also revealed by the analysis of overstorey tree layer. There was a significant positive relationship between overstorey and understorey diversity. Results suggest that in the future, the existing understorey tree communities may replace the current dry tropical forest communities under prevailing environmental conditions. The study also asserts that the rate of species accumulation will be greater in more disturbed sites as well as at small spatial scale within each disturbance level. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Composition, diversity, and biomass of herbaceous species and functional groups in a gradient of nitrogen amendment in a dry tropical environment of India
(Society for Tropical Ecology, 2013) Punita Verma; Hariom Verma; R. Sagar
Nitrogen depositions due to anthropogenically induced disturbances are adding more reduced N to the biosphere, and have had considerable impacts on soil and vegetation. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of N application on the diversity and biomass of herbaceous functional groups in a dry tropical environment of India. For this, a total of 135 1-m2 plots distributed in five locations were established in the year 2007 on the campus of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Each plot received a randomly chosen dose of N (0 kg N ha-1 yr-1 [control], 60 kg N ha-1 yr-1, or 120 kg N ha-1 yr-1). Vegetation samples were collected in 2009 and 2010. The species diversity of each functional group in each 1-m2 plot was calculated using the Shannon-Wiener index, and peak shoot biomass of the same was established by harvesting. The data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. NMS ordination suggested that soil moisture and N amendment caused changes in species and functional group composition and diversity. Location, year, and N amendment all contributed to significant differences in species diversity and biomass. Species diversity was maximum in the 60 kg N ha-1 yr-1 treated plots, while herbaceous above-ground biomass further increased due to the increase in N dose. The increase in total herbaceous biomass along the N amendment was mainly due to an increase in the biomass of grasses as there was a decline in forbs and legumes. © Society for Tropical Ecology.
Composition, species diversity, and biomass of the herbaceous community in dry tropical forest of northern India in relation to soil moisture and light intensity
(2012) R. Sagar; A. Pandey; J.S. Singh
Herb layer contributes substantially to the species diversity of forests and responds relatively quickly to changes in the environment. The objectives of the present study were to understand the relationships among tree canopy cover, soil moisture, light intensity, herbaceous diversity and biomass in a dry tropical forest of India. For this, 20 locations equally distributed in four sites were selected. Four quadrats, each 1 × 1 m in size, were randomly placed for sampling at each location. For each quadrat, tree canopy cover, incident light, soil moisture, herbaceous diversity, and biomass were determined. Results indicated that the selected locations differed in terms of tree canopy cover, soil moisture, light intensity, herbaceous diversity, and biomass. Principal component analysis (PCA), using importance value indices of the component species yielded four groups corresponding to the four communities. PCA axes were related to the tree canopy cover, light intensity, and soil moisture and suggested that these variables had a profound effect on the organization and determination of herbaceous floristic composition and diversity. Positive relationships of tree canopy cover with soil moisture, herbaceous diversity and biomass, and those of soil moisture with herbaceous diversity and biomass suggested that the tree canopies facilitated the herbaceous communities by modifying environmental conditions that ultimately improved the diversity and production. Further, the study showed a linear relationship of herbaceous diversity with biomass, indicating the importance of species diversity for generating primary production in forest herbs. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Concentration and stock of carbon in the soils affected by land uses and climates in the western Himalaya, India
(2011) S.K. Singh; C.B. Pandey; G.S. Sidhu; Dipak Sarkar; R. Sagar
Soils are the third biggest sink of carbon on the earth. Hence, suitable land uses for a climatic condition are expected to sequester optimum atmospheric carbon in soils. But, information on how climatic conditions and land uses influence carbon accumulation in the soils on the Himalayan Mountains is not known. This study reports the impact of four climatic conditions (sub-tropical, altitude: 500-1200m; temperate 1200-2000m; lower alpine 2000-3000m; upper alpine, 3000-3500m) and four land uses (forest, grassland, horticulture, agriculture) on the concentrations and stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) in upper (0-30cm) and deeper (30-100cm) soil depths on the western Himalayan Mountains of India. The study also explored the drivers which influenced the SOC stock build up on the mountains. Rainfall and soil moisture showed quadratic relations, whereas temperature declined linearly with the altitude. SOC stock as well as concentration was the highest (101.8Mgha-1 in 0-30cm, 227.97Mgha-1 in 0-100cm) in temperate and the lowest in sub-tropical climate (37Mgha-1 in 0-30cm, 107.04Mgha-1 in 0-100cm). Pattern of SOC stock build up across the altitude was: temperate>lower alpine>upper alpine>sub-tropical. SOC stocks in all land uses across the climatic conditions, except agriculture in lower alpine, was higher (0.7 to 41.6%) in the deeper than upper soil depth. SOC stocks in both the depths showed quadratic relations with soil temperature and soil moisture. Other factors like fine soil particles, land-use factor and altitude influenced positively whereas slope and pH, negatively to the SOC stocks. In all climatic conditions, other than temperate, SOC stocks were greater in natural ecosystems like forests and pastures (112.5 to 247.5Mgha-1) than agriculture (63 to 120.4Mgha-1). In temperate climate, SOC stock in agriculture (253.6Mgha-1) on well formed terraces was a little higher than forest (231.3Mgha-1) on natural slope. These observations, suggest that land uses on temperate climate may be treated as potential sinks for sequestration of the atmospheric carbon. However, agriculture in subtropical climate need to be pursued with due SOC protection measures like the temperate climate for greater sequestration of the atmospheric carbon. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Development of Allium cepa potential intron polymorphism markers for molecular breeding of Alliums
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Kuldip Jayaswall; R. Sagar; Deepanshu Jayaswal; Akash Kumar; Surendra Pratap Singh; Romit Seth; Himanshu Sharma; Deepesh Kumar; Vijay Mahajan; Sanjay Kumar; Major Singh
Allium cepa is a widely grown crop for its spice and culinary properties. For molecular breeding of Allium cepa, mining and utilization of various sequence-based markers have been widely reported. Unfortunately, none has reported its molecular breeding using potential intron polymorphism (PIP) markers. Due to advantage of intron positioning prediction and practical utility, the PIP markers used for screening the possible polymorphism and cross-transferability in the Alliums. Screening results showed that among 500 Allium cepa potential intron polymorphism (AcPIP) markers, 275 are cross-transferable and polymorphic. Among the 275 AcPIP, 111 polymorphic markers were physically mapped on to 1st to 8th chromosomes of the Allium cepa. Out of the 275 AcPIP containing functionally significant markers, 118 were mapped in onion with Arabidopsis proteome. A set of 10 Alliums were utilized to interpret the polymorphic possibilities of the 500 AcPIP markers. In totality, 55 % AcPIP markers were polymorphic and cross-transferable among the Alliums. The polymorphic information content (PIC) of AcPIP markers ranged from 0.03 to 0.47 and heterozygosity index (H) varied between 0.16 and 0.80. The constructed phylogenetic tree based on the AcPIP markers of 10 Alliums revealed different clusters due to differences in their taxonomic positions. Out of 275 AcPIP markers, 10 AcPIP markers genotyping based Jaccard dissimilarity-based NJ tree of 96 individuals of Allium cepa showed two distinct groups (high total soluble solid; HTSS and low total soluble solid; LTSS). NJ tree and dissimilarity matrix reveal that group I genotypes are distinct, and dissimilar from group II and III genotypes hence it seems that group II and III genotype evolve from group I genotypes. Further we identified nine diverse Allium cepa subsample among which, genotype number 74 has HTSS and could be used for identification and introgression of HTSS coding genes in elite cultivars. Further DNA fingerprint of Alliums with 20 AcPIP markers suggested geographical reach of the released onion varieties. Hence results suggest that 275 AcPIP markers may be useful for accelerating the breeding programme of the Alliums and other species. © 2023 SAAB
Development of chloroplast derived SSR markers for genus Allium and their characterization in the allies for genetic improvement of Alliums
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Kuldip Jayaswall; Himanshu Sharma; Deepanshu Jayaswal; R. Sagar; Abhishek Bhandawat; Akash Kumar; Isha Sharma; Pratibha Chaturvedi; Dalasanuru Chandregowda Manjunathagowda; Deepesh Kumar; Vijay Mahajan; Sanjay Kumar; Major Singh
Alliums are the most popular for their culinary usage and nutraceutical benefits. Their production is greatly affected by the multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. Poor characterizations of genetic resources are the major bottleneck in the genetic improvement of Alliums. Chloroplast-derived simple sequence repeat has recently gained much popularity due to their maternal inheritance and low recombination along with their hypervariable nature. In this study, 22 of the 28 chloroplast-derived markers from chloroplast genomes of A. cepa and A. sativum were reported as polymorphic and cross-transferable. Tetra nucleotide repeats were more prevalent (52 %) in these 22 cpSSR markers as compared to other repeat motifs. Further polymorphic information content of these 22cpSSR markers ranged from 0.007 to 0.427. Based on the genotyping of 22cpSSR markers, 25 Alliums were clustered into two groups (groups I, IIA, and IIB). This showed that cultivated Allium cepa and Allium sativum belong to group II rather than the majority of wild Alliums, which belong to group I. Hence This proved the widespread use of these AccpSSR and AscpSSR markers. Additionally, it was clear from 79 Alliums morphological and genotyping-based clustering that these 79 wild Alliums exhibit strong clustering consistency in genotyping and phenotyping-based dendrograms, hence confirming these cpSSR's discrimination potential. Allium tuberosum Rottler ex. Spreng is quite distinct from Allium fistulosum L, A. schoenoprasumas as well as Allium cepa var. aggregatum G.Don. Further Allium fistulosum L, A. schoenoprasum and Allium cepa var. aggregatum are closely related, according to genotyping-based dendrograms of 79 wild Alliums. Hence Allium fistulosum L, A. schoenoprasum, and Allium cepa provide a brilliant opportunity for introgression of the high total soluble content, high quercetin content, and allicin content of cultivated Allium into wild Allium as well as the biotic and abiotic stress tolerance of wild Alliums into cultivated Alliums. Subsequent clustering of 79 Alliums further allowed us to identify diverse Alliums for constructing a core collection. Hence present study will be useful for molecular breeding and genomic selection-based crop improvement. © 2023 SAAB
Differential effect of woody plant canopies on species composition and diversity of ground vegetation: A case study
(2008) R. Sagar; Archita Singh; J.S. Singh
We examined the effect of three woody plant canopies of contrasting characteristics on species composition and diversity of the ground vegetation. Understorey environment differed in terms of light intensity and soil factors between the three canopy types. NMS ordination, based on Importance Value Indices of the herbaceous species, resulted into three clusters corresponding to the three woody plant canopies. NMS axis-1 was related to light intensity and axis-2 was related to soil water holding capacity. Diversity parameters for the herbaceous vegetation, which were significantly different between canopy types, were also related to NMS axes. The canopy type exhibiting intermediate levels of light intensity, soil moisture and soil carbon, reflected the greatest herbaceous diversity. Mosaics of woody plant canopies can be used to maintain the diversity of ground vegetation in the Gangetic Plains.
Effect of nitrogen (N) deposition on soil-N processes: a holistic approach
(Nature Research, 2020) Preeti Verma; R. Sagar
Nitrogen (N) deposition is a serious environmental issue for soil fertility and human wellbeing. Studies on various terrestrial ecosystems yielded fragmented information on soil-N status (microbial biomass- and mineral-N) and dynamics (N-mineralization and -leaching) whereas the holistic view on this issue is relatively unknown. A complete understanding of soil-N status and dynamics in response to N deposition is essential for sustainable management of ecosystem structure and function as needed for human wellbeing. Therefore, we conducted an experiment in the N-limited tropical grassland to explore the question whether N-deposition weakens the soil-N status and dynamics; if yes, then what could be the optimum amount of deposited N and the related controlling mechanism? We undertook a 3-year (2013–2016) experimental N fertilization (control, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg N ha−1 year−1) study (using urea as a source of N deposition). The data from a total of 72, 1 × 1 m plots (six treatments with 12 replicates) were collected and properly analysed with statistical software. N deposition caused significant differences in the parameters of soil-N status and dynamics. The responses of microbial biomass-N, N-mineralization, and mineral-N to the N deposition were quadratic (maximum values were in N90) whereas N-leaching showed a linear response. Compared to control, N deposition (30–150 kg N) consistently enhanced (29–96%) leaching of N. As a mechanism, acidification induced aluminium toxicity, carbon to nitrogen ratio and litter decomposition governed the soil-N status and dynamics. N deposition over and above 90 kg ha−1 year−1 resulted in a negative feedback to soil N transformation and availability. Hence, N deposition below 90 kg ha−1 year−1 could be a limit for the sustainable functioning of the tropical or similar grasslands. © 2020, The Author(s).
Effects of anthropogenic interferences
(2009) R. Sagar
[No abstract available]
Effects of N-application on the diversity of herbaceous species and growth forms in the dry tropical environment, India
(2011) Punita Verma; R. Sagar
The study examined the diversity of herbaceous species and growth forms at three N levels, differing in soil moisture intensity, in a dry tropical environment of India. A total of 45 species, distributed in 23 families, were recorded in a two year study. The study indicated that the studied herbaceous communities were spatiotemporally dynamic due to N treatment under varied moisture conditions. Further, the trait categories of year, 2009 were distinct from those of year, 2010 in the NMS (Non-metric Multidimentional Scaling) ordination diagram. In the present study, the N treatments produced a typical humped-back pattern for the diversity of species and growth forms. The study concludes that N accumulation in the soil due course of time reduces the diversity of herbaceous species as well as functional groups and moderate level of N and sufficiently high level of soil moisture are essential for maintenance of high diversity of herbaceous species and functional groups. Under ample soil moisture condition, the N accumulation will reduce the soil pH by the process of acidification and the system could be diversified by the hemicryptophytes. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information.
Effects of soil physical characteristics and biotic interferences on the herbaceous community composition and species diversity on the campus of Banaras Hindu University, India
(2010) R. Sagar; Punita Verma
Soil, water and species diversity relationships are central components of the vegetation ecology. In this connection, the present study was performed on the three sites within the campus of Banaras Hindu University of India, to relate herbaceous species diversity to soil physical characteristic and the intensity of biotic interferences. At each site, three, 10 m × 10 m plots were randomly established and within each plot, four quadrats each 50 cm × 50 cm were randomly placed for sampling. For each quadrat, number of individuals and their herbage cover were recorded by species. Soil physical characteristics (soil moisture, water-holding capacity, soil porosity and bulk density), elements of biotic interferences and α-diversity and its components were determined for each plot. The plots were ordinated by Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) using Importance Value Indices of the component species. Results showed that the selected locations differed in terms of soil moisture and species diversity parameters due to differences in biotic interferences. NMS ordination yielded three groups corresponding to the three communities experiencing different intensity of land use. NMS axes were substantially related to the soil and herbaceous diversity parameters and suggested that the elements of soil physical characteristics, intensity of biotic interferences and regional herbaceous species pool had profound effect on the organization and determination of herbaceous floristic composition. Further, the sample locations exhibiting greater soil moisture, water-holding capacity, soil porosity and lesser soil bulk density harboured greater herbaceous diversity. A negative relationship between indices of species diversity and soil bulk density revealed that the dry and compact soils due to greater biotic pressure contributed to the loss of species diversity. Reduction in livestock numbers, grazing pressure and soil bulk density could be helpful in the promotion of soil quality and species diversity. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Erratum: Global, regional, and national levels of maternal mortality, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (The Lancet (2016) 388(10053) (1775–1812)(S0140673616314702)(10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31470-2))
(Elsevier B.V., 2017) N.J. Kassebaum; R.M. Barber; L. Dandona; S.I. Hay; H.J. Larson; S.S. Lim; A.D. Lopez; A.H. Mokdad; M. Naghavi; C. Pinho; C. Steiner; T. Vos; H. Wang; T. Achoki; G.M. Anderson; M. Arora; S. Biryukov; J.D. Blore; A. Carter; D.C. Casey; M.M. Coates; M. Coggeshall; D.J. Dicker; E. Dossou; T. Fleming; M.S. Fraser; J. Friedman; N. Fullman; N. Graetz; J. Hancock; C. Huynh; M. Iannarone; L. Kemmer; X.R. Kulikoff; M.J. Kutz; P.Y. Liu; N. Marquez; A. Misganaw; M.D. Mooney; M. Moradi-Lakeh; M. Ng; G. Nguyen; A. Pain; K.A. Shackelford; N. Silpakit; A. Sligar; J.M. Smith; R.J.D. Sorensen; S.E. Vollset; J.A. Wagner; T. Wolock; Y. Zhao; M. Zhou; C.J.L. Murray; B.E. Ebel; N.D. Futran; K.M. Harun; Z.A. Bhutta; M.I. Nisar; N. Akseer; P. Jeemon; R. Dandona; S. Goenka; G.A. Kumar; P.W. Gething; D. Bisanzio; A. Deribew; C. Cooper; R. Ali; D.A. Bennett; V. Jha; K. Rahimi; Y. Kinfu; G.V.S. Murthy; Y. Li; S. Liu; L. Wang; X. Liang; S. Yu; P. Azzopardi; K.B. Gibney; A. Meretoja; C.E.I. Szoeke; K. Alam; S.M. Colquhoun; R.G. Weintraub; T. Wijeratne; R. Lozano; I.R. Campos-Nonato; J.C. Campuzano; H. Gomez-Dantes; H. Lamadrid-Figueroa; F. Mejia-Rodriguez; J.C. Montañez Hernandez; P. Montero; G.A. Mensah; J.A. Salomon; A.L. Thorne-Lyman; O.N. Ajala; T. Bärnighausen; E.L. Ding; M.S. Farvid; J.R.A. Fitchett; A.A. Abajobir; L.D. Knibbs; R. Lalloo; N.K.M. Alam; Y. Guo; K.H. Abate; T.T. Gebrehiwot; A.T. Gebremedhin; K.M. Abbas; F. Abd-Allah; M.A. Abdallat; A.M. Abdulle; S.F. Abera; Y.A. Melaku; F.H. Tesfay; A.F. Aregay; T.A. Bayou; B.D. Betsu; M. Gebremedhin; A.A. Gebru; G.B. Hailu; T. Tekle; A.Z. Yalew; H.G. Yebyo; V. Aboyans; I. Abubakar; R.W. Aldridge; A. Banerjee; N.M. Aburmeileh; A.O. Adebiyi; A.L. Adelekan; F.A. Ojelabi; I.A. Adedeji; A.K. Adou; K.A. Afanvi; A. Badawi; A. Agarwal; A. Agarwal; A Ahmad Kiadaliri; T.F. Akinyemiju; D.C. Schwebel; J.A. Singh; Z. Al-Aly; K. Alam; A.H. Kemp; J. Leigh; A.B. Mekonnen; D. Alasfoor; S.F. Aldhahri; A.S. Terkawi; S. Alhabib; A. Alkerwi; F. Alla; R. Al-Raddadi; U. Alsharif; E Alvarez Martin; N. Alvis-Guzman; A.T. Amare; L.G. Ciobanu; G.A. Tessema; T. Setegn; A. Amberbir; A.K. Amegah; A.A. Kudom; W. Ammar; H.L. Harb; S.M. Amrock; H.H. Andersen; R.M. Antoine; C.A.T. Antonio; E.J.A. Faraon; J. Ärnlöv; A. Larsson; V.S. Arsic Arsenijevic; A. Barac; A. Artaman; H. Asayesh; S. Atique; E.F.G.A. Avokpaho; A. Awasthi; B.P. Ayala Quintanilla; U. Bacha; M.C. Bahit; K. Balakrishnan; S.L. Barker-Collo; S. Mohammed; S. Basu; Y.T. Bayou; S. Bazargan-Hejazi; J. Beardsley; N. Bedi; T. Bekele; M.L. Bell; B.J. Biroscak; J.J. Huang; I.S. Santos; I.M. Bensenor; P.A. Lotufo; A. Berhane; C.D. Wolfe; E. Bernabé; A.S. Beyene; S. Biadgilign; B. Bikbov; A.A. Bin Abdulhak; E. Bjertness; A.S. Htet; M. Brainin; A. Brazinova; M. Majdan; J. Shen; N.J.K. Breitborde; T.S. Brugha; Z.A. Butt; R. Cárdenas; S. Fereshtehnejad; M. Kivipelto; E. Weiderpass; R. Havmoeller; S. Sindi; C.A. Castañeda-Orjuela; C.A. Castañedaorjuela; R.E. Castro; F. Catalá-López; F. Cavalleri; V. Colistro; H. Chang; J. Chang; L. Chavan; C.E. Chibueze; V.H. Chisumpa; C.C. Mapoma; F. Masiye; J.J. Choi; R. Chowdhury; D.J. Christopher; M. Cirillo; L.T. Cooper; T. Dahiru; A. Damasceno; H. Danawi; A.H. Refaat; J Das Neves; D. De Leo; R.P. Dellavalle; K. Deribe; A.D. Hailu; W. Tefera; A.Z. Giref; T. Jibat; G Temam Shifa; D.C. Des Jarlais; S.D. Dharmaratne; M. Dubey; M.H.U. Rahman; U. Ram; A. Singh; A.K. Yadav; C.L. Ellingsen; M. Savic; V. Skirbekk; I. Elyazar; S.P. Ermakov; S. Soshnikov; B. Eshrati; F. Farzadfar; A. Kasaeian; F. Pishgar; A. Esteghamati; N. Hafezi-Nejad; S. Sheikhbahaei; A. Khosravi; R. Malekzadeh; G. Roshandel; S.G. Sepanlou; V. Rahimi-Movaghar; T.A. Farid; A.R. Khan; C.S.E.S. Farinha; A. Faro; J.C. Fernandes; F. Fischer; N. Foigt; E.B. Franca; R.C. Franklin; T. Fürst; A. Majeed; K. Gambashidze; K. Kazanjan; M. Kereselidze; I. Khonelidze; M. Shakh-Nazarova; L. Sturua; A. Gamkrelidze; T. Gebre; J.M. Geleijnse; M. Giroud; M.D. Gishu; A.K. Tura; E. Glaser; P. Gona; A. Goodridge; S.V. Gopalani; A. Goto; H.C. Gugnani; R. Gupta; V. Gupta; O.F. Norheim; R.R. Hamadeh; S. Hamidi; A.J. Handal; G.J. Hankey; S. Harikrishnan; H.W. Hoek; M. Horino; N. Horita; H.D. Hosgood; D.G. Hoy; G. Hu; H. Huang; I. Huybrechts; K.M. Iburg; B.T. Idrisov; V.J. Iyer; K.H. Jacobsen; N. Jahanmehr; M.B. Jakovljevic; M. Javanbakht; A.U. Jayatilleke; S.H. Jee; D.K. Lal; S. Zodpey; G. Jiang; Y. Jiang; J.B. Jonas; Z. Kabir; R. Kamal; C.N. Kesavachandran; J. She; H. Kan; A. Karch; D. Karletsos; A. Kaul; N. Kawakami; K. Shibuya; J.F. Kayibanda; D.S. Kazi; P.N. Keiyoro; A.P. Kengne; C.S. Wiysonge; K. Sliwa; A. Keren; Y.S. Khader; E.A. Khan; Y.H. Khang; S. Won; J. Khubchandani; Y.J. Kim; Y. Kokubo; S. Kosen; P.A. Koul; A. Koyanagi; S. Krishnaswami; B Kuate Defo; B Kucuk Bicer; H. Lam; Q. Lan; D.O. Laryea; R. Leung; S.E. Lipshultz; J.D. Wilkinson; E.P. Simard; Y. Liu; M.R. Phillips; Q. Xiao; B.K. Lloyd; R. Lunevicius; D. Pope; S. Ma; H Magdy Abd El Razek; W. Marcenes; P.A. Meaney; D.J. Margolis; M.B. Marzan; A.J. Mason-Jones; T.T. Mazorodze; A. Mehari; M.M. Mehndiratta; S.M. Woldeyohannes; B.A. Tedla; Z.A. Memish; W. Mendoza; T.J. Meretoja; F.A. Mhimbira; T.R. Miller; E.J. Mills; N. Mohamed Ibrahim; K.A. Mohammad; A. Mohammadi; G.L.D. Mola; L. Monasta; M. Montico; L. Ronfani; J.D. Monis; A.R. Moore; M. Moradilakeh; L. Morawska; R.E. Norman; R. Mori; A. Werdecker; U.O. Mueller; R. Westerman; S. Murthy; F. Pourmalek; J.B. Nachega; A.J. Paternina Caicedo; S. Seedat; B.X. Tran; A. Naheed; L. Naldi; G. Remuzzi; D. Nand; V. Nangia; D. Nash; S. Neupane; J.N. Newton; F.N. Ngalesoni; P. Nguhiu; Q.L. Nguyen; M. Nomura; L. Nyakarahuka; C.M. Obermeyer; F.A. Ogbo; I. Oh; P.R. Olivares; B.O. Olusanya; J.O. Olusanya; J.N. Opio; E. Oren; E. Ota; A.S. Oyekale; P.A. Mahesh; N. Papantoniou; V. Stathopoulou; E. Park; H. Park; S.B. Patten; V.K. Paul; A. Roy; R. Sagar; M. Satpathy; D.M. Pereira; M. Cortinovis; N. Perico; K. Pesudovs; M. Petzold; J.D. Pillay; S. Polinder; M. Qorbani; A. Rafay; S.U. Rahman; R.K. Rai; C.L. Ranabhat; T. Rangaswamy; P.V. Rao; S. Resnikoff; D. Rojas-Rueda; G.M. Ruhago; B.F. Sunguya; M.M. Saleh; J.R. Sanabria; M.D. Sanchez-Niño; R. Sarmiento-Suarez; B. Sartorius; M. Sawhney; M.I. Saylan; I.J.C. Schneider; D.A.S. Silva; E.E. Servan-Mori; M.A. Shaikh; R. Sharma; M. Shin; S. Yoon; R. Shiri; K. Shishani; I. Shiue; I.D. Sigfusdottir; D.G.A. Silveira; J.I. Silverberg; Y. Yano; O.P. Singh; P.K. Singh; V. Singh; S. Soneji; J.B. Soriano; L.A. Sposato; C.T. Sreeramareddy; K. Stroumpoulis; S. Swaminathan; B.L. Sykes; R. Tabarés-Seisdedos; K.M. Tabb; R.T. Talongwa; M. Tavakkoli; B. Taye; A.Y. Endries; G. Temam Shifa; A.J. Thomson; R. Tobe-Gai; R. Topor-Madry; J.A. Towbin; Z. Tsala Dimbuene; S. Tyrovolas; K.N. Ukwaja; O.A. Uthman; T. Vasankari; N. Venketasubramanian; F.S. Violante; S.K. Vladimirov; V.V. Vlassov; S. Weichenthal; M. Wubshet; G. Xu; B. Yakob; P. Yip; N. Yonemoto; M.Z. Younis; C. Yu; Z. Zaidi; M.E. Zaki; H. Zeeb; L.J. Zuhlke
GBD 2015 Maternal Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national levels of maternal mortality, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet 2016; 388: 1775–812—In this Article, an extra affiliation has been added for Simon I Hay. The affiliation for Monica Cortinovis has been edited. The funding statement for Simon I Hay has been added. These corrections have been made to the online version as of Jan 5, 2017. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Estimates of global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2015: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
(Elsevier Ltd, 2016) H. Wang; T.M. Wolock; A. Carter; G. Nguyen; H.H. Kyu; E. Gakidou; S.I. Hay; W. Msemburi; M.M. Coates; M.D. Mooney; M.S. Fraser; A. Sligar; H.J. Larson; J. Friedman; A. Brown; L. Dandona; N. Fullman; J. Haagsma; I. Khalil; S.S. Lim; J. Mikesell; A.H. Mokdad; M. Moradi-Lakeh; K. Pearson; BS Silpakit; MPH Sorensen; A.M. Temesgen; S.E. Vollset; L. Zoeckler; C.J.L. Murray; R. Alfonso-Cristancho; K.M. Harun; D.M. Prokop; E.J. Mills; A. Trickey; O.N. Ajala; T. Bärnighausen; E.L. Ding; M.S. Farvid; A.L. Thorne-Lyman; S. Won; J.R.A. Fitchett; J. Salomon; A.A. Abajobir; D.G. Hoy; N.K.M. Alam; K.H. Abate; T.T. Ghiwot; A.T. Gebremedhin; K.M. Abbas; M.M. Abd El Razek; F. Abd-Allah; A.M. Abdulle; S.F. Abera; Y.A. Melaku; F.H. Tesfay; G.Y. Abyu; T.A. Bayou; B.D. Betsu; A.A. Gebru; G.B. Hailu; T. Tekle; A.Z. Yalew; H.G. Yebyo; I. Abubakar; R.W. Aldridge; L.J. Abu-Raddad; N.M.E. Abu-Rmeileh; A.O. Adebiyi; I.A. Adedeji; A.L. Adelekan; F.A. Ojelabi; K. Adofo; A.K. Adou; T.F. Akinyemiju; D.C. Schwebel; J.A. Singh; N. Akseer; F.H. Al Lami; Z. Al-Aly; K. Alam; R.G. Weintraub; P.P. Chiang; A. Meretoja; A.D. Lopez; T. Wijeratne; T.R. Driscoll; A.H. Kemp; J. Leigh; A.B. Mekonnen; C.K. Karema; D. Alasfoor; S.F.S. Aldhahri; A.S. Terkawi; M.A. Alegretti; A.V. Aleman; Z.A. Alemu; C. Cooper; A. Deribew; P.W. Gething; R. Ali; D.A. Bennett; D. Bisanzio; K. Rahimi; A. Alkerwi; F. Alla; R.M.S. Al-Raddadi; M.Y. Saeedi; U. Alsharif; E. Alvarez; N. Alvis-Guzman; A.T. Amare; H.W. Hoek; A.K. Tura; L.G. Ciobanu; G.A. Tessema; A. Amberbir; A.K. Amegah; W. Ammar; H.L. Harb; S.M. Amrock; C.A.T. Antonio; P. Anwari; J. Ärnlöv; A. Larsson; A. Artaman; H. Asayesh; R.J. Asghar; R. Assadi; S. Atique; L.S. Atkins; E.F.G.A. Avokpaho; A. Awasthi; E. Bhatia; B.P. Ayala; U. Bacha; A. Badawi; A. Barac; A. Basu; Y.T. Bayou; S. Bazargan-Hejazi; J. Beardsley; N. Bedi; I.S. Santos; I.M. Bensenor; P.A. Lotufo; A.S. Beyene; Z.A. Bhutta; M.I. Nisar; S. Biadgilign; B. Bikbov; S.M. Birlik; M. Brainin; A. Brazinova; M. Majdan; N.J.K. Breitborde; E. Oren; M. Burch; Z.A. Butt; J.C. Campuzano; I.B. Heredia-Pi; E.E. Servan-Mori; R. Cárdenas; S. Fereshtehnejad; M. Kivipelto; E. Weiderpass; J.J. Carrero; R. Havmoeller; S. Sindi; C.A. Castañeda-Orjuela; J. Castillo Rivas; F. Catalá-López; R. Tabarés-Seisdedos; H. Chang; J. Chang; L. Chavan; W. Chen; M. Chibalabala; V.H. Chisumpa; C.C. Mapoma; F. Masiye; P. de Jager; M. Petzold; J.J. Choi; Y. Khang; D.J. Christopher; S. Mohammed; T. Dahiru; S.A. Damtew; K. Deribe; G. Temam; P. Jeemon; R. Dandona; S. Goenka; G.A. Kumar; D.K. Lal; G.V.S. Murthy; S. Zodpey; J. das Neves; D.M. Pereira; D. De Leo; L. Degenhardt; R.P. Dellavalle; D.C. Des Jarlais; S.D. Dharmaratne; P.P. Doshi; K.E. Doyle; M. Dubey; M.H.U. Rahman; U. Ram; A.K. Yadav; Y.M. Elshrek; I. Elyazar; A.Y. Endries; S.P. Ermakov; B. Eshrati; A. Esteghamati; N. Hafezi-Nejad; S. Sheikhbahaei; F. Farzadfar; A. Kasaeian; R. Malekzadeh; G. Roshandel; S.G. Sepanlou; V. Rahimi-Movaghar; M. Yaseri; I.D.A. Faghmous; S.M. Langan; M. McKee; C.S. Farinha; A. Faro; J.C. Fernandes; F. Fischer; N. Foigt; T. Fürst; A. Majeed; F.G. Gankpé; T. Gebre; J.M. Geleijnse; T. Jibat; B.D. Gessner; M. Giroud; M.D. Gishu; E. Glaser; A. Goodridge; S.V. Gopalani; A. Goto; H.C. Gugnani; M.D.C. Guimaraes; R. Gupta; V. Gupta; H. Hagan; R.R. Hamadeh; S. Hamidi; M. Hammami; G.J. Hankey; Y. Hao; S. Harikrishnan; A. Koyanagi; J.M. Haro; M.T. Hedayati; V. Skirbekk; M. Horino; N. Horita; H.D. Hosgood; M. Hsairi; G. Hu; H. Huang; J.J. Huang; K.M. Iburg; B.T. Idrisov; K. Innos; V.J. Iyer; K.H. Jacobsen; N. Jahanmehr; M.B. Jakovljevic; M. Javanbakht; A.U. Jayatilleke; V. Jha; G. Jiang; Y. Jiang; J.B. Jonas; Z. Kabir; R. Kamal; C.N. Kesavachandran; J. She; H. Zhang; H. Kan; A. Karch; D. Karletsos; A. Kaul; N. Kawakami; K. Shibuya; J.F. Kayibanda; P.N. Keiyoro; A.P. Kengne; K. Sliwa; B.M. Mayosi; Y.S. Khader; A.R. Khan; E.A. Khan; J. Khubchandani; Y.J. Kim; Y. Kinfu; Y. Kokubo; S. 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Background Timely assessment of the burden of HIV/AIDS is essential for policy setting and programme evaluation. In this report from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we provide national estimates of levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and mortality for 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015. Methods For countries without high-quality vital registration data, we estimated prevalence and incidence with data from antenatal care clinics and population-based seroprevalence surveys, and with assumptions by age and sex on initial CD4 distribution at infection, CD4 progression rates (probability of progression from higher to lower CD4 cell-count category), on and off antiretroviral therapy (ART) mortality, and mortality from all other causes. Our estimation strategy links the GBD 2015 assessment of all-cause mortality and estimation of incidence and prevalence so that for each draw from the uncertainty distribution all assumptions used in each step are internally consistent. We estimated incidence, prevalence, and death with GBD versions of the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) and Spectrum software originally developed by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). We used an open-source version of EPP and recoded Spectrum for speed, and used updated assumptions from systematic reviews of the literature and GBD demographic data. For countries with high-quality vital registration data, we developed the cohort incidence bias adjustment model to estimate HIV incidence and prevalence largely from the number of deaths caused by HIV recorded in cause-of-death statistics. We corrected these statistics for garbage coding and HIV misclassification. Findings Global HIV incidence reached its peak in 1997, at 3·3 million new infections (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1–3·4 million). Annual incidence has stayed relatively constant at about 2·6 million per year (range 2·5–2·8 million) since 2005, after a period of fast decline between 1997 and 2005. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has been steadily increasing and reached 38·8 million (95% UI 37·6–40·4 million) in 2015. At the same time, HIV/AIDS mortality has been declining at a steady pace, from a peak of 1·8 million deaths (95% UI 1·7–1·9 million) in 2005, to 1·2 million deaths (1·1–1·3 million) in 2015. We recorded substantial heterogeneity in the levels and trends of HIV/AIDS across countries. Although many countries have experienced decreases in HIV/AIDS mortality and in annual new infections, other countries have had slowdowns or increases in rates of change in annual new infections. Interpretation Scale-up of ART and prevention of mother-to-child transmission has been one of the great successes of global health in the past two decades. However, in the past decade, progress in reducing new infections has been slow, development assistance for health devoted to HIV has stagnated, and resources for health in low-income countries have grown slowly. Achievement of the new ambitious goals for HIV enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the 90-90-90 UNAIDS targets will be challenging, and will need continued efforts from governments and international agencies in the next 15 years to end AIDS by 2030. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license